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Day
ZWTN - OPCH 419 nm.
Hotan - Chitral. Kun Lun Range, Karakorum Range, K2, Skardu, Nanga Parbat, Chitral
ETE: 2.5 Hours.
Non Terminal Departure (terrain NOTAMS) and Non Terminal Arrival (terrain NOTAMS)
Overview - Fly over western end of the Kun Lun Range towards the Karakorum Range, pass K2, Concordia and the Baltoro glacier before reaching the Indus River at Skardu. Change course slightly heading towards Nanga Parbat Continue on to Chitral and the Hindu Kush near the border of Afghanistan.
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Karakorum - great mountain system extending some 300 miles from the easternmost extension of Afghanistan in a southeasterly direction along the watershed between Central and South Asia. Found there are the greatest concentration of high mountains in the world and the longest glaciers outside the high latitudes. The borders of Tajikistan, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India all converge within the Karakoram system, giving this remote region great geopolitical significance. The name "Kurra-koorrum," a rendering of the Turkic term for "Black Rock" or "Black Mountain," appeared in early 19th-century English writings.
The average elevation of mountains in the Karakoram is about 20,000 feet and four peaks exceed 26,000 feet; the highest, K2 (also called Chogori and Dapsang), at 28,251 feet is the second highest peak in the world. Because of their great height, the Karakorams exhibit heavy glaciation, particularly on the southern, more humid slopes. Glaciers of the central, highest mountains include Hispar, Chogo Lungma, Braldu, Biafo, Baltoro with its famous Concordia junction, and Siachen (which is some 45 miles long).
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FOURTEEN MOUNTAINS in the world tower above 8,000 meters. Ten are located in the Himalayas, and four of those within its northwest extension, the Karakoram Range. Everest is the best known of these giants, but is not the toughest to climb. Reinhold Messner, the legendary Austrian climber, conferred that distinction on K2, "the mountain of mountains." Not visible from any inhabited place, K2 rises out of a bleak wilderness along the border between Pakistan and China. K2 is so remote that the Balti hill tribes whose villages are nearest the mountain don't even have a name for it. Its cryptic title derives from the fact it was second of 35 peaks in the Karakoram to be measured by Great Trigonometric Survey of India in 1856. Regarded by mountaineers with a mixture of awe and dread, this 8,611 meter pyramid rears above its glacier like some gleaming cathedral, with tier upon tier of buttresses and snowfields culminating in the perfect apex of its summit. Its outline resembles Europe's fabled Matterhorn, but all similarities end there. It would take 40 Matterhorns to assemble the rock from which K2 is constructed. Since 1954, 93 climbers have reached the summit, 33 have perished in the attempt.
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Concodia / Baltoro Glacier - Galen Rowell described Concordia as the "throne room of the mountain Gods" after viewing the exceptional mountain needles ripping open the clouds in blue expanse from the 5000 m. floor. Four peaks above 8000 m. sit within a radius of only 21 km. from Concordia, honoring this site with the largest concentration of the highest peaks on earth. The four peaks are: |
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K2 - 8611m Gasherbrum I - 8068m Broad Peak - 8047m Gasherbrum II - 8035m |
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Skardu - capital of Baltistan, strategically placed near the confluence of the Indus and Shigar Rivers. At an altitude of 2300 meters, Skardu is surrounded by sharp peaks in breathtaking hues of ochre, gray, violet and black. Apart from the wheat and corn fields alongside the river banks, the region is a desert. The consequent juxtaposition of sand dunes with green and yellow fields bifurcated by the swirling, roaring Indus, all amidst a backdrop of ragged, snow-capped peaks, is a sight defying imagination. |
Nanga Parbat - also called Diamir, one of the world's highest mountains (26,660 feet [8,126 m]), situated in the western Himalayas 17 miles (27 km) west-southwest of Astor, in the Pakistani-occupied sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The mountain's steep south wall rises nearly 15,000 feet (4,600 m) above the valley immediately below, and the north side drops about 23,000 feet (7,000 m) to the Indus River.
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The British Alpine climber Albert F. Mummery led the first attempt to ascend the glacier- and snow-covered mountain in 1895, but he died in the attempt. At least 30 more climbers (mostly German-led) also perished on Nanga Parbat because of the severe weather conditions and frequent avalanches before the Austrian climber Hermann Buhl reached the top in 1953. Nanga Parbat (The Naked Mountain) has claimed more lives than any of the mountain of Himalayas and the Karakorams and thus became the notorious as the most "Murderous Peak" of the world. Some called it (killer Mountain).
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Chitral - town, northern North-West Frontier province, Pakistan. The town lies along the Chitral River, a tributary of the Kunar River, in a valley 2 miles (3 km) wide, at an elevation of about 4,900 feet (1,490 m) above sea level. Chitral has a government woolen and sericulture center, the Maghor (the fort of the former chieftain), a polo ground, and fruit gardens in the neighborhood. It is accessible via several mountain passes and is linked with Peshawar by air. |
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The local inhabitants were converted to Islam in the 11th century and are now mostly members of the Isma'ili sect. The practice of deriving income from the sale of Chitrali women, known for their beauty, in Peshawar and Afghanistan made Chitral a center for slave traders until the coming of British rule. Khowari, the language of the Khos, the dominant tribe in the locality, is the lingua franca. The Chitralis are fine horsemen and excel at the game of polo. The surrounding area is a scenic region of lofty ranges (Tirich Mir; 25,230 feet [7,690 m]), fertile valleys, and rich pine forests. It is drained by the Kunar River. Wheat, barley, corn (maize), and rice are the chief crops in the area, and walnuts, grapes, apricots, and mulberries are also grown. Pop. (1981) 34,832.
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Flight planning and narrative by
Jeff Williams (JT_Dub)
RTW Pilot #020
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