Rush Lake is a wonderful and high altitude alpine lake of Pakistan which lies in the majestic mountain range of Karakorum and truly is the pearl of this magnificent paradise on earth. Just on the footsteps of Rush Pari Peak, the Rush Lake of Pakistan is located in the Nagar Valley, Gilgit Baltistan about 15 k.m north of Miar Peak and the famous Golden Peak. What is the most notable feature of this pearl of Karakorum that it is surrounded by the mountain peaks having the altitudes of 7,000 meters above sea level. The trek which leads toward Rush Lake is filled with the astonishing views of Spantik, Malubiting, Miar Peak, Phuparash Peak and Ultar Sar. These august peaks are the source of another natural wonder which is known as Hopar Glacier and thus these all wonders including the Rush Lake of Pakistan make this whole area a fantastic and grandiose piece of heaven.
Rush Lake of Pakistan – Image: Mosarrat Ali Khan
For more fantastic lakes of Pakistan and the lovely planet, please click the following links;
Odd name for an equally odd bird. The New Zealand Kea to be precise. The Kea is one of only 10 types of parrot found in New Zealand, and the only Alpine parrot in the world. These lovely olive green parrots can be found in forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. It has a brilliant orange coloring under the wings, dull blue feathers on the wings and tail, and has a very large narrow curved beak. Kea are omnivorous (or also known as the New Zealand garbage can), because they do eat carrion (carcasses of dead animals). The Kea feeds on more than 40 plant species, and their diet consists mainly of roots, leaves, berries, nectar and insects. The New Zealand Kea also eat other birds and mammals (including sheep and rabbits), plus they will not turn you down if you offer them French fries and burgers. In captivity the the New Zealand Kea are generally fed butter, nuts, apples, carrots, grapes, mangoes, figs, bread, dairy products, meat and pasta.
The New Zealand Kea are frequent visitors to Ski-resorts, they in turn attracted to the ‘people life’ who despite signs saying not to, will feed these birds (or in many cases the birds will help themselves to what it pleases, including passports and sunglasses). Recent studies have shown that although far from ideal, these ‘human fed’ birds have a higher body weight than those on a ‘wild’ diet and produce slightly above average number of eggs. So thankfully, on this occasion ‘human’ interference has a good outcome.
The New Zealand Kea was once killed for bounty due to concerns by the sheep farming community that it attacked livestock, especially sheep. In 1986 the Kea received full protection and numbers are slowly climbing again. The New Zealand Kea nests in burrows or crevices among the roots of trees and are known for their intelligence and curiosity. Both traits are vital for their survival. The New Zealand Kea are able to solve logical puzzles, like pushing and pulling things in a certain order to get to food and are known to work together to achieve a certain objective. Whether that objective is just for pleasure or survival is sometimes in question, because Kea have a reputation for removing the rubber from around car windows and ‘stealing’ items from visitors to their habitat (one such incident involved a Scottish tourist who saw his passport be ‘escorted’ off into the mountains never to be seen again. I wonder how he explained that to his Embassy!).
The genus ‘Nestor’ contains four species; The New Zealand Kaka (Nestor meridionalis), the Kea (Nestor Notabillis) and the extinct Norfolk Kaka & Chatham Kaka. All thought to stem from a species that dwelled in the forests of New Zealand five million years ago. The Kea’s closest relative is the Kakapo. A gathering or group of New Zealand Kea is aptly named ‘a circus’ as these birds can often been observed tumbling and ‘playing’ like kittens.
Kia: The only Alpine parrot of the world in nature
New Zealand Kea, the alpine parrot is a large parrot of about 48 cm long (19 in) and weighs 0.8-1 kg (1.8-2.2lb). Kea are not found in the North Island of New Zealand in the wild, although fossil evidence suggests a population lived there over 10,000 years ago. As for the number of Kea in the wild, the estimates range from 5,000 to 15,000, this is because of the Kea’s widespread distribution at low density and often inaccessible areas prevents an accurate ‘head’ count. In an area in the South Island called ‘Athur’s Pass’ around 10% of the local Kea are expected to be over 20 years of age. The oldest captive Kea was 50 years old in 2008.
About the Author :
Monica Toretto
Monica Toretto is a writer, painter, photographer and blogger. She lives with her two young sons in Invercargill near Bluff. She has travelled widely in Canada and the US and worked as a veterinary technician before returning to New Zealand. Her work has appeared in several magazines in the UK and New Zealand. She has also authored a book of poetry and photography called ‘Words’.
Let’s come to the Gasherbrummassif again for knowing about the the 13th highestmountain on Earth. We call it as Gasherbrum II which is also known as K4. Gasherbrum II or K4 is located on the Pakistan and China border in the Gilgit Baltistan province of Pakistan. In the great Karakorum range of the Himalaya , Gasherbrum II has the elevation of 8,035 meters (26,362 ft).
Gasherbrum II - K4
Gasherbrum II is the second last mountain peak in rank of the eight-thousander list and the first successful expedition of this great mountain was made by an Austrian team in 1956. The difficulty status of Gasherbrum II is of Major Mountain Expedition, as this peak lies at the latitude of 35.757831 and the longitude of 76.653028. The most suitable climbing route is via the southwest ridge as it is relatively free of objective hazards such as ice falls and avalanches.
A beautiful image of the climbers on Gasherbrum ( Banana Ridge )
The normal period for the expedition of Gasherbrum II, worlld 13th highest Mountain lasts about 7 to 8 weeks. Gasherbrum II is also called in the traditional Chinese language as Pinyin. The first winter ascent of Gasherbrum II was accomplished in 2011 by Simone Moro, Denis Urubko and Cory Richards in alpine style.
Our countdown on the world highest mountains takes us on world no.11, which is located in Pakistan. Gasherbrum 1, the hidden beauty is located on the Pakistan-China border at the northeastern end of the Baltoro Glacier. Gasherbrum 1 is actually a part of a great massif having the elevation of 26,509 feet (8,080 m.).
Gasherbrum 1 - The Hidden Peak
The was first climb over Gasherbrum 1 was executed by Pete Schoening and Andy Kauffman who were the member of an American expedition led by Nicholas B. Clinch, on July 5, 1958. The massif on which Gasherbrum 1 is located is also known as Gasherbrummassif which is a part of Karakorum range of the great Himalaya. Gasherbrum 1 is a Balti word comes from “rgasha” (beautiful) + “brum” (mountain) in Balti, hence it actually means “beautiful mountain.”
The Golden Look of the Hidden Peak ( Gasherbrm 1 - K5 )
Gasherbrum 1, the hidden beauty was declared as K5 by T.G. Montgomery in 1856 which means the 5th peak of theKarakoram. Gasherbrum 1 is no doubt the most beautiful eight thousander, which is sometimes called as “Shining Wall” or “Hidden Beauty”. The peak was also the venue of the world’s first 8,000 meter climb in pure Alpine Style. The most appropriate rout to climb Gasherbrum 1 is from the western side and all routes here leads to “The Japanese Couloir”, which is located on top of the north-west face.
