9th of June – The morning began early with orders coming directly from our French leader Hugo. Even though it was 5 am in the morning Hugo kept everyone in line without breaking a sweat.

After the kitchen staff filled us up with a high calorie breakfast we bounced off to start our long trek from Urdokas to Gore II.

In the first two hours the team struggled with the unstable debris of the glacier, however as we carried on the landscape began to look more like a glacier.

The highlight of the trek was seeing and hearing massive glaciers being carved out by small amounts of glacier melt (compared to the magnitude of Baltoro). The patterns made by the water flow created great colors of blue and turquoises which stood against the dark debris and powder white snow. Once the glacier melt has dug its way through the rock hard ice of the glacier it creates a point called a Moulin which carries the water to the base of the million year old glacier where it gathers and forms the main stream. This stream lubricates the ground and makes the glacier move forward.

At Gore II we had freezing conditions and everyone just wanted to stay in their warm sleeping bags. However we were drawn out by the fascinating stories of Mike`s incredible expeditions. Later on a discussion arose about the goal of the expedition. Everyone in the team gave their honest opinion about their motives of being here. What was summarized was that we were focusing too much on getting to the summit and forgot about the Pangaea message, which includes the research about this unique area and preserving this fragile environment from pollution and the affects of climate change.

We all went to bed with a different goal, attitude and motive for the expedition. We all still focused on the summit, however there is going to be more of a balance in protecting and preserving the Pangaea message!

By Kai & Daniel

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8th of June – From Payu 3600m to Urdukas 4150m

Today was going to be a quite long and difficult day. In order to try and gain time, the plan was to walk from Payu directly to Urdukas without stopping at Kubutze, as is usually the case. This meant that a 9 hour walk was waiting for us.

We woke up at 5:30am in order to get ready and leave at 6:30. The beginning of the walk was quite pleasant and we were slowly walking to the direction of the glacier. After a one hour walk, we reached the tongue of the glacier and started to climb onto it. Surprisingly we couldn't really see the ice. The Baltoro Galcier is mainly covered by stones and big rocks. From time to time, it is possible to see a small cliff of ice or a lake that has formed into the ice. But the majority of the time we are walking on rocks and stones.

As soon as we were on the glacier, the difficult part started. The ice forms a lot of small hills and the only way to go through the glacier is by walking up and down over these hills. Taking into acount that we are in between 3'600 and 4'000 meters in altitude, it doesn't make the walk easier.

Because we couldn't see the ice most of the time, it was hard to realize that something "live" was under our feet. Some passages were quite strategic and it was important not to stay too long at any part of the track as the ice under the stones would melt that made the path unstable.

During the day, a few groups of Young Explorers formed, depending on their speed.

At the end of the morning, we could see for the first time the Trango Tower. An impressive mountain, very well known in the alpinist world.

We stopped for a very quick lunch after 6 hours of walk in Kubutze. The kitchen staff, as usual were amazing and had prepare for us a soup and some pasta.

After having quickly eaten something, we moved ahead to Urdukas for another 3 to 4 hour walk. It was definitely the hardest part of the day.

The Urdukas camp is located above the glacier, so that you have a nice and steep uphill to go through before reaching the camp. It was a difficult challenge for all of us.

A good cup of tea was waiting for us in the mess tent.

A 7:30 we had dinner and a short briefing to prepare the day for tomorrow.

Our next destination will be Goro II were we will meet with the snow!

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We all did quite well at the tests and there was not great difference in the results amongst us. While some of us were undergoing the physical testing, the others took the most of the sunny weather to clean some clothes and have a fresh shower!

Just before lunch, we were invited to join the ritual of the killing of the goats and yaks in Paiyu. It's also the time they can share the meat for their next day.

After lunch, our mountain guides taught us about how to listen to our body in high altitude and also taught us about how to use a "caisson hyperbar". This looks like a big bag in which you can lay down someone who might feel ill. You can close the bag and thanks to a small pump can put pressure inside. This allows the patient to have a higher pressure than the real pressure so they feel like being a couple of thousand meters below the real altitude.

We finished the day quietly, packing and preparing our bags for tomorrow as it will be a long day. 8 to 9 hours walk are awaiting us until we finally reach the Baltoro galcier.

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06.06.2010 – We started this morning from Johla and had a 7 hour walk ahead of us. Our destination was Payu. A walk starting at 3’200 meters and rising to 3’600meters.

