Read Thieves, Liars and Mountaineers: On the 8000 Metre Peak Circus in Pakistan's Karakoram Mountains for Free Online Page A
Authors: Mark Horrell
climb to the summit is up the right hand side of the triangle.
At 11 o'clock we turn around and head back down again before we enter too deeply into the serac towers of the icefall. It's late to be in here, and the trail we've followed is already turning to slush. The route has been well tramped already, though, and this has helped us considerably. We had been half-expecting to spend a few days enforced rest at Base Camp while our Sherpas look for a route through the icefall to Camp 1. The fact that somebody's done this already and marked the trail with bamboo wands may have saved us several days.
Back at Base Camp for lunch Phil hands out some of his mountaineering tips.
“Make sure you don't leave any food in the porch of your tents in any of the higher camps. The crows here are a menace and will sniff it out, and rip through the side of the tent, if necessary. If you're leaving any sleeping bags and s—t up at Camp 1 when you're down in Base Camp for some rest, make sure you put them back in their stuff sacks and tie everything together in one bundle. If there's a storm on the mountain which destroys the tents, a single sleeping bag unrolled is much more likely to end up in China.”
13. Trekkers leave; final team member arrives
Tuesday 23 June, 2009 – Gasherbrum Base Camp, Pakistan
It's another clear morning and the good weather seems to be holding, though there is quite a plume of cloud rising off the summit of Gasherbrum I, indicating very strong winds up there. Gorgan walks into the dining tent and vents his opinion about the climbing conditions.
“I think if this was your summit day on G1 you would have to go for it. That's why you need a f------ big dick.”
I'm not sure I agree with him that these are suitable conditions for launching a summit attempt on G1, but by his criteria I'd be stuffed anyway.
We say goodbye to our trekkers, Bob, Anna and Cassidy, after breakfast, who head back down the Baltoro Glacier this morning and will be back in Askole in five days' time. We also say goodbye to our liaison officer Major Kiani of the Pakistan Army, who goes with them, and has been a thoroughly nice chap. From now on, we are just climbers.
After lunch we're joined by the final member of our party, Michael Odell, who has been lucky with flights and made good time on the trail, arriving in Base Camp just three days after us, despite leaving the UK more than a week later. Ian and I pitch his tent while Ashad our cook brews him some tea. Afterwards we sit in the dining tent talking about his intended partner-in-crime Mark Dickson, who is no longer joining the expedition after breaking his ankle in Nepal last month. This was to be Mark's fourth attempt at an 8000 metre peak, though we suspect two months in a country where alcohol is very difficult to obtain may have influenced his decision. We conclude that he will surely climb an 8000er one day, though by that time there will probably be a cable car or stair lift up K2.
Later in the afternoon Ian and I wander over to the Jagged Globe tent belonging to a neighbouring expedition team whom Ian and I know several of the team members, leaders and guides of. They are very welcoming and treat us to some real coffee. They also claim to have supplies of booze, though I'm not sure if this is a wind-up. Since we're members of a rival team, their leader David Hamilton, whom I climbed Muztag Ata with a couple of years ago, says they will not try and rescue us if we fall down a crevasse, but will merely dangle a bottle of whiskey down on a length of rope to annoy us. Personally I don't believe there's a better way of getting me out of a crevasse.
14. Up to Camp 1
Wednesday 24 June, 2009 – Camp 1, Gasherbrum Cwm, Pakistan
Today is our first walk through the icefall of the South Gasherbrum Glacier to Camp 1. Arian wants to leave at 3am, but Tarke, the superstar, say it's much too early and we agree to leave at 5.
Although there was snow last night the fine
At 11 o'clock we turn around and head back down again before we enter too deeply into the serac towers of the icefall. It's late to be in here, and the trail we've followed is already turning to slush. The route has been well tramped already, though, and this has helped us considerably. We had been half-expecting to spend a few days enforced rest at Base Camp while our Sherpas look for a route through the icefall to Camp 1. The fact that somebody's done this already and marked the trail with bamboo wands may have saved us several days.
Back at Base Camp for lunch Phil hands out some of his mountaineering tips.
“Make sure you don't leave any food in the porch of your tents in any of the higher camps. The crows here are a menace and will sniff it out, and rip through the side of the tent, if necessary. If you're leaving any sleeping bags and s—t up at Camp 1 when you're down in Base Camp for some rest, make sure you put them back in their stuff sacks and tie everything together in one bundle. If there's a storm on the mountain which destroys the tents, a single sleeping bag unrolled is much more likely to end up in China.”
13. Trekkers leave; final team member arrives
Tuesday 23 June, 2009 – Gasherbrum Base Camp, Pakistan
It's another clear morning and the good weather seems to be holding, though there is quite a plume of cloud rising off the summit of Gasherbrum I, indicating very strong winds up there. Gorgan walks into the dining tent and vents his opinion about the climbing conditions.
“I think if this was your summit day on G1 you would have to go for it. That's why you need a f------ big dick.”
I'm not sure I agree with him that these are suitable conditions for launching a summit attempt on G1, but by his criteria I'd be stuffed anyway.
We say goodbye to our trekkers, Bob, Anna and Cassidy, after breakfast, who head back down the Baltoro Glacier this morning and will be back in Askole in five days' time. We also say goodbye to our liaison officer Major Kiani of the Pakistan Army, who goes with them, and has been a thoroughly nice chap. From now on, we are just climbers.
After lunch we're joined by the final member of our party, Michael Odell, who has been lucky with flights and made good time on the trail, arriving in Base Camp just three days after us, despite leaving the UK more than a week later. Ian and I pitch his tent while Ashad our cook brews him some tea. Afterwards we sit in the dining tent talking about his intended partner-in-crime Mark Dickson, who is no longer joining the expedition after breaking his ankle in Nepal last month. This was to be Mark's fourth attempt at an 8000 metre peak, though we suspect two months in a country where alcohol is very difficult to obtain may have influenced his decision. We conclude that he will surely climb an 8000er one day, though by that time there will probably be a cable car or stair lift up K2.
Later in the afternoon Ian and I wander over to the Jagged Globe tent belonging to a neighbouring expedition team whom Ian and I know several of the team members, leaders and guides of. They are very welcoming and treat us to some real coffee. They also claim to have supplies of booze, though I'm not sure if this is a wind-up. Since we're members of a rival team, their leader David Hamilton, whom I climbed Muztag Ata with a couple of years ago, says they will not try and rescue us if we fall down a crevasse, but will merely dangle a bottle of whiskey down on a length of rope to annoy us. Personally I don't believe there's a better way of getting me out of a crevasse.
14. Up to Camp 1
Wednesday 24 June, 2009 – Camp 1, Gasherbrum Cwm, Pakistan
Today is our first walk through the icefall of the South Gasherbrum Glacier to Camp 1. Arian wants to leave at 3am, but Tarke, the superstar, say it's much too early and we agree to leave at 5.
Although there was snow last night the fine
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