Stuart Peacock K2 & Broad Peak Expedition 2004 Dispatch 6

The clouds have been hugging close to K2 and Broad Peak and we appear to be level with the cloud base so we can't see  much the majority of the time. Although the cloud did lift yesterday evening to reveal Broad Peak in all it's glory. We could see the ridge line from camp 2, to were camp 3 will be positioned. We could also see the col to which the final summit ridge is attained. It all looks a long way away from down here.

K2 also revealed most of itself, only the summit was in cloud, due to the strong winds hitting the south face and blowing ice crystals up and over the summit to form a long plume on the opposite side.

We stood for quite some time looking at the route and pondering what it will be like to be up there, not quite believing that we are now here in front of these two giants.

Last night we had a lot of snow, thankfully today was a rest day. Again the clouds hang low and the snow comes and goes. We have sorted through the barrel, checking tents etc.

We found the barrel with the Peperami & the Branston Pickle in it, so we had a bit of side treat with our dinner. The food has been excellent throughout the trip. However we did feel a little bit guilty for the goat which had been walked all the way up to BC only to meet it's demise in time for our tea last night !! It's nearly enough to make you veggie. We have 2 chickens remaining from 12. They appear to be seeking refuge under the table in the mess tent. I suspect they won't see the week out.

22/06/04: We walked to K2 base camp to help us with acclimatisation, this got us to a height of 5000m. Sunam, Perber & Ebrehiem went up to camp 1 with a carry of tents and then cleared a platform ready for when we move up. There are a lot  of teams on both mountains and finding tent space is posing the biggest problem next to the weather.

23/06/04: Today's plan was for us to go up to camp 1 and pitch the tents. Unfortunately there have been very heavy snows. This has made the mountain very dangerous and avalanches have coming down all around. Thankfully we can see them from the safety of our camp.

24/06/04: The weather is still bad. Apparently the worst weather in a long time. The forecast for the next few days is more of the same. Dave arrived in camp at 2:00pm so the team is now complete. However our neatly laid out mess tent now looks like a bomb site with all of Dave's kit. The good news is the laptop is now fully up and running.

All we can do now is sit and wait for the good weather and for the avalanches to subside. So lots of drinking, eating, reading and Mickey taking of Dave due to the lack of views he had on the walk in. We've already shown him what the Trango Towers look like, which impressed him no end.

            Regards, Stu.

Stu summited Everest and made a movie in which he filmed most of the route click on the picture below to see more about this video (DVD and VHS).

 

Altitech2: Digital Altimeter, Barometer, Compass and Thermometer. Time/Date/Alarms. Chronograph with 24 hour working range. Timer with stop, repeat and up function. Rotating Bezel. Leveling bubble. Carabiner latch. E.L. 3 second backlight. Water resistant. 4" x 2-1/4" x 3/4" 2 oz. Requires 1 CR2032 battery. See more here.

  Altitude pre-
   acclimatization

   Ascenders

   Atlas snowshoes

   Black Diamond

   Botas

   Brunton

   Carabiners

   CaVa Climbing Shoes
   Clearance

   Clif Bar

   CMI

   Crampons

   Edelweiss ropes
   Eureka Tents

   Featured

   FoxRiver

   Garmin

   Granite Gear

   Harnesses
   Headlamps
   Helmets

   HighGear
   Ice Axes

   Kavu Eyewear

   Katadyn

   Kong

   Lekisport

   Lowepro

   Motorola

   Nalgene

   New England Ropes

   Nikwax

   Omega

   Outdoor Designs

   Pelican

   PowerBar

   Princeton Tec

   Prescription Glacier

   Glasses

   Primus

   Rope Bags

   Seattle Sports

   Serius
   Sleeping Bags

   Stubai

   Suunto

   Tents

   Trekking Poles
   Ushba
   and more here