Trip Reports

K2 Base Camp Trek - July 2023

K2 Base Camp reached!
Trip Report

Written by Leader Paul Donovan (Paul), July 2023

The team were jetting in from a number of locations: Christian from New Zealand; Nicky & Stuart from Edinburgh; John from Manchester and myself from London. It was arranged that we all met in Islamabad ready for our flight to Skardu. The weather was on our side and we were in Skardu within the hour having had some fantastic views of Nanga Parbat and the vastness of the Karakopram, before descending into the Indus valley - a spectacular flight. Whilst in Skardu we had time to sort out our kit, catch up on some sleep, take in the sights including a walk up to Skardu Fort.

No sooner had we arrived and we were off, heading for Askoli and what a road trip that was - six hours of off-roading, with lots of undulation and many suspension bridge river crossings. It even involved our gear and cook team vehicle getting stuck mid-stream whilst crossing one of the many streams. Thank goodness it was a busy day as many hands made light work to eventually push and pull them out. With the excitement over, we continued to Askoli - the start and finish of our trek.

The next two days saw us ‘check in’ at the Karakoram National Park, cross the Biafo river close to the snout of the Biafo Glacier, trek through Korofong Camp, cross the Dumordo river on a new bridge, camp at Jhola and follow the Brandi river past Bardumal camp before reaching Paiju camp where we would spend two nights to assist with our acclimatisation. It’s here that the rain came in and didn’t stop for 36 hours. After seeking a weather forecast, we delayed our onward trek for a few hours to avoid getting absolutely soaked - this certainly paid off with the rain coming back in just as we arrived at Hoborse Camp. We had by now climbed up the snout of the Baltoro Glacier and navigated our way eastwards across the undulation and many boulders to reach the southern terminal moraines before eventually arriving at Hoborse. Our onward trek to Urdukas was a relatively short trek but gave us some moody views of Trango Towers and Cathedral Peak. It’s here that we saw the sun for the first time since leaving Jhola so we made the most of it, drying out our wet tents and gear.

With all of our gear dry, it was time to move on. The next three days saw us leave Trango Towers and Cathedral Peak behind us, in favour of the Lobsang massif, Masherbrum, Muztagh Tower and Gasherbrum IV before eventually coming upon Broad Peak and finally K2, as we arrived at Concordia. Our 360 degree panorama was just majestic once the clouds had lifted. A day of acclimatising at Concordia allowed us the opportunity to explore and take some great photographs of the peaks around us.

Next, our main objectives - Broad Peak Base Camp, Gilkey Memorial  and K2 Base Camp, with an overnight at Broad Peak Base Camp. The terrain was challenging as we ascended the Godwin-Austin glacier with Broad Peak looming high above us. We had a well earned lunch stop at Broad Peak Base Camp, after which it was time to move on to our final objectives. After a total of five hours trekking with an additional two hour lunch break, K2 Base Camp was in sight and K2 was closer than ever. A detour to visit the Gilkey Memorial allowed us time to reflect on those who had lost their lives in their quest. On arrival at K2 Base Camp, we were welcomed by the many teams who were there chasing their dreams of summiting K2 before retracing our steps back to Broad Peak Base Camp for the night.

It was now time to commence our homeward journey, retracing our steps back down the Baltoro glacier and capturing the views that weren’t on offer to us on the way up due to the weather. It’s here that the little mishap occurred - I took a tumble, resulting in a significant left knee injury although it wasn’t clear at this stage what the injury was. The support of the very experienced trek team was invaluable over the next 36 hours. With c100km of trekking left back to Askoli, it was clear this was not an option for me. I did however manage, with the support of my trekking poles and the trek team to walk for five hours to our next camp, west of Concordia where I got the ball rolling for a helicopter evacuation back to Skardu. At 09:00 the following morning, the trek team continued on their way, leaving me behind to await a helicopter, which eventually came in around 13:00.

The trek team continued to keep me updated of their progress back to Askoli, and of the views offered them that were obscured on the way in due to rain - they weren’t disappointed. Their road trip back to Skardu required a change of vehicles due to one of their river crossings being impassable. After a night in Skardu, it was time for the impressive flight back to Islamabad. It’s here that the team went their separate ways. Here’s to the next adventure!

Diolch yn fawr (A big thank you) to our local guides, Javaid and Ghulam, our cooks, Elias and Mohammed and the cook team and our porters and their horses, without whom we would not have achieved all we set out to do.

Llongyfarchiadau (Congratulations) & diolch yn fawr to the trek team: Christian, John, Nicky & Stuart on all their achievements during the trip. I hope our paths cross again.

Llongyfarchiadau pawb (Congratulations all)

Paul Donovan

Trek Leader

K2 Base Camp Trek

July 2023


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