Pakistanistan day 11, Shimshal Valley and Passu Glacier

It's an easy start today as we don't have a lot of distance to cover. We start out on the KKH before turning off onto a dirt road. It leads to a bridge over the Hunza River and then a checkpoint entry to the Shimshal valley. From here we follow the Shimshal river upstream. The road is just wide enough for a car and hugs the side of the narrow valley. The river has cut through this rock and the valley success are near vertical. 

The ride is a challenge, in many ways: the surface, gravel, sand, rocky, flowing steam water; distraction from the stunning views that appear at every corner; and trying to stay on the track and not go over the sheer drops into the raging river below. 

We cross two suspension bridges whose decks are not attached to solid ground and sway on the breeze. These are really suspended in the air on the steel cables and the decks not only sway, but rise and fall with the load passing asking it's length. 

We follow the track for about an hour and then turn back. Two hours further on, is the village of Shimshal. This is the only road into that village and a few other settlements in between. It's amazing to think that this is the only road in and out of these places. One wonders how life must be in such a remote location. 

The support jeep arrives at our turning spot and as it's a single track struggles to find a place to do a three, five, seven, nine point turn. The rear end hangs over the edge a few times, but eventually the jeep is the right way round. We squeeze past heading back down. 

Then more of the same on the return, but going downhill is more of a challenge and we stop for more photos as we know where the views are. We stop briefly as a tractor trailer and crew are maintaining the track and they have to manoeuvre sideways to let us pass. We also encounter more traffic on the way back heavily loaded jeep and minivan and a few motorbike riders and pillions.

Tabish, Christopher and I have sped ahead and we stop at the checkpoint to let the others catch up. Duff decides to collide with a wall in his way in and Ray owns up to losing yet another mirror in an off on a corner; not near a precipice so he survived. That the most incidents we've had so far, and reflects the more difficult terrain we were riding.

From there we head for another yak burger and this time the place is packed. The burgers are better than last time I reckon. Then back to the hotel for a siesta. Regrouping at 1630.

It's hot and we mount up. Getting into bad habits Gerard, Charlie and I ride without helmets again. I regret the decision as we speed up and the wind finds it's way past my specs forcing me to squint. But soon we turn off the KKH and ride up a dirt track, past a lake with kids swimming and pleasure boats and then leave the bikes in a parking area at the end of the track. 

We climb for about ten to fifteen minutes and reach a vantage point over the Passu glacier. There's another guide there who knows Tabish and tells us how we can teach the glacier itself. 

So we set off and walk for a further 20 minutes uphill, involving some scrabbling and slipping on steep and loose single track. Then cresting a ridge, the glacier is only about twenty metres from us. But it's a tricky decent and then we're on the dirty glacier itself. It's dirty from all the dust and debris that has fallen from the sides of the valley it has carved into the rock. 

We are now actually walking on top of a real live glacier, even if sadly it is slowly dying. We hear that all around: the sound of trickling water creating streams of ice cold water that eventually feeds the Hunza river.

It's an amazing experience walking on a glacier, but I worry that we might be causing it harm. Charlie thinks not. The temperature is cool for obvious reasons, but a wind has also picked up, making it decidedly chilly.

The temperature picks up again once we're off the glacier and especially once we pick up the pace walking back. But it is cooler now at the end of the day and riding back in just a shirt makes me feel relieved arriving back at the hotel.