K2: House’s Chimney to Camp 2
It’s the weekend at K2 Base Camp and Friday night was just like any other place on earth. Our team watched a James Bond Movie while many others danced the night away to Bollywood and Sherpa music in the “Disco Tent” aka the cooking tent :). Thankfully the snow has stopped but high clouds filtered the bright sun light, a blessing for some … It appears everyone is off the mountain and preparing for summit bids. Teams may start going back up as early as tomorrow, Sunday. We are looking a mid next week to start our summit push. Yes, to start our summit push of K2, hard for me to type those words. This is the last blog post for our rotation to Camp 2 this past week. As I have said outright and hinted, it was hard on me at times, and this specific leg, the over nights at 22,000 feet and the return to base camp, pushed me to my limits. I feel like I have recovered now, after 3 days back in BC, but the memory is strong, the impact real and the lessons valuable. Moving Higher We left Camp 1 as a smaller team of Garrett, Matt, Kami, Kacha and myself. Once again every step was committing. The fixed line waved in and out of the rock buttresses, seemingly random until a quick glance to my right or left revealed a 300 foot drop into a snow gully. A slip would be fatal, self arrest impossible. My breathing increased some from the altitude, but mostly out of stress. My pack was heavy for this altitude, maybe 30 pounds. Kami ed me with respect and as a child. At camp he would grab my pack. “Too heavy” and he would immediately transfer a few stuff sacks to his already overloaded pack. His load was probably 70 pounds. At an anchor he would grab the rope and try to move my jumar pass the obstacle. I simply said no and shook my head. He eventually migrated from doer to manager to fellow climber stopping his overzealous help but never letting me out of his sight. Climbing We climbed and climbed and climbed. At times the rocks became true vertical as in a wall in a house – 90 degrees. I pulled on the lines hoping the wisdom of Rick’s generation and their brilliant yet simple notion of a piton still worked in a rusted state. I used my free hand to place a leather gloved finger on any outcropping, no matter how small. My breathing raced, my heart struggled to keep up, my mouth revealed a tiny smile. I was climbing K2. And it went on. It is hard to describe continuous rock climbing above 21,000’ over unknown and difficult terrain. Each step higher, each foothold, each glance was new, exciting, a discovery, and intimidating. It was hard to believe I was actually climbing this route, at age 57. My crampons scraped the rocks, while I created new bruises on my shins from smashing into sharp rock edges. Each handhold had to be tested. The rocks were loose in places, putting all my weight on a rock, large or small, only to have it release would put all my body weight on the fixed line. Would it hold? Could I recover? Questions I had no interest in answering. So each step, each hold was a calculated risk, a premeditated move designed solely to move my body higher, or lower. I was living in the moment, no thought of yesterday or tomorrow, no consideration of what to eat for dinner, if I could summit. It was total concentration in a world of distractions. House’s Chimney Hour three passed, then four came as we saw tiny yellow tents, Biblers, just before the brown rock wall that held House’s Chimney. If you climb mountains or even read about climbing history, House’s Chimney is like the Hillary Step on Everest but magnitudes of more difficulty in spite of the lower altitude. Free climbed by American Bob House in 1939, it is a 100’ shoulder width crack in a rock wall. Over time, it has been determined to be the safest route to the higher flanks of K2. Some rate it at 5.6 without aid, but at 21,500’ it is a challenge regardless of the rating, or aid. The clouds have moved in lowering the temps and the winds were blowing steadily. We had left the nice weather of Camp 1 and were beginning to feel the real K2. As I was sitting heavily on my pack recovering from the climb from Camp 1, I began to wonder if I had the strength and skill to climb the Chimney when I heard my name. Samuli Mansikka aka Sammy from Finland waved his gloved hand, we had climbed Alpamayo two years ago. It was supportive to see my friend, remembering looking at the ice flutes of Peru and doubting myself only to climb the route and celebrate the summit. But that was at 20,000 feet; lower than where I was now. The rest of the team had gone on and topped out on the Chimney so I approached it alone. The lower section was a serious obstacle of thin ice over 45 degree angled rock with an anchor half way up the 30 foot ice rink. I front pointed to the anchor and passed my jumar by as my breathing once again took off. Two minutes later I stood at the bottom of House’s Chimney. I looked up. Ladders The well known ladder was there but it was a rock climber’s ladder, not like those used in the Khumbu Icefall or 2nd Step of Everest’s North side. I don’t think Home Depot stocks these. It was narrow, a foot wide with rope rungs covered with a thin metal covering. They are known as Etriers or Aid Slings and are mostly used in Yosemite, the Dolomites and other big wall areas. The ladder
K2: The Climb to C1 – Reality Hits
