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2008 K2 and Broad Peak Expedition

Dispatch Forty-three: July 12th, 2008

Day Forty-three: Carry on Cesan Route Aborted; High Winds

Today, after a horrible night probably thanks to mild carbon monoxide poisoning from the exhaust from the generator blowing into the mess tent all day yesterday (I was quite nauseous, dizzy, and hot for the first few hours of the night), we woke up around 4:00am, and it didn’t take us long to realize that it was far too windy to go up to Camp I (the weather would have been acceptable if we were heading up for our summit bid, but since we were just going up to maintain our acclimatization and conditioning, we thought why rush up in bad weather when we have the time to wait a couple of days for better weather). We rolled over in our tents and went back to sleep. We woke up again at 8:30am. Badia and Mauricio had arrived and were intending on walking up to Abruzzi ABC and maybe to the pass (although I think that the way to the pass is quite dangerous as it is littered with crevasses and no one else is around to help if something goes wrong). We said our hello’s and they went to the Serbian tent to visit Hiso (I am sure I have misspelled his name). Hugues and I went to breakfast, which, thanks to our request, consisted of two boiled eggs (something I wasn’t too pleased about now that we were to remain in base camp). After breakfast, I went to my tent to figure out how to calculate how much time my 17.2A battery would take to charge off my 12V DC 8.3A output generator. I figured if it was nearly empty, it would take just over 2 hours to charge (time to charge=battery capacity (17.2A)/generator output (8.3A)). I hope I am correct. After I hooked everything up, the Spanish member returned from Camp II on the Abruzzi and three French guests from Broad Peak arrived. We chatted in the mess tent for awhile and invited them to stay for lunch. I continued running outside to check the battery and the generator output with the volt-meter. I think I will err on the side of caution and disconnect the battery short of two hours. We also received word today that the climbers from Greenland are going to throw in the towel and return home. A rock fell quite close to one of the climbers from Greenland on the Abruzzi and spooked them. Hugues and I will hope that the weather cooperates tomorrow and we will be able to carry to Camp I at the very least. I think that our fitness level drops quite quickly when we stay at base camp for extended periods of time. That’s why it’s very important for us to make a carry to at least Camp I on the Cesan. We will keep our fingers crossed.

 

In photos:

Left: Broad Peak in High Winds

Right: Our Cook Abbas Ali in the Kitchen Tent