Intro/route photo

Photo gallery of the trip

Trek timeline

1:Four beautiful words-->

2:The high Sahara

3:Base Camp at last

4:First foray on the mountain-->

5:A summit, finally

6:Well, here we are, then

7:Reflections

Dispatch #4: First Foray on the Mountain

July 15, Gasherbrum Base Camp. Lots of folks have summitted in the past week as the result of an extended period of brilliant weather (the best in the past three years in the Karakoram). So many have summitted that one person has decided to claim the top without even going there, we think! We arrived a few days too late to make any serious summit attempt, and now we're stuck in the first major storm in several weeks.

In the lower South Gasherbrum Icefall.

There are a couple of major 'issues' on G2 this year. First, the icefall and glacier between Base Camp and Camp 1 has deteriorated rapidly, and there are many large crevasses spanned by some very delicate bridges. So close attention needs to be paid to ropework, and even then most of us has poked a leg or more into a crevasse at this point, with little or no consequence. The second problem is the location of the route between Camp 1 and Camp 2. Only those who put in the fixed ropes have much good to say about it. The route runs right up the middle of the avalanche runout for the whole upper face. We may need to move parts of the route to the more traditional slopes to the left.

At Camp I, looking at the route (just right of the shadow line on the ridge above the tent

However, the biggest obstacle I've faced so far is the heat. Even at C2 (6400m) the sun has been fierce! By putting our sleeping bags on top of the tents we've been able to languish the hours of 9 to 4 inside our tents.

I'm happy to have spent 6 nights on the mountain so far, 4.5 in Camp 1 (5900m) and 1.5 in Camp 2 (6400m). The 0.5's deserve an explanation. After a night at C2, the weather was holding so I decided to stay an extra night, then head down to Base Camp. About 7pm it started snowing, heavily, and the thought of descending the avalanche paths the next morning was not comforting. I consulted with some friends next door (who were also a bit jittery) and we decided to head down that night, before the snow built up. After a fairly straightforward descent in the dark (under 2 hours), we were at Camp 1 before 10pm. Of course, it was not snowing. However, in the morning we were 'redeemed' by some strong snow showers. I roped up with another climber and we picked our way through the crevasses which had become uncovered in the past week.

Nearing Camp 2, Gasherbrum II. Note tent frozen in ice.

So now it's snowing (but the sun is charging my computer!) and we wait for the weather to clear, hopefully in a day or two. If nothing else, getting back up the hill will allow me to ignore problems we are having getting our base camp staff to show the proper level of service (things did improve).

After our only storm, Gasherbrum Base Camp.

Some techical details for the climbers in the audience. BC to C1: 5000m-5900m, icefall with rotting seracs, generally stable, then glacier w/ Alaska-sized crevasses w/ very thin bridges, deteriorating daily (probably the crux of the route!). C1 to C2: 5900-6400m, poorly placed fixed ropes (follows almost exactly the shadow line right of the route marked on the photo on the background page, threatened by seracs and avalanches in the lower half (we may move this). I haven't been higher yet, but steep snow is the worst of the lot above 6400m. Fixed rope is all 7-8mm perlon, anchors are dodgy, though.

One final note. I often say 'we', but I'm technically travelling alone. In respect for their privacy, I don't identify these folks I'm interacting with unless the need is crucial.

Cheers,
Mike