An Act of Kindness

The Baltoro Glacier stretches mile after mile through the desolate wilderness in the Karakorum Mountains of Northern Pakistan. It ends at Concordia, the meeting place of that glacier and the Austen-Goodwin glacier. Eight miles from Concordia stands K-2, the world’s second highest mountain, and thought by many to be the hardest climb of all the 8000 meter peaks.

I was in that area in 1997 trekking to K-2 basecamp on a trip run by Mountain Travel/Sobek, the adventure travel company. For several days we walked through desert conditions with temperatures over 100 degrees.  We hiked along the Braldu River a class 5+ torrent that emanated from the Baltoro Glacier. It was so fast that I could hear large boulders being swept downstream by the ice cold whitewater.

It’s hard to keep healthy on these trips because of the marginal sanitation, primitive conditions for food preparation, and the constant state of exhaustion that one experiences. Dehydration is a factor. Water is found only in the rivers, which are full of glacier silt. It is hard to drink, but the dry, hot air, and the ever increasing altitude mean that you have to drink continuously, if you want to stay healthy.

Most people get sick for one or two days on these extended wilderness treks in third world countries. My turn came not far from the entrance to the baltoro glacier. I felt tired and nauseous. Gradually I slowed down, and over time I found myself walking alone. The trail was obvious and followed the river, which ran fast below.

At one point the trail fell away and the footing was tricky. If I slid off the trail, I would roll into the Braldu, where rescue would be impossible. I stood and looked at the trail, feeling insecure. Ahead a porter had seen me, and he walked a few hundred yards back. He extended his hand and pulled me across the dangerous passage. I said thank you, he smiled, and he moved swiftly ahead, soon disappearing into a rock field. He didn’t have to do that. It was a pure act of kindness, since there was no gain to him. I was touched by his behavior. I appreciated his help. We didn’t speak the same language, but then again we did.

The rest of the day was difficult as the terrain was severe. At one point we passed the famous Trango Towers, and at another I saw Gersherbaum II in the distance. These were wonderful sights of mountains I had read about throughout my life. I was sick, but I was happy to be in the Karakorum. When I reached our camp site, I immediately went to sleep for three hours. The next day we reached Concordia and the sight of K-2 majestically poking in and out of the clouds. That night I slept with dreams of snow, ice, and fast running rivers. I remembered the kindness of the Baltesse porter, and I felt comforted as snow gently fell upon my tent pitched high in the wild mountains of the Karakorum.