CANMORE – They were lured by the promise of jaw-dropping views, enticing history and an exotic country with names well-known to mountain lovers around the world – Trango, Mustagh, Masherbrum, Broad Peak, K2.
The idea for the Alpine Club of Canada’s Rocky Mountain Section trip to Pakistan’s storied Karakorum mountains was sparked two years ago when several members visited the Inshelyk Glacier in Kyrgyzstan.
“We were originally intimidated by going to Pakistan – a country on External Affairs Canada's list of ‘Avoid All Unnecessary Travel,' ” said Steve Fedyna. “But we were warned about Kyrgyzstan too, and it was amazing.”
Pakistan didn’t disappoint.
For three weeks this summer, 13 RMS members – six from Canmore, six from Calgary and one from Seattle – were amazed and delighted as they explored Pakistan’s Baltoro Glacier region on their three-week trip. Their adventure began in Islamabad, where they toured the Faisal Mosque. From there they journeyed to Skardu for a couple of days, then rode in jeeps for two days to the trailhead at Askole.
“We covered a total of 160 kilometres, almost all of it on the Baltoro Glacier,” Fedyna said. “We hiked up the gentle Baltoro Glacier, since that way we could acclimatize easily, never exceeding 300 metres of elevation gain in a single day.”
One requirement for participants was that they had previously hiked or climbed above 5,000 metres, and had some alpine climbing experience, which turned out to be quite beneficial while negotiating a kilometre of fixed lines on the Gondogoro La.
“The north side of the pass was snow and ice, which was easily managed by our group since we all had crampons,” Fedyna said. “The south side was the worst slid-y shale scree that you could imagine. Our guides were amazed when we told them that it felt like being back home in the Rockies.”
They later learned only 20 per cent of groups who attempt the short cut over 5,635-metre Gondogoro La are successful due to challenges with the route conditions, or the group members’ ability.
For the professional help they needed to organize and manage the logistics of their trip, they hired Adventure Tours Pakistan, the oldest trekking and climbing agency in the country. Started 35 years ago by Ashraf Aman, the first Pakistani to summit K2, the outfit came recommended by Ralf Dujmovits, husband of renowned Rockies climber Nancy Hansen. They were assisted by 60 porters and 10 horses and mules.
Among the surprises they encountered was 40 C temperatures, and the exceptional quality of their food, which resulted in multiple standing ovations for the cook staff.
“The first two days on the glacier my thermometer read 40 C,” Fedyna said. “I have never been so dehydrated in my entire life, since we only drank water that our cook staff boiled up for us and we couldn't just dip our water bottles in the rivers or glacier streams. There were sand dunes on the glaciers. And some of the crevasses were so huge that if you had fallen into them, they would have never found your body. We had a chef who used to cook at the Karachi Hilton, and his curried goat ribs were among the best ribs I have ever eaten in my life.”
Stealing the show, however, were the legendary Karakorum views, which changed dramatically with every five minutes of walking.
“Three-thousand-metre hanging glaciers, mind boggling peaks, seracs the size of apartment buildings, crevasses big enough for a whole fleet of school buses,” Fedyna described.
“And we had some fantastic experiences with locals. Near Skardu, we were out on a tour looking at a scenic lake and bumped into a group of Pakistani tourists. They were so impressed that we had come all the way from Canada that an impromptu dance party erupted.
“As with most places, I'm sure that there are scary, dangerous parts of Pakistan. But we were blown away by how friendly and caring the locals were.”
Fedyna will share spectacular photos and entertaining stories on Thursday Sept. 26 at Origins at Spring Creek projection room. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to all.
