K2

JULY - AUGUST 2018

Trek to Paiju (Day 6)

Trek to Paiju (Day 6)

by | Jun 28, 2018

14 Miles / 10,400>10,600 ft 

My appetite is back! I know so because I woke up to my stomach growling and was craving a big breakfast burrito. Unfortunately for me, I’m in the middle of Pakistan, so I’m going to have to take whatever I can get but hopefully it isn’t the herd of goats that are trekking in with us! FYI, the goats are for the sherpas and porters because apparently that’s a big part of their diet. The climbers get chicken and buffalo, the first of which will be led up the trail a few days behind us but those are just for lunch and dinner. For breakfast, I ate my share and then some of bacon, eggs, and toast.

Team break on our way to Paiju

We hit the trail and almost every member of the team made a point to ask how I was feeling. I told them that I was about 75% because my gut was feeling great but my energy was still slightly drained from the 2 days of only eating a single meal and some small snacks. Regardless, I was psyched and I galloped up the trail with Jesse and Geoff, while we rocked out to the stereo that was clipped to my pack.

Despite being incredibly dusty, the terrain was very enjoyable with very few loose rocks and solid dirt. We cruised up the valley alongside the river, which was displaying far more rapids, until we came to a nice open area for a rest break. We consumed some soup, candy, tea, cheese and dates, then hit the trail again. As we gained elevation, we finally caught our first glimpse of the famous Baltoro Glacier, which we would begin navigating the following day. It’s leading edge was massive with a 75 ft vertical wall of dirty ice from thousands of years of accumulation.

Soon we caught sight of the Paiju Camp perched on the Northern side of the valley amongst a grove of trees. The last half hour of hiking was HOT but I refused to shed my long sleeve shirt and pants because I preferred sweating over being caked in dust. When we finally reached camp, we could see that it was a multi-terraced campsite that was surrounded by large cottonwoods, who were being watered by streams flowing off the side of the mountain. We made quick work of the tents to avoid the incoming dust storm but before hopping into our tent, I purchased a Coke for $1,000 Pakistani Ruppes ($10 USD) from a porter. It was my little reward for my recovery and I enjoyed every sip. Yes, Mom, I flossed and brushed my teeth before bed! It was an early night for everyone because we knew that our toughest day of the trek to K2BC was just a few hours away.

Paiju Camp

Trek to Johla (Day 5)

Trek to Johla (Day 5)

by | Jun 28, 2018

13 Miles / 9,800>10,400 ft

Guess I spoke too soon… I woke up around 1 AM this morning with a relapse of the chills. I tried to convince myself that it was just the cool ambient temps but I knew the truth. My alarm was for 5:20 but by 4:45, I couldn’t take it anymore, I knew what had to be done. In a way, I was excited for the upcoming purge because it had brought me so much relief the day before. I crouched down over the toilet, which is nothing more than a hole in the ground, and pulled the trigger… nothing. If the comeback of the chills wasn’t frustrating enough, this definitely pushed me over the edge.
I ended up skipping breakfast again, for the second day in a row, and tried to pull my gear together in my woozy state. An oblivious man from one of the trekking groups, meandered over and started asking me questions about how we get enough water when we are climbing. I know that it was a harmless question but I did not have the strength to appease him at this point and simply excused myself.
When I finally pulled it all together, we broke camp in Askole to head up valley about 13 miles. The minutes seemed like hours and I did my best to occupy my mind with very little success. Geoff hung back with me and kept me company, per the usual. I’d use this as an opportunity to give him kudos but his loyalty and compassion are simply the norm. We slowly made our way along the trail, which would rise and dip by the edge of the river bed, and finally made our way to a rest point. The rest of the team enjoyed a light lunch, while I slept the entire hour on a rock in the sun. When they were finished, we moved on…
In my weak state I noticed the porters, many of which were wearing sandals as they carried their 60+ lb packs. When I say sandals, I’m not talking about the strappy ones that lots of dads wear with socks. These were the kind that you would wear at a spa and they were hiking over rugged terrain while wearing them! I couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed of my sulking, so I sucked it up and we finally crossed the last bridge into a small camp, known as Johla.
The camp wasn’t much to speak of, just a nice grove of trees and a couple of dilapidated shacks that were the porters used for sleeping quarters. I found a seat in the sun and one of my teammates, Klara, a wonderful and strong Czech woman, brought me a Coke that a porter had brought up. She shared it with me because she thought it would make me feel better and it absolutely did! James, an American teammate, gave me a small bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, which had been diminished to a pile of delicious crumbs, and I scarfed them down. I feel blessed to have such a strong and compassionate group of teammates. I honestly can’t say that I could imagine a better collection of personalities from such diverse backgrounds. Bonding is easy and we are meshing incredibly well, which we will need every bit of when we face K2. I feel like that is a good note to end on and a comforting one heading into what should be a much better day tomorrow!
Jeeps to Askole (Day 4)