The porters are used to waking up with the sun and at around 5am we could already hear activity around our tents. We had planned to be ready for breakfast at 7am. Of course, as soon as we got out of the tents, our porters were already waiting for our bags in order to organize their loads. We quickly dismantled the tents and went for a breakfast, with the knowledge that we would not be stopping too long for a good lunch, but only have a short break with dry fruits, nuts and chocolate.

We started our walk in the shadow of the mountains. The temperature was a bit chilly but as soon as we started to walk the temperature became comfortable. After around 30 min we turned northeast to follow the valley that would lead us to the Baltoro Glacier.

Thanks to the sun the temperature raised quickly and we were once again taking off layers of clothing leaving us in only shorts and T-shirts.

As usual, the porters with their big loads on their backs were quicker than us and were constantly overtaking us.

We were still following the river along the Baltoro Glacier. The water level was so low that we could sometimes walk in what was a few years ago, the bed of the river.
Surprisingly the bed of the river was mainly made out of sand, nice, fine sand that many beaches would envy!!

At around 11am we shortly stopped for lunch and could see for the first time our first 8000m peak surrounded by some small light clouds. We finally discovered the mighty Broad Peak!

As we had done the day before, we used our Katadyn Water filters to filter our drinking water from a small stream.

After lunch the sun was still shining and the wind was dropping. It was becoming very hot.

Around 1.5 hours before we reached the camp we had to attack one last steep climb and most of us could feel the affects of the altitude. Of course, no one can walk as fast at 3’600m above sea level.

There was a strong wind blowing when we reached the camp which gave us some trouble when setting up the solar panels. Thanks to a few stones, we finally found a solution to stabilize them and were able to recharge our ILAND batteries.

After a quick soup and some biscuits, we had a bit of free time during which some of the team tried to wash some clothing, write in their diaries or meet to discuss about the day and the mountains surrounding us.

At 7pm we had dinner in the mess tent. As soon as we finished dinner we could hear a drum going in the back of the camp. It was the porters who were playing and dancing. Some of our Young Explorers joined them in this traditional dance.

Payu is always an important stop for the porters as it is the last camp before the Baltoro Glacier. In order to get ready to go further, it is also traditional for the porters to have a rest day in Payu.

Tomorrow we will have the chance to experience the traditional ritual that the local people perform before climbing onto the glacier.

A blog written by Erica and Hugo – Paiju camp

It is currently 20:34 and the 18 members of the expedition just ate a scrumptious carbohydrate-packed meal. Today we ate breakfast at around 7 in Jola camp and began walking at 7:30. We were very efficient this morning and got an early start!

We hiked for around 7 hours today; however everyone has a different pace so some got to Paiju earlier than others. The trail was continuously along side the Baltoro River and was often on just sand, where the river once was. There were many hills to climb, which most of us felt due to the altitude at 3400 m but following the up there was a down, which was a nice relief! The sand we were often walking on was filled with mica; which is a shiny mineral that made the sand look like it was filled with silver specks. Every season the river changes in height and strength and this season it is extremely low. We were able to see many perfectly round rocks (typically metamorphic) that were shaped by the river in previous seasons. This made it quite interesting to walk over because you could lose the trail easily and you had to be careful where to put your feet so as not to twist an ankle.

We were constantly looking around us at the beautiful mountains that slowly came into view as we walked closer to our destination. Our senses were always aware and active today because the landscape was constantly changing; rocks, wind (carrying donkey feces) and vegetation.

Near the end of the day we walked around a corner and suddenly the Baltoro Glacier was in view. And WOW was it in view! It is so much bigger than we had imagined! It takes up the width of the entire Baltoro Valley. From what we can see so far, it is completely covered in debris. This makes the glacier look like lots of rock piled on top of itself, when actually there is only a thin layer of rock with very thick ice underneath.

Now we are at the Paiju camp and the weather is changing quickly so we have to be more prepared and aware of the environment around us. So when we are up at higher altitude we can better understand these changes and adapt to them more efficiently. We are learning about ways to make our stay up in altitude more enjoyable and easy. For example Erwan told us how to organize our tent at night and keep certain habits; like getting used to having clothing inside our sleeping bag at night. Also we learned that we must be more aware of our body so that we don’t get too tired up in altitude.

We are all ready for some sleep!

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05.06.2010 – Askole at 3100m. 6:00am everyone woke up and started to prepare their backpacks and roll up their tents. At 7am we were all in the mess tent for breakfast. Next to our camp site, 300 people were waiting, hoping to be chosen as porters for our expedition. Beck, the expedition organizer from Nazir Sabir's organisation was managing the complete process.

