Editorial 
We at TNS have just managed to capture a fraction of it. Trekking in Pakistan is a lot bigger than people think, and of course we are not talking about the country’s potential here.
This being understood to be the heart of trekking season — from May to October to be precise — it was about time we did a Special Report to give our readers a sense of what an escape it provides to the “trekking junkies”. Together they run into thousands, for sure, if not hundreds of thousands, defying our plain lack of sense of adventure.

joys
Trek record 
In Pakistan, Western Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains have been attracting trekkers from around the world
By Salman Rashid
Trekking, as we know it, is actually a spin-off of the work of the early 19th century European explorers, surveyors and map-makers. Hiring local hunters and shepherds as guides, they followed the barely marked trails plied by earlier natives. The first adventurers, in the true sense, were mountaineers who had little to do with exploration and map-making, but were obsessed with climbing the virgin snows of the Himalayas-Karakoram-Hindu Kush system.

Trek by chance
The price of crossing accidentally into the restricted zone…
By Sarwat Ali
One summer, forced by ennui of urban life and without knowing exactly where to go, I headed in the general direction of Muzaffarabad but finding it to be dull and boring made inquiries as to go further. Since I had never been to the Leepa Valley I was told that I should go to Garhi Dupptta from where some mode of transport would be available to take me to Leepa. 
In full innocence and armed by my enthusiasm, I landed at the last village which was accessible through public transport. On reaching the village which consisted of a few roadside khokhas, I looked around at the general sight of desperate poverty and utter isolation of the place and made a few inquiries about heading further up. 
All the shopkeepers were cagey and told me in whispers that there was no public transport and that I would have to take a ride on a dala (open truck carrying timbre) or else walk it. 

hardships
As tough as it gets
Trekking groups have to depend on no one but themselves, in order to survive in the face of disease or lack of facilities on the way
By Aoun Sahi
Pakistan’s northern part is indeed a trekkers’ paradise. 10 out of 25 highest peaks are situated here and it is also the most heavily glaciated region. This extreme landscape boasts some of the best trekking routes in the world such as Concordia and Snow Lake treks. 
Trekking experts believe more than 2,500 trekking routes of different categories are found in the northern areas of Pakistan such as Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Swat, Kaghan and Kashmir. “Most of the trekking routes are in the northern mountains of the Hindukush, the Karakorams and the Himalayas,” says Aftab Rana, President, Sustainable Tourism Foundation, a non-government organisation that arranges trekking tours for youngsters on non-profit basis and also trains guides in different trekking regions of the country. 

Ascent of a woman
By Bushra Farooqui
Here you can be assured of being greeted with an incredibly warm welcome and awe-inspiring scenery. Himalayas, Karakorum and Hindu-Kush ranges all collide here. It’s raw and breathtakingly beautiful. Ask me.
The wilderness and wide expanse of Deosai plateau (second largest in the world) is one such place amongst a wide choice of trekking destinations in North of Pakistan. In fact, we are terribly spoilt for choice, if we only looked deeper. Just five weeks into completing the Everest Base Camp trek but still desperately itching for more, brought me one step closer to Baltistan where this time around a subtle and desolate trek awaited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial

We at TNS have just managed to capture a fraction of it. Trekking in Pakistan is a lot bigger than people think, and of course we are not talking about the country’s potential here.

This being understood to be the heart of trekking season — from May to October to be precise — it was about time we did a Special Report to give our readers a sense of what an escape it provides to the “trekking junkies”. Together they run into thousands, for sure, if not hundreds of thousands, defying our plain lack of sense of adventure.

Every year, around this time, we get to hear a near and dear one becoming part of a trekking group; members of the group are not necessarily the best of friends. In a mysterious way (online mostly), they connect with each other. The logistics get worked out rather easily; the porters, the guides, the equipment, the supplies and the transport is only a matter of days once the destination or route is decided. Women are as much a part of these ‘expeditions’ as men.

Contrary to our perceptions, a whole tourism industry seems fully operational the moment you google the phrase “trekking in Pakistan”. Heartfelt, enthusiastic and well-written blogs would shake even the worst of couch potatoes. But wait; this is just the beginning. A man running an equipment shop in Lahore estimates that as many as 200-300 people have already left for Concordia — one of the most ambitious treks — this year.

