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Dispatch #7: The Party's Over

Update, July 31: Don is staying for a few days for one last solo attempt on Broad Peak. He has moved to K2 Base Camp. Any updates on Don will be found at K2news (I think that's the right address). Mike will be hiking out with the remnants of the Field Touring team. Inshallah we will leave tomorrow (Aug. 1) and arrive in Islamabad within a week.

July 28. I'm sitting alone in our mess tent. To the left are my portable speakers, playing Starship Troopers by Yes, to my right a piece of pork sausage and a can of Pringles. About 10m towards K2, everything I own is laying on the rock-covered glacier to dry before packing in the barrels. Both K2 and Broad Peak are wrapped in clouds and wind. It's time for us to come home.

There was one last summit attempt. After the summit attempt of July 21, virtually everyone gave up. The weather forecasts gave us some hope of a mediocre (but feasible) weather window July 26-28. So we mustered a small group that, though not united on tactics, at least had the desire to go high once again.

I left Base Camp on July 26, bound for C2. As I reached to base of the fixed ropes, I found one climber turning back due to diarrhea and vomiting. The 'Field Touring Curse' had struck again.

I headed up the distasteful initial gully once again. I was thoroughly sick of this stretch, with its abundant loose rock and avalanche potential. However, I had to admit that the ropes showed almost no damage. I pulled into CI without incident, moving at a quick pace (for me). A high-altitude porter greeted me with a really good cup of soup.

Don pulled in and announced that he was sick as well. The relationship between his illness and the female FTA climber's illness was epidemiologically clear, shall we say. He lay there in a fetal position for a couple of hours.

So I headed for C2, with one more climber on the way up behind me. The ravens laughed at my attempt a speed up the soft snow and steep slopes below C2. I reached C2 about 8 hours after leaving Base Camp (1400m/4600ft)--I felt good and the first part of the ascent was over.

Camp 2 sits on a sloping, rocky shoulder at 6200m. Even moving between tents can require an ice axe for safety. The summit, behind the rocky point above, is still 1900m/6000 ft above.

Suprisingly, Don pulled in an hour later. I should say that we both had all of our high-altitude gear at C2 so we had to clear the camp even if we didn't make an attempt. He told the porter, "Kate (the last climber) is giving up. Bring her stuff down." I asked why she quit. Well, a teammate going down that day from C2 said there was new snow above C2. So it was just me. Since my only goal was the true summit, a solo bid wasn't realistic so the trip was over.

July 27 meant a grueling trip down to Base with a big pack (28kg/62lbs). I carried down everything I brought up, including all garbage. This was not done by other expeditions, including French, Spanish, and Field Touring Alpine. I reached the bottom of the ropes in a little over 90 minutes, but it took almost 3 hours to cross the glacier! I was very sleepy, thirsty, and walking on loose rock with my Frankenstein boots and a 60 lb. pack was sorely trying.

Now we wait for porters. Don may stay a few days, or maybe not.

I'll post once or twice again, after we reach Rawalpindi. After I get back to the States I'll get the photos scanned and illustrate things more profusely. I tend to take mostly film (not digital) so don't have a lot of images available in real time.

Mike