I have made the decision to leave the expedition and return to the US as quickly as I can.

All the team is safe as of this writing with most of them at camp 2 and heading back to BC. They will continue their BP summit bids then a reduced number will move to K2 base camp and hopefully summits in late July. This was an easy and a difficult decision. My last climb to Camp 1 was long. Much longer than it should have been for someone who had already been to C2 and was acclimatized. It was clear that my body was saying do not go higher. I believe I need more medical care and a less harsh environment to recover from this. I am sure what is wrong other than the Bug that got me earlier. My energy levels are getting lower not higher. While this is somewhat normal on a big climb, it is dangerous to be a level I am. One of my climbing philosophies has always been to not put myself nor my teammates in avoidable danger. If I continue to climb I may put myself in a rescue situation and ask my teammates to help me. This is unacceptable given what I know. Leaving the team at this point is difficult. I have made many close friends. I have enjoyed my time in these mountains. The opportunity to wake up every morning with K2 and Broad Peak in my backyard is simply amazing. The dispatches will continue with audio only. Hopefully someone from the team will post a dispatch at least once a week to keep us all informed. You can also follow the climb through Wilco's site at WWW.TWEEBERGEN.NL. It is in Dutch but you can use Google to translate it. Obviously the email will stop. I will not have access to the system once I leave BC early June 30. This expedition has been a success for me. This is not a spin on a bad situation but sincerely how I feel. Yes, I am very disappointed that I will leave early and did not summit Broad nor touched K2. But after so many expeditions, I measure success perhaps differently than others. The very fact that 29 people met in Islamabad, traveled the Karakorum Highway, trekked to Base Camp, climbed Broad Peak and have already put 7 climbers on the summit already is enough. I am sure some will go on to summit K2. We have had some of the most pristine weather in years allowing us to enjoy unbelievable views day after day. The Eureka tents have performed well and I am amazed at how they withstood some very strong winds high on the mountain. All the other gear did well as did our porter support. So all in all it has been a great experience. I see mountaineering a metaphor for life: set a difficult goal, prepare for it, put everything you have into achieving it, accept the results without question. Thank you for following and my best wishes for my teammates for their safe success on the Hills. Climb on! Alan

Posted by Alan Arnette at 09:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

We knew we had it great for longer than normal so it was no surprise last night when the clouds moved in, temps dropped and it started to snow.

There have been two summit attempts. First Wilco and Gerrard tried Monday night and ran into knee to thigh deep snow. Gerrard became sick shortly after starting and had to return to C4. Wilco tried for three hours but finally gave up. Both are safe in BC today. When the team made the summit a few days ago there were five climbers. Each person took a turn at breaking trail. By this I mean one person would lead the group and with a high step or steps to push the snow out of the way to clear a trail for the others. Each person could only last about 10 to 20 steps before having to step aside for the next person. Remember they were at 7900m or 26,000' so this is exhausting work. It is is most impossible for one or two climbers to do this alone. Last night a team of four: Mick, John R, Joelle and Marcus started their bid but ran into the same problems. They are back at C3 now. Many climbers are at C2 with the intention of waiting out the weather in hopes of either going to C3 to leave food or perhaps a summit bid. But it is obvious now that we will have to reorganize into summit teams of at least five climbers plus HAP support to have a chance. The normal weather pattern here is for a few days of bad weather then a few days of good so now the waiting game begins. Climb on! Alan

Posted by Alan Arnette at 07:46 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

After yesterday's summit by Ryan and the route now fixed, I am sure everyone is curious where their friends or family are currently located and how they are doing. With a couple of climbers who asked not to be noted here is a list of where they are, their highest camp reached and an * indicates they are heading towards the summit.

