K2
JULY - AUGUST 2018
The Freedom to Chase Dreams (Day 15)
Disclaimer: For my Non-American citizen readers out there, I won’t blame you for skipping this journal but you might find it interesting to delve into the oxygen deprived mind of a proud American from a small farming town in California!
Happy Independence Day to all of my American friends and family out there! On my rest days, we have a lot of downtime to read, write, nap, eat, watch movies, and one of my favorites, reflect. Today, I’m going to deviate a bit from my normal journals to share my gratitude for my country. Why? Because the United States provides me the freedom to chase my dreams and I think that is pretty damn cool.
I want to start with an analogy because they can be a fun way to share ones perspective and since I am a Los Angeles Lakers fan, I’m going to use Lebron James as my example. For those of you that live under a rock, he is a basketball player who recently burned Cleveland for the second time by signing with the Lakers. Anyway, back to the point of my analogy, over the past 10 years, he has been the best basketball player in the world but during that time that have been better passers, better 3 point shooters, and better rebounders. What makes Lebron James great is that he does almost everything really well and is a dynamic player who makes those around him better. It’s possible to find areas in which he can improve and he definitely has his off games but no one can deny that he is a great player. Because of this greatness, he is constantly in the spotlight and often, we overlook the successes as the norm and focus on his failures.
That analogy was a shot from the hip but I think it’s a darned good parallel to how many Americans judge our country. With great responsibility comes great scrutiny, as it should, but please don’t over-scrutinize to the point that you forget our countless blessings.
If success is built on learning from failure and greatness can by simply defined as considerable success, greatness can only be attained by learning from countless failures. As American’s we need to remind ourselves of this when our nation falls short, learn from it, and then strive to be a force of positive change. Don’t succumb to joining the peanut gallery epidemic.
Perhaps you have not had the opportunity to travel the world and your perception of America is only through the American lens. That’s completely ok but as a climber and traveler, who has the opportunity to visit some less visited destinations, I am constantly challenged to reflect on what it means to be an American. Make no mistake about it, it can be an uncomfortable and heavy burden that comes with a lot of scrutiny but I welcome it. I see myself as an ambassador on each of my journeys with the opportunity to be a positive force and change the perception of American’s throughout the world.
As I made my trek to K2BC, I had the great opportunity to interact with the porters. These people are residents of the Gilgit-Balistan region of Pakistan, an impoverished region that lacks most of the amenities that we Americans take for granted in our everyday lives. As I walked the valley, it was impossible to ignore the incredibly positive dispositions of these locals, despite the tough conditions. They were grateful for the opportunity work and sincerely excited to have the opportunity to learn more about us Americans. This served as a sobering reminder of the incredible blessings that we have in the United States and the individual responsibility that we have to change the perception of us around the world.
If you have one takeaway from this message, I hope that it is an appreciation of the freedom and opportunity that the United States provides to its citizens. Forget about your qualms with the current or previous administrations. Forget about that recent Tweet or a policy that you disagree with. Why? Because our generation has a tendency to only focus on the here and the now. We have been conditioned to desire instant gratification and are quick to forget the big picture. Take a few minutes on this Independence Day to consider the blood, sweat, and tears that our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and so on have shed to shape this great nation of ours.
Do not take that freedom for granted. Instead, I hope that you will cherish it, use it to make a difference in the world, and, of course, chase your dreams!
Even when she is on the other side of the world, Mom is looking out for our team with Freedom Peanut M&M’s. They lasted about 3 minutes. love you, Mom!
K2, ABC, BBQ & BO (Day 14)
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
Puja! (Day 13)
You might remember the traditional Nepali ceremony, know as the Puja, from my climb of Everest and Lhotse. This tradition is meant to ask the mountain for safe passage and to bless the climb. It is held in very high regard by the Sherpa people and necessary before they step foot on the mountain. Well, today is the day of our Puja, as our schedule begins to take shape.
