The backdrop of my timely visit to the Karakoram Highway involves a major landslide triggered earlier this year, which welded a complete blockage of the Hunza River gorge. Since then, a reservoir of water has gradually accumulated behind the natural dam, submerging villages along with the Karakoram Highway itself. As it stands now, the Karakoram is indefinitely closed to thru traffic. Until a few days ago, the government was operating a boat shuttle across the lake, now spanning seven miles; but with the water level at imminent risk of breaching the crest of the dam, the boat service has been canceled, replaced by an air service for the purpose of evacuating local villages.
Today I lucked out and hitched a ride with a Pakistani Army cargo helicopter, making for a thrilling ride through the disaster zone of the lake and the surrounding Karakoram scenery. Shortly thereafter, I arrived by minibus in the hub town of Gilgit, for the purpose of buying a pashmina shawl and gorging on yogurt. Now the only trick will be getting back up the valley by helicopter before the dam bursts, and ultimately making my way back to China.