Remember that in general climbers need to have slept at C2 for a couple of nights and returned to BC before going for the summit. Also climbers will usually carry a load of food, HA clothes to the high camps before returning to BC for some rest and then their summit bid. As you look at the list also remember it was created at 9:00 AM June 26 and climbers were moving up (and down) today so this is a snapshot. As for future plans everyone has their own plan but most everyone will be starting a summit bid this week with a couple of exceptions. The weather continues to look good but perhaps a change for the weekend. Broad Peak has impressed us all with her difficulty. The average climb times between Camps ranges from 4 to 8 hours with summit day a solid 12 minimum. This year, in spite of no snow during our time here, Broad has a lot of deep snow above Camp 3. The bright sun has baked the slopes and ice is beginning to show where the snow is blown away. Climbing on a 50 degree slope with solid ice is difficult. The Austrian and Australian teams were on the Hill several weeks before us and had not summitted before Ryan did. They had put in a lot of good work but no fixed lines. Their knowledge of the route up high was valuable and appreciated as was their willingness to share tents but it shows the difficulty of the conditions that they have not summitted as of today. The altitude of our camps: BC 15660' 4800m C1 19100' 5800m C2 20460' 6200m C3 23430' 7100m C4 24750' 7500m CLIMBER CURRENT HIGHEST Ian BC C2 Di BC C2 Mark BC C3 Nick BC C2 Alan BC C2 John R BC C2 Kurt C1 C1 Carl C1 C1 Marcus* C2 C3 Mick* C2 C3 Con* C1 C2 John* C2 C3 Gerrard* C2 C3 Wilco* C2 C3 JJ C2 Summit Ridge Ryan C2 Summit Matt C1 C1+ Jan C2 C2 Climb on! Alan

Posted by Alan Arnette at 10:20 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

On Sunday, June 25 at 10:27 AM, Ryan Waters, of the FTA team reached the true summit of Broad Peak, 26,401'/8047m via the normal route, the West Ridge. They left Camp 4 at 2:30 AM and returned to C3 at 3:00 PM.

In addition to Ryan, Assistant Leader; Jeff Justman (JJ) the overall Expedition Leader and High Altitude Porters Tagi, Mohamadad and Anizzi pushed through deep snow from C4 and along the summit ridge just behind Ryan. They picked up where the Austrian team turned around the previous day after experiencing deep snow and a fragile top crust that made trail breaking exhausting. By building on their work, the FTA team was able to continue breaking trail in the early morning hours when the snow was harder yet still they experienced deep snow. JJ acknowledged Ryan for his amazing strength in leading the way. JJ, with Everest, Dhaulagiri and multiple other summits under his belt told me via radio from C3 that this was the most difficult summit climb he had ever experienced. Also this was the closest to the summit for the three HAPs after many years of working with expeditions on Broad Peak. Many thanks to both the Austrian and Australian team for their trail breaking and cooperation at the high camps. The rest of the FTA team is at various stages on the Hill with seven climbers moving rapidly up the mountain for a summit bid in a few days. This includes Wilco, Marcus, Joelle, Mick, Gerard, Con and John R. The weather continues to be amazing. Light breeze with few clouds and no moisture has been the theme since we arrived at BC almost two weeks ago. I spoke with an older HAP who said he had not seen such good weather in all his 32 years in the Karakorum. He felt it would continue. I want to repeat something I said in an earlier dispatch. I think Broad Peak is not one of the easy 8000m mountains. The climbing, while not technical, is steep and continuous. On my Climb of Cho Oyu, another so-called easy 8K hill, the climbing was steep but in short sections. The camps were placed on relatively flat spots versus the perches of Broad. Joelle, who climbed to C4 on K2 a few years ago said the climb to C2 on Broad reminded her of the climbing on K2. Wilco, one of our our Dutch climbers, noted that of the approximately 5 Dutch expeditions to Broad no climber ever made it to the true summit. Now that the trail has been established to the summit, we can expect to see more summits this week and next as our team and the other 5 teams at BC make their pushes. It might be a record year for Broad if the great weather continues. I have posted a new video on the main dispatch page. It is called Concordia Panorama and is a 360 video of K2, Broad Peak, Mitre Peak and the Baltro glacier as seen from Concordia. Again congratulations to our five great climbers for fixing the route to the summit. Well done to all! Climb on! Alan

Posted by Alan Arnette at 07:19 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

We awoke this Thursday morning to the highest winds yet on the climb. With seven of us at Camp 2 and Wilco plus three HAPs at Camp 3; the winds plus cold temps called for a change of plans.