The area was divided in two levels. On the lower level, the 300 local people were listening carefully to the anouncements. On the higher level, Becks had two people helping him and they were choosing the porters and dividing the loads in-between them.

It was fascinating to see the anxiety in some eyes, waiting to listen for their name to be called. It was great to see the smiling faces of the chosen ones.

As everything was happening just in front of us, we had the chance to see and learn how the porters are packing and carrying their loads. It was even more surprising to see the equipment they had. Most of them had light trousers, long shirts and a long kind of down jacket on top. They all have light training shoes and some didn't even have socks.

While everyone was busy with the distribution of the equipment, one man took the most of the presence of our expedition to bring his young sick child to us. Our expedition doctor, was able to give him a quick medical check and give him some medicine.

At 8:00am all our Young Explorers were ready to start their journey to the first camp on the way to the Baltoro Glacier, Johla – a 6 hour walk with a very small elevation as we had only 100m in altitude to gain.

The start of the trek was quite easy and flat and fortunately the weather was excellent. The sun was shining but the temperature was not too high.

As we were leaving, the first porters joined us on the path. With 25kg loads of our equipment plus their equipment on their back they were still walking further than us. There is nothing to say – these people are incredibly strong and fit.

After two hours of trek, the path started to become a bit steeper. Nothing really hard for our Young Explorers but just something to give us a first taste of effort. We then walked along a cliff alongside the river that we had not left since Skardu. We stopped for short lunch in a kind of small oasis and found a small river where we could fill up our bottles. As this water was coming from the upper glaciers, it was very cold, clean and refreshing.

After another few hours of walking, we could finally see the camp site, standing at the other side of the big river flowing down to Askole. The river this year is quite low and some of us tried to cross it by foot, which allowed us to take a short cut to the campsite. Unfortunately we quickly discovered that the river was deeper than we expected so the Young Explorers could not cheap this time – they had to cross the river the bridge, just a small 2 km further!

As soon as we reached the camp, we set up or Iland Solar Generators and tried to take the most of the rest of the sunlight to charge our batteries.

At 7pm we all met in the mess tent for a dinner and as usual we spoke about the next day. Tomorrow we will see the K2 and Broad Peak !!!!!

A blog written by Dan and Kai – Location: Juhla

This morning began with a different mind-set, due to last night’s eye opening discussion among the whole team (especially Mike and the 8 YEPers). We spoke around the subject of acting more mature and evolving ourselves in the planning and organization of the expedition.

Today, we broke out of our comfort zones from the very minute we woke up early in the morning (5:45am) and packing away our tents and getting our bags ready for the 7 and a half hour trek from Askole to Juhla- the first camp.

The team of only 19 required food and equipment of the expedition which weighs way over a ton! So, in the morning hundreds of job-seeking porters came to Askole concerning our trip. In all over 300 porters were employed.

Most of the porters are small framed and wear ragged clothing, however it doesn’t stop them from carrying more than 25KG’s each!! Each of the porters have their own speed and they are able to carry these loads due to their acclimatization at high altitudes and they’ve grown up in such harsh terrains – THE REAL HERO’S!

Our very experienced mountain guides, Alex and Erwan briefed us about trekking techniques which would help us to hike and climb consistently and powerfully for 18 days straight without getting tired or injured- keeping a constant pace and looking after our legs and feet ( the most important part of our body for the next weeks).

We started the hike on a well trodden path and in about 1 and a half hours the group had split up by at least 3 km’s. Our bodies acclimatize differently and that makes it important to walk at your own pace.

We trekked close to Baldro river which is quite chilly because it is glacier melt, the river is uncommonly low and that means there is still a lot of snow in the mountains which is bad news for us because temperatures will be colder and it’ll will make moving much more difficult.

About an hour away from Juhla a spectacular phenomenon occurred: Frozen rain at 20degrees Celsius. As rain falls the cold air in the high altitude freezes the droplets and the thin layer of warm air cannot unfreeze them.

We arrived at the lonely camp site and set up our tents and each of us had tasks to do until dinner. Mike was in a very good mood and the tension of the previous day had been transformed into a more comfortable atmosphere since he noticed a more committed team, ending the night with him telling us fantastic stories of his former expeditions and experiences which have us all Goosebumps.

Deeply inspired we look forward to the next days!!!!

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Great interest was shown to the group of international youths who joined Mike and his experienced team in Islamabad on the 1st of June 2010.

Pangaea's slogan EXPLORE – LEARN – ACT is the goal of the Young Explorers during the Himalayan Expedition. They will discover and explore the majestic beauty and cultures of the Himalayan mountain range, study and record data of the Himalayan glaciers and erase their carbon footprint through environmental clean-up projects of littered and un-kept base camps.