Talking of trekking season means that most of this activity is confined to the treks in the North mostly in the Himalayas, Hindu Kush and Karakoram in particular months. But ace travel writer Salman Rashid is keen to mention the splendid treks in Khirthar Mountains of Sindh, Suleman Mountains in southern Punjab and the equally breathtaking and do-able ranges in Balochistan. If his word is heard, trekking will be an all the year round activity in this part of the world and bring so many more foreign tourists too.

For the trekkers, it’s an out of the world experience each time, away from the humdrum urban lives. A few months pass and they start looking for new destinations.

The family ties that used to bind and keep people together in this part of the world are being redefined as more and more trekkers share the joys and hardships of trekking. This other world involves not just adventure; it involves patience, interpersonal connections, meeting simple mountain people leading harsh lives and yet keeping their humaneness intact. It is an exposure of another kind. And the trekkers are fast learning to organise trips themselves. Over to the wondrous ways of trekking.

 

 

 

 

joys
Trek record 


In Pakistan, Western Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains have been attracting trekkers from around the world
By Salman Rashid

Trekking, as we know it, is actually a spin-off of the work of the early 19th century European explorers, surveyors and map-makers. Hiring local hunters and shepherds as guides, they followed the barely marked trails plied by earlier natives. The first adventurers, in the true sense, were mountaineers who had little to do with exploration and map-making, but were obsessed with climbing the virgin snows of the Himalayas-Karakoram-Hindu Kush system.

By the 1920s, yet another breed of adventurer was roaming this great knot of high peaks and glaciers. This bunch did not climb per se. Driven by curiosity, they simply walked the trails. Their purpose was largely historical and sociological studies and they worked on shoestring budgets. There was, of course, another sub-caste: wealthy, highly educated, cultured persons of the world. Theirs was the best written record.

Mountain walking or trekking, whatever you may call it, in the modern sense, began in the 1950s. Its practitioners were a breed not as exalted as hardcore mountaineers; they had no desire to stand on untrammelled snow. Their wish was to get into the vicinity of the throne rooms of mountain gods and gaze at them from the closest possible quarters.

In our part of the world, the great trekking areas of the Western Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains have been an attraction ever since trekking came of age. Here we had the all time favourite route from Skardu via Askole and the Baltoro Glacier to Concordia. This breathtaking confluence of several glaciers got its name from the explorer Martin Conway in 1892. The attraction here is the majestic panorama of Chhogho Ri (K-2) to the north; the four Gasherbrum peaks to the east and Chhogho Lingtza (incorrectly Chogolisa) to the southeast. Abutting this magnificent peak, sit the Masherbrum peaks in a crystal line on the south.

With so much to offer, this must surely be the most walked route in the entire country. Others such as the Biafo-Hisper Pass-Nagar route stand as close second for frequency of trekkers. Many come to see what Conway saw when he became the first European surveyor here. Few know that long before Conway, raiders from Nagar periodically came down on Askole to rob for foodstuffs.

Further to the north, hardcore trekkers take the shepherds route from Shimshal over the pass by the same name to Shuwert. Tough as it is, especially in its lower reach, this is the litmus test that sets the minnows apart from the real trekker. The prize is picturesque Shuwert; the only summer pastures in Pakistan that, geographically speaking, lie in Central Asia. That is, north of the Great Asiatic Divide.

In Hindu Kush, there are rather easier trails of varied interest for trekkers. The one — north from Chitral to Broghal Pass into Wakhan — was a popular one which slipped into the background in the early 1980s because of the war in Afghanistan. If it looked set to recover after the Soviet withdrawal, it lost out again after 9/11 and the proximity to the zone of fighting.

Currently, another problem assails this great route. Since Pakistan works on principles of economy that are followed nowhere else, the scarcity of trekkers has tremendously hiked up the cost. Whereas normally a couple of porters per person would cost about Rs 10,000 for the trek, the asking price earlier this year was reportedly Rs 125,000 per person! Naturally, there were no takers.

But there is something to be said for the hill walker who will hump his 25 kilogram backpack and go it alone. For him neither Broghal nor Shimshal means any expenditure. Of this breed, there seems to be a serious deficit in Pakistan.

