"Hunza Disaster - Gojal" Karakoram Highway: The Glaciated Mother of Every Epic Drive!

[ToofaneBatameezi]

The thread is also dedicated to the disaster that struck this beautiful valley. Please join in to collaborate in anyway you can.




Jalopnik covered the Karakoram Highways of Pakistan. So I am sharing with you all. Feels good to see them love our Country!!



For the ultimate in road trips, choose the highest paved road in the world. The Karakoram Highway is 800 miles of mountain road connecting Pakistan with China across some of the tallest mountains in the world.



Take the one towering above that perilously vertical Pakistani art truck. It’s called Nanga Parbat and it’s the ninth highest mountain in the world. Also known as the Killer Mountain, its flanks have seen the death of a mountaineer for every four who have ascended its 26,660-ft peak. The highway is named after the Karakoram, the Western reach of the Himalayas, which span the confluence of India, Pakistan and China. Home to five of the fourteen eight-thousanders, the longest glaciers outside the polar regions and a vicious conflict between India and Pakistan fought in 20,000-ft mountain passes, it’s the perfect place for an epic road.




Stretching 800 miles between Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, and Kashgar, an ancient Silk Road city in China’s Wild West, the Karakoram Highway was constructed between 1966 and 1986, claiming a life for every mile.



Leaving Islamabad to the north, the road winds its way toward Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan territory. Between the towns of Chilas and Gilgit, it passes within 15 miles of Nanga Parbat, then snakes into ever more forlorn regions of Pakistan to top out at the 15,400-ft high Khunjerab Pass.



It’s the highest point on the road and the highest paved mountain pass in the world, home to yaks, Chinese border guards and snow leopards. The road continues for another 300 miles on the Chinese side, passes more huge mountains, skates the Taklamakan Desert, then arrives in Kashgar.



As you can imagine, driving its length is not a Sunday afternoon cruise on an Upstate New York parkway. For long stretches, the Karakoram Highway is a thin ribbon of a road blasted into mountain faces, crowded with trucks, taxis, motorcycles, 4×4’s and humans. There are landslides. There are avalanches. And in hot summers, meltwater from the glaciers floods the road.



At least the Pakistanis have the sense of humor required on roads that reach into the very clouds. “RELAX – SLIDE AREA ENDS,” proclaims this sign photographed in 1995, which makes one wonder about the precise nature of the SLIDE AREA itself.



I would love to conclude with a tale of a personal crossing, but that will have to wait. Should you find yourself in Pakistan with time to kill and a Jeep in your possession, give it a shot for all us plains-bound Jalopniques—and please post your tales of landslides, avalanches and scary mountains in the comments.



The Karakoram Highway: The Glaciated Mother of Every Epic Drive - Infrastructure - Jalopnik

[Basharatu]

I have converted the pictures from raw format to Jpeg, this Mountain is 2-3KM towards Hunza from Ata Abad (will share the History on what happened in 1858 in the later posts)

[Basharatu]

This was the 1st View we got while we reached closed to the Ata Abad, size of few of the boulders was bigger than Boeing, it was all gray and black glaciated clay which was stored inside the rocks.

The Slide was so powerful that it traveled in the river, the water was seeping through the clay, few say the clay is melting & few believe water has channeled from the lake & its making its way from the bottom

[saadtn1]

Thanks Basharat bhai!!! The pictures looks scary....

[Basharatu]

This pictures shows the Magnitude of the Barrier, Slide came down and its force pushed it on the Mountains on the opposite side of the river and then the flow of debris was on both side of the river

[Basharatu]

Red Marked Area is the new Mountain created by the Slide, It pushed over the right side & covered KKH, its highest point is at least 650 feet above the old Road Level.

Furthermore, this is is downstream view of the Slide Bed, Color of the rock is Horrifying

[Basharatu]

New Camp Setup by Traders


FWO has made a road for Jeep Travel of 2KM on the debris

[Basharatu]

[Basharatu]

We used this PRADO for the Round Trip {Gilgit, Karimabad, Ata Abad, Karimabad, Hooper Valley, Nagar, Nultar, Gilgit), I was driving it, Ali Sarwar was Navigator come photographer assisted by Asad.

