Nicholas Rice: Broad Peak Dispatch

2007 Broad Peak Expedition

Dispatch Nine: June 18th, 2007

Day Nine: The Trek Begins: Askole to Jhula

Today, we woke up at 5:00am and packed up our trekking gear (sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tents, etc.), had a quick breakfast, watched as Ali Hussein (ATP; our trekking guide) checked our load weights, and got on our way. The morning hours were cool and thus allowed my pace to accelerate. I arrived at our lunch spot, Khorofong, at 9:00am. I made a few sat phone calls, charged my ipod with my solar panel, and waited on the rest of the members to arrive. It took nearly three hours for the kitchen staff, and the relevant porters to arrive. We left Khorofong at noon. The usually unbearably warm afternoon was made more tolerable by storm clouds with the occasional sprinkle. I arrived at Jhula one hour later (the whole day consisted of a mere three hours of actual walking). The trek seems to get shorter and shorter every year. We all waited uneasily for our loads to arrive. When they finally did, we had dinner, and got to bed.