Today was a great day full of 4 firsts:
1) We caught our first glimpse of the summit of K2.
2) We made our first trip to Advanced Basecamp (ABC).
3) We had our first Pakistani BBQ.
4) Last but far from least, I had my first shower!
1. Breakfast was moved up from 8 AM to 7 AM to allow enough time for our team to make a quick jaunt up to K2’s Advanced Basecamp. My alarm went off at 6:15 AM and as I forced one eye open, I noticed the sunlight permeating through my tent, a first during out time at K2BC. It dawned on me (pun intended) that there was a good chance of K2 being visible. I threw my clothes on as quickly as I would have if I slept through an alarm prior to an early morning flight and hopped out of my tent.
No description that I can provide would do it justice but I will try. The mountain just rises up for 12,000’ from K2BC above all surrounding peaks. I’ve never seen anything like it and I can’t imagine a mountain that fits a more quintessential description. Some might argue that the Matterhorn is but I see it as more Dr. Suess-ish and it’s nearly 20,000’ shorter than K2. None of her slopes are any less than 45 degrees in slope with giant seracs and sharp arete’s protecting every conceivable route up. I don’t really know how I felt as I stared but it was some mixture of excitement and fear.
I pulled myself together and hustled to breakfast, eager to make a trip to ABC, where we would inspect our route up the Abruzzi Ridge.
2. For those of you that track my GPS location, you would have seen us on the move today, as we took an acclimatization hike to ABC. For those of you that aren’t, you should be because it’s going to be fun to see how slow I move on our summit push! You will literally be able to know the moment that I’m standing on the summit, should the mountain provide that opportunity. Ok, enough with that tangent, back to ABC…
As I mentioned yesterday, our plan is to begin our first rotation up the mountain on Friday the 6th or Saturday the 7th, so we have a few days of rest before we get moving. Instead of laying around camp, we took a 2 hour hike to Advanced Basecamp, from 16,400’ to 17,400’, which is set just below the Abruzzi Ridge. About halfway there, we noticed the remnants of a tent which had come to rest on the Austen-Godwin Glacier. There was little doubt that this had been a tent that had been swept down from high above, probably Camp 3, in an avalanche but as climbers, we take these realities in stride. The solar heat made it a hot hike but we made quick work of it.
Our team on the way to Advanced Basecamp, which lies at the foot of the slope of K2 (left) by the skyline
Our team spent about 30 minutes hanging out at Advanced Basecamp, which isn’t much to speak of. On K2, many teams skip ABC because the BC offers much more security and it doesn’t take much effort to cover the distance between the two. In our case, it sounds like some of our team wants to spend the night at ABC before getting our butts kicked on the climb to Camp 1. After seeing the route, I completely understand the decision but I have decided that I’d rather get a 2 hour early start and enjoy the luxurious accommodations of BC, rather than sleep below a bunch of rockfall. As for the move to C1, it is steep and sustained. That is about all of the explanation that you need to know. During our break at ABC, we had the opportunity to watch the Japanese team slowly make their way up the 45+ degree slope and we were not envious. Guess we will have our shot soon enough…
3. After making our way back down the glacier in a crisp hour and 15 minutes, we strolled into camp and smelled something delicious. Our cooking staff had decided to make traditional Pakistani BBQ chicken on skewers. Upon arriving to Pakistan, I learned that the Pakistani people enjoy BBQ meats. Anyone that knows me, knows that BBQ is about half of my cooking repertoire, so I was very excited to try this Pakistani cuisine. I was not disappointed and complimented the cooks by eating until there was nothing left!
BBQ Chicken, pakistani-style!
4. Smack dab in the middle of this winning streak, I felt that this would be an opportune time to finish the day off right with a shower. Our “shower” tents had been set up for 3 days not but still 4 of us out, possibly due to a subconscious fear that it would spoil us and make us soft or perhaps it was just laziness. I’ll stand by the former but it was almost surely the latter. Either way, I hadn’t had a true bath of any sort since Skardu, a good week and a half prior. I wouldn’t say that I smelled bad, just a little overly ripe, but it was time. Our cooks warmed a large pot of water, which I took to a small standing tent and used a cup to dump the water over myself. It was glorious and a great way to complete my successful day of firsts!
The base of the abruzzi ridge, the route that we will use up the mountain. You can see a few dots to the right of my head, which are actually climbers about 300 ft up. Camp 1 is 3,100 ft above, behind the rock that bumps into the skyline directly above my head
I LOVE the photos!!!!
It’s so beautiful there!!! *0*
God bless you and may you have a safe climb! I said it before, you are an inspiration to all. I know will make you smile to know that Natalie at 13 had her first glacier experience this year on Mt. Pisco , not all the way to the top but as a mother I know how proud I am of her – I can only imagine what is in your mom’s heart! Be strong, be safe and enjoy every moment ( no matter how inglorious might be, we all know can be gross sometimes).
John, Man, that chicken looks scrumptuous !! Bring the recipe home with you. 🍗😉 🙏 and straight ahead >>>>>>>>. Best, Gary
Ron and I are thinking about you and sending love and light to you. Ron is improving.