K2: Arrived in Concordia, one day away from K2BC
We are getting closer to K2 Base Camp. Knowing today as a short one we woke up late around 6:30 AM, ate a good breakfast and headed towards Concordia Camp. We made the trek in less than three hours. Travel on the Baltoro Glacier has actually gotten easier as we climbed […]
K2: Urdukas to Goro 2
Today’s journey was short and easy. We moved from Urdukas to Goro 2 at an altitude of 4,300 meters (14,200 feet) in a quick 3 hours. Unlike the previous days, the route on the Baltoro Glacier was quite a bit smoother but the effect of the rocky terrain on my trekking boots is unparalleled (see […]
K2: Climbing up the Baltoro Glacier
Happy Fourth of July! Just like the previous day, we got up at 4:00 AM and hit the trail about 30 minutes lasted in order to beat the heat. I prepared for the arduous journey by downing 1.5 liters of water at breakfast and packed two more liters for the road. That’s wasn’t even enough […]
K2: Jhula to Paiju
We woke up at 4:00 AM this morning and hit the train at 4:30 AM in order to avoid the scorching heat. Today was another day with temperatures in the 100s. We made our way from Jhula to Paiju in about 6 hours. I’m severly dehydrated but I’m OK; I started at a very fast […]
K2: Askole to Jhula
I left Askole at 6:25 AM this morning and arrived in Jhula at 11:15 AM. A combination of high temperatures and very rugged terrain made for a difficult trek. Everything you hear and read about the trek to K2 base camp is real. Unlike the well maintained trails in the Khumbu on the way to […]
K2: Rest day in Skardu
Today was a leisurely rest day in Skardu after the two-day brutal bus ride. Many team members are taking it easy and trying to deal with stomach/GI issues; this is very common and all should be well in the next few days. I spent the afternoon catching up on emails and re-packing my gear. Tomorrow […]
K2: Arrived in Skardu
Today was the second leg of our long dreaded bus ride from Islamabad to Skardu. We woke up at 4:45 AM, ate breakfast at 5:00 AM and hit the road promptly at 6:00 AM. Suffice to say, we survived the dangerous but very scenic Karakorum Highway (KKH). We arrived is Skardu at 3:15 PM making […]
K2: From Islamabad to Chilas
Long long day. We left Islamabad at 2:15 AM taking a bus ride on the famed Karakorum Highway (KKH). Due to safety reasons, we ended up taking a scenic detour that made for a very tiring and draining day despite not walking more than 100 feet. What was supposed to be a 7 hours ride […]
K2 & Broad Peak Expedition 2015 is under way!
I left St. Louis on Thursday June 25 at 6:00 AM and landed in Islamabad by way of Chicago & Doha (Qatar) on Friday June 27th at 2:00 AM local time. Despite the 32+ hours of travel, it was a very pleasant journey. I cleared Pakistani customs and picked up ALL my bags in a […]
Training Day
We spent most of the day seriously training and practicing ascending vertical ice walls, repelling down and crossing ladders in preparation to the notoriously dangerous Khumbu Ice Fall crossing. Our guides setup a great course on the edge of the Ice Fall. Everyone did well and had a great time running the course although pretty […]