The round trek of Nanga Parbat and the several treks in Swat Kohistan are similarly well-trodden, accessible and fairly easy. But all these routes have now been virtually flogged to death.

Of recent years, the several passes around Sim Gang Glacier (aka Snow Lake) have received the attention of both Pakistani and foreign trekkers. So far as local adventurers were concerned, this was mainly because of the availability of the Leomann maps of the region which, though not topographical, provide essential information and have helped open up new routes.

I have seen foreign trekking parties sometimes in possession of first-class topographical maps of one-inch-is-to-a-mile scale. This is the premium sheet necessary for the adventurer who would go it alone without guide or porter. Unfortunately, because of our security state mentality, Pakistanis are denied access to this map.

Now, the knot of mountains in the north is a summer trekking region. What just a handful of us realise is that the south, the Khirthar Mountains of Sindh, the Suleman Mountains of southern Punjab and the several ranges in Balochistan are a prize waiting for the one who would go hill walking in winter in a region of which little is known outside.

In the Khirthar, there are several east-west passes, some like the Moola are jeepable, others only for foot traffic. Here one finds long hours of walking through waterless tracts only to be suddenly confronted with deep ponds of liquid emerald teeming with fish – and sometimes crocodiles and gavials. Here are refreshing oases of prosopis and tacoma rich with birdsong. All is not just harsh, arid landscape as one is led to believe.

There are several climbable peaks in the Khirthar. Kutte ji Qabar (Dog’s Grave), Mian Ghun, and dozens of unnamed ones are all accessible through some of the most dramatic and little seen landscapes. Northwards, where the Khirthar runs into the Central Brahui Mountains, there are yet more peaks and valleys that await the crunch of the hill walker’s boots.

No Khirthar summit rises any higher than 7,200 metres while the Central Brahui Mountains peak at 3,277 metres on Koh e Maran (Mountain of Snakes), a remarkably beautiful oblong with a coned summit. In this very range, there are nearly a dozen peaks upwards of 2,800 metres. Moreover, there are any number of migratory tracks followed by Brahui and Baloch shepherds on there twice annual transhumance. As well as that, river valleys like the Mashkai and Hingol are places straight out of an Allan Quartermain yarn. Sadly, the current state of unrest in Balochistan puts these mountains out of the reach of the non-Baloch.

In southwest Punjab, despite its nearness to lawless South Waziristan, one can wander for months on end in the Suleman Hills. Nowhere higher than 2,328 metres, the range is a series of highs and troughs that daily whip up fantastic weather conditions in the afternoon. Here, one is treated almost nightly to the most incredible firestorms.

This range culminates in the 3,379-metre Takht e Suleman, a virtually waterless mountain. Once thickly covered with chilghoza pine (now sadly much depleted) which thrives in high altitude aridity, this is certainly the most difficult trek in the south.

As opposed to the well-trodden trails of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, Balochistan, Sindh and southwest Punjab offer a novel trekking experience where only the intrepid may pass. This is truly a country where travel is still anxiety-making laced with a huge dose of uncertainty for, no one ever having trekked in these regions, the only source of information is the local guide. It needs be said that if the guide is a Baloch or a Brahui, then one is in the securest of hands. These two must surely rank as the most reliable and trustworthy races in the country.

Another unknown quantity is the area surrounding Ziarat, east of Quetta. Famous for its juniper forests which, incidentally, cover over 50,000 hectares, the country is a hill walker’s dream. Uncrowded, quiet, scented with the sweet fragrance of juniper and dozens of wild herbs, this is a country where one is actually all by oneself. Since the trails are known only to forest guards and local shepherds, a guide is necessary for which the office of the DFO at Ziarat can be helpful.

 

 

 

Trek by chance
The price of crossing accidentally into the restricted zone…
By Sarwat Ali

One summer, forced by ennui of urban life and without knowing exactly where to go, I headed in the general direction of Muzaffarabad but finding it to be dull and boring made inquiries as to go further. Since I had never been to the Leepa Valley I was told that I should go to Garhi Dupptta from where some mode of transport would be available to take me to Leepa.