During the 4 year Pangaea Expedition, Mike Horn's mission is to form young  environmental ambassadors that in turn, will pass on a positive environmental message to the younger generation and the rest of the world.

04.06.2010 – The departure was scheduled for 8 am – breakfast at 7am. At 7:30am everybody was busy loading the 5 jeeps that were going to drive us to Askole. At 7:55 people were in the jeeps and at 8:00 we were ready to leave. A 115 km long journey lay ahead of us. The first 15km gave us the wrong idea of what was lying ahead. Quickly we reached the typical mountain Pakistanese roads. From there on, the nice comfort of the always well maintained 4×4 jeeps seemed to completely disappear.

After a 4 hour drive we stopped for a nice lunch next to the Shrigar river. The sun came out of the clouds and we could eat outside in a nice garden.

We returned to our jeeps and started driving into an even wilder region. The terrain became very rugged and only a few oasis's of vegetation could be seen from time to time. Next to this vegetation we could see some small houses inhabited with local people. They were obviously making the most of this vegetation to grow cereals and vegetables and to feed their livestock.

As the roads were becoming narrower, the cliffs also became bigger and steeper. We could definitely appreciate the skill of our experienced drivers on these narrow roads.
that happens over the winter months, we were also stopped at a bridge that had been destroyed by a big rock. The only way for us to continue was to offload all the equipment from our jeep and go by foot. Fortunately, due to the great planning of our guides, there was a a new convoy of jeeps were waiting for us on the other side. It was just another 1.5 hour drive and we reached Askole 3144m).

The temperature had dropped a little since we left Skardu and a gently rain welcomed us.

The camp was already set up and we distributed the tents, 2 people per tent. Tiziana with Erica, Hugo with Jye, Daniel with Basil and Kai with Alexander.

Before having dinner we went to the local museum to learn about the Shrigar Valley, the architecture of the houses and the way of life of the local people. It was very interesting to learn how people face the difficult conditions of this valley.

At 7:30pm we all had a good dinner in the mess tent. To finish the day, we had a briefing after dinner to speak about general organization and preparation of the next day.

Blog written by Jye and Tiziana – Journey to Askole

No one could mentally prepare themselves for the extraordinary drive along the dangerous Askole-Road from Skardu to Askole.

After leaving at 8 o’clock from the Concordia Hotel, we had an exciting 7 and a half hour journey along the beautiful Shigar Valley, small villages, crazy bridges, steep slopes and even landslides. The drivers were very experienced and the jeeps were incredible, so we felt save during the whole trip.

At Shigar Village we had a delicious lunch and a welcoming rest; because the shaking of the Jeeps is really exhausting, especially for those having problems with their stomach. In the afternoon we saw a spectacular landslide, which forced us to leave the road and drive around just beating the amazingly fast moving debris consisting of large rocks fragments and mud.

Soon after the landslide we reached a bridge that had been destroyed by a large rock fall. As a result the entire expedition luggage had to be transferred and carried across the broken bridge to the jeeps waiting on the other side. It was a scary experience carrying our gear across the bridge as it was on a very steep lean and also moved around significantly. We all piled into the jeeps waiting on the other side and continued the journey to Askole. While it was only a further 25km it took hours to reach the small village due to the very difficult and steep terrain.

Arriving at the village of Askole was incredible, the local children where so happy to see us and very welcoming. After having green tea and cake at the tent site we made our way down to the local museum. It was very fascinating learning about the settlement of Askole and the local way of life. It was very interesting to learn that the local population had been estimated to be around 600 people, living in approximately 57 homes. However the estimation of the population was calculated using the number of stoves in the village. The structure of the homes was also very interesting; during the winter months the entire family would live below the house, where the stove from the kitchen kept the room warm.

After finishing at the museum we made our way back to the tent site. We had so much fun interacting and playing with the local children, they were so curious about who we where and what we were doing. They loved when the young explorers joined them on there seesaw made of two logs.

Today was an incredible day and we have all gained so much knowledge. It will be something that we will never forget.

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02.06.2010 – The departure time from the guesthouse was schedule at 8:00 this morning. As everyone had already prepared and packed their luggage the previous evening, we all had time to take a small breakfast before loading the two buses that were gonig to drive us (and or tonne of equipment) to the airport.

