Today was an early start—4 a.m.—to get on the road to Askole, the starting point of our epic adventure into the Karakoram.
We left early on the advice of our guide and driver, who informed us that in recent days, a lot of the route has become impassable by late morning due to snow and glacial melt. With local temperatures reaching the high 30s, many river crossings have become uncrossable as the water levels rise throughout the day. We’re so grateful for the driver’s advice on this early start; the drive took six hours, and we had no issues at any point. We could see the damage to the roads at the crossings from previous days, and even with a 4 a.m. start, the last few crossings were already flowing high. Later, we heard that many teams who started later (often against advice) got stuck on the road, with some not arriving at camp until after 10 p.m. as road closures forced them to exit their jeeps, unpack, cross by foot, and board new jeeps, repeating this multiple times.
The drive was long, bumpy, and dusty but offered spectacular views almost from the start. Our transport, a 1970s jeep, managed the gravel and river crossings with ease, and our driver was calm and precise, expertly navigating rugged terrain that at times teetered on the edge of sheer drops into torrents of water below.
We stopped briefly for breakfast at a local eatery, our first real taste of rural Pakistan. The place was simple, not exactly clean, but full of charm. Plastic chairs and tables were set up in the garden, and we were served a mini feast of eggs, paratha (breakfast bread), homemade cream, and homemade jam, all of which was delicious.
Arriving in camp dusty, battered, and hot, we were welcomed by our team—the people we’d be spending the next 20-plus days with. We settled into our tents, setting up and organising our things before being served a mid-morning snack of chips, which the boys loved.
Askole is a small village, its main business catering to people like us—hikers and climbers of the great mountains. It’s very basic, rough, and incredibly poor. We decided to go for a wander and visited the local museum, a preserved traditional house, before exploring the old, simple streets. On our way, we met many locals who were fascinated by us, especially the boys. We’re quickly coming to accept that we’ll be the centre of attention here with two young children. Travelling has shown us that staring is a normal cultural activity in many places. Pakistan is no different; as soon as we arrived, locals and porters alike took turns coming over to look at the boys in fascination. There’s no malice in it; they’re just very interested, and for most, it’s likely their first time meeting children from outside Pakistan. We approached it with positivity, usually with a smile and a “Hello” (As-salamu alaykum), which was reciprocated nine times out of ten.
Towards the end of our walk, we came across a cricket game some of the porters were playing in the street. Will and Ben were excited to join in, getting a few bowls in, much to the delight of the locals and the boys!
Back at camp for lunch, the area was now buzzing as more groups arrived, all set to begin their own adventures. There was a noisy excitement in the air, with laughter and chatter as people got to know each other, sharing stories of past travels. In the afternoon, we relaxed and got to know our guides and team a bit better, teaching them UNO—a staple game for us during downtime.
The day finished with a delicious dinner in our mess tent: noodle soup, chow mein, and watermelon, followed by a final briefing from our guide Murad on the day ahead, marking the first official day of our Karakoram adventure.
We were warned it would be hot again, likely over 35°C, so we needed to make sure we had plenty of water, hats, and other essentials. We agreed with our guide that starting early (another 4 a.m. wake-up) would help us avoid the worst of the heat.
Just as we were settling down, William told us he wasn’t feeling great and that his tummy hurt. We took him to the toilet, where he promptly threw up, but he felt better afterward. We suspect he might have overeaten, as they gave us so much food! Once cleaned up, he went to bed with no further issues, though it wasn’t the ideal start. We went to bed with fingers crossed that he’d wake up feeling well.
Sleep didn’t come easily after that, and the camp was still noisy from late arrivals who’d been delayed on the journey in.
Family Russell-Smith Travel 