Today started out innocent enough. Not only did I sleep great but I woke up to wonderful weather and a fantastic view of the Indus River. I was looking forward to having a side of breakfast with my coffee and was psyched to see a somewhat traditional American breakfast spread. I must have consumed a pound of scrambled eggs before they ran out and I had to resort to the sunny-side up eggs. I found one left, a big ugly one at the back of the tray, wallowing in grease, that no one had wanted to touch and my overconfident Stenderup-male attitude convinced me that it wasn’t a bad idea. It was.
Today was a rest day to allow for a buffer in the event that our flight to Skardu was cancelled by bad weather, a regular occurrence. Fortunately for us, it was not so we had the opportunity to have an exploratory day in the city of Skardu before our long jeep ride to Askole the following day. The team wandered out of the hotel and into the dusty streets of Skardu. Growing up on a farm in Arvin, I like to think that I have a fairly high tolerance for dust but it pales in comparison to what the locals could handle. The streets were busy with cars beeping, motorcycles swerving, and pedestrians doing whatever they wanted to the frustration of anyone in a vehicle. That being said, our team seemed to be a curiosity for the Skardu residents but we were always very warmly greeted.
Per the usual, Geoff and I were out exploring together and first stopped in a climbing shop, where we dug into some old boxes. We found some old carabiners and ice screws that we think were from the 60’s and 70’s. The shop owner was happy to sell a handful of them to us for $500 Pakistani Rupees a piece, the equivalent of $5 USD. With our new treasures in hand, we hopped from shop to shop, checking out the beautiful Pakistani fabrics and rugs. After picking up a handful of souvenirs for people back home (most importantly my Sister, Julie, who I would fear facing empty handed), we strolled back for lunch, only stopping to watch some teenagers play cricket on the dusty field in the center of town. Everything seemed great until I started getting the chills and that crawling skin sensation…
I forced down lunch and tried to convince myself that the chills were only from jet lag and sleep deprivation. After lunch, our team of climbers and Sherpas went out to the balcony lawn, overlooking the Indus River, for a team photo. Next to the lawn was the Italian K2 monument, which was erected on the 50th Anniversary of the first summit of K2 in 1954. There were even cherry trees on the lawn, filled with fruit, and Dendi, Tashi, and I proceeded to have a jumping competition to see who could get the most fruit. I won but only because I’m about 8-10 inches taller than both of them. Everyone was in high spirits and for a brief moment, I forgot how I was feeling.
Once the fun came to an end, reality hit me. It was 2 PM, when I excused myself to my room, where I would stay for the next 18 hours. I thought back to my bold decision to eat that damn last ugly sunnyside-up egg and admitted defeat. The chills were awful and no amount of clothing could keep me warm under the covers but I still managed to sleep away the majority of that time. Every time I awoke, I prayed that I would feel better for what was sure to be an uncomfortable 7 hour jeep ride…