Vojvodinean expedition to K2: Camp 2 !

28.7.2008. When the wind was reduced we ascent to C2. Our tents are under snow but some try. This night we will sleep here. Wind is stronger again.

27.7.2008. Last night was snowing. In one short moment when the sky was clear, we were going to C1. Our tent is destroyed but equipment is OK. We will sleep in Singaporean tent.

26.7.2008. The wind is 18 km/h today with gusts to 30 km/h. We are sitting ahead tent and watching at clouds. In dinning-tent temperature is 0��C, it is like in refrigerator and we don��t go in.

25.7.2008. Expeditions of French and Spain abandoned BC K2 yesterday.

We are looking at the sky and wait for window opening. Upon on Abruci Rock all is ready for final ascent: ropes are fixed, advantage camps are installed, oxygen is there.

After 10 days sun punched clouds first time.

23.7.2008. In BC K2 everything is OK but weather. It is snowing again.

We are healthy and full of energy and enthusiasm.

22.7.2008. No news in BC K2. It is snowing again. We were going to ABC on Magic Route (5.520 m) today.

21.7.2008. It is no sun over K2. Clouds are on the top of mountain and we are in BC still.

20.7.2008. � Clouds, snow, wind� Every day in BC is the same. And the sun? Only seldom peeps behind the clouds. All of us are nervous. All the days we are in our tents. We go out only for snow-clearance.

18.7.2008.

� Number of climbers and expeditions in BC K2 is on the maximum. From now this number will be smaller and smaller. All expeditions finished their acclimation, advantage camps are ready, and most of us are waiting for favorable forecast to start up. But� It is not so simple. We need 5 days for upsurge and 1-2 days more for descent. Six or seven favorable days are almost impossible on this mountain full of caprices. So we have to have good forecast! Oftentimes we have to start in bad weather to arrive on the top when the window is open. All the day we make comparisons between our forecast and forecast of the others expeditions. We perform phlegm but time goes on. Today is one month since we made BC. Thanks to God we are healthy and jocund still ready to check what is the view from the top of this shamefaced mountain which abscond itself in the clouds.

16.7.2008.

� There are no clouds over top of K2. Early in the morning we were starting to C2. As first we will poke the snow around our tents in C1 and then in C2. We will sleep there.

Our tents are OK and all of equipment is OK too.

Some minutes after high-noon clouds are on the sky again. The wind is stronger. Leader of our expedition Mico Jovovic arrived from Serbia this morning in BC.

15.7.2008.

� Overnight (yesterday evening) in our tent was meeting of leaders of all expeditions in K2 BC. There were Dutch, Singaporean, American, Italian and Korean. We made agreement for collective upsurge to the top. The biggest problem is Betelnik, ice-rock which is about 100 m high. We will put the rope on it all together. Few next days there are expecting bad weather. When the forecast be good we will meet in C3 and start to K2 from there. It needs to install more 300-700 fix-ropes.

14.7.2008.

- BC is under snow. We are in our tents.

13.7.2008.

� It is unbelievable � warm and sunny day here, 15˚C in the shadow! But upon the mountain on over 8000 m Korean Sherpa are in hurricane. The snow is over their girdles. They are trying to find right-way to BC or C4 anyhow.

Here in K2 BC some people are coming and the other are leaving. Our friend Greenlander Nick and one climber from Denmark are going home. They said that the avalanches here are too hurtfully for them.

Pedja and Iso are putting the stones around the tent. Dren was washing himself. One mountain goat arrived here in BC. Does it mean that we have meat for dinner?

Earlier: Hurricane night is behind us. The wind has been shaking our tents all night, but we managed to keep them safe from the wind. Unfortunately, the clouds didn�t raise above the top of K2, so our carriers had to get back from the C3 camp. The snow is very deep up there. We headed towards Depot and waited for them out there. Now we�re all in the base camp again. We�re waiting and waiting for the clouds to move away above the mountain.

11.7.2008.

There is no wind, but everything is covered with clouds. The carriers from the C2 contacted us at about 6 am. Three Korean Sherpa and three Sherpa from Italian expedition are with them. We heard from them at about 10 am again. The clouds have moved away a bit and they�re heading towards the C3. The snow is deep. We are at the base camp and we�re going to celebrate Imamat Day with our Pakistani friends.

10.7.2008

The weather above K2 is not perfect. Clouds come around, then there�s a hurricane wind blowing, and still there are moments when the sun is shining strongly. In the next three days we intend to carry the oxygen bottles to the C4 (7.900 meters). We hope that the weather will allow us to fulfill our intentions.

Earlier: Till we waiting to start climbing time goes slowly.

Forecast is not promising and we have to be patient.

Every moment we use for checking our equipment. This day is time for those things for our heads: under-caps, caps, forehead lamps, sunglasses, oxygen-masks, stop valves and bottles with oxygen. In altitude in the dark we will have not time for repairing but each error may be end for climbing.

In meantime we took some photos.

In the afternoon we have meeting with others expeditions.

Raining on 5.000 meters is rarely but here in BC it is the second raining day.

We decided to rotate our Pakistan-friends in the kitchen. Dren and Pedja arranged �Gomboce� (it is an old Vojvodinean sweetmeats). The potato is needful for this but here are no potatoes so Pedja and Dren took mash from pocket. At home we always prepared �gomboce� with plums but here are not plums. So Pedja and Dren took strawberry-jam. But all was OK.

