Nicholas Rice: K2 and Broad Peak Dispatch

2008 K2 and Broad Peak Expedition

Dispatch One: May 30th, 2008

Day One: Arrival In Islamabad

Today, I arrived at Islamabad International Airport on British Airways Flight 129 from London and was promptly greeted by a representative from ATP. I waited with my fingers crossed as one by one, my bags finally arrived on the baggage carousel. I cleared customs, loaded my duffels onto a van and was driven to the Envoy Continental Hotel in the Blue Area of Islamabad. I had breakfast, as I had arrived at 6:00am local time, and then was allowed to settle in until 9:30am when I was to go to the ATP office to make my final payment, check to make sure that my generator had arrived from Nepal in one piece, and talk logistics with Naiknam Karim. I came to find that the rest of the people on my permit for K2 were yet to arrive and that we would depart Islamabad for Skardu on the 8^th of June, giving me nearly 10 days in Islamabad; plenty of time to get my generator tuned, hunt down extra spark plugs and the correct engine oil for it, stock up my first aid kit, and double and triple check that I hadn’t neglected to pack something important for the expedition. Also, I was told that our K2 permit was still in the works, so there was no leaving early for K2 Base Camp; however I was to speak to our liaison officer to see if it would be possible for me to travel to Skardu before the others, as this would allow me extra time to acclimatize and organize my 400lbs of luggage into 25 kg loads for the porters in Askole. After the meeting, I returned to my hotel to rest from the two days of travelling I had endured with little sleep.