[GaliWalker]

While most of this trip wasn't for pleasure, parts of it were. Here are a few words and photos about these. Islamabad Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, in the thick of summer, was incredibly lush green. Flowers injected yet more color and every morning and evening was a crescendo of birdsong. I never got to photograph the more exotic birds but did get a few shots of the delightful bulbul and magpie-robin.

1- Bulbul

2- Magpie-robin

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Margalla Hills (July 13, 2019) Islamabad lies nestled in the lap of the Margalla Hills, which form an unbroken wall to the northwest of the city. A subrange of their taller cousins the Galiyat, which in turn are part of the foothills of the Himalayas, the highest point of the Margallas touches 5,250ft. The region abounds with wildlife – e.g. wild boar, rhesus macaque monkeys and a variety of birds are abundant, and even the occasional leopard has been spotted – which were granted protection by the creation of Margalla Hills National Park in 1980. Numerous trails crisscross the park. Due to its ultra-close proximity to the city, in the hot summer months these begin to see foot traffic at first light; nobody wants to brave the hot temperatures and humidity of midday. The three of us were no different and were at the trailhead for Trail #3 a little before dawn. There were numerous cars already parked there, so we prepared ourselves to rub shoulders with our fellow humans. Trail #3 switchbacks its way up the hillside. We mostly stuck to this one, ignoring the direct and much steeper option of the Fire Break Trail. (The Margallas are crisscrossed with these clearings as a fire prevention mechanism. Some of the clearings also double as trails.) Pretty soon views of the city, with its reservoir, Rawal Lake, glinting in the distance, began to make an appearance. It was hot and it was humid. Halfway up the mountain and all three of us were soaked with sweat. A pine forest and somewhat overcast conditions provided some welcome shade, at least for this initial leg of the trip, but we were suffering. Thankfully, the views of mist wreathed mountain tops were quite spectacular by now, which helped no end in taking our minds of the oppressive conditions.

5- Hazy sunrise

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7- Islamabad

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As we gained the spine of the mountain, I parted ways with my two companions. I had a more ambitious trip in mind. I worked my way north, along the ridge crest, picking up an overgrown unofficial trail. I rolled over a 4,200ft highpoint, whereupon the trail petered out in some nasty bushes, fanged by thorns. Eventually, I was able to extricate myself from the brush and pick up a slightly more established trail which dropped me down to the Pir Sohawa Road on the far side of the mountain.

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In a hundred yards or so I was at the upper trailhead for Trail #5, which was to be my eventual exit route off the mountain. The overcast conditions had long since disappeared by now. With the hot sun beating down on me I continued along the ridge crest on another Fire Break Trail. My hope was to make the next 4,300ft tall bump in the ridge my turnaround point. The going was slow and painful since the route had numerous spots that required rock scrambles through the middle of thorny thickets. And it was just so hot. I was wilting and decided to call it about 20yds shy of the summit; it just wasn't worth it.

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I made my way back down the ridge crest to the top of Trail #5, where I reentered the National Park boundary. Here, I spent a pleasant half hour in the shade chatting with some park rangers as I tried to cool down. The way down was mostly uneventful, except for a brief interlude where I consented to being interviewed by a local TV channel, who were making a documentary on Trail #5.

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Stats: 11mi, 2875ft elevation gain, 7hr Nathiagali (July 18-19, 2019) Nathiagali is my happy place, the place I used to spend my summer holidays as a kid, spending each day going for road walks around the circa 8000ft elevation hill station or for hikes in the surrounding mountains. My brother and I drove up to the hill station on a Thursday afternoon, fighting horrendous traffic on the steep mountain roads. The payoff was worth it though: the cool temperatures and fresh mountain air were a blessed relief after the heat and humidity of Islamabad. We spent the evening meeting an old friend and taking a nostalgic walk down to the local bazaar, where my brother did some souvenir shopping. The next morning was hike day.

16- Nathiagali bazaar

17- Nathiagali church, getting a facelift

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19- Our home for the night

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One of my favorite mountains in the world is the 9,800ft tall Miranjani. As a child it was the mountain, the one you just had to climb. Dense Abies pindrow (west Himalayan fir) and pine forests march up its flanks, although the summit block rises above tree line, carpeted with spectacular lush green meadows. The 360° views from the summit are amazing, with the jewel being Nanga Parbat, the World's 9th highest peak, which can be seen bulking huge on the horizon on a clear day. For me, Nathiagali isn't Nathiagali without Miranjani.

21- Evening light on Miranjani

I was out of the house by 5:00am, hoping to get a head start on my hike up Miranjani. The trailhead at Bakotgali was about a 1.5mi road walk away, but it took me an hour to get there, because the view of Miranjani in the early morning was too good to not photograph.

22- Miranjani

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The start of the hike was rocky and steep, but then the gradient relented slightly, and the tread improved considerably. Walking through the stately evergreen forest of fir and pine was sublime. The smell of fresh pines and clear mountain air was intoxicating. At the halfway point was a small pond, affectionately nicknamed the 'Coffee Pond'. This was also the point where the summit came into view for the first time since the hike began.

27- Coffee Pond

The remaining hike to the top was an unrelenting climb. As I rose higher and higher the forest became sparser and sparser, and the views better and better. Mukshpuri, at 9,200ft the second highest peak in the area, was a massive presence, across the valley to my right. 1.6hrs from Bakotgali I was up top, basking in the expansive views and rolling meadows.

28- Mukshpuri (9,200ft)

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31- Coffee Pond

32- Summit selfie

On the way down I linked up with my brother and our host, who were only hiking to the Coffee Pond. We went back to Nathiagali together.

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Round-trip stats: 9mi, 2500ft elevation gain, 6hrs Misc. photos

36- Ambela Pass

The Ambela Campaign (October - December 1863): In forty-two expeditions against tribes in the North West Frontier between 1857 and 1890 the British suffered barely two thousand casualties. In the Ambela campaign alone they lost almost a thousand.

Monitor lizard (not my photo)

I tried really hard to spot one of these monsters but was unable to even after being led to the lair of one of them. Just this morning I was sent the above photo from my host.

[RichP]

Beautiful. It reminds me of the Central Sierra of Argentina. I did not realize that it was so lush and green there, almost tropical.