Ivan Vallejo Ricaurte: Autumn Dhaulagiri 2006 Summit attempt

MY DEFINITIVE AND ONLY ATTEMPT TO THE SUMMIT

Dhaulagiri Base Camp 

Friends of Ecuador and the world.

Yesterday, Saturday 14, I received the last weather forecast from Vítor Bahía (Portugal), who lets me know that from Tuesday, October 17,  the wind speed will diminish a little, down to around 30 Km/hour.  But the mountain will be a little cloudy.  Sete and I will leave tomorrow, Monday 16, to Camp 1 (5,800m), we will climb up to 6,400m on Tuesday, to our Camp 2, up to 7,200m on Wednesday, to our Camp 3 and on Thursday 19, God willing, it will be our summit day. 

We will be back to our Base Camp on Friday 20, and I will finish my expedition after that date, because this is the limit I have set to myself.  Of course, I have great hope that the wind will be less punishing above 7,000m and that we can carry on with our plans as we think.

After waiting for ten days, something I don’t have to deny, we’ve been in anguish, we finally get tomorrow on the track, on the field, on the arena; for our race, our match or our job.

I believe that, to my favor, I have thought a lot of things during all these days about the mountains, about Desafío 14 (Challenge 14), about the anguish of waiting.  Never better, as Rosa Montero would say, The Crazy of the House has done it to me this time.  Anyway, tomorrow at 7:15 I will have my backpack on my back and in 20 minutes I will put on my crampons under my boots to start crossing the glacier of Dhaulagiri on the way to C1.

For those who believe, I thank them in advance for the prayers you could make on behalf of Sete and me.  For those who don’t, let your good vibes come to us here, to this part of the Himalayas.  

With my love, from Dhaulagiri Base Camp.

Iván Vallejo Ricaurte

EXPEDITIONEER 

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

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