When we reached Hunza, we camped at the Borith lake at that night. The fang-white mountains loomed over us. We gazed up at the rugose and rough-hewn mountains with a sense of awe. They were mysterious and catacomb quiet and encompassed us in such a way that one could not possibly deny the beautiful sight. The snow-festooned peaks were embalmed with tiaras of powdery snow. Despite the breath-taking sight, there was no denying that we were tired and soon retired to bed. The next morning, we were surrounded by a smuir induced by the snow but the crepuscular ray still seemed to filter in. From there began the real struggle.
We crossed a huge glacier which was both thrilling and nerve wrecking. A few steps forward from the glacier, we had set a temporary camp for resting. Then, we began hiking on a narrow path along the mountain until we reached the very top. It was beyond exhausting but I managed to be the first one to get to the top and upon taking a look at the view in front of me, I knew the effort was completely worth it. Patundas top was a fitting place for a light lunch which included fried eggs, biscuits and some fresh juices. After regaining our energy, all of us took pictures to capture the mesmerising moment through the lenses of our cameras. Then we proceeded to head back to the camp that we had set a little distance ahead of the glacier. After resting for a while, we packed our tents and again crossed the glacier and hiked down the steep mountain until we reached back to our initial camp at the Borith lake.
It was a sunny day, but the weather was still cold. However, it could not stop us from taking a dive in the salt water lake. It was certainly not one of my wisest choices, but it was fun with everyone around. From there, we, again, packed our belongings and headed towards Attabad lake where we set up our camp for the night. The sun had not set so we decided to utilise our time in the best possible way by participating in the boat ride on the lake.
The next morning, we washed up and changed our clothes, I was really excited as we were going to visit the famous “Karimabad Baazar”. Every shop portrayed their culture in a beautiful way. There were stalls of famous Hunza feather caps, and pendants and shawls that were not available anywhere else in Pakistan. We looked around a little, I bought a cap for my dad and then ate lunch there. This brought our trip to its end and we started heading back home.
Hassan Ali will be attending Connecticut College for an undergraduate degree.