Day 5 - Sam Tsok to Paiju

We head out around 7:30 AM, after planning to leave at 7. This was pretty standard for us. No matter when we said we would leave, it was invariably half an hour later until we actually got out. This is the first river crossing out of Sam Tsok. We were instructed to bring sandals for this crossing, as if the water is high, the "bridge" is underwater. But we got lucky and all got across nice and dry.

We all made it across in one piece, but Ayub's boots did not, sadly. The sole came off and he had to borrow a pair of shoes until we got back to camp and found Khalil's superglue.

Anisa crosses the bridge with a little assistance.

Another lower bridge which we did not have to cross. Looked in pretty good shape though.

Murad find our first sign of the glacier: a chunk of ice that had washed ashore from the river.

We find more ice just a little farther on. We must be getting close...

The camp at Paiju is nestled in this lonely grove of trees at the foot of Paiju mountain. They were some pretty gnarly trees though.

Paiju is another MGPO camp, like Jula. Again, we bypass the main gate and just walk through a hole in the barbed wire.

Dad rests next to a street lamp at Paiju. There is a solar panel and battery pack that is supposed to charge during the day and power the lamps at night, but this system was not working here, or in any of the other camps we stayed at. And it didn't seem like they had been working for quite a while.

Apparently Erin and Matthew were used to being a little more pampered back in civilization, so they set up a massaging cooperative to work out the stress of the hikes. This was session 1, and it was a big hit.

The view looking East up the valley from the camp at Paiju. Our first view of the Baltoro Glacier is that little strip of gray rocks piled between the mountains.

Murad always had a smile on his face. He was great about cheering us up, encouraging us on when we were tired and beaten.

Dad has developed some blisters on his feet from all the strenuous walking. Rich, now our resident medical expert, examines the patient.

The camp at Paiju was composed of a bunch of terraced landings, where the tents were pitched. It was kind of a pain getting anywhere in the camp, but it was great if you were just sitting there. Unfortunately our tents, the last to arrive, were forced to be on the lowest terrace, where it seemed to be abnormally smelly.

Matthew and Erin switch places, massaging continues.

Someone picked lovely wildflowers for Tanya. Now we just need to find a vase to put them in.

Anisa got her book out and started reading. Soaking up the view through osmosis.

With the rain clouds rolling in, the porters slept under these plastic tarps. You can see their sleeping pads, blankets and sleeping bags. They made due with remarkably little, which is a little embarassing to all of us, who were sleeping in our fancy tents and nice down sleeping bags.

Adil rests at Paiju, and enjoys a waterbottle full of Tang.

We all brought 2-3 books along with us to read and share, but as it turns out, we did much less reading than we planned. There was always so much else to do. But sometimes we did find the time to relax.

The group gathers to watch the sun set against the mountains and take photographs. Murad tells us about when he worked as a guide for the Planet Earth expedition to the Karakoram that filmed the snow leopard and markhors. He had lots of really good stories, but I still need to go back and see if I can spot him in the Planet Earth Diaries.

The view of the other side of the valley, looking South as the sun sets.

Night approaches as we wait for dinner. The goat (Dinner) had been slaughtered earlier in the afternoon, and Adil was preparing something special for us in the kitchen tent.