Remember what this climb high-sleep low game is all about. Our bodies use red blood cells to carry oxygen to our muscles. The harder we work the more oxygen we need yet at these altitudes the availability of oxygen is less than at sea level - maybe 30% less here at 20,000' So the game is to trick our bodies into creating more of the cells by spending time at higher altitudes. The best approach is to climb high - maybe 300m - then return to a lower altitude to sleep. By repeating this routine the body will generate more red blood cells to carry the oxygen. At this stage all the climbers are into the program. Some people acclimatize more easily than others yet still need some degree of the program. Wilco is a great example as he slept at C2 one night returned to BC for a few days then climbed to C3 ready for a summit bid. But all this climbing stuff is complicated! First you need good weather, fixed lines for safety, then you need food and finally most climbers need some help from other climbers. All this did not come together as Wilco has hoped - especially the brutal cold and harsh winds so he has returned to BC for a rest and more food. The BC area is getting crowded with us, Austrians, Australians, Argentines and a Spanish team. The cooperation between teams has been excellent thus far. Meanwhile what do we do at 20,000'? Well a lot of nothing. Rest is important but some amount of activity is critical to keeping the red blood cell machine going. I'll be taking a few hundred meter climb towards C3 this afternoon. But mostly we read, talk or listen to music on our iPods. I have the Shuffle which does not have a hards disc and work fine at this altitude.

Speaking of technology. I understand some are having problem listening to the audio dispatches. Keep trying since I think the server may get overloaded once a notification goes out and everyone tries to listen at once. This is a different service from my main site and I do not have any influence over their bandwidth. Keep trying you will get in. Otherwise the rest of the system is working very well - I think! I cannot actually see the site since it takes a time build the pages and I am using my PDA. Also the sat phone runs at 9600 baud. Remember the Internet in 1997 over dial-up? Finally I have a few videos to get on the site once I return to BC. So everyone continues to climb high and sleep low. All the lost baggage has finally arrived at BC. Most everyone has worked through various stomach problems while others are now dealing with altitude headaches and the general fatigue that comes with these climbs. Remember that this climb is as much mental as physical so keep sending positive energy this way. The weather continues to look good through the weekend so hopefully the lines can be fixed above C3 and climbers can get some time in at C2. Then we start looking at summit dates. As I once was told that if you must forecast, forecast often so today's summit forecast is June 27th. Or maybe the 26 or maybe the 28 or ... Climb On! Alan

Posted by Alan Arnette at 12:39 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Today we have 18 of our 21 climbers on Broad Peak. Thankfully the other two teams up here, the Australians and the Austrians are working well with our monster team and in fact are even sharing their tents with us. Today I am at Camp 1, 18,270'/5570m.

Camp 1 is a long climb from Basecamp and it is steep as I have previously noted. Our strongest climbers have made the one-way trip in about 3 - 4 hours gaining 800m or 2600'. C1 is perched on a rock stubble and it is very hard to find a spot to pitch the tents. It takes anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to climb to C2. I am taking a rest day for acclimatization and rest purposes today. I continue to feel extremely fatigued and have a fairly strong headache today. The other climbers are doing about the same or better with some very impressive exceptions who are making the 8000m mountain look "easy". But one thing we all share is the incredible views of the glaciers, K2, Metier Peak and more. The weather continues to be unbelievable. Perfectly clear days (almost too hot) to cold nights that justify the heavy sleeping bags. Occasionally we experience some strong wind gusts and snow squalls but nothing organized or sustained. Last night 10 of us at C1 prepared our dinners and turned in about 6:00 PM! I enjoyed my homemade meal of couscous and chicken. The best part was taking only a few minutes to melt enough snow. Each climber has to melt three to six liters of water for their own use and it takes about 15 minutes per liter at this altitude on our gas stoves. So lots of time is taken up staring at water and you know what they say about staring at boiling water? Tomorrow to C2 for me or another day here if I don't feel better. Climb on! Alan

Posted by Alan Arnette at 05:36 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

With a group this size, logistics is the key. Last night we discussed who would go to Camp 1 first and for how long.

