DISPATCHES

Robinson

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Even after traveling in Asia several times before, once on the very same road, I stared out the window, overwhelmed with the endless images that flashed before me. I swear, had I been able to photograph all that I saw, there would have been several National Geographic cover shots. An arid wasteland outside the city gave way to a steep valley with terraced fields and villages accessible only by cable car.

We passed chickens, melon stands, filthy children, and women in bright colors carrying silver urns on their heads. We passed a herd of goats on a rocky road cut. We passed huge brickyards. Missile-like smokestacks sat upon subterranean ovens where the bricks baked. The transitions from lush greens to lifeless grays were abrupt, coinciding with the availability of water. We had been dreading the two-day drive, hoping for a flight, but the scenery along the drive to Skardu is unlike anything I have ever seen.

Soon we dropped into the Indus River Valley. The Indus is milky gray and massive, draining countless glaciers in the Karakoram. The road along its banks is the so-called Karakoram Highway. The Karakoram Highway (KKH) is a one to one-and-a-half lane road that was literally blasted out of the rock and talus walls of the valley. In 1966 China and Pakistan agreed to work on the road together — Pakistan working from the south, China from the north.

After 15 years of toil and lost lives, the road was completed in 1980. The result of their effort is one of the most exciting driving experiences in the world. Our driver passed the ornately decorated "long haul trucks" on the outside, bursting his horn as a warning to the truck and any oncoming that might be behind blind corners. Aggressive driving is the rule on the KKH. We snapped pictures and gaped at the massive rapids on the Indus, far, far below. Steph slept peacefully, her head bouncing on the seat, against the window. She seems to be either on or off, no in between!

We stopped in the village of Besham. Jimmy and I remembered seeing gun shops there last year. Perhaps we should pick up a few - standard Kashmir climbing equipment? We stopped at one and took turns posing with fully automatic AK-47s and cheap looking Chinese models. 10 years ago, bandits were a real danger near Besham, especially at night. Today, greater police presence has increased security along the KKH, but it still retains a raw, edge of the world feel. Signs along the side of the road welcomed us to northern Kashmir.

During a rest break at a tea shop, I was directed towards the ladies rest room. All four of us have pony tails, which seem to throw most of the locals off. The gender cues used by rural Pakistani men don't always apply to foreigners. Muslim law requires all women to wear baggy clothes and keep their hair covered. Men often wear beards and never have long hair. Zahid, our guide, tells me that I am often mistaken for a flat-chested, giant Nordic female!

After 14 hours of driving, we stopped at a hotel in Chilas. Voytek Kurtyka, the famous Polish climber, was there with his Japanese partner. Together they hope to do a new route on K2, alpine style. Needless to say, we were all pretty impressed and honored to meet him. He said he'd heard of big walls in the Kondus Valley and had even planned to go there once in the early '80s, but never made it. We're still not sure what we'll find there, so his comments were encouraging.

The Kondus Valley — our ultimate destination — has been closed to foreigners for nearly 20 years. Even non-local Pakistanis are barred entry. The valley is a base of operations for Pakistan's ongoing conflict with India. The Sia La, the easiest pass onto the Indian controlled Siachen Glacier, lies at the top of the valley. It is on the current front or "line of control" between the two sides.

The Pakistani military won't allow us anywhere near any actual fighting. In any case, we've been assured that both sides spend much more time fighting the elements than fighting each other. While actual exchanges of fire do occur, they are rare, most common after cricket matches between India and Pakistan, with the losing side initiating the exchange.

— Brady Robinson, MountainZone.com Correspondent

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