The Sherpas awoke early to begin building the traditional stone altar that becomes the centerpiece of our camp throughout our expedition. Us climbers would have loved to have helped but we would have probably done it incorrectly. Instead, we had our breakfast while the Sherpas were hard at work. When we exited the dining tent, the altar was complete and the Puja was almost ready to begin. The final touch was placing our most essential climbing gear (axes, helmets, crampons, etc.) on the altar to be blessed.
The Puja Altar
Since we are in Pakistan and Lama’s are hard to come by, one of the senior Sherpas, Mingma, took on the leadership role. We circled around him and he lead our team in the traditional chant. Members of the Canadian, Japanese, and Austrian teams joined in this special ceremony, which lasts about an hour. The conclusion of the ceremony is truly special, as prayer flags are raised from a pole at the center of the altar and everyone shares food and drink. This year’s drink was a bottle of Johnny Walker, which each team member takes a sip of. I was the proud contributor of this year’s blessed adult beverage!
Of course, no Puja would be complete without dancing! The Sherpas formed a line, shoulder to shoulder, and wrapped their arms over one another as the dancing began. Soon, they pulled in the climbers and we tried to learn the steps on the fly. It wasn’t pretty but that’s not what matters! Not to be outdone, our Pakistani staff soon formed a circle and began their own traditional singing and dancing. I found myself looking around at our diverse team and swelled with pride, knowing that this type of comradely is what will help us find safety and success on this mountain. It was a truly special event, one that I will never forget.
The 2017 Everest & Lhotse Team: Siddhi, Geoff and Me
With the Puja behind us, we spent the afternoon in the sun as the weather had begun to clear. While we still have yet to see the summit of K2, 12,000’ above us, we the forecast is beginning to look favorable and preparations are being made for our assault. Just before dinner, a few of us convened with Garrett to discuss our preliminary schedule. If the forecast holds, a big IF, we will begin our first rotation on Friday the 6th or Saturday the 7th. This would consist of a 4 day rotation; first, a move to Camp 1 , followed by a rest day at Camp 1, a move to Camp 2, a rest day at Camp 2, and then descend back to BC. We generally use a 1:1 ratio of climb to rest days, so we would have 4 rest days, followed by any additional days that are needed for a good weather window. Our first conceivable departure date for a summit push would probably be the 20th and would provide us with almost a 2 week window. The plan is solid and we are setting up well but mountains are fickle, so patience will be key.
Chaos & Coffee (Day 12)
Damn, I love routine! That might sound crazy coming from someone who intentionally puts himself into chaotic circumstances (E.g. trying to climb the “Savage Mountain”), but there is something incredibly satisfying about finding and creating order in these situations. For those that know me best, they know exactly what I’m talking about. Sure it creates what some may consider an unhealthy amount of stress but what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, right? In my current situation, just days away from our first trip up one of the most dangerous mountains in the world, I find peace in my morning coffee and breakfast routine. It sounds silly to think of something so simple acting as a psychological anchor when facing such a complicated obstacle, but it truly does. We all face our own “K2’s” in our rite and we all have our “morning coffee” to provide stability, just think about it…
K2 remains mostly hidden but weather continues to improve
This morning, while enjoying that coffee, I was strategizing how to improve another important calming mechanism, my satellite modem. Up until this point, I have been having issues with getting it running efficiently and have been leaning heavily on Jordan being able to upload compressed photos to the website. While I have heard that my journals are colorful, I feel that they would be lacking without visuals. With the help of my teammate, David Liano, and Jordan, we were able to download the software updates and properly configure the modem. You would think that a $3,000 device that costs almost $4,000 for data would run itself and give you a back massage in the process, but that’s far from the case. Nevertheless, after 4 days of battling technology, we were victorious! Now I can safely rely on both coffee and my modem to anchor my sanity.
Geoff and Rob use our expedition banner to demonstrate the big task ahead. Rob seems to be more optimistic than Geoff.
We all have a tendency to take for granted how easy it is to stay connected in the modern world and many would probably argue that they wish they were less connected. I would be one of those people, except when I’m on a mountain. Here, the situation is reversed, as connectivity to the outside world is difficult but oh so valuable in maintaining morale. I’m not sure how the first pioneers of the 8,000 meter peaks in the 50’s were able to cut ties with the outside world because the feeling of isolation in this environment is overwhelming. My ability to stay connected while on the roller coaster expedition to Everest and Lhotse last year, was one of my most important sources for strength in the tough times. While I hope that this expedition is much more boring than the last, I have no doubt that my ability to communicate with you will be equally valuable to me.