This is critical since there are only spots for 5 or 6 tents at Camp 1. While these mountains may seem huge (and they are) often finding 1 square meter for a tent is difficult much less space for 5 or more tents. Over dinner, we discussed who was ready to go to Camp 1 to spend the night or stay for a few nights in their acclimatization process. There are about 10 spots for our team in 5 tents. So everyone discussed how they felt and how many nights they wanted to spend at C1. Believe it or not, it actually worked out perfectly - a testament to the teamwork and attitudes of the climbers. We mapped out a 3 day plan of who would go up first followed by who on the next day and who would return early or later. We also made sure that there were enough stoves, fuel and food for each climber. Finally we organized a buddy system whereby each climber would know the whereabouts of 2 other climbers at all times e.g. at BC or at C1, etc. This last item is to minimize the risk that everyone thinks that someone else knows where a climber is and in reality no one does. Climb on! Alan

Posted by Alan Arnette at 08:08 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

With everyone settled into Base Camp, climbers are starting to work their way up Broad Peak.

Over the past few days, Camp 1 has been establish. There is fixed line in place for the climber's safety. While we have seven High Altitude Porters, JJ and Ryan are carrying a lot of the burden in that they are the ones placing the protection and tying the knots. The HAPs are good and strong but their work needs to be double checked. This was not unexpected. I climbed to 5350m, 17,600' yesterday along with several of my team mates. It was a good day. However, I can still feel the effect of my infection. While my beathing was good and comfortable, I was tired and did not have a deep reserve. Hopefully that will return over the next week or so. I was very, very surprised, however, at how steep the climbing is on Broad Peak. It was a continuous 45 to 55 degree angle on good snow. The angle is as such that some climbers used their rappel (absail) devices on the down climb. If you slip and are not clipped into the fixed line, you would fall hundreds of meters and most likely suffer a serious injury. I don't write this to scare anyone or to act brave but rather to show that there are no "easy" 8000m mountains. I am always annoyed when I hear that term since any mountain can kill you much less one of this size. Broad Peak is sometimes called an easy 8000m mountain since it is not the highest or has difficult ice or rock sections. However, it is very high, very steep and very dangerous. We are all begin very careful and looking after one another. Wilco spent the night last night at Camp 1, the first for our team. Other climbers are moving up to spend nights there are well today. Everyone must spend a few nights at the high camps to drive the acclimatization process. The weather continues to be fantastic. We have had a stiff breeze occasionally but no heavy snows. It is still an amzing experience to wake up in the morining, look out my tent and see Broad Peak looming above and then K2 standing proud and alone to our west. How lucky I am. Climb on! Alan

Posted by Alan Arnette at 10:16 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

For the first time last night we had all the team together for dinner. It was bitter sweet given our five trekkers were leaving today.

