Hey Gang,

We hope to do a live call in from base camp this Friday, June 8th at 8:30 a.m. EST to the Elliot in the Morning Show on DC101 radio. I hope you can listen in. Talk to you then.

Chris Warner 

Fated to live another day: two climbers fall in to two crevasses

As the sun broke over the fluted ridges of unclimbed Kharut, K2 and her neighboring giants presented themselves once again in glorious morning light. Chris and Bruce had left early to push the route beyond the previous day's high point, leaving PV and I alone in the dining tent eating our breakfast and discussing the day's plans. The two of us were to bring two heavy loads, along with six porters, up to the highest point possible-- which would also be the last place that the porters could walk across the glacier safely.

K2: Living up to its nickname.

After 7 days of trekking, we reached K2's base camp early on June 1st. The morning sunlight warmed the thin veneer of rock that lays on this section of the Goodwin Austin Glacier. Even at 17,200 feet, the temperature rose above freezing. The meltwater carved little rivulets into the ice. It was the warmest day I've experienced in the two summers I've spent at this place, a metaphorical end of the road. Above us, K2 rises 11,000 feet. And up there, in the frigid air of 28,250 feet, the jet stream was blowing bits of moisture into vicious looking wind sculpted clouds.

The trick to staying healthy on any expedition to Pakistan is really threefold: 1) be judicious about washing your hands 2) don't eat uncooked vegetables en masse 3) never brush your teeth with tap water. Before leaving the K2 Hotel in Skardu last Friday, Bruce was kind enough to demonstrate the results of ignoring rules 2 and 3; while the team was having a planning meeting over dinner in the restaurant, Bruce suddenly turned ashen, then slinked off his chair and flopped prostrate onto the dining room carpet. Shocked, I knelt down at his side and asked him what the problem was. Bruce only responded in murmuring, semi-conscious gibberish- interspersed with bouts of vomiting. When he finally gained enough composure, we propped him to his feet and escorted him to his room. I spent the next few minutes reassuring the kitchen staff that, although Bruce IS Scottish, his illness was definitely not due to drinking alcohol. A few Cipro and a day of rest later, Bruce fully recovered.

Skardu, Pakistan

The team is now complete. Joel Shalowitz survived his journey through the bowels of JFK Airport's baggage system, and crawled onto the plane with his bags. Three days, three train rides and three flights were all it took for him to get from Charm City to Skardu, Pakistan.

Don Bowie and Chris Stensland, along with the trekking gang and our cargo, journeyed up the Indus River valley, following the Karakorum Highway. Their journey spanned two days, crammed in a hot bus, watching the people and the landscape change as they climbed into the mountains of Baltistan.

  Islamabad, Pakistan

The expedition has started with a well rehearsed flurry of activity, showing this team's depth of experience. Bruce Normand and I arrived on May 19th and quickly dove into the task lists. Don Bowie, PV Scatturo and Chris Stensland arrived on the 20th, bringing 6 of Don's Search and Rescue team members with them.

Our cargo, which the folks at Priority Worldwide shipped, beat us to Islamabad. And while the rest of the team were checking into the hotel, Bruce and I shifted over 1200 pounds of gear from boxes into blue plastic drums. I've now handled all of the gear at least 3 times: receiving, organizing and packing it, but for Bruce it was Christmas morning. In minutes he was completely outfitted in down and fleece, with squeaky clean boots and razor sharp crampons. Grinning ear to ear, he would have tried it all on, if the temp had just dipped below 100F.