Friday started like Thursday, heavy snow coated K2 Base Camp muting any noise of gas stoves, doctor or social talk but the avalanches still dominated one of the five senses for everyone. All of the ten climbers who are climbing K2 without supplemental oxygen had spent at least one night at Camp 3 were now back at base camp. Most people have completed their acclimatization rotations and are enjoying a break, even with the heavy snow. The current weather forecast calls of a break soon, that combined with a few days to let the new snow settle and consolidate, implies summit pushes beginning in a week or so, maybe sooner. Our team is ready after our rotation to above Camp 2. Yesterday I took you to ABC so now it is time to move to Camp 1. Camp 1 Waking up on Sunday, July 13, 2014 at ABC at 17,300’, it was time to move to Camp 1 at 20,000’ – a big move. We had a good breakfast of cereal and hash browns, packed our packs with clothing layers, food, sleeping bags, down suits and other gear needed as we moved towards the summit. Once again we moved from the rocks of ABC to the snow field and put on our crampons. The previous day we had climbed about 500’ on an active rest day so we knew this part of the route. A tiny bite of a huge pie. One by one by we settled into our individual rhythms and made progress higher. It didn’t take long before the altitude showed me who was stronger. I slowed down to get into a pace that was steady yet didn’t stress my cardio. Steep and Steeper As we climbed toward C1, the steep angles became real. It was one step, four breaths. The snow was soft in spots, seldom hard packed making each foot placement a challenge, a struggle. I began to think about commitment, my goal, my purpose. But the overriding emotion was fatigue. We made it half way to C1 in 2 hours covering 1000’. Not bad really for the first time at real altitude. I looked over at the slope we were following and could see avalanche debris everywhere. We hugged the rock walls for a false sense of security. Mind you, this was two hours into the real climb of K2. The immediacy, danger, risk, commitment slapped me in the face. It hurt. It left a mark. Rocks We left the snow slope and got into the rocks. I always tell people that climbing Everest from the North is hard because of crampons of rock, well I was about to live it on K2. Each step scrapped the rock. Where there were larger rocks with smooth surfaces, they tricked you into stepping on the flat surface only to slide, fighting gravity. My old knees hurt. My bad knee twinged with strained ligaments, my calves cried when I front pointed, my thighs said enough. And this was hour three. The fixed ropes hosted our jumars, the mechanical device with teeth attached to the rope that stop a fall. Our carabiners served as a safety placed in front of the jumar. I pulled or jugged on the lines like never before as the angle increased to 60 degrees. Another moment of truth as I looked behind me to see some of my teammates dotting the black and golden rocks searching for that next secure foot placement. I looked up. All I could see was vertical rock walls with an occasional weakness that held the thin white fixed line. The line was secured into the rock with decades old pitons, small sharp slivers of steel hammered into any available crack in the rocks. New rope was tied into two pitons, equalizing the load. The pitons were rusted, the line looked shredded in places. K2 was a mountain preferred to be climbed without aid, but the truth is, you have no choice. The angles are too steep, the rock is too vertical. Transitions I found a spot to pass my jumar and ‘biner past the anchor, a transition point, and quickly made the swap. It became second nature, unclipping my ‘biner from the rope and moving it above the anchor, unclipping the jumar with an efficient sweep of my thumb and grabbing a new bite of rope with my free hand then quickly placing it into the jumar while letting the spring loaded teeth grab the rope thus securing me to the mountain. This binding was the only thing keeping my on route, and alive if I fell. The closer we got to C1, the steeper the angle, now at 70 degrees. The rock was merciless, the few flat spots held loose fragments. The frantic call of “ROCK” was ever-present. You did not look up, but you do, to see what was coming. After 4 or was it 5 hours, we reached the tents of Camp 1. The clouds had cleared and the temps were pleasant, the views of the Karakorum, glaciers and beyond – thought provoking. I had reached C1 on K2. Reality As I left an audio message, I had to let it sink in as I said the words, “Hello this is Alan at Camp 1 on K2, about 20,000 feet”. As I disconnected the sat phone, I wondered if some of my followers really understood what I was trying to accomplish other than a mountain climb. I know in this world, only the unusual stand out. I also know from emails and comments that many understand and relate as they are going through their own journeys as I was now and did with my mom. I could only hope what I was doing was considered worthy. The cause compelling, urgent. As I unpacked my sleeping bag, I settled into my new home. Oddly enough there were now extra tents from the other climbers not showing up as expected so I had a 3 man tent
K2: Avalanches at ABC and that is the Good News
