Today, I woke up at 6:30am, showered, had breakfast, and waited for my bags to arrive. I quickly grabbed a jacket from one of them, said goodbye to Jon Griffith and his team, and headed out front to the jeep. We drove through dusty, windy, and rainy weather out of Skardu and after a couple of hours, were joined by an armed policeman to ensure our safety through a less secure area of the way. The weather improved eventually and we arrived safely to Kande where Manzoor was gracious enough to invite me into his home for lunch. I chatted with his family, ate a delicious meal, and then continued on to Hushe. The view of Mashabrum was obscured by clouds, but the village was nonetheless one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. After taking some photos, we headed back to Skardu and quickly had dinner. Afterwards, I met with Yannick Graziani (France), Ferran Latorre (Spain), and Tom Seidensticker (Germany) to discuss plans on the mountain. Kinga Baranowska (Poland) will also be joining us in Base Camp. I will begin trekking to Gasherbrum Base Camp on the 24th of June.