K2: Almost to K2 Base Camp

NOTE: This post is out of order from the K2: First View published earlier today.

The last day trekking towards base camp was like traveling through geological time.

We left the dirt trail of the moraine peppered with large boulders to walk on the glacier proper. An icy path became the norm but the ever-present shoe box sized rocks with their razor sharp edges continued to wreak havoc on everyone’s shoes, regardless of brand or price. I remain in awe of the porters who travel the glacier obstacles in nothing more than thin canvas shoes.

But in spite of the obstacle course, it was virtually impossible not to look up, directly ahead and to our left, searching in vain for the reason, the only purpose for walking 75 miles over this glacier – K2.

But the weather Gods had different ideas and began our lesson in patience and humility. No matter how fast we walked, how hard we peered, the clouds simply sat there preventing any joy, any satisfaction. But not all was lost was the Gods did reward our perseverance with glimpses of Gasherbrum 4 standing guard over Concordia.

The massive mountain also hid G2 but nearby peaks, which would be considered world-class destinations, peppered the sides of great Baltoro, willing to accept any compliments we were able to muster.

We reached the military outpost at Concordia in good time, underwhelmed but grateful for the security. A few minutes walk further up the glacier we found another outpost of tents, and a fully staffed rescue team with satellite phone numbers posted for anyone to use. The practical implications of this are far from clear as a $10,000 cash deposit is required back in Islamabad before any helicopter would be dispatched at a final fee of well over $20,000.

The final stretch to Broad Peak Base Camp provided the most challenging obstacles yet. The “trail” undulates throughout the confluence of three glaciers: Goodwin-Austen, Concordia and Baltoro. The net effect was a huge jumble of rock, ice towers and icy slick surfaces; oh and swift streams that threatened our very progress.

After eight hours, we reached Broad Peak BC, a small tent city of close to 75 people including foreigners, and support climbers consisting of Sherpas from Nepal and High Altitude Porters (HAPs) from Pakistan. I now struggle with how to designate people who climb mountains and those who help so please forgive me if I simple use climbers for all of us.

Personally I arrived feeling as good as ever have on a big expedition, more on that in a later post. I met up with Chris Burke who along with Lakpa Sherpa was working on her 7th and 8th 8000m peak. The had made it up to Camp 2 on Broad Peak before high winds had stopped them. If they get the opportunity, they will stop their Broad Peak bid and come over to K2.

The mountain conditions are said to be good this year, albeit with a lot of snow but still manageable. This should reduce the rockfall dangers somewhat but of course avalanches are the flip side of this benefit.

Just as we got settled in our tents and poked our heads out, the Gods apparently thought we had worked hard enough and deserved a tiny reward – the clouds parted slightly revealing the very summit of K2. Not long enough to capture on film but long enough to capture in our hearts.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

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