I made it to Skardu, the last settlement that can be classified as a city before we head up-valley and what I have learned is one fo the few Shiite communities in Pakistan! It’s Thursday night here and it’s hard to believe that over the past 72 hours I have traveled to the other side of the world.

The day started with a casual 8 AM team breakfast and then hauled all of our duffels down the the front. We had a bus and 2 cars to carry our team and all of the gear as we made our way back to Islamabad International Airport. The ride was relatively uneventful but it was a nice opportunity to take in my surroundings. It was active like any large city and the traffic was far more organized than Kathmandu, although it appeared that traffic laws were more suggestion than actual law.

We pulled into the airport and the first thing that I noticed was the high number of armed military personnel that were stationed there for security. It was the next thing that caught my eye that was surprising, a car being “towed” out of the departure area. The reason was because this car was simply picked up by a forklift, which promptly drove away to be impounded or whatever they do with towed vehicles here. It actually seemed fairly practical!

Anyway, when we pulled up, I had the best surprise of the day, our Sherpa team members were there waiting for us! I think I hopped out of the car as it was still moving and instantly saw giant smiles on the faces of Phurba, Siddhi, Dendi, Tashi, Lakpa and the rest! There were hugs, high fives, fist bumps as we reunited. I have stayed in touch with all of them over the past year and I was nothing short of absolutely psyched to be back with my Nepali friends.

Our entire team of 23, sherpas and climbers, made our way through security as gracefully as a group of 23 can, while also checking over 2,500lbs of gear. We took up the back 3rd of the plane and I found my seat, 29C, next to the toilet. I guess PIA didn’t get the memo about my Delta status… The flight was uneventful, other than the children running up and down the aisles, one of which actually jumped over Dan’s lap and started hammering out flight attendant button as her father ignored the situation.

The Skardu airport is basically a landing strip in the middle of a desert, wedged between mountains, and a bus pick you up when you deplane to drive you a mile to the “terminal”, which is nothing more than a single room building with a 20 foot long one way conveyer belt. We collected our baggage without issue and found classic Toyota Land Cruisers waiting for us in the parking lot to take us to our hotel. The hotel overlooks the Indus River and is the primary stop of K2 expeditions, memorabilia from which it proudly displays throughout the halls. After getting settled in, Jesse and I took a stroll down to the river and had the chance to interact with some locals, kicking a soccer ball around and watching them fish. We wrapped a great 2nd day up with a delicious team dinner and I’m making it an early night as jet lag continues to kick my butt. Goodnight from Pakistan!