DISPATCHES

Chin

My perch on the dusty concrete roof of the Indus Hotel provides a good view of the Karakoram's foothills. The clouds above are broken and lay a scattered pattern of shadow and light across the panorama. I am happy to have a few moments to myself. The landscape is a parched brown, but peering out high above the hills is the hint of distant snow-covered peaks. I know we will soon be amidst them, but my patience is waning.

We wait another day in Skardu in order to meet with Brigadier Tahir, Commander of the Northern Armies, and conveniently, a good friend of Nazir Sabir's. As we mentioned in an earlier dispatch, we have been informed that the Brigadier may send along an officer to accompany us into the military zone to insure a smooth ride through the many checkpoints and army camps. Like most information that I have been receiving, the officer's accompaniment has not been confirmed and will not be until the guy is squeezed next to me, swearing in Balti as he bounces his head off the crossbar of the Land Cruiser.

Today, in order to stave off boredom during our wait for the Brigadier, we went shopping again. Since we have purchased every item of food or equipment we could possibly want during the next two months, we all went out and bought little trinkets and other items we couldn't possibly need. So far, this has been the most expensive shopping trip I have ever been on.

Outside of the power shopping, Brady rented a motorcycle and has been flying around town showing the locals that Pakistani taxi drivers are not the only madmen on the road. Steph has been practicing with her Freshette, which is only a small part of her complex costume to disguise herself as a man. Dave has been working very tenaciously at his Zen meditation... or is that just a blank stare? As much as we have been enjoying our time in Skardu, we are eagerly looking forward to wandering around the Kondus Valley among the big piles of rock and ice.

Really, Brady, Dave and Steph are doing well. I am psyched to be with them. They have all trained well in the art of patience during their time spent waiting out storms in Patagonia. This isn't exactly the type of trip that just any climber could go on and maintain his or her sanity. Besides your run-of-the-mill expedition craziness, unknown outcomes and general travel stress, we really don't know where we are going or what we will find. I guess that makes this an adventure.

— Jimmy Chin, MountainZone.com Correspondent

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