Everyone is in good health with a few exceptions for headaches and being out of breath due to the altitude. We are at 4800m/15800'. JJ, Ryan and our 7 High Altitude Porters (HAPs) left BC this morning about 5AM to begin fixing the line and establishing Camp1 at 5100m. I had part of the story correct of the Australian and Austrian teams going to C3 the other day. They did but they did not fix any lines. A huge risk in my view since just the climb to C1 is dangerous and a fall would be serious. Today, several climbers followed JJ and team to get some time on the Hill. They intend to tag C1 and return to BC this afternoon. Others are here in BC taking another rest day before going up tomorrow. Basecamp is comfortable. We each have a Eureka! tents set up so each person has their own personal tent. We have a huge dinning tent that seats 22 of us comfortably. There is constant hot water for tea or coffee. The meals have been quite good thus far. Our main cook was trained at Islamabad hotels and it is showing. Last night we had rice, dall and potatoes in a very tasty cream sauce. Quite nice actually! So here we are. I left home over two weeks ago and just arrived at BC. It has been a journey to say the least thus far. My health has returned however I continue to take it slowly. I plan on going with the team to C1 tomorrow. With our trekkers leaving the first third of this adventure is over: trek to BC, climb Broad Peak, Climb K2. Climb on! Alan

Posted by Alan Arnette at 11:39 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I arrived at Concordia this morning along with Kurt, Di and Ian. It was as spectacular as I had hoped. It is about 14,800' - 4884m so we have a few headaches but I believe everyone on the team is well.

I hope all my stomach bugs are behind me and am feeling 100% better. I am still taking 500mg of Cipro every 6 hours so whatever is in there has no chance! The trek up the Baltero Glacier has it's high and low points. Sometimes it can be mind-numbingly boring. Hour after hour you focus on the step in front of you to avoid a small crevasse or a loose rock. But then you look up and it all comes back as to why you are here. The mountains are simply stunning. It has snowed on and off the last few days so most have a fresh white coat that makes for a stunning contrast when the sky is blue. Concordia may sound like a town or village but it actually just a spot on the glacier where teams set up tents. There is a Pakistani Military camp a few hundred yards away. Actually there are many military camps on the glacier and we saw small teams with rifles going up and down the area on the trek into Concordia. I had a great conversation with one military man who told me that Pakistan and America are good friends. If I was ever concerned about my safety from the bad guys up here, it is now gone. Actually all I have to worry about is the bad bugs! From Concordia we can see Mitre Peak, Marble Peak and of course Broad Peak and K2. The clouds have covered Broad most of today but I did get a quick shot of K2. It is huge! Both mountains are huge! This place is huge! Well you get the Idea. The rest of the team is at Broad Peak Base Camp (BP-BC) and we will join them tomorrow. We are already getting our weather forecast from Adventure Weather so the

Posted by Alan Arnette at 07:06 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Boy and their toys, so the saying goes - not that I agree with it, you understand. However as we gathered in the K2 Hotel parking lot, we saw a literal fleet of supped up 4-wheel drive jeeps. 4 to a jeep, this fleet of 6 was to be our transportation today for 80 miles to the start of trek to base camp.

The road started smooth as we followed the Braldu River north. Soon it became rougher and then it was competing with the “worst road in Colorado” with serious rocks, holes, dips and climbs. Another day in the blender!

While the countryside was rough and interesting, once again, the people captured my mind. For the first time we saw many women walking without veils along the road. They sometimes had their children with them but often were with other women. Almost every village had a middle school and one had a school for girls.

It became almost a game that when we approached a village, the children ran to the side of road and yelled out "Hello, one pen?"; Kids used to ask for money or candy but visitors have done a nice job of telling them no so now they ask for pens. In hindsight I wish I had brought 100 pens, they would have been gone in a second.

At one point on the road, it became very rough so our jeep slowed to a crawl. The kids ran to the side of the jeep and asked for pens. I almost never carry a pen but this year, I have a pair of trekking pants with a special pocket for a pen – and I had one!

I made eye contact with one screaming kid and just as I was handing him my pen, a bigger kid pushed him aside and reached for it. I pulled it back, made a long arm stretch and – success! – I passed the pen to my original receiver. We zoomed away with everyone laughing and he had a huge smile on his face!

We stopped for lunch at a random building along the road and had an excellent meal of potatoes, spinach, peas and goat – yes goat – we might as well get used to it! I finished quickly and went outside to see about 20 kids sitting on a stone wall. I took out my video camera and started filming – an instant hit! They loved seeing their moving faces smiling and laughing on the small screen. I asked them their names one by one but had no idea what they said. It really did not matter we all were having a great time. An elder came up and I asked him his name – Assai Bakum. He held the hand of his son, with the same name, as we spoke. His English was good and he told me all the children went to school. A nice man.

