Our trek team

Here we remember and thank our trek team - thanks for joining!
(And now this page has more prominence...)

K2 Concordia trek

The trekkers who joined us on the way in to Gasherbrum BC were a fantastic bunch of people. Despite some real sickness (the most I have had on a single trek), everyone coped, and we finally managed some beautiful days up at Concordia.

The drama wasn't over though, on the trek out, Jane was hit with pneumonia and when a helicopter wasn't available, the team really pulled together and put her on a horse to Askhole where Dr Pik was able to get some stronger drugs and Dr. Maria and another volunteer Italian doctor, rendered invaluable assistance. Luckily after a day of treatment Jane recovered quickly.

Once in Skardu the KKH was blocked or closed and after several days waiting Raewyn and Kay just managed to get on the Skardu-Islamabad flight so as to catch their International flights. The rest of the team flew? down the day the KKH opened, so all ended well.

Ornella says

I'm delighted with our trek's ending. If we hadn't spent an extra day in Askole, we would not have seen the school, we would not have discovered the Italian dispensary and Dr. Maria http://www.amicidilorenzo.net/, and we would not have been able to have spent more time with Gwyllym (the Askole teacher originally from Ottawa) and his lovely wife Imrana (also a school teacher originally from Multan) and their precious daughter, Muzna. Through them, we were able to spend some time at their home and met up with some of the girls from Askole who are allowed to spend time with Imrana at her home for some English lessons. They brought along their needle work and their lovely smiles.

In Skardu with the help of Mohammad Shabbir Akhtar from the Baltistan Culture and Development Foundation, Jane, Pik, and I were able to interact with some of the ladies from Skardu at a women's business center. We were their first western female visitors...the pleasure and honor was all ours. We were beaming at the end of our visit...so happy to have met local Muslim women who welcomed us into their quaint courtyard lined with locally made shalwar kameezes, hairdressing salon and coffee shop. I so wished we knew about this earlier and I would have like to have spent more time with the local girls.

In fact, there is another women's business center in Skardu. One of the girls (who is a chemistry teacher) heard me mention Muzna's name and it turns out that her sister who works at the other business center, has Imrana as her client and she knew Muzna....what a small world. So, you see, the end of the trek worked out beautifully for some of us.

We were ever so glad to have been in Skardu [with the blocked KKH] instead of Islamabad!!

Raewyn says

Have been following the expedition and it’s a real shame the weather hasn't been with you, and the climbing conditions not great. Probably reaffirmed the trekkers views (that we were sharing amongst ourselves on the trek out) that we thought we were all far too impatient to sit around waiting for the right conditions for climbing, and that’s why we were trekkers!

"Simply glad of a happy ending. Another enlightening journey with Project Himalaya!"
Ornella says "Pik is the mango-eating Queen...she's completely out of control around mangoes!"
Pik, while she still had cheeks early in the trek - Jamie

Raewyn was always well dressed, and that great smile - Jamie

Ornella also with that unflappable style and smile - Jamie

The Himalayan Roses - Jamie

Jane, who got suddenly and seriously ill, but made a 100% recovery - Jamie

Apologies to Terje (below, far right, standing) and Kay (bottom right) as I never did get portraits of them.