DISPATCHES

Ziel

I suppose rain, just like snow, can be a four letter word, too. The bottom line is the weather still does not want to be our friend. Neverthless, the Japanese, International, and Chinese teams decided to go up the hill today, all at the same time, trying to push our ropes up to a site for Camp 2.

Our team decided the weather and the crowds (maybe 20 total on the ropes) were good reasons to take a rest day. Monitoring the radio at mid-day today reinforced that decision. Chinese climbers described "ankle-deep" snow "running down" the traversing ice slopes above Camp 1 and had to take cover behind outcrops of rocks (sounds like a euphemism for avalanche to me). By 5pm, the radio reported all the climbers were safe and rappelling down the 4000 foot slope.

However, right now at 6pm my typing is literally interrupted by the loud crash of another huge avalanche falling down the right side of the route and washing over the approach trail. It's in the same area an avalanche fell on my first day of climbing here on K2 well more than a month ago. Looks like there are no casualties, thank goodness. For the effort, the ropes extend 200 meters farther.

The K2000 team has heard me say time and time again, "I'm on vacation." I'll often turn the phrase to make a tense situation more low-key. This time I use it to say it's time for my vacation to end. I've enjoyed the opportunity to describe some of this holiday through Mountain Zone but it's about to end. When I decided to participate in this expedition last year, I set for myself a personal goal of making a summit attempt. I did not come to "be a doctor" or to just carry loads.

I also came to China with a schedule that would not permit the same amount of time away from work and family that the rest of the expedition could plan for. I expected and planned to return home by myself when my time ran out.

Well, the Chinese Army wasted a week of our time with delays. Though we reached ABC and started climbing after June 18, the weather has simply just shut us down for the last three weeks. The south side of K2 is having similar weather problems. No one on either side would argue this has been an unusual summer for weather.

Now, after all this delay, I've done the math and for me there are just not enough days left on my schedule to practically contemplate a summit attempt. It's time for me to go home. No worries! There is still something to look forward to. On the way, I'll spend some more time with our liaison officer (who is also a Ham radio operator) and do more DX'ing with my trusty old ICOM 706 and this fantastic new ICOM 718 radio and traffic antenna.

Most people might think to ask if my decison to leave the expedition will make for any significant disappointments. I think not. After eight Himalayan expeditions and three successful 8000-meter summits, I am well acquainted with how expeditions work out, and as often as not, do not work out. For the non-professional climber like myself, satisfaction with expeditions can be had just from the personal effort put into the project. On my solo trek home I'll know I contributed significantly to the expedition's progress to date and that Shawn and I fixed our ropes to the current high point.

I hope those K2000 members that can stay through the month of August have good luck with the weather and the rest of the climb.

"In battle, in forest, at the precipice of the mountain,
On the dark green sea, in the middle of javelins and arrows,
In sleep, in confusion, in the depths of shame,
The good deeds a man has done before defend him."

—from the Bhagavad-Gita

— Fred Ziel, MountainZone.com Correspondent

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