8 Miles / 15,000>16,400 ft
After 6 days, 65 miles, and 7,000 feet of elevation gain, I’m home! Our team arrived to our Basecamp around 11 AM today and despite sitting just a few hundred yards from the base of the 2nd tallest mountain in the world, we still have yet to catch a glimpse of it. I know that we are all a little disappointed for that reason but I know that I will get my fill of the mountain before we are done here. Like all mountaineering expeditions and even more so on K2, patience will be key to success and safety.
Mules heading back from K2BC for another 100kg load from Concordia
We woke up to a very cold morning with another 6 inches of snow but we were all very excited to get to our home for the next month because it gave us the opportunity to have some normalcy in our lives. Over the past 12 days, I have spent the night at a new location every single day, except for our 2 days in Skardu. Our hike from Concordia to K2BC got off to a great start and we made it to Broad Peak Basecamp in about 2 1/2 hours. It was actually cold enough that the snow remained firm and provided very good footing on what is normally loose rock. That changed quickly after passing BPBC, as the solar heat increased and footing became very slippery. My legs felt great but it was difficult to maintain balance and everyone took their fair share of wipeouts. With K2BC in view, I took one last fall, planting my knee into a rock in the process, and contemplated snapping my trekking pole in half. It’s too early for me to be getting frustrated by little things, like slipping, and made sure to check myself once we made it to camp.
Broad Peak Basecamp
We weren’t expecting to make it to K2 Basecamp until July 1st but our team made great time and improvised when we got hit with this strange weather. That’s not to say that the weather didn’t take it’s toll because about half of our porters refused to make the trek from Concordia to K2BC and I can’t blame them. 16 were suffering from snow blindness and many could not tolerate the depth of the snow. We were forced to rely upon our 45 mules and 60 porters to carry essential gear and the mules would make a second trip later in the day. Setup of BC was also in disorder because of these weather caused problems and everyone was scrambling to get gear organized. Everyone lent a hand, doing our best to make temporary arrangements until the snow melts away and we can really dig in. It’s funny how adversity can bring people together and we soon found ourselves laughing and taking pictures with the proud porters, despite being sopping wet.
Apparently, the mountain has been getting hammered with snow for about a week, so we are fairly lucky that we have only been dealing with it a few days. We are also lucky that we weren’t on the mountain earlier, like the Japanese team, who has had to shut down all activity on the mountain after reaching Camp 2. Rumor had it that they had reached C3 but that proved to be untrue. It’s really unfortunate for them in this situation because it is very likely that any tents that they have already established have been buried or worse, destroyed.
As for our team, the snow is more annoying than anything at this point and shouldn’t compromise our upcoming efforts. The original plan was to take 4-5 rest days before our first rotation but, as I mentioned, we made it to our Basecamp quicker than expected so we will most likely be sitting for a week. This precipitation is supposed to continue until Sunday afternoon but may pick back up on Monday or Tuesday. Once it stops, we will wait a couple of days for the mountain to shed and then get moving!
Weather is out of our control, so there is no point in dwelling on the current conditions. What we can control is our attitude and we are in very high spirits with a very exciting objective ahead of us. I, for one, am psyched that we are settling in to our personal tents and have a place to call home for a little while!
On that note, I’m going to put myself to bed. Based on the amount of snowfall and what I’ve already heard in the surrounding mountains, I’m guessing that the avalanches will put on a show tonight. Even though we are safe in our tents at BC, the big ones remain unnerving. Let’s hope that I sleep through them…
Celebrating our arrival at K2BC with our awesome porters and Ibrahim
Welcome home, sweet home! Great attitudes, team!
Stay warm while we try to stay cool in the 106 degree weather here.
Having read at least a little of most of the K2 expeditions, it seems that all of the succesful treks have had porter dissention at some point. Now you are an official K2 expedition. I recall a Britsh team had 400+ porters, a true march.
The Mules bring to mind the photo in our farm office of your Great grandfather Viggo Stenderup with his 4 mule team working the fields. Mules are still necessary for a Stenderup to accomplish his goal.
Utilize you K2BC time to prep for the climb of your life. Love, Dad.
Well done, John! Looks like y’all are killing it out there. Stay safe out there and enjoy yourself!
– Raj
Hope you had a good night
You have a great team and support: there at base camp and back home here
Looking forward to getting “home” for a month, and the opportunity for “normalcy”? Sounds like a couple of quotes from your Mom, after one of her traveling adventures! You know what they say… like mother, like son!
Glad to hear you are safe at your base camp. The sounds of avalanches would be pretty unnerving for me. Keep up your positive attitude and take you time. Mick and I are taking off for our Mini Takes the States trip across the country and back in 19 days, with Mick, in a Mini. Not quite as harrowing as your trip but you never know. Thanks for the posts, I enjoy reading about your adventures. Stay safe!
Great to hear you made it to base camp and have a place to call home!
Great that you are “home” and ahead of schedule. You have snow – we have sunshine and a clear blue sky. Hopefully you will soon be able to see K2. Sleap well.
Don’t get too cozy at camp. You must come back to the jack shack 😂 Lleyton says he misses his uncle John!
Hi John! So very happy and grateful you and team are at base camp safe. I have been with your dad all last week in DC where the climate feels every bit as fridged as where you are. I will be praying and keeping team in my thoughts as you prepare over the month. Also glad you feel strong and healthy again. Take care.
Alicia
Hey John
It’s Albert I’m happy to hear that you are still climbing , I can’t wait for you to come back and play basketball with me… I write again soon .
Hi John! So happy to hear you are at BC and can rest for a bit now. Your journal entries help us all get a glimpse of what a journey this is…truly incredible. The photo of the mules-very much like the photo at the farm. Sleep and rest well. All the best to you and your team!
John, it looks cold! I’m glad that you and the team made it to your new home away from home. How are the remaining chickens faring? Are there any mean roosters in the bunch? So I know you brought three sleeping bags. What do you do with the two you aren’t sleeping in? Do you pile them on top of you to keep extra warm or do you use them to make your mattress extra soft? Looking forward to the next post. I sure hope you see that mountain soon. Love ya!
Hey John! So exciting to be following another one of your adventures from hotter than HOT MN!! The pics are amazing and I can’t get over the porters with their tennis shoes on! As always, you bring the excitement and positivity and its so fun to hear / see it all. You and your team are in my thoughts and prayers for a safe journey, good sleep and rest and for an awesome adventure climbing K2.
Take care and enjoy every cold minute! 🙂