I awoke this morning, Thursday July 17, 2014 to the muffled sound of snow hitting my tent. Even at 8:00am, prescription it seemed dark. The reality was a heavy snowfall overnight had coated K2 Base Camp with a nice layer of white snow. We had returned from our five day rotation to Camp 2 at 22,000 feet just in time. The rotation was tough on me. It tested me in ways I had envisioned but in some I was not prepared for. But I made it. I successfully climbed Houses Chimney and part of the Black Pyramid. I had a horrible night acclimatizing at C2 and pushed my body, and skills to the limit when rock climbing in crampons on near vertical rock. I had fun. And I was scared. Today, there are climbers at C3 on K2, most of them acclimatizing as they are climbing without supplemental oxygen. They will return to base camp before the summit attempt perhaps next week. The fixed ropes have not been established above C3. On K2, one small team of 1 westerner and 3 Sherpas is still attempting the Cessan route fighting deep snow but all the other teams have combined efforts on the Abruzzi, including us. The conditions still remain good for K2 in spite of the recent snow. But as always in the high mountains, each day brings new challenges. Climbers on nearby Broad Peak have stopped all summit efforts due to heavy snow for the moment reaching their C4. Most are now abandoning Broad Peak for the season, a few teams remain waiting for another summit window. Some are moving to K2. I will publish three blog posts of our rotation to C2 on K2 via the Abruzzi, this being the first post. We left K2 Base Camp around 2:00pm on Friday July 11, 2014 for Advanced Base Camp, ABC. The track is straight forward following the glacier that feeds into the Goodwin-Austen Glacier. The rock walls of K2 mark the left side of the glacier while a series of “small” 7,000 meter mountains mark the right. After 1.5 hours the glacier changed into a rubble filled terrain of ice climbs with seracs and pinnacles standing between us and ABC. One section required a leap of faith as a small stream of ice cold water had cut a deadly gap into the ice. A similar stream had taken two lives last year near Broad Peak Base Camp when two climbers fell into it, were swept under the rock and ice. Their bodies were never found. We carefully navigated this section and soon were on solid earth – dirt and rock. Two tents previously set up by our Sherpa team stood ready as we arrived in good spirits. We heated up pre-cooked dinners in boiling water as one particular serac became the evening entertainment. This hanging ice and snow wall, aka serac, was releasing on a regular basis. With each release the noise was astounding. It started with a loud rush of “white noise” as the snow and ice fell downwards, pulled by gravity and pushed by tons upon tons of frozen water. Then as it hit the ground below, a boom announced the beginning of one of the largest debris clouds I have ever seen. The noise was like a sonic boom from a jet plane passing through the sound barrier, a summer thunderstorm in my hometown of Memphis, a clash of drums from the symphony – regardless of the metaphor, the sound stopped all activity as we stared in the general direction wondering if the plume would hit ABC. It never did. The tent space at C1 was limited, as in none. C1 is a rare flattish spot on the Abruzzi. Several teams had already made their rotations and claimed tent spots. To use another team’s tent without their permission was not good form on this or any mountain. Kami and Kacha went there to literally carve out new platforms out of nothing. These men continue to amaze me with their strength and skill. I would not be here without them. They know that and know they are valued in intangible and tangible ways. We spent the night and got up the next morning for a short active rest day involving climbing up 500 feet up the snow route. This was my first real introduction to K2. It was steep. As I will write over the rest of this expedition, everything on K2 is steep. The route starts by leaving a rocky scree field adjacent to a steep snow slope, perhaps 40 degree angle. The snow was soft with evidence of recent avalanches thus we hugged the rock ridges that are ever-present on K2. After 200 feet the angle increased to 50 degree and the fixed rope began. The rope was secured into the rock with decades old pitons, small sharp slivers of steel hammered into any available crack in the rocks. New rope was tied into two pitons, equalizing the load. The pitons were rusted, the line looked shredded in places. We reached our objective for the day and turned back for a second night at ABC. It was a successful day of exercise and a gentle introduction to K2. The real K2 would show itself over the next few days. K2 is huge, it is steep, dangerous, scary – everything you have read, heard or experienced cannot prepare you for the real thing. It is called the Mountaineer’s Mountain but I would also call it a mountain of doubts. It pushed me to my limits – physically, mentally, emotionally. I have begun my recovery from the first rotation and am preparing for our next foray to an even higher goal. My purpose remains clear, as does my resolve. The question now is can I find what it takes to summit, if K2 allows me the opportunity? To be continued with the Climb to Camp 1 tomorrow. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything An anonymous donor has
K2: A Perfect Puja
