Nicholas Rice: Broad Peak Dispatch

2007 Broad Peak Expedition

Dispatch Twelve: June 21st, 2007

Day Twelve: Day Four of the Trek: Paiju to Urdukas

Today we woke up at 5:00am and were hurried out of our tents by porters eager to get a start on the longest trekking day. We left Paiju at 5:30am, knowing full well how hot the day was going to be based on how “pleasant” the morning temperature was. The day seemed to go by quite quickly compared to the past two years, and before I knew it I was at Lily-go having lunch with a gorgeous view of the Trango Towers, Cathedral Rock, Uli Biaho Tower, and countless other classic climbs. I arrived at Urdukas at noon and tried to stay in the shade while the porters with our tents struggled in the heat of the day to arrive in a timely manner. We finally set up camp (quite a dusty one at that), and as soon as we sat down for lunch, had a crowd of porters standing outside waiting for our improvised triage clinic to “open”. We took care of a few more health problems to the best of our ability, witnessed a fight over a water bottle, talked for awhile, had dinner, and went to bed.