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2008 K2 and Broad Peak Expedition

Dispatch Thirty-two: July 1st, 2008

Day Thirty-two: Stormy Day in  Base Camp; New Plans on Broad Peak

Today, I woke up at 8:30am, had a long breakfast with the French and then got to work on fixing my tent platform. Moving the tent was the more challenging part of the operation, as I had set up my battery and charge controller secured to the top of one of my pelican cases, and it weighed quite a bit. I disassembled it to an extent, and was able to relocate it without ripping any wires out of anything.. After this was finished, we had lunch outside, as the weather had broken for a little bit. We chatted for a bit and then returned to our respective tents and did a whole lot of nothing the rest of the day. The route debate is still in the air, as we haven’t concretely decided which we will take, although, since I have already carried quite a heavy load up the Cesan Route, I would prefer to remain on this route. I also came up with a new plan on climbing Broad Peak. I may, after acclimatizing up to Camp III on K2, head over to Broad Peak, and climb it alpine style, going straight up to Camp II, then three the following day, then the summit. This would leave me acclimatized to around 8000 meters and would ready me for a summit push on K2. Since it is still quite early in the season, I would have to climb up Broad Peak without fixed lines, but the ones that are installed already on Broad Peak don’t seem to be doing anyone very much good, as this may have been what killed Dodo’s friend and I know of another Austrian who fell on the fixed lines (which didn’t hold) and has decided to head home, instead of continue up Broad Peak.