We just finished our Puja this morning, Friday, July 11, 2014, and will be leaving for Advanced Base Camp this afternoon. It is about a 2 to 3 hour walk. I have participated in many Pujas over the years and this one stands out for many reasons. First we have a small team so the bonds are very tight, second we had an absolutely perfect day with clear skies and no winds with K2 serving as an inspiring, motivating and fearsome backdrop. The puja is a ceremony where the Sherpas ask the Mountain Gods are asked for permission to climb, safety for the climbers and forgiveness for damaging the mountain. It is a sacred ceremony for the Sherpas, and while optional for the climbers, almost everyone participates. The symbolism is significant such as throwing rice into the air three times to ward off evil spirits, and spreading sampa on one another’s face to represent a long life with a white beard. The gentle soft chanting by the monks during the ceremony took me into a quiet place where I reflected on my purpose. I am deeply sincere in saying that while I climb for the love of mountaineering and will do my to summit K2, my driving purpose is around Alzheimer’s. In that spirit, I value each of you reading this post, following me or making a donation. The amount is immaterial, by bringing as many people together as possible we can make a difference in small and large ways. If you cannot make a donation right now, I understand – regardless of your reason – and appreciate your support through following my climb and sending positive thoughts my way. So, we are off in a few hours. As I mentioned yesterday I will post audio updates from the high camps using my satellite phone but will have no Internet access. Thus you will need to visit my blog at http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/k2-2014/ to follow our progress until we get back to base camp. Also you can follow me on the SPOT gps tracker page. There NOT be any updates on Facebook until I get back. You can sign up for notifications of new blog posts using the form on the lower right corner of the blog page. Your email will never be used for anything else and you can unsubscribe at anytime. We plan on spending a minimum of three nights and potentially five if the weather and our health holds; perhaps spending two nights at Camp 2. I’m very excited to be climbing Houses Chimney on the way to C2. I feel great here at BC but this rotation will begin the real test. Thanks for your continued support, it make a real difference. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
K2: Preparing to Climb
A quick update from K2 Base Camp on Thursday, July 10, advice 2014. We have been here for a few days allowing our bodies to rest after the trek and to adjust to the current altitude of 16,300 feet. It has been a period of eating, resting and preparing. We are packing today to leave tomorrow for our first rotation up K2. The term rotation simply means climbing to one or more camps on the mountain, spending night(s) and returning to base camp. This is also known as climb high, sleep low. The objectives include ferrying gear up the mountain and also to stress our bodies into changing blood chemistry to the reduced oxygen available. It is a complicated process often simplified by saying the body creates more red blood cells to carry oxygen to the muscles in a low oxygen environment. In any event, we must “acclimatize” if we want to have a chance of climbing K2. As we were packing, a few climbers returned from their rotations. I spent some time with Al Hancock, Adrian Hayes and a member of the Italian/Pakistani team this morning after they returned from Camp 2 (C2). They report deep snow in areas and the ropes the Pakistan/Italian team had fixed had been buried in some sections by heavy snowfall earlier this week. They reported no natural rock fall in the notorious areas and climbing Houses Chimney was “straight forward”. There are climbers from several teams spread from ABC to Camp 2 today. Climbers on the Pakistan/Italian team tried to reach C3 today but were stopped by high winds. Camp 2 is the highest point reached this season by any team. Overall conditions are reported to be good by K2 standards. The plan is to fix the ropes to Camp 3 by July 14. It is too early to make a solid prediction for a summit push. Out team of 7 will leave for Advanced Base Camp (ABC) Friday afternoon after the Puja. Our Sherpas will not climb K2 before having a Puja where the mountains Gods will be asked for permission to climb, safety for the climbers and forgiveness for damaging the mountain. I am looking forward to this ceremony as it brings into focus our collective purpose and bonds. Speaking of bonding, today was fun as we laid out our gear needed for this first rotation along with food needed. We had a lot of laughs teasing one another on what we liked to eat, how heavy our packs were and generally getting to know one another better. One of our team, Thapkee Sherpa, will help fix the route between C3 and C4. The clouds have moved back over K2 so we no longer have the great views of earlier this week. Last night as I went to my tent for bed, I looked up and saw an almost full moon blocking a sky normally filled with billions and billions 🙂 of stars. I continued to be inspired and amazed at this place. Even with Internet access (occasionally!), it feels like I have gone back in time to a simpler place. I talk with my teammates, take walks for entertainment, nap when I want and have time to think about important things. It is a privilege to be here, to climb on behalf of Alzheimer’s and to share this amazing journey with each of you. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything P.S. I will be updating our progress while climbing to the higher camps using audio dispatches that post to my blog at http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/k2-2014/. Also you can follow me on the SPOT gps tracker page. There NOT be any updates on Facebook until I get back. You can sign up for notifications of new blog posts using the form on the lower right corner of the blog page. Your email will never be used for anything else and you can unsubscribe at anytime.
