Dispatch 4 – Final Day in Skardu

Ten years ago was my first expedition in Pakistan. This banner is hanging in the PTDC K2 motel in Skardu.
Ten years ago was my first expedition in Pakistan. This banner is hanging in the PTDC K2 motel in Skardu.

Today, I woke up early, enjoyed breakfast in the garden, and anxiously waited for my bags to arrive. They did not. Apparently, the truck that was transporting them had trouble in Gilgit causing a delay in their arrival. I was told that they will hopefully arrive in the evening. After finding out this bad news, I returned to my room to get a head start on organizing what gear had arrived into that which I need on the trek and that which I won’t need until beginning the climb up the mountain. Once this was done, I got a visit from Szilard Suhajda and Csaba Varga (Hungary/Romania) who were on Broad Peak with me last year. After this, I had lunch with the Czech climber then headed to the bazaar to pick up some last minute supplies for the climb. I hurried back to the hotel, dropped off my purchases, and headed to Dewan-E-Khas with Fida and Manzoor for our last dinner in Skardu. Muhammad Ibrahim stopped by the restaurant to say hello. He will be the trekking guide for the Taiwanese expedition on Gasherbrum I so we will be trekking with him to base camp since the Taiwanese are on the same permit as me. My bags finally arrived around midnight so I will wake up around 6am to pack all of my equipment for the trek to base camp. We will take a jeep to Askole tomorrow morning and begin trekking on the 24th.