Carlos Pauner Nanga Parbat 2005: LET'S GO FOR THE SUMMIT

Just like that, it's about time.  We've been here stalled for two whole weeks.  During this time, we have stood the rain that has fallen nonstop.  The tedious state of having nothing to do.  The uncertainty of looking at the sky each day to check that nothing has changed and if it does it is for worse.  Definitively, we've had to keep our mind in shape, despite the external stimulus that have tried to tear down our barriers. That is how things were, with the spirit high some days and way down low on others.  An expedition to the Himalayas is like that.  Today the day is different.  The sun shines and our spirit beams with its own light.  Millions of tons of ice and snow have started to fall from all the walls that surround us.  The accumulated snow during these days, warmed by the sun, has started sliding and the mountain is melting.  Avalanches roar nonstop, but for us, safe in our little home at the bottom of the peak, they sound like glory.  Now is the time to fall and not while we are under, don't you think?  We are nervous, can't stand still, because we hope that this good weather continues and we can leave for the final assault.  Each team has its plans.  Some will leave tomorrow, to go slower.  Others, among them me, we will have a race.  We are going to try to go directly to camp 2 in one day, passing those 2,000 meters of altitude difference that are well known for our legs and on the next day we will advance in a long journey to the usual location of camp 4.  So, in two days, we will step on the summit pyramid and the moment will come, to prove our fortune in the highest part.  There, nothing will be easy and we will have to fight with strength to achieve our dream.  We have prepared each detail, each thing that we have to take up there.  We are nervous, watching the clouds that come, wishing that they are nothing but the product of heat.  It has to be good, it has to be.  We have been here for a long time, too much, and that will be noted when we take off.  The rhythm will be slower, exhausting, because so many days of inactivity have left our muscles weak.  It is always like that.  We will have to know how to suffer more, and trust that this is the last effort that we are going to ask from our bodies.  We are certain that if the days continue like this, we will be able to get to the top and be back here fine.  One of these days we will leave for the summit, to that point in space that has haunted us for weeks.  We have our illusion intact and everybody, in their own way, have been suffering these last days in which it is difficult to hide tension.  I look at my boots, my thermal clothes, my material.  I will soon get dressed to leave again, to try to pass that eight thousand meters mark.  We are going to dream with our luck, dream that the weather respects us and that in a few days everything is over.  May luck be with us and let's hope that our effort doesn't go in vain.

Carlos Pauner

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Millet One Sport Everest Boot Expedition and mountaineering boot for high altitude and extremely cold conditions. The Everest has conquered all 14 mountains over 8,000m and also the Seven Summits- and has now had a makeover to ensure continued peak preformance. With a newer sung, Alpine Fit, and even lighter Expedition footwear for mountaineering in conditions of extreme cold.  NOTE US SIZES LISTED. See more here.

A cold weather, high altitude double boot for extreme conditions The Olympus Mons is the perfect choice for 8000-meter peaks. This super lightweight double boot has a PE thermal insulating inner boot that is coupled with a thermo-reflective outer boot with an integrated gaiter. We used a super insulating lightweight PE outsole to keep the weight down and the TPU midsole is excellent for crampon compatibility and stability on steep terrain. WEIGHT: 39.86 oz • 1130 g LAST: Olympus Mons CONSTRUCTION: Inner: Slip lasted Outer: Board Lasted OUTER BOOT: Cordura® upper lined with dual-density PE micro-cellular thermal insulating closed cell foam and thermo-reflective aluminium facing/ Insulated removable footbed/ Vibram® rubber rand See more here.

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