Jeeps to Askole (Day 4)

by | Jun 28, 2018

Jesse’s alarm went off at 6:45 but I had already been up off and on for the past 3 hours. At this point, I had been in bed for 18 hours and despite all of the rest, I still had the chills and was a bit nauseous. I couldn’t figure it out because I had all BUT the primary symptoms of food poisoning, until I stood up, walked into the bathroom, and smelled the pungent diesel fumes from the road that were wafting in through the windows. That was the trigger that I needed and after a few painful minutes, I almost instantly started feeling better.
I dragged myself into the main hotel lobby and was warmly greeted by my team, who had become concerned over my disappearance. I assured them that I was good after the purge and we all had a good laugh. The fleet of old school Land Cruisers were sitting outside and it was quite the sight! The LC’s were all from the 70’s and are the classic type that you would imagine for a safari. Geoff, Dendi, Jesse and I piled into a red one with a sharp looking driver. This all star cast left zero doubt that it would be a fun ride. I was given the front seat due to my feeble state because it would be less bumpy and give me quick access to a window if need be.
The ride started off innocent enough, winding around the rivers, over sand dunes, and through small Pakistani mountain villages. As the ride progressed, our driver sensed the type of people that he was riding with, the excitable kind. He got a big smile on his face and floored it, flying past the other LC’s, inches away from unfazed pedestrians. We laughed as I turned up the Indiana Jones theme song on the speaker, I felt great!
The last couple hours of the ride were sketchy at best. It consisted of barely drivable roads that hang over steep river gorges. Often, we would have to improvise on the route because of rock slides, washouts, and collapsed road. Eventually we made our way to Askole, a little mountain village that was perched on the side of the gorge. It wasn’t much more than a handful of dilapidated houses but there were hundreds of people, some trekkers but mostly porters. This was the point that we joined up with the rest of our expedition staff and support team. This support team consists of about 10 cook and camp staff, and 230 porters! 70 porters already moved ahead to base camp but 150 would be traveling with us, as well as about 45 mules. We would also be joined by some of our meals; chickens, goats, and a buffalo would trail close behind. I don’t want to go into too much detail on this small army and the “food” because I want to save that for a more elaborate explanation.

Nice Roads

As for the trekkers, much like Everest, the vast majority of foreigners that are heading to K2 basecamp are trekkers and Askole was full of them. It seems easy to discern between a climber and a trekker because climbers are few and generally wear normal street clothes, while trekkers often have team shirts and take photos of anything and everything. The day prior, Geoff and I had run into a handful of them in a shop. They had overheard our discussion about climbing and jumped at the opportunity to strike up a conversation. We of course, obliged and even agreed to take some photos with them, to their elation.
Back to Askole… this would be our first night in tents and we each settled into pairs to share, until we would have our individual tents at basecamp. My longtime partner in crime, Jesse Rosales, and I would be sharing throughout the trek to basecamp because Geoff will be sharing with another of our guides, Rob Smith. Once we were all squared away with the tents, we moved into the dining tent for dinner. My appetite had returned in full force and I was looking forward to getting on the move in the morning!

