K-2 the second highest peak in the world Pakistan

K-2 (8,611m) is the second highest peak in the world and it is located in the District Skardu of Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan. The peak is exactly on the border of China and Pakistan dividing the two countries, its north face is in China and south face in Pakistan. 
Interestingly almost every person is aware of the word K-2 and everyone is aware that this is a giant mountain but there are many other things about K-2 which worth reading but people are not aware of. In the remote Karakoram mountain ranges, this towering mountain had been hidden from the outer world, even from the indigenous people, until early 1900 due to its remoteness. 



Who named the K-2 mountain? 

This is the fact that due to its remoteness even the locals were not aware of the mountain and it didn't have any local name, the reason it was named K-2, means the second highest peak in Karakoram range. The first person who explored the peak was the Godwin-Austin, an English surveyor, that is why the mountain used to be known as Mount Godwin-Austin before it was named as K-2.  
K-2 was named by another British surveyor, Thomas Geroge Montgomerie, who was surveying the mountains of Himalaya and Karakoram during the Great Trigonometric Survey of British India. As mentioned above it was very difficult to reach the remote area where K-2 is located therefore the surveyor sketched the two towering mountains in the Karakoram range from a mountain in the Himalayan range, Mount Haramukh presently located in the region of Indian Occupied Kashmir, some 210 km south of the K-2. 
As the surveyor was observing the sight of the K-2 some 210 kilometers away from its base, he labeled the two soaring mountains as K-1 and K-2, means the first and second highest peaks in the Karakoram range. Later it turned out that actually the K-2 was the highest peak of the Karakoram range and K-1 was actually the 8th highest peak in the Karakoram range.

How to reach there? 

Well, when you read the name of K-2 the first thing you would think will be that how could I reach there, I am not a mountain climber. Even if you are not an experienced climber, having the sight of K-2 from its base camp would be a proud moment for you. Nowadays not only experienced climbers but the amateur mountaineering enthusiasts are also visiting the areas of K-2 base camp to have a sight of the giant mountain. 
Reaching there in the vicinity of K-2 is somehow difficult and it needs determination and passion. If you are not a Pakistani, first you need to reach Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. From Islamabad, there would be a daily flight to Skardu, the major town in the region. It takes about an hour to reach Skardu from Islamabad. From Skardu the real expedition starts. 



      

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