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  3. Pakistan Rowing Team

Trek to Nanga Parbat Base Camp

I set the team a challenge. Trek from Raikot Bridge where the Karakoram Highway crosses the Indus, up to the Base Camp of Nanga Parbat. This is one of the ten treks in the world with the fastest elevation gain. The men started at 4000 ft on wednesday evening at 4:00 pm and were up at Fairy Point at 9000 ft in 3-4 hours. The next morning we left at 7:00 am and the first team was at Base Camp by noon at almost 13-14000 ft. The team then descended back to Fairy Point and jeeped to Raikot because we were running out of daylight. The locals thought it was crazy and could not be done so quickly, but the team was fit and strong and showed great resilience, stamina and teamwork to accomplish this difficult task. It was a most awesome adventure.
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The Pakistan Rowing Team squeezed into a coaster (minibus) for an 18 hour trip to Raikot Bridge near Gilgit. In the front row, L to R, Coach Islam, Coach Zaheer and Zohaib, a lightweight rower from Lahore.
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The Pakistan Rowing Team squeezed into a coaster (minibus) for an 18 hour trip to Raikot Bridge near Gilgit. In the front row, L to R, Coach Islam, Coach Zaheer and Zohaib, a lightweight rower from Lahore.

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  • The Pakistan Rowing Team squeezed into a coaster (minibus) for an 18 hour trip to Raikot Bridge near Gilgit. In the front row, L to R, Coach Islam, Coach Zaheer and Zohaib, a lightweight rower from Lahore.
  • We left Islamabad as it was getting dark, around 8:00 pm. According to the Alpine Club we would get to our destination by 9:00 am. Not so. Here we are at a traffice jam outside Islmabad.
  • At a stop along the road to Abbotabad.
  • A small shop selling snacks and cassettes on the road to Islamabad. Jeff and Majeed pose in front. We are only 2 hours out of the city.
  • We reach Abbotabad where the new driver is supposed to get on. Apparently we have been riding with the trainee driver! The cassette player is not working and a tire has to be replaced so we stop at this gas station which has another vehicle from the owners fleet. Unfortunately the driver and his assistant switch the cassette player and the tire without informing the nigh watchman. All of a sudden there is a shouting match and an old man with a rifle appears on the roof telling our guy to not steal. A cell phone call to the owner defuses the situation. Afterwards the driver chuckles that they always are stealing each other's cassette players, so now he had gotten the other driver back. Zohaib trying to stay awake at midnight.
  • Zohaib and Hamza in front of a random bus parked at the gas station. Hamza, the son of Rizwan, the Rowing Federation Secretary General came along with us. His enthusiastic spirit was good to see. He was however, out of shape like me, something we found out the following day.
  • Zaheer napping on the roof of the minibus. THis was to become a favourite spot. The rowers with some foresight had put two matresses on the roof!
  • We drove through the night and the morning saw as past Mansehra. We were now on the famous Karakoram Highway. We stopped at dawn at a little mosque by the road to say morning prayers.
  • The driver at dawn....a little bleary eyed. I was always keeping one eye on him because a little catnap would take us over the edge.
  • A few hours later we were at Besham, a fairly large town from where a road branches off to Swat. Asad Khan, a pathan with very european features and an excellent lightweight rower from the Navy is in the red shirt.
  • Getting filled up with petrol. Another bunch of guys moved to the roof to take a nap. I was a little worried that we might lose some in the night.
  • The Karakoram Highway. At this point it is wide and expansive. At other places the landslides reduced it to a small track. It is quite an amazing feat of engineering.
  • The road to Gilgit
  • The "highway" takes constant upkeep in impossible terrain.
  • The road was literally blasted out of the mountains.
  • The mountains get higher and higher as we push onward.
  • The road clings to the mountain. For those of us who thought this was a little scary, we were not really prepared for the jeep road we were to see later that day.
  • Our breakfast stop. We had brough our food with us, but of course the guys had to have their tea. Jeff on the roof to see the view. He, unlike his Dad, was too sensible to ride on the top!
  • Zohaib standing and eating his breakfast while Adeel looks on.
  • Our breakfast hut with a magnificent view over the Indus.

  • 200605sorizki

    on December 13, 2007

    Very nice pictures Iqbal, see other pictures of Karachi on Flickr.com

  • Guest

    on July 17, 2006

    Theres my row row again, gooooo captain!
    Miss you, Peggy Salman!

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