Paju Camp is an important stage on the long journey to Concordia. Built into the mountainside, the camp has some running water and is surrounded by juniper and poplar trees as well as various shrubs offering some much-needed shade after a few days of walking through the barren Braldu Valley. Thereafter there is hardly any greenery. Climbing the slopes above Paju Camp, a trekker goes over 4,000 metres for the first time and is rewarded with the first view of the enormous Baltoro Glacier and, weather permitting, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum. Most expeditions take at least one day to rest and acclimatize here and for James Hart Dyke, it meant he could paint at dawn and in the evening.

- William Mitchell, K2 Artistic Expeditions: James Hart Dyke & Vittorio Sella, 2026

See all the paintings in K2: James Hart Dyke at our London exhibition, which then travels to the Forte di Bard. You can also browse more works by James Hart Dyke or read his biography.