It is almost 1am in Pakistan and my airport pick-up will be here in 2 1/2 hours. Yes, we are supposed to fly to Skardu at the ungodly hour of 5am – Inshallah – from where we will start our expedition to Broad Peak. Well, from where I will start my expedition to Broad Peak…. all my other team members are actually going to K2. I am part of Russell Brice’s K2 expedition, however, my goal is not the second highest mountain in the world, but the 12th highest. I will be sharing base camp with the K2 team.
I have been in Islamabad for about ten days and I was lucky enough to work for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for a week before I head to the Karakoram to attempt my fifth 8,000m peak. It has been wonderful to be back in Islamabad and catch up with people – and once again I feel very lucky that I have such great friends, who open their houses and their friendship to me and ‘take me in’. So here goes a huge Thank-you to Bettina and Ashley, who looked after me extremely well over the past 10 days and made me feel completely at home.
Russell, his team of nine Sherpas, the two amazing cooks Lacchu and Gyanu as well as the team members arrived here on Sunday and even though they were all keen to do something active in the Pakistani capital, it has proved quite difficult in 40C so they have spent most of their time in the hotel getting ready for the adventure.
So it is a good thing we are leaving the heat behind and embark on our trip, which starts in Skardu, from where we will take a jeep to Askole and then start walking. It will feel weird to carry a rucksack again as I have not been in the mountains since I climbed Tochal just outside the Iranian capital Tehran with Pary and Gerlinde in January this year. But I guess trekking and climbing is (hopefully) like riding a bicycle – something you never forget!
I will try and keep you posted as well as I can either using Twitter (which you can follow on the right-hand side of this page) or if the chance of an internet connection arises by updating this website.
Thanks for following 🙂
Dear Billi
You are the great,a wonderful journalist,runner,climber and adventurer.
Hope you a safe climbing on your fifth 8000m peak.
Good Luck liebe Billie 🙂
Have a safe trip!
Happy Birthday, Billi. You are amazing – another adventure. keep safe.Much love viv
Happy Birthday dear Billi and wish you best of luck on Broad Peak.
Liebe Billi!
Auch von mir nachträglich alles Gute zum Gegurtstag!
Viel Erfolg und komm gut zurück.
Hanns
happy birthday !!!
UND NATÃœRLICH happy birthday
PASS AUF dICH AUF UND VIEL gLÃœCK KOMM GESUND WIEDER
Hab Freude u geniess es u pass auf dich auf!!!! Vielviel erfolg!!!!