In full innocence and armed by my enthusiasm, I landed at the last village which was accessible through public transport. On reaching the village which consisted of a few roadside khokhas, I looked around at the general sight of desperate poverty and utter isolation of the place and made a few inquiries about heading further up.

All the shopkeepers were cagey and told me in whispers that there was no public transport and that I would have to take a ride on a dala (open truck carrying timbre) or else walk it.

I looked at the awesome mountain in front of me which surged with great imminence and calculated in my mind the time it would take me to get to the other side. Perhaps a full day, perhaps two. When I asked the locals, they said it would not take me long. “Yeh khara hai!” (Here it is!), they said.

My experience had taught me never to take the local’s assessment at face value, especially of time and distance and to multiply it by ten. So, if they said three hours for us the city dwellers it could easily mean 30.

As I was making inquiries, a person appeared on the scene and as he looked slightly more groomed I fired my set of questions. He seemed more sympathetic and answered me in more definite terms. Our conversation continued for more than ten minutes, so he invited me to his hut two hundred feet from the main road for a detailed discussion over a cup of tea. I went into the hut and found two other men as well. Very soon, only these two remained while my initial acquaintance disappeared on the pretext of getting tea that never seemed to arrive. He had also shut the door and now the only source of light was the barred window.

After a while I realised that the two men were actually asking me questions set in an interrogative mode. Who was I, what was I doing there, why did I want to visit Leepa, what was my intention, etc. As the question-answer session prolonged, I wanted to leave but was told that I could not. The interrogation session continued and no tea arrived. Then both the men left and bolted the door from the outside.

The sun had started to go down. It was early evening and I had a sense of being in custody. At evening time, the door opened and another man made an appearance. He sat down and started to question me again. He seemed more menacing than the other two and appeared to be holding a senior rank.

I had sensed by then that these personnel were not ordinary civilians but from some “agency”. It did not strike me that they could also be hostage takers or part of some mafia/gang.

It had become dark and there was no lamp inside the hut. The person doubted every word of mine. Seeing the beautiful Kashmir, exploring the country on my own etc only added to his disbelief. He left, saying he would return in the morning, threatening that if I made an attempt to escape it would have serious consequences.

So, there I was in the hut, the whole night, without food and water, on a charpoy without any bedding. My sleeping bag and the small pack had been taken away. It started to rain at some point and the sound of falling rain and gushing water started to assume sinister proportions as the night deepened.

I did not know what to do and like a pragmatic Paki thought of a connection in the army that could establish my credentials, prove my loyalty to the state and so secure my release.

I recalled that there was a son of a family friend who was posted somewhere in Kashmir and if I just name-drop it might save my skin. When my interrogation began in a harsher manner in the morning, I told the gentleman I had a friend, a major in the army, and that my antecedents could be verified from him. There was no immediate response and the general tone of disbelief prevailed. I was given tea and allowed to go out of the hut to wash my face etc at a wayside stream but warned that I should not do anything improper.

The interrogator disappeared and I was left alone again to wallow in the gravity of the situation. It was growing upon me that attitudinal response amounting to a mocking denial could have serious repercussions.

Lo and behold, by mid afternoon, the door of the hut flung open and I was offered a four-course meal. Wonderstruck at the sudden turn of events, wide smiles and obsequious nods, I was informed that the major had been stationed at the height of 14,000 feet on a post and that I was to be carried to meet him the next morning.

A jeep was waiting to take me to an army establishment after the meal. I was almost bundled into the jeep and driven for about an hour to the foothill of the awesome mountain and there, in a typical army mess, neatly constructed with even the facility of proper bedding and hot running water, I was told to be ready at 4 in the morning.

A gentle knock at the door at 4 and I was put on the back of a horse or a mule as I learnt later. It was still dark but some peak up there was catching the predawn light. Soon I was joined by hundreds of other mules carrying ration. I came to know that in the four months the troops on the posts had been supplied with ration which they had stocked for the entire year because August onwards the tracks are covered with snow and cannot be negotiated.

The huge number of mules with bags of ration and hundreds of men then started the steep climb. There were many beasts, scores of them without a burden on them, and on inquiry I was told that these were female mules and, as the male mules did not move without the female mules leading the way, they were a necessary motivation. How very human, these mules seemed to me.