In order to check everything in and to be sure that we wouldn't forget any bags, each one of the group had to grab a trolley while Mike was writing down the number of bags each person would be responsible for checking in. Then we started the long and difficult process of security check and check-in with all of our equipment. From the start we knew it was going to be a difficult task and we were all aware that we would be overloaded. Of course, we took all what we could as handluggage (even if the dimensions of some equipment were a bit bigger than 'the norm'). The total of all the checked-in bags was 788kg for the 19 people! Normally only 20kg per people is allowed on the flight to Skardu. Thanks to our locat contact and thanks to the good understanding of the PIA (Pakistanese International Airlines) we were allowed to take everything with us.

Flights from Islamabad to Skardu are well known for their irregularities and delays so it was still uncertain at what time we would leave. Normally our flight was planned to leave at 10:00, but as soon as we had finished the check-in, a 2 and a half hour delay was announced. At least the flight was not canceled! At about 11:30, a new delay of the flight for another 2 hours seemed to confirm the reputation of this journey.

Erica made the most of that time to bring out a map of the Karakoram region on which Mike could show and explain to the Young Explorers the different part sof the trek and the challenges that were awaiting them.

Finally, at 2pm we were boarding. The flight was a bit shaky but we soon forgot about that once we neared Skardu.  We could for the first time see the big, impressive mountains, some of them sticking out of the clouds at 8000 meters. As Skardu village is located in a deep valley, the plane had to make a few 360 degrees loops inbetween the two sides of the valley. Very impressive!

Two buses were waiting us at the airport. After we loaded all the equipment on the roof of the buses, we went to a quiet guesthouse. The view on the Indus River was quite amazing and the mountains were standing right in front of our windows.

After a good dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to sort out their material once again. Now  we needed to prepare and weigh everything for the porters that would help us tomorrow. Each porter will carry a maximum of 25kg of equipment, which means that every bag needed to be carefully packed and weighed.

Thanks to the cooler temperatures in Skardu than in Islamabad, we are all looking forward to a comfortable sleep!

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03.06.2010 – After our first night in low altitude (Skardu is around 2200m high) we all met for breakfast at 8am. The morning was going to start with a new packaging strategy!

Skardu is the last village in the valley having an airstrip and also our last destination with a hotel. As from Askole (the next village we will reach by jeep tomorrow) we will start to sleep in tents. Furthermore, it's also from Askole that we will start our trek with porters. Hence the importance to pack our bags properly. Today we confirmed the number of porters we will have with us as from Askole and each porter will carry a maximum of 25kg of our personal equipment.

The first task for our Young Explorers was to pack their bags so that they would not weight more than 12.5kg. One porter will carry the personal equipment of two Young Explorers. Once this was done, we still had to sort out all the technical mountaineering equipment and share it in loads of 25kg into 60L barrels.

With all the personal equipment, technical equipment, solar panels, generators and the medical equipment, we ended up with 31 loads of 25kg each for the 19 members of our expedition. This meant that as from Askole, we will need 31 porters dedicated only to our gear, without counting all the logistics for the food, the base camp tents, etc, etc.

As the Mike Horn team were busy finishing the packing the eight Young Explorers went to play with the local children. The first contact was quickly made and the young kids of the village were very happy to have new friends to laugh and play with.

In the middle of the afternoon all of the luggage was ready and we took the opportunity to go for a tour of the Skardu’s bazaars and visit the shops. They were definitely not the kind of shops that our Young Explorers were used to seeing. No big supermarket but a lot of small shops everywhere you looked.

At 8pm a barbecue was ready for us in the garden of the hotel. As usual, in Pakistan, we had a delicious meal and the owner of the guesthouse prepared a small surprise for the end of the evening – a local music band from Baltistan were invited to play for us. Some of the local people started to dance and we all ended up trying to move with the music. It was a lot of laughs and an excellent last evening in civilization. As from tomorrow and for three whole weeks, our usual way of life with running water, beds and electricity will end!!

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Everyone arrived safely in Islamabad. The Young Explorers are very excited about the coming few weeks ahead and are eager to get away from civilisation and into the majestic valleys of the Himalayas.

Today, Mike and the team are checking and the technical equipment, tents and trekking food that were sent previously via cargo. A thorough control of all equipment is essential for the success of the expedition.

Later this evening a press conference will be held with Nazir Sabir Expeditions. Local press will attend and meet our international group of Young Ambassadors who will explain to the press the environmental mission of the Pangaea Expedition and their motivations for exploring this beautiful region.

Early tomorrow, the expedition starts with short flight to Skardu which promises to be a spectacular one for the team as they will get first glimpses of the 8'000 meter peaks,  namely the Naga Parbat at 8125m!