Anyway, as with any victory, it is important to celebrate and Geoff and I did just that by treating ourselves to an afternoon viewing of Ghostbuster’s 3. We set up my Bluetooth speak on a hook in my tent and we were living in luxury! I enjoy climbing days but have come to truly enjoy our rest days because it gives me an opportunity to calm my nerves. I guess one person’s beach in Hawaii is another’s tent on a mountain. What a great day of victory, routine, and psychological recovery…
Call July 2
Good evening from Pakistan, It’s John. It’s just wanted to call everyone and give everyone an update on what’s going on with our expedition. Last couple days been rest days, the weather is clearing up. It’s nice and sunny. Although the Mountain Community shrouded its eery just kind of sitting over it. But I’ve got a couple of really cool cool inches of it man. I’m going to share those pictures on the website you in a little bit. But other than that, we’re just been hanging out working on satellite connections, did a gear check today, went through some team workshop regarding x lines other equipment type shop. But other than that, we’re meeting well, well hi sounds like weather might be good tomorrow, but we might get a couple bad days. It’s looking like her first moved a up and I might be Friday or Saturday. So yeah. Pretty psyched about that right now, we’re just a clean title in enjoying your time at base camp. It’s pretty nice here. Great, other than that life is good. I’m not at work, not that i mind work, but I glad to be spending my Monday in a tent. Getting dark here going to head to bed. Hope all is well at home miss everybody and happy Monday. Talk to everybody soon. Bye.
K2 Expedition Logistics (Day 11)
Today was a relatively boring day, at least from a reader’s standpoint. It was our latest breakfast so far, as is normal with rest days, and we spent the majority of our time reorganizing camp. When we arrived yesterday, there was so much snow that we set everything up as quickly as possible and knew that it would only be temporary. We rebuilt our dining tent, cook tent, communications tent and 70% of our personal tents. Most had been built on heavy snow and it is inevitable that this would melt away, causing unstable foundations. Thanks to the lighter snowfall, we had the opportunity to dig out new foundations, directly into the glacier, and build a more permanent home.
We literally picked up the temporary dining tent and moved it about 50 ft away. As you can see from the picture, it is probably the most luxurious accommodations in the Karakoram Range. You are probably wondering how we got blowup couches, chairs, faux flower chandeliers and all of our amenities, which is why I see this first rest day as the perfect opportunity to elaborate upon the logistics of K2.
Working smarter, not harder when moving the dining tent
Most of you know that I have spent my entire professional career in the supply chain and logistics industry with C.H. Robinson and have a true passion for the problem solving that success requires. What most of you don’t know is that today, June 30th, is actually my 10 year anniversary with C.H. Robinson, so I feel that this journal is quite appropriate for the occasion. While I miss my colleagues, I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to be employed by a company that would allow me to spend my 10th Anniversary at 16,400 ft on the side of a mountain in Pakistan.
Geoff and Siddhi working hard to cut out a tent platform from the glacial ice
Alright, enough of the snappiness… I know a lot of people were amazed by the logistics that were necessary for an expedition to Everest but they pale in comparison to what is necessary to support a K2 climb. There are a few primary reasons that this is the case; the trek to Basecamp is twice as long as Everest, yaks are not indigenous to Pakistan, there is almost no infrastructure to speak of on the trek in.
We have the largest team on K2 for the 2018 season and account for 24 of the 87 permitted K2 climbers. To support our 10 climbers, 3 guides and 10 sherpas we have the support of 230+ porters. For a refresher, porters are people that make a living by carrying heavy loads on their backs. Each porter has a weight limit of 25 kgs (55 lbs) but that does not include the weight of their personal items. For those that love statistics, here are some fun facts about our support expedition…
Porters & Mules
Our team is supported by 230+ porters and 45 mules. They are responsible for carrying all provisions and equipment needed for our expedition. In total, the porters and mules will ferry more than 25,000 lbs of provisions and gear for our 24 person team throughout the course of our expedition!