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 Thanks for all the donations to the Alzheimer’s non-profits for research and a cure. This is what this is all about. If you haven’t donated, please consider today as your day to make a contribution. Any amount that is meaningful to you will make a difference.
K2: Floating on the Baltoro
We’ve spent the last two days making our way towards K2 Base Camp along the Baltoro Glacier. Today we are camping at Goro 2, about 14, 000’. The weather continues to be mixed with rain showers and little sun. We are hearing reports from K2 Base Camp of snow. Yesterday, I felt good and found myself in a swift pace and soon was separated from the team. A recent collapse of an ice wall on the Baltoro had forced a new route so instead of the normal six hours, we were looking at eight or more to reach Urdukas. I approached the terminal moraine of the Baltoro and once again was impressed by the immense size of the rock wall and debris. Making steady progress higher, I soon was traversing the moraine proper following a faint trail of rocks and dirt, looking for anything not in nature’s random order. I forced a steady pace with my mind switching between the trance that comes with trekking and the focus required not to twist an ankle on the loose rocks. I followed an ever-present group of porters ferrying our team’s and other’s gear to the base camps of four of the 14 highest peaks on earth. They moved swiftly, with grace, not seeming to look for loose rocks, it was almost as if they floated. Soon I found myself moving along with them, at their pace. In one short segment, I stopped looking at the rocks and focused on the moment. I was second behind a porter with a wooden frame holding a large blue plastic barrel, probably carrying food. Behind me were four more porters. We moved in unison, almost touching; a fluid motion that was even, steady, poetic. Skipping from boulder to trail, from dirt to ice it was if we were one moving together, in one another’s footprint. I was lost in the moment, not thinking about my pace, my breathing, my steps anything other than moving forward. I too was floating. Then the lead porter suddenly stopped. He sat heavily on a large rock, resting his load against the stone. The others followed suit. I returned to reality and kept moving albeit at my own pace, once again looking at the trail, minding my steps. I was no longer floating. As I navigated the Baltoro, I found myself alone, a bit lost in the rocky ruble, looking for signs, a hint, of which way to go. Then I would hear a whistle, a clear “Hello.” Looking around, a porter would point towards my interim milestone. I raised my hand in simple gratitude. For 8 hours, this continued. I never felt alone, I always felt safe and every smile was retuned with a larger one. Pulling into Urdukas, the sun came out for a little while, it was nice. I perched high on a rock buttress above camp. My view was astounding. The Baltoro stretched out behind and in front of me, towering rock walls soared two to three thousand feet above, glaciers poked their way from the high valleys defining the sharp edges of seeming impenetrable rock fortresses. I was reminded of the power of the little things in life. The small water flow, a steady breeze, tiny grains of sand; all conspired to create what I was seeing. It made me think of how when we as individual become focused on making a difference, our joint efforts can redefine a fight. Alzheimer’s is such a struggle, it takes all of us, large or small, to join together to make a difference. Each effort counts, each effort matters. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything #K2CureAlz PS I am now tracking my progress on this page http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/k2-2014/
K2: Young and Old Dreams
Since we just arrived at 8, 000’, try we are taking a rest day today to help our bodies acclimatize and for the last of our bags to show up. Sitting in the dining room of the hotel here in Skardu. I suddenly felt a strong sense of history – yesterday and tomorrow’s. It is a Tower of Babel of languages, but everyone shares the same dream – to climb a mountain. Over an extended breakfast, I spoke with living history. The first was on my team, Rick Sylvester and his son Terray. The 70 year-old Rick, who is known by some as a stuntman for 007’s Roger Moore in the opening of The Spy Who Loved Me (the ski chase in the title sequence) and For Your Eyes Only where he was the film’s climbing sequence technical advisor. In that film he doubled in the rock climbing scenes where Moore’s 