In Islamabad

Chuck and Dave landed in Islamabad after a 45 minutes flight from Skardu. They spent one day in Skardu sorting gear and packing bags for the return trip.

The walk out was long but they have lots of pleasant memories of the trip including the night they celebrated with their porters - eating fresh lamb, singing and dancing most of the night.

They spent a couple days me in Hushe, living with the locals, climbing, and teaching climbing skills to some aspiring high altitude porters. The people are always smiling and happy. Their gardens are beautiful and plentiful. Chuck and Dave met the family of their cook, played with the kids, and gave them the $300 they need to send the three children to school next year.

When they landed in Islamabad, they went directly to the company who was holding their (mandatory) deposit for rescue services and retrieved the balance. Dan’s expenses were covered by his own rescue insurance, so they only had to pay for the wind sock and helicopter landing cross they used. In the next couple days they will need to visit the Ministry of Tourism for a debriefing, make arrangement to ship Dan’s bags back to him, and adjust to civilization before catching a flight on Wednesday morning.

Saturday, August 30, 2008