- 77 Porters departed ahead of our team to deliver our basecamp equipment.
- 120+ Porters accompany our team on the trek to basecamp, carrying gear and provisions.
- 38 Porters accompany our team but carry food for the 120+ gear carrying porters.
- 6 Porter Chiefs who coordinate the efforts of our porters and manage pay.
- Porters all reside within a 3 hour travel radius of Askole.
- 45 Mules (Also horses and donkeys) each carrying 100kg of gear and provisions.
- Mules are sourced from Askole families, each of which usually only owns 1 animal.
- Mules cost a family approximately $2,000 USD but will garner a $600 fee for 1 trip to Basecamp with each making approximately 5 trips each year.
Provisions & Equipment
To feed and equip this small army, there are some staggering figures and most of these numbers are only for the trek in. Additional provisions, specifically food items, will be regularly ferried up throughout our time on the mountains.
- 21 live chickens just for the trek to K2BC.
- 110 lbs of potatoes for the trek.
- 450 lbs of kitchen equipment
- 2 Buffalo: 1 buffalo will provide meat for the team for 2 weeks with the first arriving with us and the second following in 2 weeks.
- 4 Goats: Meat for porters on the trek to K2BC.
- 1,400 eggs to begin the expedition with more to follow as needed.
Those numbers might sound crazy to you but seeing them in reality is even more mind blowing! No amount of pictures can do them justice but I do my best to share in the experience. Hopefully, this helps to paint a picture of how serious of an undertaking it is to attempt to climb a mountain like K2. Last but not least, don’t take for granted all of the hard work that it takes to provide you with all the amenities that you have in your life. Logistics make the world go round! Here’s to 10 more exciting years!
Our dining tent exemplifies the finer things in life at 16,400 ft
K2 Basecamp (Day 10)
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
Concordia (Day 9)
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!
Trek to Goro II (Day 8)
7.6 miles / 12,600>14,050 ft (Roughly the summit of Mount Shasta)
I have no idea where Goro I is but if it was worth skipping for Goro II, it must be really lame because II is downright ugly. Talk about a stark contrast in campsites and views, Urdukas camp had without a doubt one of the Top 10 views of my entire life and Goro II looks like a barren wasteland straight out of a Star Wars movie. It sits directly in the middle of the Baltoro Glacier and is covered with sharply crushed rock. Huge white glacial ice towers rise out of the rock and have wild patterns of lines cut from rock during thousands of years of glacial flow. From beneath the rock, the ice melts, causing pools of water to form, from the size of mini streams to lakes. I can’t help but think about how beautiful it sounds while I type out my description but I can assure you that it is not much fun to hike up and down the undulating rocky ice hills.
Our day started out with a late 6:30 AM wakeup, a blessing because I didn’t sleep very well thanks to my restless legs that were caused by a big day and a constricting mummy sleeping bag. I wasn’t able to solidly conk out until around 3 AM but from there I got some quality sleep. We quickly packed up our bags, gear, and broke down then tents, then headed to the dining tent for breakfast. Our meal consisted of bacon, eggs, flapjacks, and a healthy dose of coffee. Camp was packed by 7:30 and our team and small army of porters departed our luxurious perch of Urdukas for Goro II.
The trek is only a few miles with a planned for snacks after the first 2 hours and then another 1 1/2 hours of hiking to complete the move. Geoff and I hung back towards the tail of the group and meandered the rolling mini hills. Our always entertaining discussions consisted of buying houses and settling down one day, a joint family trip to Africa to hike Kilimanjaro, and immigration reform. Before we knew it, we were at our rest break and sat down with the team for some tea and snacks.
