8 Miles / 14,050>15,000 ft (500 ft above the highest point in the contiguous 48 states)
Jesse’s alarm went off at 5:20, again at 5:25, and then 5:30, our planned team wakeup time. It was eerily quiet in camp, compared to previous 5:30 starts, when the porters could be heard chattering and the sherpas were breaking down their tents. All that could be heard was a distant conversation, some goats bleating, and the subtle patter of snow on the tent. Still, Jesse and I went through our normal moving day routine of deflating sleeping pads, shoving our sleeping bags into stuff sacks, and cramming everything that we would need for the day into our packs. After finishing in record time, we hopped outside, only to be surprised by a very healthy dose of snowfall. We carefully made our way over the slippery snow covered rocks and headed to the dining tent where the team was congregating. Still movement from the sherpas or porters…
Breakfast consisted of bacon, eggs, Tibetan flatbread, and the normal excessive amount of coffee. I know most people don’t care about what we ate but my Dad does and every time that I talk to him I have to provide a full rundown of the menu. As we were being served, Ibrahim, our trek manager of our Pakistani outfitter, stepped in to tell us that at this point we would not be moving today because the amount of snow made it too difficult for the porters to move their loads to our planned destination, Broad Peak Basecamp. Obviously the team was disappointed but there wasn’t much that we could do and there was no sense in complaining because we hadn’t hit any snags up until this point.
The snow continued to dump, even after leaving about 6 inches last night. While finishing up our now leisurely breakfast, Garrett commented that he has never seen anything like this in his 4 years of visiting Pakistan. While snow does occur on the Baltoro Glacier, it is rare for it to stick and very rare for it to accumulate for longer than 24 hours. While we killed time in the dining tent, Ibrahim hurried back in and said that the porters have now decided that they are ready to go but only to Concordia, about 6 miles less than Broad Peak Basecamp. We looked around at each other quizzically, wondering how in the hell the porters, many without socks, were going to make the journey but he assured us that they were all in agreement.
With the decision made, we rushed off to break down our tents and prep our packs. As I was finishing up, a porter came up to Jesse and I, pointed to his shoes, and said “no socks”. Sure enough, he didn’t have any socks and we scrambled to find a pair for him. True to sock nature, we could each only find one but he didn’t seem too disappointed as he scurried off. Jesse was facing a slightly less challenging situation but one that would prove to be annoying for him nonetheless. He had only brought trail running shoes with mesh uppers that would be soaking wet within 1 minute of hitting the trail but he had no choice.
The hike was not fun. It was warm enough to wear a long sleeve shirt but due to the wet nature of the snow, we had to wear our rain gear. The problem with rain gear is that although it keeps moisture out, it also keeps it in and it was far too warm to be hiking uphill with the solar heat coming off of the snow. I had to constantly remind myself to not complain because the porters had it worse and the Japanese team that is already attacking K2 have it much much worse. We are all hoping that they were able to get off of the mountain before these storms hit, especially after hearing the thundering avalanches throughout the night.
We slogged our way into Concordia and by that point, we had given up all hope of catching the famous view of K2 that you will find if you Google it. Guess the moment that I’ve waited so long for will have to wait another day or two, until this nasty weather burns off. My approach boots are Gortex and should keep water out but the snow was so deep in some places that it still worked its way in, resulting in very cold feet. We built our tent as fast as we could to prevent the inside from getting wet but our effort was futile. Jesse and I spent the remainder of our afternoon in our damp tent and tried to find dry replacement clothing in our duffel bags with minor success.
The plan for tomorrow is our normal 5:30 wake and break camp by 6:30. If all goes according to plan, we should pass Broad Peak Basecamp around 9:30 and reach K2 Basecamp, our home for the next month, by Noon. I’m proud of the work that our team has put in so far and look forward to the next chapter of our adventure!
Whew!!!! I am tired just reading about all that you went through! It is so very hard to imagine snow and sleet when it so HOT here!
Miss you!
Love you!mom
Mom
John, I think you should have found a little spot for in one of your bags for Farmor. She would be quite handy on this trip as she can whip up a pair of warm knitted socks in no time. Maybe out of goat hair. I hope everyone stays warm and dry. Sending good weather thoughts your way.
Hi Cuz- just caught up on your last few days, and like your Mom, I am exhausted and COLD just reading about it. So proud of you and your team, especially powering through some illnesses! We are sending lots of love, and hope our nice CA weather moves your way soon.
Sounds like an adventure so far. Glad you’re feeling better. We miss our roomie!
John, just saw this quote and it soooo reminded me of you. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Weather sounds dreadful there. Not much better here in Eden Prairie. 99 degrees with a heat index of 111!! That is NOT a type-o! Be well.
Amazing reading. I am happy to hear/read that you are well at your camp. It is nice with the photos and the fantastic descriptions of the nature.
Here in quite Denmark all the pupils celebrated last day at school today. Summer holiday is officially on now – till 14th August. And I look forward to next Friday when I am off for 3 weeks.
Sorry about the bad weather.
Look forward to reading your next update.
Glad that you’re making progress. An ounce of almonds or two would no doubt have improved conditions!! Take good care!!
Wow
Your porters and sherpas are amazing. And such a good breakfast. I need to find tiabetian flatbread. Continuing to pray for you and your team.
Thank you for your posts on your adventure
Uncle Bruce is in agreement with your dad, and TOTALLY appreciates the dining and snacking updates. He also wants to know if it would it be too much
trouble to list all of the ingredients and cooking instructions? You know how he loves to collect recipes and try new foods!
John, I care about what’s on the menu as well. Keep it up, thoughts and prayers are with you.