After six hours, we arrived at Askole. We were met by hundreds of men all vying for the several hundred porter jobs we needed. We are the largest expedition in Pakistan this year so we are quite popular and it seems that word had spread. We thanked our jeep drivers, gave them a tip for getting us here alive, and found that the FTA crew had already set up our tents.

So almost everyone is here now except for Kurt and Carl who are lagging due to their lost bags. We hope they will catch up with us in a few days. Everyone is n good health other than the odd stomach problem. And everyone is ready to start the trek.

As the sun was going down, I glanced up to see my first big Pakistani mountain – a majestic peak covered in snow and shrowded in cloud. I stared at it for a while as my mind drifted to the reason we are all here – to climb a mountain. Let's get on with it!

Climb on!

Alan

Posted by Alan Arnette at 08:53 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I had always heard about the Karakorum Highway. It was associated with famous names in history such as Marco Polo. Its reputation is one of hazards, turns and death. In fact, it is said that 100 men died building every half mile of the road. Defined by the Greeks but made into a highway by the Pakistani and Chinese in the 1960s and 1970s it is an amazing journey.

We new it was going to be a long day but we had no idea. We left Islamabad about 6:00AM on Saturday morning and arrived at the small village of Chilas at 9:00 that night. The highway follows the Indus River, a fast flowing river created from glacier melt. It was a muddy, turquoise mix that turned bright white in the fast moving rapids.

While the scenery was stunning it was the bus driver that captured everyone’s attention. The highway is a never-ending series of sharp turns, blind corners, steep climbs and narrow escapes. It was a total mystery to everyone how two approaching drivers made the last second decision to pull left or right, speed up or slow down or give way. A serious game of chicken!

We stopped often to let our stomach settles only to pick right up where we left off. However, it was at these stops that I began to see the Pakistani culture outside of the big city of Islamabad.

First, we rarely saw a woman on the streets. This part of the culture was evident with men sitting on the streets and working on the highways but very rarely we saw a woman working in a field or looking out a door. We were asked not to take their pictures and when they saw someone with a camera they simply vanished – or at least it seemed that way.

Next was the basic level of their lifestyle. In the Northern Areas, 80% of the people live an agricultural lifestyle – living on the plot of land where they grow rice and potatoes and raise their family. The villages were few and far between and consisted of basic adobe style buildings. It was here we witnessed the devastation of last year’s earthquakes.

While we saw many crumpled homes and fallen walls, one stood out in my mind. A small dirt block building was home to ten people. The boys were outside and interacted with us. They smiled easily after a few minutes and my outstretched hand and smile to them. They let me take their pictures and soon started showing off for the camera. This was fun.

Their sisters and adult women watched us carefully by peeking around the walls and from just inside the door. Like ghosts, they disappeared whenever I looked their way. Even when I finally got one’s attention and put down my camera, she made eye contact for a brief moment and then slipped away.

Another sense of the culture was in a slightly larger town where we stopped for a pre-arranged lunch. While the “restaurant” as nice and the food good, it was the people that left an impression. I walked down the street to take a few pictures. Soon a few teenage boys gathered around me. Some smiled but a couple had icy stares. I smiled and tried to interact with them. I asked if I could take their pictures and they nodded in agreement. I clicked a few but soon stopped when their expression hardened and their eyes became solid. I never felt afraid or in danger but it was clear that these young men wanted to make a statement.

The elders were quite different. The old men with their long beards or grey hair. They smiled toothless smiles and had a real twinkle in their eyes. Sometimes they laughed at my words in an expression of non-understanding.

The very young, the very old, and a troubled middle. Not unlike the rest of the world.