Its 4x4 was not operational and we realized this when we reached Nultar. Its rear tires was like slicks (goodie khatam) and it gave drift effect on most of the turns. We had very short deadlines to reach the places e.g. our 1st Target was to reach Hunza by 10am to catch Farhad and move forward towards Gojal. Road was in poor condition due to expansion work.

[Basharatu]

[Basharatu]

This is just an ice breaker, captured on our way back. I haven't see such a clear View of RakaPoshi on all of my previous trips even when I went to its base camp from Minapin!

[akmalm]

guyz this place "gojal" is before main hunza city or after that ........... can we visit Hunza valley in June ?......

[060276]

Originally Posted by Basharatu

This is just an ice breaker, captured on our way back. I haven't see such a clear View of RakaPoshi on all of my previous trips even when I went to its base camp from Minapin!

Mind blowing ..... i have been to its base camp from minapin too. will post its best pic from that area...

[Basharatu]

Gilgit, March 16: Gojal valley, upper Hunza, has been declared as a calamity hit region by the interim governor of Gilgit – Baltistan during a recent visit of the disaster hit Attabad village. He said that the indirect effect of Attabad landslide on Gojal valley is enormous in scale and magnitude and due to collapse of the local economy people would not be able to live normal lives.
Tens of protests in Gulmit, Aliabad, Gilgit, Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad had been demanding calamity hit status for the region for the past two months.
While members of the coordination committee in Gilgit have welcomed the announcement they have also said that their struggle will continue till realization of the provisions that come with declaration of calamity hit status.
As citizens of a calamity hit region all loans of the people of Gojal valley would be waived. Fees of the students studying in the public sector institutions would also be waived off.
The governor also promised that the THQ hospital in Gulmit would be made fully operational on war footings. He also said that the high school Gulmit would get status of a higher secondary school.
Utility stores at three new locations would also be established.
http://pamirtimes.net

[Basharatu]

Originally Posted by akmalm

guyz this place "Gojal" is before main Hunza city or after that ........... can we visit Hunza Valley in June ?......

This is after Hunza, Just 25min drive from Karimabad on KKH towards Sost. Why are you waiting for June, weather is very pleasant these days and I recommend to explore these valleys in current weather as well, 1st week of April would be a good time!

[Basharatu]

Originally Posted by 060276

Mind blowing ..... i have been to its base camp from minapin too. will post its best pic from that area...

That would be wonderful, pls share them!

[SuhaibKiani]

Originally Posted by Basharatu

This thing does not look very breakable, seems like a proper Dam but cannot imagine the scale of destruction it would cause if water does break through it.

Many thanks for the Update and the Photos, helpful in clarifying the perspective. Do post some of the upstream side if possible.

[Storm]

i hear yesterday that according to new reports that the lake has started to empty due to efforts to dislodge the debris.

[akmalm]

@Basharatu
I will try to visit before June but can please tell me how will be KKH condition till hunza. can we take car till there , like hundye , or khyber

[Basharatu]

Originally Posted by SuhaibKiani

This thing does not look very breakable, seems like a proper Dam but cannot imagine the scale of destruction it would cause if water does break through it.

Many thanks for the Update and the Photos, helpful in clarifying the perspective. Do post some of the upstream side if possible.

The size of barrier is approximately 1KM, in the pictures it looks different, when we reached there and saw FWO working, it looked 75% mud & 25% rocks. With the increase of length and height of water, there is a consistent pressure on the barrier. I will upload the upstream pictures today!

[Basharatu]

Originally Posted by Storm

i hear yesterday that according to new reports that the lake has started to empty due to efforts to dislodge the debris.

Haven't heard of this, till Sunday Lake Water level was at-least 130-150 feet below the slide barrier. Speed of the workers was looking good but Mid April was the calculated deadline.

Furthermore, the lake is there to stay until this barrier is flooded away by the water pressure from the bottom.

Making spill way would start releasing the water @ a slow pace, it wouldn't empty the lake, the +ve pt in making spill way is to save the valleys in down stream from mass destruction.