It is cloudy in BC. The glacier is sliding and we made new platforms for our tents all the day. There was rain in the afternoon. It is 7.00 pm now and it is raining also.

3. 7. 2008.: There are not clouds over K2 this morning. But the wind is strong. When the sun rises over our tents, we started to C2. Advantage-carriers proceeded to C3. If the case of promising weather we will install C3 today.

2.7. 2008.- BC: One morning without snow finally. Temperature is -8 C˚. At 6.00 am we started to AC1 and arrived about 12.00 am. Our tent was covered by snow. We spend more than 1 hour of digging. But now we are snuggled in it. Advantage-carriers were calling by phone � they are in C2. In case of promising weather they will start to C3 and we will start to C2 tomorrow morning. In the afternoon-hours there were installed 200 m of fix-ropes on the way to C3.

1. 7. 2008. : This morning there is snow in BC again. We got promising forecast yesterday but it is not sunny day today. After breakfast we were going to K2 Memorial Place. There are memorial stones for those people who rested on K2. At 7.00 pm it starts to snow. At 10.00 pm sky was clear again and we have seen the first stars on it.

30. 6. 2008. - BC : It is snow here again. It is windy and clouds are all around. We prepared oxygen masks and we are waiting for oxygen from Scardu.

Earlier: It is morning on 6.600 meters. We can not to C3 today. Sky is closed, all in clouds.

It is windy and snowy. We are starting to BC and we abandon ropes-installing for some others days. But it is OK with our stomachs.

It is dark in C2 (6.600 m). There are wind and snow. Three of our carriers and four Korean-Sherpa are with us. We were bad-luck today: pains are in our stomachs, one pad migrated down the rock and snow was starting on the way to C2. But the wind is not strong luckily.

Calm night in C1 (6.040 m). Some wind without snow. When the sun was up we started to C2. This morning carriers started with equipment from BC to C2. Tomorrow we will install the fix- ropes towards C3.

Early this morning our carriers removed 600 m fix-ropes and they will install C2. In the same time Korean team will install 400 m fix-ropes more to C2. We are in base camp. Today we are planning day of pause. Tomorrow it will be for carriers.

It is nice day in BC. We are reading your posts on our web site. Thank to all for good wishes and

We came back from C1 to BC. It seems we are at home. There are smile-faces around and coffee.

And plenty of chatting. We and Korean team togeder installed 1.200 m of fix-ropes. What this really mean? It means that we can reach C1 in only 5 to 7 hours. And descent to depot lasted 1,5 hour only.

Upsurge and descent was full of surprises. There were avalanche of stones on 5.400 m. We were awed and feel like we were in some kind of video-game. Stones more than 50 kg flitted over our heads.

DREN lay down and put his knapsack on his head. It was salvage for him because the biggest stone shoot over him.

PEDJA budged left-right to evasion the avalanche of stones and ISO sticked to the rock and waited.

We stayed in our tent to sleep and we feel so lonely in little tent on 6.050 m. All the night was snowy.

Tinned chicken and in the morning refresh us and our mood in the morning. After breakfast we made some photos out of tent. Than we affixed on the rope and came to Depot like in an elevator. From Depot to BC we came for 90 minutes. It was our record.

Early in the morning (5.oo am) we started to Depot from BC. Morning is clear but very cold � temperature is under -10˚C. We spend more than 2 hours to come on 5.150 m in Depot. There were 6 members of Korean team who reach Depot yesterday. Together with them we proceeded installing 350 m of fix ropes to C1.

It is very awry, axles are in the rock but ascent is in snow. One avalanche of stones flitted over us but nobody was stricken. At 11.45 am we installed one of tent on 6.040 m. It is our C1. Korean team put their C1 near our tent. Today we will return to BC.

Earlier: We arrived in Paiyu (3.500 m) and we have beautiful view on Baltoro glacier. Transportation across the Baltoro River valley outlasted 6 hours and passed without excesses but one of mules broke the leg. This pitiable animal will be at supper-table this evening, perhaps. And after that we will drink �Baltoro-deuce� (it means gold-colour water plenty of minerals from the creek which is skipping the dast of ambient).

Pedja says he like it. Withal, it is his birthdyu today and he can what he want. God bless him.

We haven't any problems with eider carriers or equipment. Everithing is in order and each thing is on its place.

In 6 jeeps and all of equipment we arrived to Askole, the village on the end of the world,

marvelous place encircled by snow-peaks. Today we have had the last bathing for the 50 next days.

From tomorrow we will going across the river-valley and than Baltoro Glacier is waiting for us.

What are expecting from next 10 days? Only several things: 1. That transport to K2 BC prove in acclimation; 2. That we reach it ready for giant challenge; 3. That we enjoy bypass great peaks which are alignment along our way like for some kind of parade.

Alter arrival in Islamabad, on +48˚C (in the shadow) we went to Department of Tourism. It was some problems, of course. And we determined them, of course. Ambasy of Pakistan in Belgrade was very helpful, of course.

Tomorrow we will start to Skardu but we don�t know which transport. It is drivers-strike here.