K2 GGL trekking: Concordia - K2 basecamp (including return to Concordia)

This is a strenuous day trip of almost eleven hours, covering the route from Concordia to Broad Peak Base Camp and then to K2 Base Camp. Not that there's much to see there, as by mid-August, almost all tents have disappeared, marking the end of the climbing season. As a consolation prize, there are memorial plaques illustrating the many lives the K2 has claimed.

To leave Concordia, one must first climb over a small iceberg. With my left shoe, of which a substantial part of the sole is missing, this is anything but straightforward. However, with a few slips, I manage to ascend, and the journey can continue. The route to Broad Peak Base Camp mostly traverses fields of rocks with occasional scenic spots. Just after the iceberg, there's a place where deep glacier lakes are surrounded by steep slopes of scree. Unexpectedly, a Pakistani military transmission tower is located here.

After over two hours of walking on scree, it becomes somewhat easier as I can tread on the ice of the Godwin Austen Glacier. Here, I encounter numerous smaller and larger streams, sometimes posing a precarious venture to cross. Fortunately, I don't end up in the water, and my feet remain unaffected by the cold. As I approach K2 Base Camp, my feet slowly grow colder. Via a course of rocky paths, I reach the base camp, already standing at over five thousand meters.

A lone tent indicates that no one is present, signaling it's time to inspect the various memorial plaques honoring the victims of K2. The descent is, of course, simpler than the ascent, but here, too, caution is needed for the various streams that appear unexpectedly. The last break of the day occurs at Broad Peak Base Camp, where a group that set out simultaneously with us has set up their camps. I gladly accept a warm tea before embarking on the final quarter of the day.

The rocky field tests my patience to the last, but the most challenging part of the day awaits at the end. The small iceberg must, of course, be crossed again, and with my dubious footwear, it's bound to result in slips. Without crampons or spikes, I must rely on my half-worn left shoe sole. As predicted, I hit the ground, but fortunately, without any serious consequences. By quarter to five, I'm back in Concordia, deciding that a rest day is well-deserved.