It was an addition to my knowledge because I had thought that the mules were neutered but even in that state the gender differentiation plays a hidden yet decisive role.

And, finally, the climb started. It was like going up a staircase. The mules huffed and puffed, sweating profusely, displaying amazing stamina and an incredibly firm foothold as I hung on desperately, being not used to riding horses or mules. At many a moment, I closed my eyes thinking this was the end as the mule would never be able to traverse very narrow paths drawn like a line on a very steep slope and I will end in a ditch, the bottom of which could not be seen. But I was reassured by the composure of the Animal Transport (AT) personnel who held the mule by the bridle.

At dawn we had started at around 6,000 feet above sea level and were to reach 14,000 by early evening. At about twelve, we rested at a midway point where some open space had been carved and it served as the interchange point for mule trains which were coming down from the top.

After half an hour, the ascent started again and, by mid afternoon, I could catch the snow on the mountain peaks with the sun shining on them.

We had left the thick forest behind us and were almost at the end of the grassy slopes, a natural grazing ground and were nearing the snow line with the craggy edges of the mountains becoming more visible with snow wedged in the crevices. It was otherworldly and ethereal, except for the enveloping fear of the mule losing its foothold. The ascent continued like a staircase and by the evening we reached the post of my saviour — the major who was waiting for me eagerly with open arms.

He had not seen a person from the plains for the past six months since he returned from his yearly leave. His staff let go a volley of shots which echoed in the open spaces and a volley of shots rang back as in reciprocation. I was told that the Indian checkpost across the ridge had been informed that a guest of the major had arrived and they had responded by joining in the ‘welcome’.

 

caption

Horses (or mules?) carrying bags of ration, are led by men in their steep climb.

 

 

 

 

  hardships
As tough as it gets
Trekking groups have to depend on no one but themselves, in order to survive in the face of disease or lack of facilities on the way
By Aoun Sahi

Pakistan’s northern part is indeed a trekkers’ paradise. 10 out of 25 highest peaks are situated here and it is also the most heavily glaciated region. This extreme landscape boasts some of the best trekking routes in the world such as Concordia and Snow Lake treks.

Trekking experts believe more than 2,500 trekking routes of different categories are found in the northern areas of Pakistan such as Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Swat, Kaghan and Kashmir. “Most of the trekking routes are in the northern mountains of the Hindukush, the Karakorams and the Himalayas,” says Aftab Rana, President, Sustainable Tourism Foundation, a non-government organisation that arranges trekking tours for youngsters on non-profit basis and also trains guides in different trekking regions of the country.

“Over 200 trekking routes [in Pakistan] are famous the world over and have been quoted in different guide books,” he adds. “Treks here can take you anything from a day to three weeks. Besides, these are strenuous as well as easy; short, moderate and long. The best trekking season is between May and October.”

The government of Pakistan has defined trekking as walking below 6,000 metres and it has identified three trekking zones — open, restricted and closed. Foreigner trekkers needs permit from the federal Interior Ministry and the provincial Tourism authorities to trek in restricted areas while no trekking is allowed in closed zones, i.e. areas near Pak-China or Pak-Afghan border and the Line of Control in Kashmir. The closed zones include any place within 30 miles of the Afghan border and within 10 miles of the LOC.

Most treks in Pakistan are quite remote because they start at the least accessible village and many cross glaciers and difficult terrain. “We don’t have a tea-house system like they do in Nepal,” says Abbas Ali Khan, an Abbottabad-based trekking guide who has been in the business since early 1980s. “Besides, very few treks go through villages, which means the trekking parties must be self-sufficient. This makes the entire exercise an expensive and tough proposition, as the trekkers need to carry a lot of stuff with them.”

This stuff includes camping gear, weather-appropriate clothing and footwear, and ‘Odds & sods’ like torches, candles, matches, silverware, mobile phones, etc., besides consumables such as medicines.

Abbas says that trekking expenses vary for local and foreign trekkers. “Trekking can be as cheap as for Rs500-1,000 per day per person in Margalla Hills to Rs9,000-10,000 at Nanga Parbat to Rs15,000-20,000 a day per person on the Concordia trekking route. It also depends on the size of the group. 10-12 is the ideal size for a trekking group but as the size of the group shrinks, the expenses swell.”

