📷 The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 11. The Vicinity of the Yashpert Village. Hidden Meadow

Oh, it's been a long time since my previous post about traveling in Pakistan.... Well, let's continue where we left off — at the Batura glacier, in the shepherd's village of Yashpert.

So, there is a day of rest now after a difficult crossing over the glacier. We slept, had breakfast, listened to the stories of Bayram, walked and looked around a bit. Than we ate again — lunch :) It's great when you can eat more than just snacks on the go!

After lunch, Bayram (our local guide) took us to a secluded spot, to a magical meadow hidden not very far from the village.

We walked, walked and finally came. Wow, the place is really unusual and beautiful!

The bright green grass and absolutely flat vast area surprised. It looked like as it was an abandoned football field, only now the gate is nowhere to be seen.

At first, no one understood why goats did not eat this juicy grass, but then I looked closer and saw that it was horsetails. Inedible, but pleasing to the eye!

And not only to the eye, by the way: lying on such soft grass on a pleasant warm day is a separate pleasure, which we somehow did not expect to get right here, next to the glacier :)

This is how this glade looks from above — a small island of greenery, lost among the rocky ground.

In the far left part of the valley you can see a wide-spreading small mountain stream. Here you can catch reflections or just wander ankle-deep in water and get your feet dirty - whatever you want ;)

Olya @kibela decided to take a sit on a large, warm stone, giving me the opportunity to take a photo where the scale is clear. There she is, that blue dot at the bottom right.

And this is how the moraine ridge looks from this place, protecting our hidden meadow from the glacier.

Climbing there, on the moraine, you can look around the surroundings, appreciate the views of the glacier and mountains on the other side.

This is how a glade looks from the moraine with trees sticking out around it.

It is a glacier Batura and mountains on the opposite side. Pure snow is visible only in the very core of the glacial tongue, along the edges it is covered with earth and stones.

From the height of the drone's flight, the scale becomes clearer. Wow, how long it is, and it's not all!

White and gray-brown layers whimsically mix, merge into each other, but do not be fooled — under this brown there is the same ice as under white. Just a little dirtier)

And in our small valley everything is clean and neat, just now big stones have been poured from previous mudflows.

The rocks of the mountains surrounding us here are rather soft, therefore, when they collapse, they give interesting shapes.

Even such "mushrooms" grow in our mountain forest.

And here we have a stone from a rock, harder, more serious. Will not crumble under your feet and hands, you can go bouldering if you know how)

Oleg could not resist, climbed. And here he is, the winner!

As we walked along the lawn, a procession appeared in the distance.

Well, who is it there? And they drove a herd of goats back from the pastures to the village.

The goats go cheerfully. Or is it just that the shepherds are cheerfully and cheerfully urging them on?

Oh, among the goats there are a few sheep that were unnoticed first.

Well, we are going to go back too. The day is gradually approaching the evening, after walks and impressions of the surrounding views, I want to return to the comfort of a small house with a hearth.

It is pleasant to look at the mountains not only sitting on a bare stone, but also with a cup of hot tea with milk next to the hut.

The sun and clouds floating across the sky make the view of the distant mountains more dramatic and majestic. And I do not mind, I like it more — the neighborhoods drowned in the shadows, and have bright light spots-accents.

Having reached the corral with the herd, the shepherds simply whistle — and the living creatures themselves begin to enter it from all sides.

Here the goats are waiting for their turn to enter.

And the sun begins to tilt towards the horizon. Well, never mind, everyone will have time to enter the house before sunset.

The sunset seems to be on its way. I wonder how handsome he'll be here tonight?

Our porters play cards. While we camp here, they certainly do not go home, but live here, with the shepherds, and at the same time help them to the best of their ability. But not all the same to work? They must also have fun!

Already low sunbeams illuminate mountain peaks, which are not yet covered by the shadow of higher mountains.

Almost the last sunlight for today illuminates the summit. But there are no bright colors yet. Really nothing will happen?

Yes! Still, the clouds turned pink, to our delight. I wonder what is this peak? Unfortunately, I never found out.

After a hearty but naturally (again) vegetarian dinner, I went to gaze at the stars. The stars are good as always. And the door standing practically in the field, leading practically into emptiness, adds a feeling of some unreality.

We, contented and pacified by a quiet day of rest, leave Bayram's hut for the night, some go to another hut, some to tents. And someone spends the night right in his house. Although it now looks uninhabited from the outside, if you look closely, you can see trekking sticks leaning against the wall and that blue barrel of food carried by the porters. A sure sign that tourists live here! :)

The moon is shining brightly, and the Milky Way is hiding somewhere. Probably beyond the surrounding mountains.

Okay, we can go to sleep, because we still need to rest and gain strength — Dima and Bayram promised us wonderful trekking along the glacier tomorrow. I'm looking forward to!

To be continued...

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Parts of the journey:

1. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 1. Arrival and Transfer to the Mountains
2. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 1. Trekking to Fairy Meadows
3. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 2. Acclimatization
4. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 3. Trekking to Nanga Parbat Base Camp - Start
5. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 3. Trekking to Nanga Parbat Base Camp - Finish
6. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 4. From the Himalayas to the Karakoram
7. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 5. The road to Mount Rakaposhi - Hakapun or further?
8. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 5. The road to Mount Rakaposhi - Base Camp
9. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 6. Minapin Glacier and Ice Bridge
10. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 7. How to Get to the Eagle's Nest?
11. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 8. Hike to Ladyfinger Peak
12. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 8. Walk in Karimabad to Altit and Baltit Forts
13. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 9. Karimabad and the Sacred Rocks of Hunza
14. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 9. Attabad Lake, Hussaini Bridge and Passu Cathedral
15. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 10. Crossing the Batura Glacier: the Beginning
16. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 10. Crossing the Batura Glacier: Finish
17. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 11. Shepherd's Village of Yashpert and Bayram Stories
18. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 11. The Vicinity of the Yashpert Village. Hidden Meadow
19. Pakistani Goats
20. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 12. Trekking to Nowhere
21. The Land of High Mountains: Pakistan. Day 12. Trekking to Nowhere - The Way Back

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Camera: OLYMPUS E-M1 Mark II and DJI Mavic 2 Pro

It's better to watch the photos in high resolution — just click on them and open in a new window.

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You can also see my photos in my blog LJ and in my profile on NatGeo

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