DISPATCHES

Ziel

	click for dispatch photos

Today (day two of snowfall) forces K2000 to hump loads again or spend time waiting out the weather. We are all agreed that, after my close encounter of the third kind with mass quantities of falling snow and ice on the lower part of the mountain, we will all wait for a full day of sun to clean things up before another rope-fixing session. Since I humped yesterday, it's down-time in the (Mountain Hardwear) dome for me today.

Himalayan expeditions invariably impose a period of physical deprivation. Many participants invest extra mental energy (like today) on those basic, primal biological needs one usually takes for granted. We are not talking about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. More important (on expeditions) might be sex, drugs (please refer to previous dispatches on loss of consortium and intestinal pathogens), and rock and roll (entertainment). A Gallup poll of the average (couch potato) American might identify other basic needs, however, at breakfast this morning, after taking stock of our shaky kerosene supplies (and the 100 pounds of salami left out in the midday sun - now only fit for consumption by mad dogs), the K2000 team, when polled, agreed that FOOD is THE basic need.

Expeditions are not some "Cheeseburger in Paradise," mind you. Just this morning I interrupted a really stimulating conversation about expedition members' sexual fantasies and pecadillos to ask what they would REALLY like for dinner tonight. The conversation was easily steered towards unrealistic entree suggestions like prime rib, steak, or lobster. It's remarkable what one can fantasize about when most of our dinners right now consist of "dahl bat" (ie. rice and lentils, aka "shazzbat").

Most of us plan on losing 10-20 pounds on this trip. We've tried to mitigate this with all sorts of fresh food purchased in Kashgar and Islamabad. Eggs, vegetables, cookies and crackers, canned meat and cheeses, and booze were all on the shopping list. I've brought my caviar stash as well as a homebrew kit. Just got to get it all here to Advanced Base Camp at 16,200 feet. The trouble is the scattered light stuff gets up here quickly (the powdered, freeze-dried entrees). The good stuff (that is heavy) is from here all the way down the K2 glacier at the Camel Dump and midway camps. Two thousand eggs can't walk up glaciers by themselves. Jeff ordered six goats that will hopefully come up here under their own power. I suppose one of our team meetings will be over who is elected to "dress the game." My guru and 13-year-old daughter, Lauren, saint to homeless animals, would advise to donate all my extra clothing to those poor, cold animals.

Unlike omnivores and carnivores and predators — and all the rest of that biology stuff — the food chain here on the north side of K2 consists of getting the good stuff (and kerosene) up the K2 glacier to ABC.

— Fred Ziel, MountainZone.com Correspondent

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