Although the companies which arrange treks provide most of the equipment, the trekkers need to bring a sturdy and comfortable backpack, a pair of sticks, flashlights, raincoats and, most importantly, good boots. “Sunglasses and hats are also essential, no matter where or when you trek, especially on snow and glaciers. Most of this stuff is very expensive; this is where the thrift shops can come in handy. But don’t forget to sterilise things before using them.”

Guides and porters are an integral part of a trekking team. A well-trained guide knows where to camp, how to cook, where to find water and which path to follow. He has a complete knowledge of the trekking routes and should have travelled the region several times. A good guide also has knowledge of the rules and regulations on trekking, the local culture, and he should be able to contribute to making trekking a happy experience.

Most of the guides are licensed and work with different tour companies. They are paid by these companies — their wages vary from Rs1,500 a day for an easy trek to Rs5,000 for tough treks, while the companies charge between Rs2,000-15,000 per guide per day depending upon the nature of the trek. All related expenditures (of the guides) are borne by the company.

The porters, on the other hand, are not licensed by the government, though their rates are fixed for restricted zones every year by the government and for open areas the rates can be negotiated.

“The rates for the porters in restricted areas for the current year are fixed at Rs480 per day,” says Abdul Bari, owner of Lost Horizon Treks & Tours, a Gilgit-based adventure tourism company. “We provide all kinds of equipment as well as a guide and a cook to trekkers. That’s part of our deals.

“Trekking in some areas of Gilgit and Hunza is quite cheap,” he adds. “For instance, a 6-7 days’ trek to Raka Poshi base camp can cost round Rs20,000 per head while treks in Skardu are very expensive and far more challenging.”

Salman Yaqoob, a Lahore-based civil servant and a dedicated trekker for the last 20 years, believes Pakistan has a lot of potential in the trekking sector. “We just need to develop the basic infrastructure [for trekking] and this sector shall develop many times in years.”

He quotes the example of Nepal which earns a good chunk of revenue from adventure tourism alone. “It is many times more expensive than what it is for trekkers in Pakistan. We need to build at least log-huts or tea houses on the famous treks. It should help to produce jobs for local communities and trekkers.”

Availability of good quality canned-food and trekking equipment are other issues to tackle in Pakistan. “Tourism has decentralised after the promulgation of the 18th Amendment and now it is the responsibility of the provincial governments to work proactively on this. Most of the local companies in Gilgit-Baltistan region are doing a good job, but the problem starts when you cannot find an adventure tourism company in other areas.

“We also need to train our local guides”, says Yaqoob, adding that rates must be fixed [with porters] beforehand even in restricted areas. They tend to exploit the trekkers.”

There is another side to the picture. After 9/11, the number of foreign trekkers has dropped drastically. Security issues have taken a toll on the trekking-tourism. “Earlier, we would have 15,000-20,000 foreign trekkers and mountaineers every year, but today the number doesn’t exceed two thousands,” says Aftab Rana, “because most of the countries have issued travel advisories to their citizens for Pakistan. Our security agencies, too, have made it tougher and more complicated for foreign trekkers.”

The foreign trekkers now need to get permit from the federal Ministry of Interior followed by the provincial Interior and Tourism authorities. “Our agencies discourage them, with the result that a lot of trekking groups come to Pakistan but are forced to go back without trekking, because they cannot get their permits in due time,” he says. “It is true that there are some security issues in some areas, but most trekking routes are safe.”

The role played by the government agencies is also very disappointing. “In Indian held Kashmir, tourism is again touching heights because the India now regularly sends delegations to different countries to convince their governments to cancel travel advisories. Our government has done nothing in this regard.”

The government also needs to issue a code of conduct for trekkers and tourists. In the words of Aftab Rana, “Majority of them [trekkers] dump their waste along the trek. This causes a great deal of environmental and health hazard. We need to involve local communities and educate our trekkers about the cost of environment.”

caption

Foreign trekkers need a special permit for ‘restricted’ zones.