Sunnyside-Up was a bad choice… (Day 3)

by | Jun 28, 2018

Today started out innocent enough. Not only did I sleep great but I woke up to wonderful weather and a fantastic view of the Indus River. I was looking forward to having a side of breakfast with my coffee and was psyched to see a somewhat traditional American breakfast spread. I must have consumed a pound of scrambled eggs before they ran out and I had to resort to the sunny-side up eggs. I found one left, a big ugly one at the back of the tray, wallowing in grease, that no one had wanted to touch and my overconfident Stenderup-male attitude convinced me that it wasn’t a bad idea. It was.
Today was a rest day to allow for a buffer in the event that our flight to Skardu was cancelled by bad weather, a regular occurrence. Fortunately for us, it was not so we had the opportunity to have an exploratory day in the city of Skardu before our long jeep ride to Askole the following day. The team wandered out of the hotel and into the dusty streets of Skardu. Growing up on a farm in Arvin, I like to think that I have a fairly high tolerance for dust but it pales in comparison to what the locals could handle. The streets were busy with cars beeping, motorcycles swerving, and pedestrians doing whatever they wanted to the frustration of anyone in a vehicle. That being said, our team seemed to be a curiosity for the Skardu residents but we were always very warmly greeted.
Per the usual, Geoff and I were out exploring together and first stopped in a climbing shop, where we dug into some old boxes. We found some old carabiners and ice screws that we think were from the 60’s and 70’s. The shop owner was happy to sell a handful of them to us for $500 Pakistani Rupees a piece, the equivalent of $5 USD. With our new treasures in hand, we hopped from shop to shop, checking out the beautiful Pakistani fabrics and rugs. After picking up a handful of souvenirs for people back home (most importantly my Sister, Julie, who I would fear facing empty handed), we strolled back for lunch, only stopping to watch some teenagers play cricket on the dusty field in the center of town. Everything seemed great until I started getting the chills and that crawling skin sensation…
I forced down lunch and tried to convince myself that the chills were only from jet lag and sleep deprivation. After lunch, our team of climbers and Sherpas went out to the balcony lawn, overlooking the Indus River, for a team photo. Next to the lawn was the Italian K2 monument, which was erected on the 50th Anniversary of the first summit of K2 in 1954. There were even cherry trees on the lawn, filled with fruit, and Dendi, Tashi, and I proceeded to have a jumping competition to see who could get the most fruit. I won but only because I’m about 8-10 inches taller than both of them. Everyone was in high spirits and for a brief moment, I forgot how I was feeling.
Once the fun came to an end, reality hit me. It was 2 PM, when I excused myself to my room, where I would stay for the next 18 hours. I thought back to my bold decision to eat that damn last ugly sunnyside-up egg and admitted defeat. The chills were awful and no amount of clothing could keep me warm under the covers but I still managed to sleep away the majority of that time. Every time I awoke, I prayed that I would feel better for what was sure to be an uncomfortable 7 hour jeep ride…
Call June 27

Call June 27

by | Jun 27, 2018

 

Happy Wednesday. Everybody should be Wednesday morning back in the States. We are just finishing up where we just finished up dinner about to head to bed. Hope everyone is make it through the week. Well, but it work is going well or Corley, at least you’re not at 14000 feet in the middle of a rocky Glacier with freezing wet snow Jessie and I are just bundled up in our rent right now and you’re probably wondering why you’re not getting emotions. I got the modem working. Well, since we’ve been on the move for Jeeps. JJ tonight day, we’ve been moving all but one day we covered about 50 miles 4 days and over that time. We haven’t had very good weather. So most of our solar units for haven’t been very useful. We have been able charging battery. So everybody’s on low power the plan is so yeah right now at 4:02, which isn’t much more than a point where everybody needs in the middle of a shirt. We are going to be moving to God base camp, which is just about an hour and a half shortly to base camp tomorrow. So after about three or four hours typing will turn the corner and Concordia and catch our first you of the to salvage Mountain pretty psyched to see it. We’re hoping that the weather clears up when you get a teacher beige pants so we can fire up the solar panels and get some pictures out this post out every bit kind of talk with the same thing. I hope we get some pictures of K2. Yeah, but Mraz, hi, everybody is Norma healthy. I’m doing great Jesse. How do you feel? Fabulous, you feel fabulous, and we’re all pretty sight. You know that the snow’s dumping pretty hard on right now. So couple things that are already up there probably base camp. So hopefully we’re by the time we get up there get a couple last season, and yeah, so missing everybody back home and looking forward to getting you guys some real content and some real pictures. I know you’re all finding the see what we’re getting chance with that. So anyway, miss everyone. Talk to you soon. Bye.

