Where am I?
August 23, 2008
Aug 23: Believe me, I’ve wondered that myself the last few days. Suffice it to say that at this moment I’m in Islamabad, have eated at McDonald’s, and took a real long hot shower in a fully-Americanized bathroom, and am at a semi-decent computer typing .
I will hopefully have time to catch you up with what’s been happening in the next 24 hours or so. Right now, I want to go watch the Olympics!
Mike
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[k2] Urdokas…er…Bardumal..er..Askole
August 21, 2008
(this is a duplicate of the expedition blog entry) August 19: We’ve trekked for 2 days and have spent a lovely afternoon at Urdokas, my favorite spot on the Baltoro. Unfortunately it is being ruined by horse/donkey grazing; I spoke about that on the way in.
I left a cold and snowy BC yesterday morning. Deedar and I went to the Gilkey Memorial to pay our respects to our friends and fellow climbers who died this year. Maybe it was this visit, maybe it was the snow, maybe it was my boots, but I had an especially hard walk to the Goro II campsite. We left the Memorial at 10:45, I reached Concordia at 3:00, and finally reached Goro II at 6:30. A good meal and good night’s sleep (and a handful of ibuprofen) transformed me into a new man this morning. The walk was 4 hours and in my running shoes was much more comfortable.
My goal was to meet up with Roland Hunter and his trekking group, and they had lunch ready when I arrived. I’ve been catching up with Roland and talking to his trekkers this afternoon.
I should reach Skardu in three days (8/22). It’s ok to send email, though I might not get it until then. We have two long days (or 2.25 shorter days) ahead of us, but the walking gets progressively easier.
August 20: We walked almost 9 hours (with some stops) to Bardumal, which is usually a lunch stop between Jhula and Paiju. Tomorrow we end the trek (another long day). Yesterday I arrived at Urdokas about noon, and Roland’s trekking group was their. I mooched lunch, dinner, and breakfast and chatted with the members. For some reason, I couldn’t send any email so this is going out the next day (today). Confused? I am.
August 21: Computer problems. If you get this they’re fixed. Eight hours, uneventful, to Askole and the end of the trek. Goat and fries for dinner!
Mike
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[k2] Trekking out
August 17, 2008
8/17: I don’t have time to chat, but we’re starting the trek down tomorrow. I plan on meeting Roland Hunter’s trekking group and spending the night with them. I’m leading a trek for Roland in the fall, and he was the one who got this particular K2 trip started.
Weather has been crap. I hope to have a day when I can fill you all in. I’ll also get my schedule posted, as I’m visiting Hunza for a couple of days before heading to Islamabad.
Mike
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[k2] Abort, abort
August 15, 2008
8/15: Well, the planned trip to C2 didn’t happen, because at 5am the weather at ABC was (relatively) warm and foggy, with a few inches of fresh wet snow overnight. Things didn’t improve, so at 7AM I left with a 21 kg (45 lb) load of rope and headed back to BC. The fog and fresh snow made the icefall quite pretty, but I didn’t have anyone to take pictures of.
Our night at ABC was slightly comical. There were six of us–the grizzled vets that made up the current summit team–and between us we had one stove, one cup, and about four sleeping bags. We obviously didn’t take the jaunt to ABC (and then to C2) very seriously. Actually, most of the missing gear was already on the hill.
On the walk back to BC I saw a number of tracks of a very small animal. What it is and what it eats, I have no idea. There’s no vegetation at all on the main glacier.
I surprised Deedar at 9am (he was expecting a day or two with no cooking). He quickly whipped up a cheese omelette, and I made the coffee and cooked my own bacon (remember, Muslims don’t eat pork).
Later this morning, two pleasant surprises: the other guys brought down about 13 kg of gear, saving us one trip to ABC, and I found my radio, which had slid off of the top of the tent the day before. I know, don’t put your radio on the tent…
I’ll hold off on posting anything else until something new happens. We still hope to leave BC on the 18th.
Mike
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[k2] Up once more
August 15, 2008
8/14: After a stunning night (moon, no clouds, no wind), I awoke to the sound of ravens croaking and a strange mammalian cry (actually a couple of dozen cries): not too loud, clearly not a bird. One climber early one (It may have been Gerard) took video of a fox-like creature, and the other American group saw a cat-like skeleton. So it was likely a cat or fox eating our food scraps. Tried to see it, but no luck.
Today, I’m going to ABC with Dave and Chuck (both USA). We’ll send my cook Deedar back with a load, then spend the night. Tomorrow (weather/conditions permitting) we’ll go to Camp 2. This will allow me to retrieve my gear and also allow Chuck and Dave to check out the route in case of improving weather).
It may seem perverse, but I’m excited to get back on the hill, if even for a day or so. Then it’ll be goodbye to K2.
Gotta pack.