                                                                                     Gearing up

Thirty-five years ago, there were few Pakistani trekkers. And, there was no trekking equipment to be had anywhere in the country. We made do with second-hand army haversacks that were ill-fitting, cumbersome and not capacious enough to carry food and gear for a five-day trek.

Those few trekkers who were sufficiently well-heeled to travel abroad purchased their equipment outside the country. The less fortunate of us considered it our good luck to be friends with them to be able to borrow their gear. That was a time when tents were what we needed the most.

There was, of course, Adventure Foundation Pakistan with its stock of gear available only (and only!) for members. Since AFP disapproved of solo trekkers — they always went in large groups — some lone wolves turned up their noses at becoming AFP members. Such soloists were the hardest pressed for want of gear.

Things eased off considerably in the early 1990s with the setting up of, firstly, Higher, a manufacturer from Ravi Road near Minar-e-Pakistan. A few years later, came Adventure Shop on Poonch Road, Lahore. Suddenly, backpacks of various capacities, sleeping bags, wind cheaters, fleece jackets, tents and most equipment necessary for a comfortable trek became available to the local adventurer. The best thing was that the quality was comparable to any famous brand name from Europe or America at a fraction of the price.

Pieces of equipment like headlamps, torches, stoves, knives, ice axes etc are not locally manufactured. However, Adventure Shop maintains reasonable stocks of these imported items. The one item that is still hard to come by is a reasonable pair of walking boots. A good pair will cost about US$200. This is a price many are not willing to pay and, thus, there are no imports. Buyers will settle for a Chinese manufacture for Rs3,000-5,000. Though these items look sturdy, the sole is fixed on a base of poly-urethane which rots within months of manufacture. Do not be surprised, therefore, when the sole, hardly chipped, simply peels off in the first couple of kilometres of walking.

Having said that, it must be known that gone are the days of boots that lasted through the years and an estimated 1,200 km of walking. My last pair, a Berghaus (worth £130 in 2006), lasted all of 500 km before the sole peeled. I currently use a pair of Hoggs farmers’ boots purchased at the Sunday market in Ulverston (Lake District) for a mere £40. They have gone about 200 km and doing well.

— Salman Rashid                                                                                      

                                                                                       Problem areas
                                                                    Detailed and current maps are hard to come by

Detailed maps are considered the most important thing trekkers need to have on multiple treks. Unfortunately, detailed and up-to-date maps of trekking areas of Pakistan are not commonly available.

Survey of Pakistan is one department that is responsible for mapping the country but it does not issue detailed maps of Northern Areas and Kashmir for public; it releases maps only for the army. And, if a trekker is ‘caught’ with maps at some checkpost, it can create serious problems for him/her, because the maps are termed ‘national secrets’.

Salman Rashid, one of the most celebrated travel writers in the country says finding detailed maps of treks and trails in the northern areas is a gigantic task. “In fact, trekkers and mountaineers don’t have access to Pakistani topographical maps prepared by Pakistani authorities. The best available maps on our northern areas can be downloaded from the website of the University of Texas. But they measure at a scale of one-inch-is-equal-to-four-miles, whereas detailed maps need to be measured at one-inch-is-equal-to-one-mile scale.”

Salman recalls how in 2010 when he went to India he was amazed to find detailed maps of local treks that came up to Western standards. “They were brilliantly detailed and easy to use. In Pakistan, you need a reference — of an army officer of at least the brigadier’s level — in order to access such detailed maps.”

The maps of the Indian subcontinent, published by Bartholomew & Sons, UK, and the more precise Nelles Verlag maps come in handy if you want to have a general sense of most parts of northern areas, but they have limited value for trekkers. The U502 Pakistan and India (Jammu & Kashmir) series by the US’s Army Maps Service (AMS) are considered to be more detailed, except that these were completed back in the 1940s and never updated. So, they lack the current information on road infrastructure and villages. “They are useful but not much, as they have been updated,” says Aftab Rana.

