Pakistan 1994 - Naltar Valley and Asambar Pass Trek

In 1988, Rev. Morris from Monmouth Boys School went to Pakistan with teachers from other schools to discuss the possibility of organising a school trip to the country with the help of a non-profit making Pakistani organisation called The Adventure Foundation (Pakistan).Two years later, in the summer of 1990 a group of boys from the school flew to Islamabad to begin a trip in which they trekked in the Karakoram mountains in the Northern Areas. The 1992 expedition was extended to include participants from Monmouth Girls School, Monmouth Comprehensive School and Caldicot Comprehensive school. Again, this trip was a great success and in 1993 Reverend Morris set about organising a third expedition. I heard about the venture whilst in the sixth form at Monmouth Comprehensive, and spent the next year and a half saving as much money as I could to secure a place on my first ever trek. Our 1994 expedition linked up two classic treks to form one eleven day adventure. We started in the beautiful alpine scenery of the Naltar Valley, walked over the 15,400 ft Phakor Pass, dropping down into the Ishkoman Valley. Instead of finishing on the banks of the Ishkoman River, we trekked on and over the 14,400 ft Asambar Pass to the village of Yasin where jeeps were waiting to take us back to Gilgit.