K2 Carnage: Trekking Pakistan’s Karakoram Without Porters

Send us Fan MailA trek to K2 Base Camp is difficult enough with an organised expedition and a team of porters. In 1994, aged just 21 and with very little overseas travel experience, Stewart set out with four university friends to carry everything they needed through Pakistan’s Karakoram mountains.In this episode, Malcolm and David are joined by Malcolm’s brother Stewart, who recounts an extraordinary journey towards K2 involving rockfalls, landslides, dangerous river crossings, severe illness and some decidedly improvised expedition planning.The episode opens with the tragic news of the Broad Peak avalanche that killed mountaineer Nirmal Purja and nine other climbers. Broad Peak stands close to K2 in the Karakoram, overlooking the same remote glacial landscape through which Stewart and his companions travelled more than 30 years earlier.Their adventure began with a gruelling journey from Islamabad to Skardu along the Karakoram Highway. From there, jeeps and sections on foot took them towards Askole, the last village before the traditional K2 Base Camp trekking route.Unlike most expeditions, the group had no porters. They travelled with an experienced local guide, Mansur, but carried their own tents, food, climbing equipment and supplies for a journey expected to last around three weeks.Even reaching the starting point proved dangerous. Landslides had destroyed sections of the mountain road, forcing the group to cross unstable slopes while rocks continued to fall around them. One large rock narrowly missed a team member’s head and struck his backpack instead.Beyond Askole, the route followed river valleys towards the enormous Baltoro Glacier and the mountain amphitheatre around Concordia. This is one of the most dramatic high-altitude landscapes in the world, surrounded by K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II.The group encountered broken paths, exposed ledges hundreds of feet above the valley floor and an improvised wire-and-basket crossing over a raging glacial river. At night they experienced bitter cold, while the days could be intensely hot. In the distance, flashes and artillery fire provided a reminder of the continuing tensions along the nearby Pakistan–India border.The expedition began to unravel when their lightweight water filters became blocked by glacial silt. Stewart was eventually forced to drink water treated with purification tablets but not properly filtered. Several days into the trek, he became seriously ill with what was later diagnosed as both giardiasis and salmonella.Dangerously dehydrated and losing weight rapidly, Stewart had little choice but to abandon the attempt. He and the group’s designated medic, Mark, turned back while the remaining three trekkers and Mansur continued towards their objective.After several difficult days, Stewart and Mark reached the camping area at Jhola, where they waited for the others to return. With no means of communication and no idea whether their companions would arrive in hours or days, they created a chessboard on a sleeping mat and improvised pieces from playing cards.Feeling slightly better—and apparently having learned very little from his illness—Stewart then set off alone to climb a nearby mountain, sleeping overnight on a ridge before returning to camp.The group also encountered remarkably tough local porters, some crossing glaciers in little more than sandals while carrying enormous loads. At one point Mark used much of the expedition’s medical equipment to treat a porter whose badly injured foot had become dangerously infected.Stewart reflects on the expedition’s rudimentary planning, the mistakes they made and the experience of travelling through one of the remotest mountain regions on Earth. He also explains how the journey influenced his attitude towards risk, adventure and preparation for the next 30 years.In this episodePlanning a K2 expedition before internet researchTravelling from Islamabad to Skardu on the Karakoram HighwayTrekking from Askole without portersCarrying three weeks of food, tents and equipmentCrossing landslides, exposed ledges and glacial riversWalking on the Baltoro GlacierWater purification problems in the mountainsContracting giardiasis and salmonellaTurning back while the rest of the team continuedMeeting climbers returning after losing teammatesThe lives and extraordinary resilience of local portersWaiting without communications at JholaHow extreme travel changes your attitude towards riskPlaces and subjects mentionedK2 • Broad Peak • Karakoram Mountains • Baltistan • Islamabad • Rawalpindi • Skardu • Askole • Karakoram Highway • Baltoro Glacier • Concordia • Jhola • Gasherbrum I • Gasherbrum II • Pakistan–India border • K2 Base Camp trekking • high-altitude illness • unsupported trekkingIf you have any question on this or another travel topic, just contact us at [email protected] theme music is Traveler's Blues by Jerzy Gorecki from Pixabay (with licence)https://pixabay.com/users/jerzyg%C3%B3recki-2233926/