6’5” stature was a challenge for the 5’6” Rick – Rick says the $700 wig made the difference! But Rick is more proud of his climbing. He was one of the original “dirt bag” climber in Yosemite back in the 1960’s, making the 15th accent the Nose on El Cap, climbing with legends including Royal Robbins, Yvon Chouinard, Don Whillans, Dougal Haston and Layton Kor. (shout out to Kor’s great nephew and my friend and climbing buddy Barry Johnson). His son Terray, named after Lionel Terray the famous French climber on the first 8000m ascent, Annapurna, is trekking with us. Terray had a summit of the first day of his life when Rick took the newborn to the top of a boulder near Truckee on the way home from the hospital. Mom didn’t have a chance to object but did capture the event on film. They had done the same with their daughter, Cheyene, a few years earlier. Rick and Terray have done a lot of climbing together which has Terray saying he is most happy when he is in the mountains. Terray says even when they were visiting colleges, they bivied in illegal areas to save a dollar. While climbing the Post Office Crack near Opher Colorado, father and son used some old ropes on a rap, thin 8mm worn from previous use. They barley survived the experience, smiling when they talked about it, exchanging knowing glances. One of his most memorable climbs, Rick says, was on the first ascent of Son of Heart in Yosemite in 1970, a 10 day effort where they ran out of food and water in late July with 100F temps – water became an issue. Rick did all the leading with his partner belaying for 10 days. Which brings us to the question, why is Rick climbing K2 at age 72? He gives me some quips then says with ease, “I want to climb everything in the world.” But an epiphany occurred in 2010 when he failed to do one pull-up after decades of doing 103 pull-ups every other day – let that sink in – 103 pull-ups. At age 68, said he wanted to rebuild his body using CrossFit and he has. Looking determined, and fit, he sits quietly when asked what is success on K2? He squints his eyes a bit, and as his jaw tightens he begins: “Getting to the top, not base camp, not the cultural experience. This whole thing is a gamble for me – a lot of time, money, effort. I don’t like being a member but I can’t do what I once did, carrying the loads, cooking. So this time I will just climb”. Spoken like a true climber. Today Rick can do 7 pulls-up in a row – 3 consecutive times – at age 72 … The 20 year-olds Across the dining room at the Concordia Hotel in Skardu, two young men with dark rubble listened in on our conversation, we invited them to join us. 28 year old Phillipe Quardernas and 24 year-old Roberto Morales from Quito Ecuador, are climbing the difficult world class rock climb, Trango Tower. They plan on spending 15 days on the Tower, just the two of them. If they have time, they will try Nameless Tower and perhaps a few others. As we talked about their plans you could see a mixture of apprehension and excitement. They talked about struggling for money to get here, their previous climbs in Patagonia, the idea of using portaledges at 18,000 feet, carrying their own gear – the sense of ambition was contagious. Their website is www.fluxadventures.com We leave Skardu with these new friends tomorrow, I look forward to being part of such dreams. The Young Against Alzheimer’s As I spoke with Rick, Phillipe and Roberto, I was struck by the fact that dreams do not know age. Back home, I have been honored to get to know an impressive young man, Max Wallack. At age 18 he has made a huge mark in the world of Alzheimer’s advocacy. Watching his grandmother die from the disease he dedicated his young life to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. His book, Why did Grandma put her Underwear in the Refrigerator” does a wonderful job of telling their story. Max’s foundation, Puzzles to Remember , has distributed more than 25,000 puzzles to Alzheimer’s facilities. He is now studying at Boston University. To learn more about Max, please read this interview. So, we rest today and hit the road tomorrow in tricked out Jeeps designed to withstand an all day ride to Askole on trails that are called roads in these parts. There the real work begins, we start our trek to K2 Base Camp. Pictures and updates along the way! Garrett posted the team roster on his site: Climbing Team: Garrett Madison, Climb Leader Alan Arnette, Climber Matthew Dupuy, Climber Fredrick Sylvester, Climber Trekking Team: Todd Dupuy Robert Whiteford Terray Sylvester Climbing Support Team: Kami Rita Sherpa Fur Kancha Sherpa Kami Tshering Sherpa Mingma Sherpa Pemba Sherpa Dawa Sherpa Climb On!!! Alan Memories are