That night we spent in Chilias and Sunday took the nine more hours to reach Skardu. This is the largest city before the glaciers of the Himalayas end. We have spent the day resting up and finalizing our gear. We can buy a few things here such as climbing gear, clothes and food. But mostly everyone enjoyed not being in a bus!

The Karakorum Highway took us back in time with the perspective of the present. Not much has changed for generations for this land and these people. The river is a constant in this area. It defines the valley, provides the basics for the plants, animals and people. While cars, busses and trucks crowd the highway, it is the people and the land that define the Karakorum highway.

Tomorrow, Tuesday June 6, we take a 9-hour jeep ride to Askole – then the trek begins.

Climb on!

Alan

Posted by Alan Arnette at 09:09 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It is every climber's nightmare. You train for months, sometimes plan for years. And when the time comes,

yes, lost luggage! Most of the team has arrived but some of the gear has not. Most of us are now in Skardu and more on the journey in the next dispatch (it was incredible!). Islamabad was a pleasant surprise. It was safe, clean and organized, we?ll except for the airport. I met one of my teammates,Jan, on the flight in from Dubai and we waited and searched until we finally gathered our bags only to wait another hour to wait for three airplane's passenger loads to have their bags x-rayed, one by one! Anyway, we were met by our ground agent, ATP and quickly arrived at the hotel. It was a modern hotel with basic but clean rooms and great people. We took off to a local market and bank for some last minute items and again we were met with smiles. My only complaint was that it was hot - 40c/112f!! One by one everyone met and soon people were swapping travel stories, climbing lies - uh - stories and more. We had a team meeting around 6:00 and went to dinner at the Chinese restaurant next door - I know, Chinese food in Pakistan? Since most everyone was exhausted after long journeys, it was a short night. So, again, so far so good except for the lost luggage. Five climbers have lost gear. We know where four of them are and hope to get them on Monday 5 June. The last one is somewhere between London and Islamabad. But these things have a way of working out so no one is too worried, except for Carl - it is his climbing gear! It is late Sunday night so I will post another dispatch tomorrow on the 2 day journey to Skardu. I have already taken over 400 pictures and some interesting videos and will try to communicate this amazing land in tomorrow's dispatch. Climb On! Alan

Posted by Alan Arnette at 02:00 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

So far so good as I sit at the Frankfurt airport waiting for my connection to Dubai and then to Islamabad. Leave Wednesday at noon and arrive Friday morning – this is a journey!

I succeeded in getting all my gear and food into three duffels each weighting less than 55 pounds each. This was necessary because each bag is carried on the back of a porter for the last 60 miles to base camp.

All 29 team members are in various stages of their own travel with some already there and about a third arriving the same day I do. Dave arrived last week and is heading towards the mountains to establish base camp – at least that is the plan!

Many of you have followed my Everest, Aconcagua or other climbs so welcome back. For those new to my climbs, here is what you can expect. My dispatches will be mostly about what I am experiencing. I will be honest and sometimes emotional.

You see, I made this deal with myself when I started this website back in 1999 that if I was going to write about all this stuff then it had to serve a purpose beyond being a boring slide show you see at your relative’s house at Christmas of their two-week vacation at a senior’s dude ranch. Sorry, I digress.

I will try to describe the environment, culture and the people I meet. I will report on my teammates with their permission. I have an intense respect for their privacy so if I never mention someone it is probably at their request.

I hope to bring you into my world of mountaineering. While it may seem that a step on snow is a step on snow whether it is Denali or Everest, the reality is every mountain is different, every team is different, every step is different. This uniqueness brings me back to climb new mountains with new mates year after year.

So, here we go!

For me this time is one of the toughest parts of an expedition. I want to get to the mountain. I want to get my base camp tent established – my new home. I want to start climbing.

However, I also want to take my time driving the roads, meeting the people, seeing the kids. I want to soak in this new culture and try to understand our differences and our similarities.

All in good time, Thanks for coming along. This is going to be fun!

Posted by Alan Arnette at 09:31 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)