Pakistan > Almost fell into the glacier

Today there are two options in the itinerary. For the enthusiasts, there is a fairly challenging hike to do from the village of Gulmit. This hike starts with a climb of over 1,600 steps. Then the route leads to a glacier. Eventually, the route ends at Borith Lake. The other option is to drive to the lake by car and take a walk around it. I choose the second option. This means I have more time this morning. The hikers leave the hotel at eight o’clock. I join them for breakfast at that time. At ten o’clock we drive by car to Borith Lake. It is cloudy today and quite windy. Luckily, it is dry. At the lake, it is a bit unclear what to do. We can walk around the lake, but we can also walk to meet the hikers. Only it’s unclear which direction that is. We decide to walk around the lake. Along the way, a farmer points out a side path to us. This path is the one to take to walk all the way around. At the end, we also receive directions on how to get back to the hotel, where we will have lunch later. I order coffee and wait for the more active hikers.

Pakistan - The Borith mountain lake

We expected the group around noon, but they arrive one hour later. Because of this, we can only start lunch after one o’clock. After lunch, we drive further into the valley from the hotel. An unpaved path of about four kilometers. The path ends close to the Passu glacier. This is the glacier we also saw yesterday from the Karakoram Highway. From the parking lot, a sandy path goes up. After about ten minutes, I reach the viewpoint. The white ice mass is beautiful to see. A bit further on is a second viewpoint. Here we can also descend right down to the ice. I decide to go down with a few fellow travelers. The path runs over rocks. Carefully, I step from rock to rock. At a narrow part, I slip on loose gravel and fall on my backside. Luckily, I don’t slide further down. The guides rush over and ask if I’m okay. Actually, I just slid on my butt. When we get to the bottom, we climb back up the ice.

Pakistan - The beautiful outflow of the Passu glacier

Here the ice is a mixture of stones, rocks, and ice. Sometimes it’s slippery, sometimes a bit soggy. It’s hard to judge when it’s slippery or unstable. I’m closely watched and regularly offered a helping hand. On the glacier, the ice mass is whiter and less mixed with debris. At a glacier crevasse, several large stones form a kind of bridge over the gap. “Is this sturdy?” I ask the guide. He replies affirmatively. When I put my foot on the rock, it falls into the three-meter-deep crevasse below me. My leg dangles in the glacier crevasse. Fortunately, my other foot still has grip. I see the meltwater flowing beneath me. Cherry holds my hand and pulls me back onto the ice

Pakistan - Carefully walking on the ice of the Passu glacier

. In this action, I have to be careful the edge doesn’t crumble further and that I don’t fall into the icy water. A bit startled, I stand up again on the glacier. Via a different route, we still walk to the wider part of the glacier. I’d rather not think too much about what would have happened if I had fallen into the crevasse. We take several photos on the glacier. I also get into conversation with some Pakistani men. They do the trip to the ice wearing slippers. How do they manage that? Carefully, I walk off the ice and start climbing back up. The fellow travelers who didn’t go with us are already back at the hotel. Two vehicles stayed behind to transport us. At the hotel, I order the food for the evening. The meal tastes good again today. After dinner, we settle the bill for the past days’ food. Tomorrow morning we leave the hotel and head to the Shimshal valley.