Duration 15 days Distance 83.2km Start Shimshal Village Finish Shimshal Village
Shimshal is the only village in Gojal not yet linked to the KKH by road. In 1985, Shimshalis began building their own road through the polished limestone gorge of the Shimshal River. Their effort garnered government support to build bridges and blast difficult sections through the gorge. As of summer 2000, the road reached Boi, 4km beyond Dũt- a little more than halfway between Passu and Shimshal. By 2001, the road should be open another 4.9km beyond Boi to Uween-e-Ben, leaving just 26.5km to reach Shimshal village. This last stretch could optimistically be done by 2002. Trekking to Shimshal village gets shorter and easier year. But the trail and ever- lengthening road cross massive scree slopes and raging torrents, and are prone to dangerous rock fall. Trekkers always need to be prepared to walk in and out of the village. Rainfall and strong late afternoon Katabatic winds frequently start rock slides. Watch carefully for falling rock, and wait until in subsides before attempting to cross a slide.
Shimshal incorporates three separat settlements; Aminabad, Centre Shimshal, and Khizarabad. Occasionally Aminabad and Khizarabad are referred to by their former names, Shulalaksh and Chukurth Dasht respectively. The Adver stream, which separates Aminabad to the west from Centre Shimshal to the east, rushes down from snowy, unclimbed Adver Sar (6400m, marked on the Swiss map as Shimshal White Horn). Chukurth Dasht is the plateau above and east of Centre Shimshal. Chukurth-e-Dur is the glacially fed stream flowing into Chukurth Dasht, named for a triangular (chuk) millstone (werth). Centre Shimshal has a Jamat Khana, an Aga Khan Diamond Jubilee Middle School for girl’s a government boy’s school and cultural museum. The dispenser for the Aga khan Health Services, Farman Ullah, appreciates any donations of medicine or medical supplies, which are always scarce.
The Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research 1:250,000 orographical map Karakoram (Sheet 1) covers the Trek. It doesn’t show Jurjur, the road jeep bridges or footbridge Kuk and the trails leading to and from Kuk, by passing the Mulungutti Glacier, aren’t shown either.