Mountain Madness Gasherbrum II 2005: pushed the route to within about 100 meters of Camp 2

Dispatch: Dispatch #10 - July 10, 2005

Basecamp. I spoke with our Italian friend Eloise this afternoon by radio. She reports from Camp 1 that her teammates Mario and Michele and a few other climbers have pushed the route to within about 100 meters of Camp 2 this morning before turning around in the face of poor snow conditions. Today at Basecamp the weather is partly cloudy and mild. The forecast calls for bad weather returning in a few days, so we hope to make the most of this short spell of good weather and press on towards Camp 2. Leaving at 1 am tomorrow morning, Nick, Megan and I will climb to Camp 1 and try to reach Camp 2 the next day. Meanwhile, our high altitude porters Ezet and Saddiq will make a carry to Camp 1 tomorrow and return there the next day with Joe. As time is getting short, we are scrambling to get into place for a summit bid soon.

Cheers, Charlie 

Dispatch #9 - July 9, 2005

Basecamp. We came back to basecamp early this morning from Camp 1. Our goal of reaching Camp 2 and above was not realized, as the weather remained unstable and more importantly, a lot of new snow on the route made progress both tedious and difficult. Yesterday, several climbers including Nick, Megan and myself, made a push to Camp 2. We were slowed by deep snow and were force back below our previous highpoint. Nevertheless, we left a large cache of gear on the mountain and got some good acclimating accomplished. It seems a few days of good weather will be needed to consolidate the large volume of new snow that has fallen in the past week. Our plan is to wait until snow conditions settle, and then return to the mountain, hopefully in a few days.

Today a large Korean expedition hosted a party, complete with tasty native dishes and refreshments. Joe provided musical entertainment on the harmonica, and Megan sang a song. It was a good opportunity to meet and mingle with some of the many expeditions now here at basecamp.

The next few days at basecamp promise to be relaxing, as we wait for another chance to get back on the route. Cheers, Charlie

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