Mashebrum Base Camp - from isLOO & back

June 2nd back in Islamabad.
Finnessed PIA by predicting its inability to land in Skardu, NAY take off from Isloo.

It is a regular feature. May 28 PK 451 to Skardu was also cancelled. So we drove off from the airport at 10:00am shortly after the flight was cancelled & reached Skardu at 7:30am May 29. Continued after breakfast to Khaplu where we hired a jeep for Hushe. But wisely, we had retained our vehicle & driver in Khaplu for our return trip, just in case the flight were to be cancelled again.

On arrival in Hushe, we trekked for 2 hours to Dumsang & camped for the night. Hushe Village Conservation Committee held a traditional song & dance evening there.

Next morning, May 30th we took leave of Hushe citizens at Dumsang & reached Brumbrammah after a total of 4 hours of trek. After some rest, four of us went up to 4,200m to Base Camp & returned to Brumbrummah in 3-1/2 hours to stay overnight.
May 31 Returned to Hushe.
June 1 Drove back to Skardu. It had been raining since 3:00am & there was no point in staying in Skardu when it was severely overcast. So, after lunch at Shangrila we left at 3:30pm for Isloo. Arrived at 9:30am on June 2nd - a total of 18 hours; an improvement of 2 hours over the last trip to Skardu. We got back just as the Skardu flight was to take off from Isloo. But as expected, found it had been cancelled!

For more details about Hushe & trek to Mashebrum Base Camp
Visit http://www.marcopoloadventures.net/files/trek-05.htm
http://www.marcopoloadventures.net/images/masherbrum-basecamp.JPG

Range: Karakoram; Grade: Easy; Max Elevation: 4200 meters.
"A small grassy patch below the cliff face, looking across the glacier at the fluted ice gullies and steep rock ridges of Masherbrum is the campsite. This is top of the valley, a dead end in a wide bowl completely filled with glacier. Ice faces soar out of deep crevasses, sheer rock walls enclose the bowl and a curtain of 7000 meters peaks prevent the access to the Baltoro glacier beyond." extract from Pakistan Trekking Guide ~ Isobel & Ben Shaw.