Some German maps on Karakoram and Swiss trekking and mountaineering maps are also available. “They are good for specific areas, such as the two maps of the Baltoro Glacier — one, prepared by a Japanese which is based on the K2 expedition of 1977 and the other prepared by Italians based on their 1929 and 1952 expeditions. But, generally speaking, maps are a big problem area for trekkers in Pakistan and they have to depend heavily on local guides for description,” says Abdul Bari. “Survey of Pakistan used to sell maps to foreign trekkers but over the last one decade or so it has refused to do so because of security reasons.”

According to Aftab Rana, most western maps are accurate but it is tough to understand the village names in them. “A lot of changes have occurred in these areas over the past few decades. For instance, the villages have relocated or been renamed, while the translation of names from Balti language to English is terrible [in these maps].

“All this makes it hard for the trekkers to understand which area they are going to be trekking. It’s sad that almost all trekking routes of Pakistan lie in ‘sensitive areas’. We need to overcome this paranoia if we mean to promote tourism. Here, we can learn a lesson from India.”

— A. Sahi

 

 

 

 

Ascent of a woman
By Bushra Farooqui

Here you can be assured of being greeted with an incredibly warm welcome and awe-inspiring scenery. Himalayas, Karakorum and Hindu-Kush ranges all collide here. It’s raw and breathtakingly beautiful. Ask me.

The wilderness and wide expanse of Deosai plateau (second largest in the world) is one such place amongst a wide choice of trekking destinations in North of Pakistan. In fact, we are terribly spoilt for choice, if we only looked deeper. Just five weeks into completing the Everest Base Camp trek but still desperately itching for more, brought me one step closer to Baltistan where this time around a subtle and desolate trek awaited.

A similar euphoria and adrenaline rush that found its way to me on the Nepalese side of the Himalayan range was now much more profound encompassing with an add-on sense of pride. With a dedicated team of Skardu based porters and guides and with complete faith in their local knowledge we set off on our week-long 4,000+ metres trek.

It was not difficult to immediately start relishing the company of simple, hardworking and nature loving individuals taking pride in their work and rugged way of life. It’s a far cry from the lifestyle of a banker turned HR professional turned Olympics organiser expat like myself. But for these reasons alone, I find myself drifting away into the wilderness every so often and becoming one with mother-nature.

What a treat to be fishing for fresh trout and then grilling it straight to our slippery plates and hungry stomachs!

What a privilege to be the only ones surrounded from head to toe in boundless natural beauty and be living the traveller’s dream!

What a delight to be able to spot a scurrying golden marmot and some not so discreet Himalayan bear trails!

What a sensation to wade barefoot and knee-deep through ice cold river!

What a feat to overcome sheer exhaustion with the power of the mind after some 12 hours of undulating trekking!

What an absolute pleasure to be in the company of simpletons, singing heartfelt Balti songs!

What an honour to tread on the path of some of the great mountaineers of the world!

Those bearing a love for the mountains know very well the aesthetic joy and peace of mind they bring to the beholder. You can’t help but dig deep and know that benefits of which are at times intangible.

One discovers the enormous reservoir bubbling inside, including not only the physical strength to endure the difficulties of uphill trekking and roughing it up but also the mental strength to organise, persevere and meet challenges head on.

For me, the mountains are mysterious, with their own unique magnetism. They are a never ending source of bliss and peace of mind. They have the innate ability to attract nature lovers, trekkers, climbers, writers, artists, daredevils and pilgrims over the millennia. It’s no wonder that the ancient Chinese considered mountains to be the source of vital energy, inspiration and awe.

The combination of physical exertion, abundance of natural beauty and fleeting moments of spiritual clarity make trekking an addictive pastime. I’ve been asked many a time as to why I put myself through such physical torture. The spirit of doing something for charity is one thing and putting your mind to such a feat is about overcoming all forms of fears and dependencies. It’s also the peace and settling of mind that the rhythm of such a long trek can bring. Minutes turn into hours as you trek along, only consumed by your thoughts in a perfectly serene setting. One is only tempted to reflect, introspect and then some more.

It’s almost about looking beyond the day to day things that drag us down and inevitably make us forget our dreams and aspirations! I mean it when I say, “Sky is truly the limit!”

caption

A banker turned HR professional turned Olympics organiser expat, she was often asked why she’d put herself through “such physical torture” as she completed

the Everest Base Camp trek. On to the “desolate” trek in Baltistan.

 

  

 


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