Fairy Meadows

We took off down the highway to where our road heads up the rugged scree slope, and turns north on a road half cut into the slope, and half on a stacked stone wall, for the 1320 meter climb to the trailhead at Jhel. The first section were bearable as the rocky track wound steadily up from the road into the towering mountains above. The road first ran along the slope down to the Indus, then turned a corner into the canyon of the Raikot River, where it was cut into, or glued onto the side of sheer rock walls falling hundreds of meters to the raging river below. The edge was marked by occasional rocks, and the road was snaking around ridges and into gullies, with occasional streams across the road. At places the track narrowed to the width of the vehicle leaving no room for error, with the jutting mountain on one side and on the other a 500m vertical drop to the raging river below.... The second quarter of the trip was the scariest, as the fall was a couple of hundred metres sheer, but going off the side almost anywhere would have had the same result. There was always the possibility of walking up this track but I was in the minority for abandoning jeep and it would have taken about 3-4 hours. Toward the top, the valley opened out, and we could actually see the top of the mountains without craning the neck to see out of the narrow window of the jeep. Sat at the rest house at Jhel (2,666 meters) and then headed out uphill. The track starts out almost wide enough for a car, but narrows to a donkey track where it cuts across the face of a big slide, with the track supported by dry stacked walls, in a similar manner to the "main" road. The track has fallen away in one place, and there is a road gang working on it, and we have to edge past them on the sloping earth above a fair drop. Later the track opens out, and we make fairly good time, although the altitude is starting to affect us. We walked for about 3 hours up a lovely track, passing herds of grazing animals and donkeys transporting loads down from the higher villages for families migrating to lower ground for the winter. Our camp, which consisted of a series of wooden huts, was situated on a flat lawn on the edge of a forest facing the magnificent Nangar Parbat peak with a spectacular view of the enormous glacier below. The track has deteriorated again as it switchbacks up the final escarpment, and our guide Saif gave us a hand across a couple of collapsed sections. We got a pretty new wooden hut around the corner from the main view, with a verandah, a bathroom with waiting room, and sit-down toilet, cistern and washbasin setting. We went back to the restaurant, sat and talked till the evening meal arrived - varied and plenty..vegetable and chicken, local cuisine, rice, plenty of it, plus chapatis and a dessert. wonderful meal. Feeling pretty cold in the 300 Poly fleeces, but sat up till quite late talking on bonefine. Woke up early and found that the mountains are clear of cloud and sunlit at 5.30, with the nearby lower mountains covered in a dusting of new snow.
Dressed and walked around for a look and photos, then back to bed till 9, then had a brief ablution in water that is surprisingly warm.
Embarked on a stunning trek towards the foot of Nanga Parbat and came across two wild yak frolicking in the forest. We started off with most of our warm gear on, shedding it on the way as the sun came out. It was a beautiful walk across the meadow to the other hotel in the trees, then up through trees and along a creek bed until we emerged at the edge of the escarpment over the lower end of the glacier, which was very grey ice, topped with boulders and gravel Sat in the sun for a while admiring the view.
From here the path led back into the trees, and along another stream, which widened out into the upper meadow, surrounded by mountain and scree slopes. Continued the walk passed the tourist cabins at Beyal (3500 metres), putting on our raincoats as we approached the climb to the view point at the big rock called "View Point" (3,667 meters). The sun came back out, and we sat for a long time under the umbrellas, beside the enormous rock perched on the cliff edge, looking at the view, waiting for the cloud to clear on the main mountain. We could hear rocks falling on the glacier as the sun melted the ice, and occasional small rockslides on the cliff face below us. These were caused by a small herd of friendly goats, which joined us on the cliff edge. It is always amazing to see goats picking their way across sheer rock faces, or having a good look over the edge. We had a look at the grounds of the camp with a view to crossing to the far side of the valley, but were advised that there is only one proper path. Negotiated some rickety bridges to get back to the village, where we had a shorter session with the older boys, and carried on at a good pace down the valley. We encountered several groups of villagers on the way back, minding goats, or carrying rifles for a pot shot. Passed another night, pretty comfortable. Another early look at the scenery, fortunate to have a good view, and on the way by 9 from the paradise.
Pleasant walk down the road with overcast sky and the occasional sprinkle of rain. The villages and terraces look better looking downhill, and we could take photos without having to get the driver to stop. We were still well short of the steep, scary section of the road when the jeep caught up with us and we piled aboard. This jeep had similar side doors and canopy to the earlier one, but the hood was rolled back so you could stand and take photos. Closer to the bottom at Raikot bridge , we emerged into full sunlight, and it was suddenly hot in the open top jeep.

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