The second half of our short trek was not as enjoyable, due to incoming wet snow that would melt as soon as it grounded. This has become a norm over the past couple of days, as weather conditions have deteriorated into constant overcast skies and precipitation. Snow is not necessarily bad but wet snow is because it causes everything to become damp and has an annoying chilling effect. I picked up my pace, threw in some earbuds, and listened to a Hardcore History podcast on the fall of the Roman Empire. (Side Note: For any of you history lovers out there, I highly recommend Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History. I recommend his 18 hour World War I series “Blueprint for Armageddon” to start. I promise, you won’t be disappointed. Even my boss, Gary, a tough sell, would attest!) The team trickled into Goro II “camp”, which has no distinguishable features, other than the fact that it is an area where everyone stops. We hustled to build our tents and hop into them before we became too cold from the snow. Naps ensued…
I slept for about 2 hours, despite trying to fight it off, and was only able to get about an hour of writing in before dinner. I’m not sure that I’ll be able to get this post out, even though my modem is now working, because the weather has been so overcast that we haven’t been able to use our solar panels to charge anything. Half of our teams devices are now dead and my battery packs are on their last leg. We have been on the move for 5 days now and haven’t had an opportunity to fire up the generator as a backup but will tomorrow, if necessary. It must have been much simpler to climb in the days that we didn’t have all of these gadgets, hah!
The plan for tomorrow is to wake up at 5:30, break camp at 6:30, and then make our last big move to Broad Peak Basecamp, which is just a 2 hour hike from K2 Basecamp. It will be about 4 hours to Concordia, where we turn North, and get our first view of K2, The Mountain of Mountains. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for years and feel like a kid on Christmas Eve! Fingers crossed for clear weather!
Goro II Camp
Trek to Urdukas (Day 7)
15 Miles / 10,600>12,600 ft
Last night was the best sleep that I have had since arriving to Pakistan and I’m honestly feeling 100%. It couldn’t have come at a better time because about 8 hours of hiking over tough terrain lay ahead. Unfortunately, I found out that a couple of my teammates, Dan and Jason, had their health in the opposite direction. It sounds like Jason got some food poisoning too because his symptoms were exactly the same as mine. I couldn’t have empathized more, as I watched Jason grind his way up the awfully rocky trail and onto the Baltoro Glacier. The first couple of hours were rough on the knees and ankles, as we bounced off of boulders and tried not to slide down the glacial hills of scree.
I spent a lot of the time hiking alone and enjoyed the peacefulness of my surroundings but I soon caught up with David, one of my teammates. He is a fascinating guy, who is a Mexican citizen but resides primarily in Seattle when he isn’t climbing or paragliding, which isn’t often. This was our first chance to get to know one another and we really hit it off! The next 2 hours flew by as we discussed big peaks, philosophies on climbing and life, and ultra running. It had been overcast for the entire day, so we barely noticed the incoming rain.
It hit us hard and fast. We quickly threw on some rain gear but it was just enough time for Geoff to catch up to us. When the 3 of us reached the top of the next hill, we saw our first real obstacle of the trek, a river. We looked up and down but saw no rocks for hopping, and it was clear that we were going to have to wade through it. Our shoes and socks came off and we cautiously waded into the water that was just above our knees. It was absolutely bone chillingly cold but we laughed our way across.
The laugh was just what we needed because the weather was about to get nasty. Clouds brought freezing rain, wet snow, and even hail over the last 3 hours of our trek to Urdukas. The smile wore off my face as we maneuvered through sloppy mud and rocks but eventually our next campsite came into view. It was perched on a series of large granite boulders off the side of a steep hill, higher than any of the previous camps. It took some focused footwork to prevent myself from sliding down the muddy embankment but the hard work paid off when I walked into camp and turned around. What I saw next was one of the 10, if not 5, most fantastic views of my entire life. Our camp sat across the glacier from the famous Trango Towers, one of the most revered and challenging rock climbing towers in the world. They are up there with El Capitan, you just probably haven’t heard of them because they are in Pakistan, hah! Anyway, this was our first chance to see them because the clouds had just begun to burn off and we were not disappointed.
We spent the balance of the afternoon staring at the towers, soaking up the brief sun, and snapping lots of pictures. It kind of had the same effect as chicken noodle soup after getting beat up pretty bad throughout the day. Hopefully this afternoon’s good weather will stick.
Not Too Cold for a Viking!