Mike
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[k2] The last straw
August 13, 2008
August 12/13 : I awoke early on August 12 with the classic symptoms of food poisoning. Our kitchen has been great all season, so i don’t think that was the source. In any case, the symptoms were relatively mild. I slept much of the day August 12. We had the biggest snowfall of the season at BC–maybe 6-10 inches, much of which melted as the day progressed.
The weather forecast gives no hope of a summit window in the foreseeable future. The food poisoning was the last straw, so I ordered porters this morning (8/13). We hope to leave here on the 18th. This will give me time to get better and get to Camp 2 to pick up my personal gear.
One clarification: I never intended to make a solo summit attempt. I stayed at BC because we had a small but competent group of climbers willing to work together to make an attempt as a team. Sorry if I wasn’t clear on this point.
Also: If you’re sending email to my regular addresses, I haven’t seen them yet. I’ll respond to them when I get home. And to those who have emailed in the past week and haven’t received a response–thanks for the thoughtful comments. I hope to respond to all in the next 24 hours. Yesterday’s stomach bug set me way behind.
Cheers, Mike
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[k2] Was that too harsh?
August 9, 2008
*Keep in mind that this blog is not to be quoted without my express written permission. And NOBODY has that permission. But I digress…
Not really. But today’s media demand either victims or heroes. The true victims are still on K2, and most of the true heroes are quietly heading home. Both groups will have their stories told, but not just yet. Two quotes come to mind:
“All that glitters is not gold…” J.R.R. Tolkien [edit--Tolkien did not write this, sorry]
“Better to keep your mouth closed and have people think you’re a fool… etc. (was that Twain or Franklin or ??)
You might ask, ‘why haven’t you written about the people that were lost?’ Frankly, it is far, far too soon for me. I would rather do them justice than just dash off a quick obit. Each one is being written, slowly, in my head, as we speak.
Since I’ll be in BC for a few days, I’ll beg for a few more emails if you have the time 
Mike
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Twit heaven
August 8, 2008
August 7: It’s incredible who the media interview about this tragedy. Any twit with a web page is considered an expert. Being on K2 doesn’t make you a climber, or qualified to comment on the issues involved.
I have a web page (obviously) but haven’t been interviewed yet. I must be defective (or intelligent).
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Back into the dragon’s lair
August 6, 2008
August 6: While the rest of the group is leaving, I’ve decided to stay for one more possible attempt. The calculus that went into this decision is both simple and complex. I want to explain my thinking so hopefully you aren’t convinced that I’m an utter idiot.
Before I start, please don’t infer anything regarding my interpretation of the cause of the events of the past few days on K2. I know as much about the details of what happened as anyone does, and believe me, NOBODY knows just what happened yet. Some events will never be perfectly clear. So I’ll start with a clean slate and consider why I’ll go back up, assuming nothing has happened in the past.
* There is a small group of competent climbers at Base Camp. * The route is generally complete, and all camps are in place. * My personal equipment is all at Camp 2, and I’ll only have to carry food up the lower mountain. * I’m completely acclimatized (as far as I can tell).
Here are the conditions under which I’ll attempt the summit:
* I will only make a single attempt. Then I’ll come home. If the weather sucks, I’ll just get my gear from C2 and come home. * A summit attempt will require a minimum number of qualified climbers. * The summit ice cliff must be in safe condition. * I must be able to return to Camp 4 near dark.
As long as these conditions are adhered to, I’ll proceed. The summit means something, but not that much.
The title refers to the scene near the end of The Hobbit where Bilbo creeps into the dragon’s lair and steals a gold cup while the dragon sleeps. Ascending K2 involves stealth and intelligence, not a massive military-style attack. My goal is to see if the dragon is asleep, then maybe, just maybe, steal a trinket and escape.
By the way, one person says that the long-term weather isn’t promising. So maybe I won’t be here long at all. But I’ll keep you informed.
Mike
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Weather window coming
July 27, 2008
July 27: Finally we have a weather forecast that is promising. I won’t repeat what I wrote on the main blog (read that if you haven’t). After about two weeks of sitting, I get to start moving tomorrow. I’ll be climbing with Chris Warner and Paul, and our group will attempt to summit two days after the first, lead group of climbers. That lead group is really a mashup of all the other groups on the mountain. Our big team had to split up into two groups because of a lack of tent space at C1 and C2.
I will be out of contact from July 28 until about August 5. So remember that in this situation, no news is good news.
Are we acclimatized enough? Since I just wrote a book on that general topic (it might actually get published some week), I should know the answer, but frankly there isn’t enough data to answer the question. I think we are. So our plan is to go as high as we can, then turn around and come down.
I’ll be in phone contact with family. Some of you might get an email with an interim update but don’t count on it! My phone is way too cranky and battery power is limited.
Thanks for the emails that were sent to me the past few days. If I missed responding to yours, sorry–but I read the emails!
I’ll be back online around Aug. 5. Again, read the main blog for more info about our ‘news blackout’ during this period.
Mike
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