Skardu (Day 2)

Skardu (Day 2)

by | Jun 27, 2018

Skardu: June 21 (Day 2)

I made it to Skardu, the last settlement that can be classified as a city before we head up-valley and what I have learned is one fo the few Shiite communities in Pakistan! It’s Thursday night here and it’s hard to believe that over the past 72 hours I have traveled to the other side of the world.

The day started with a casual 8 AM team breakfast and then hauled all of our duffels down the the front. We had a bus and 2 cars to carry our team and all of the gear as we made our way back to Islamabad International Airport. The ride was relatively uneventful but it was a nice opportunity to take in my surroundings. It was active like any large city and the traffic was far more organized than Kathmandu, although it appeared that traffic laws were more suggestion than actual law.

We pulled into the airport and the first thing that I noticed was the high number of armed military personnel that were stationed there for security. It was the next thing that caught my eye that was surprising, a car being “towed” out of the departure area. The reason was because this car was simply picked up by a forklift, which promptly drove away to be impounded or whatever they do with towed vehicles here. It actually seemed fairly practical!

Anyway, when we pulled up, I had the best surprise of the day, our Sherpa team members were there waiting for us! I think I hopped out of the car as it was still moving and instantly saw giant smiles on the faces of Phurba, Siddhi, Dendi, Tashi, Lakpa and the rest! There were hugs, high fives, fist bumps as we reunited. I have stayed in touch with all of them over the past year and I was nothing short of absolutely psyched to be back with my Nepali friends.

Our entire team of 23, sherpas and climbers, made our way through security as gracefully as a group of 23 can, while also checking over 2,500lbs of gear. We took up the back 3rd of the plane and I found my seat, 29C, next to the toilet. I guess PIA didn’t get the memo about my Delta status… The flight was uneventful, other than the children running up and down the aisles, one of which actually jumped over Dan’s lap and started hammering out flight attendant button as her father ignored the situation.
The Skardu airport is basically a landing strip in the middle of a desert, wedged between mountains, and a bus pick you up when you deplane to drive you a mile to the “terminal”, which is nothing more than a single room building with a 20 foot long one way conveyer belt. We collected our baggage without issue and found classic Toyota Land Cruisers waiting for us in the parking lot to take us to our hotel. The hotel overlooks the Indus River and is the primary stop of K2 expeditions, memorabilia from which it proudly displays throughout the halls. After getting settled in, Jesse and I took a stroll down to the river and had the chance to interact with some locals, kicking a soccer ball around and watching them fish. We wrapped a great 2nd day up with a delicious team dinner and I’m making it an early night as jet lag continues to kick my butt. Goodnight from Pakistan!
The Long Road to Islamabad ( Day 1)

The Long Road to Islamabad ( Day 1)

by | Jun 27, 2018

I’ve always considered myself a realist and few friends, if any would call me an optimist, which is probably why I can’t help but laugh at the fact that I thought that my satellite modem connectivity would go off without a hitch. In my defense, the satellite service that is the best in Pakistan and the one that I am using, Thuraya, does not work in the United States, so there was no chance for me to test it before leaving. I intended to test it when I arrived to Islamabad but upon arrival, I found out that satellite signals are blocked in the city. So the can was kicked down the road and then, as you all know, I got food poisoning. So now, I find myself troubleshooting at the camp of Urdukas at 13,400’ in the Karakoram range and only have a few minor kinks to iron out. Luckily, I have enough service to begin sharing my journals and have decided to share a handful of them at a time. Some of it might be repetitive from my sat calls but I’d like to think that they are still worth a quick read 😉
The Long Road to Islamabad: June 20th (Day 1)
But first, let me back up and give you the rundown on how I actually made it to Pakistan. When I wrote you last, I was descending on my KLM flight from Amsterdam to Abu Dhabi and was catching a flight with Pakistan International Airlines, who carries the tag line “Nice People to Fly With”. I had booked these itineraries separately because I consider myself a savvy traveler and thought by getting creative I could minimize travel time and cost, while also getting some upgrades. I pulled it off but I’m not sure that it was worth the stress…

Clearly they don’t know I’m a Delta Diamond Medallion

After being awake for the better part of a day, I finally got about 5 hours of sleep on my Amsterdam to Abu Dhabi flight. I woke up when we touched down and was completely disoriented at a time when I needed to be sharp. I rushed out to clear customs for the UAE, grab my bags, get my bags rechecked, and make it to my gate. I had 2 hours and I thought that I was golden after checking the first two off the list in the first 15 minutes. I wandered the airport with luggage cart, searching for the PIA terminal in my delirious state. After about 30 minutes, I finally figured out that it was in terminal 1A, which is basically the basement of one of the main terminals and could only be reached by going outside and down a lower ramp.

I have no idea whats going on

When I walked into the “terminal” it was absolute chaos. The ceilings were low and there were about 200 people crammed into the tiny space. I was the only Caucasian and stuck out like a sore thumb with my bright climbing duffel bags. At this point, I had to settle on a plan of attack. Should I take the strong confident traveler approach and charge full speed ahead or do I take the sad puppy dog strategy and hope that others would find sympathy for someone who was clearly lost? I know you are laughing at the thought of me attempting the latter, it was the one that I chose in my feeble state. Almost immediately the fantastic PIA staff lead me through checking bags, gave me a discount on my weight overage ($250/$350) and took me to the front of the line in security! Despite being strict with all other passengers on carry on size and weight, they did not even give my huge backpack, weighing 40+ lbs (15 lb limit), a second look.

Just a few bags…

Finally, I boarded my final leg of my journey to Pakistan! The PIA staff had put me in row 3 because it was an empty row and he said it was because I would be more comfortable there, which I didn’t fully make sense until I boarded and had to carry my backpack to the back of the plane to find overhead space. As I walked down the aisles, I realized that the flight was 95% male and I appeared to be the only passenger that was not of Middle Eastern descent. Every head turned and stared as I passed and I laughed as I thought to myself, this must be what it’s like to be the pretty girl at the bar! About an hour into the flight, I got a tap on the shoulder and a gentleman asked me where I was from. Everyone around listened intently and when I told him America, the questions started flowing. I couldn’t answer all of them but I tried because everyone was so incredibly friendly. Several gave me their business cards, some invited me to dinner in Islamabad, and all of them wished me luck on expedition! I was finally able to relax.

Pakistan Airlines

I landed at 4:00 AM and despite being in the middle of the customs line, somehow cleared second to last because I didn’t maneuver like everyone else. My driver from the hotel grabbed me as I exited because I stuck out like a sore thumb. He drove us 45 minutes to the Hotel Serena, where diplomats and other important visitors stay, and after 15 minutes of checking the vehicle and my luggage for weapons, I was able to checkin. I got a 5 hour nap, met Geoff for lunch at the pool, had dinner with the team, and got to bed for a morning flight to Skardu…
What. A. Day.
PS – I’m guessing that many of you are probably wondering why I hardly mentioned my team. Well, you will be happy to know that it’s not because I don’t like them, they are a very strong and fun group. The reason is because there is a lot going on and I wanted to save the fun details for a boring rest day. Stay tuned!
Call June 26

Call June 26

by | Jun 26, 2018

 

Good evening from Pakistan. It’s me again. I am currently in the 10th or I should say an hour 10 time with Jessie say yes, you know, we are in 30th, which is boxing Italy house where we guess you sleeping 3. Yeah, if she’s in 13300 we had a long day moving in moving 14 miles out 2300 feet of game at rain sleet snow that for the river which is quite a bit of fun. I think just you know, the only two that really fun to be used in in it. But yeah, I’m using and stuff obstacles wife. Anyway, I want to let everyone know that I did get the modem running more of an update issue that I need to work out when I have more time. But we’re going to have a shorter day tomorrow. So I’m going to try to get it closed out today if just had no photos or video this so that I can get you something for the first few days of the trip. Other than that, we’re how is hi Mary? Hi Jessie. You have any color commentary out? Now the tents cozy his making for a very nice number with load up here on the mountain. Alright guys, well you heard of them. Definitely. We’re at the place not and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Bye.

Call June 25

Call June 25

by | Jun 25, 2018

 

It’s me again. Hey everyone. It’s still having modem issues. I actually got some doubt in to upload or download a custom email or shoot me up. Yeah, if you can just settings issue. So we are working on that right now, but it’s a good sign that it’s not a modem issue modem problem with the software. So anyway, you got another voicemail from me. We are in pi you right now it’s about let me see how far I have about 11200 feet. We gained about 1000 a covered about 12 miles. I feel 48. I went to sleep last night not feeling well and feel pretty sharp. I moved quickly had a lot of fun team is pretty mellow rain tomorrow. So we were hoping take a rough day. But because everyone’s you Well for the most part we’re going to get a move on it. I think we have 1314 miles to cover maybe +27-020-500-3400 vertical Fleet will hit the bolts horribly. Sure. So friends going to get a little ice here Koffler. I think tomorrow is supposed to be the tough with day on the hike into base camp so will be pushing it pretty good probably about 17 hours moving time, but we’re out really hi. It’s really good for me to get myself out of that funky stuff. Not just basically put psychologically because you know, it was really wearing on me not be able to perform the level that I know I can especially when it was food related issue. So fingers crossed it doesn’t bounce back. Other than that things are great. It seems fantastic. We’re just doing a rundown of everything and it sounds like there’s about 87 permits for the mountains. There’s 18. We’re the largest team at this point. It’s a u.s. International combine team, but when I get my posts up tomorrow, I’ll be sure to give you the details on that. There’s some pretty fascinating facts about the number of quarters and who they were bringing in and so we’re anybody that enjoys Dad look forward to that. I have in journaling every day. If you guys are just going to get a whole lot of information and some good reading see you at the put aside a little bit of time for that. Other than that. Hope everyone’s doing well back home. I am looking out over. And one of the most amazing, if not be most amazing amount of rings I’ve ever seen. These cars are just hired name of foot.

Call June 24

Call June 24

by | Jun 24, 2018

 

(Not the best transcription, suggested to listen to the audio above)

Good evening from Pakistan. Hey, everyone another day or modem issues. If not, actually, it is camp wide and a couple other teams are a few teams are using the the Raya travel light system, which is considered best and Dad is not scream. We can make holes on the satellite phone in a couple left a message with his father than that, but we do have a rest day or moving tomorrow and then I could we have a rest after that. So wasn’t I’m we’re we’re going to be camping. It’s a big open area. So if it sounds like up anyway until then if you’re my voice, so nothing you guys. Today starting up pretty rough. I woke up at 4 a.m. And see if we made a strong come back and I have the chills and we had a 12 actually 30 mile hike it rained. It was fun. We switch from shorts to waterproof rain show all of the place. The weather’s been crazy here from Yeah, so I thought formal is a pretty rough day. I was dragging I felt with RJ getting breakfast or lunch, but I did take some antibiotics. So hopefully I’ll be feeling a little bit better tomorrow because we have another 12 miles tomorrow after that after tomorrow. So we will have your rest day. So really hoping that we can get not only my fitness gone but also get modem up and running so that will be able to push up mad at you cuz I got a lot of pictures, you know, I’m sure you and I know that everybody where I hope that everybody’s looking forward to reading about my journey. This place is absolutely thought maybe before credible every with the sofa made such a hard worker. I’m like Everest. We’re we have food phone in. Or food actually marches in with us. So we had a food ago and not 43 Boxes for shipping. So yeah, really interesting stuff. Look forward to talk to you guys tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll get a post you guys up with some my voice anymore. Alright. Hope everything is well back home. If you everyone and look forward to meeting all of you. Call me. Alright, bye.