K2: Connecting with an Old Friend
Sometimes bringing the memories back to life rejuvenates the soul. It was a flurry of activity but we finally made it to Skardu. On our second try we took the early morning flight which avoided the afternoon storms and clouds that shut down the Skardu airport on a regular basis. So we are now just a days jeep ride away from starting the trek to K2 Base Camp. But the part of the day was reconnecting with Kami Sherpa when we arrived at our hotel. My dear friend met me with a smile and a hug. As I looked into his eyes, I was instantly reminded of our time on Everest, look the summit, his gentle manner and what he represents to me – a true friend in life. He told me his daughter who was sick is now fine, his oldest son is doing well as a monk at the Tengboche Monastery, his second son who guides on Everest is safe and that he is now a proud grandfather! It is so good to see him, safe, healthy, strong at age 49. His quiet confidence encourages a peaceful feeling. My emotional confidence took a significant uptick knowing I will be climbing K2 with him. He was on K2 in 2008 reaching Camp 3 before the avalanche stopped their summit bid. We talked about the deaths on Everest, we both were quiet for a moment. I remember sitting quietly with my mom many times, not saying anything, but gathering strength from her courage as she knew deep down she was fading away. Often it is not what is said that inspires us, but what is not said and simply being in the moment. As we flew into Skardu, the weather was perfect. The bad news is that all our bags could not make it on the small ATR-42 prop plane so our heavy duffels were sent via road up the Karakorum Highway and will arrive tomorrow night – no big deal. A big was seeing Nanga Parbart from the airplane window. To my knowledge no one is attempting this 8000 meter massif this season after last year’s tragedies. The area is still reeling from the tragic incident so I am pleased to provide support to this area and the kind and generous people of the Northern Territories. Skardu is at 8,000’ so we will spend 2 nights here before taking the jeeps to Askole, at 11,000 to begin the trek to K2 Base Camp – hard to believe every time I type this – K2…. Climb On!!! Alan Memories are Everything
K2: One Step Forward, One Step Back
Life presents us with multiple milestones, medicine and on a long mountaineering expedition, there are many, many milestones. We have just passed a couple of important ones as we get closer to K2. I arrived mostly on schedule in Islamabad, around 5am and quickly went through customs and promptly retrieved my two huge duffel bags. Walking out of the baggage area, I found Pemba who took me and a new found fellow teammate to our hotel. Sitting in my hotel room, my shoulders relaxed, I looked around and gave myself permission to breath. A milestone had been met. Each day on this journey will test every part of my essence from mental to physical to emotional. Some days I will do well and others, let’s just say I will deserve a check in the “needs improvement” box for all my 3rd grade school teachers out there! Being a caregiver for anyone who suffers from a serious disease like Alzheimer’s is the same. You have both good days and bad days. It is on the bad ones where your support systems comes into play. I often tell new caregivers that if you don’t take care of yourself, you cannot take care of your loved one. Our next milestone is to reach the northern city of Skardu we will switch to jeeps for the last of the overland travel to the Baltoro Glacier. Other teams attempting the high peaks in the Karakorum have been stifled day in day out this season with the notoriously bad weather canceling flights from Islamabad to Skardu. The alternative is a 27 hour bus ride along the dangerous Karakorum Highway (KKH) A few teams are already on K2 and are reporting mixed route conditions. The Pakistani National team has established Camp 1 on the Abruzzi route as has a two person Greek team on the Česen, aka SSE Ridge or Basque, but they were stopped going higher by deep fresh, loose snow. They have decided to acclimatize on the Abruzzi. Other teams already on K2 include Italian and Polish. The Poles are “practicing” for another attempt on K2 later this year in calendar winter. So everything was falling into place as we were about to board our flight for Skardu,but then it was canceled … maybe tomorrow :). As is regularly said in Pakistan, Inshallah. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything