2015 K2 expedition dispatches

We are planning to head up tomorrow to advanced base camp for 2 nights, weather permitting, then up higher to Camps 1 & 2 to begin our acclimatization. Our Estonian climbers are planning to head from ABC to Camp 1 tomorrow. The weather has changed and now it is overcast with clouds and some snow. We celebrated a birthday today and had a wonderful evening here at base camp!
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exercise in base camp

exercise in base camp


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selecting snack food for the days ahead

selecting snack food for the days ahead

Today we had our Puja ceremony, where we ask the mountain for safe passage before beginning our climb. All our team gathered at our Puja shrine and we had a wonderful ceremony. Tomorrow some members of our team will climb to Advanced base camp, while others will continue to rest. Our Sherpa climbers will continue fixing lines and hopefully reach Camp 2 tomorrow or the next day. All is well at K2 base camp.
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We had another glorious day of trekking from our camp at Concordia to K2 Base Camp, great weather continues! We are all settled into camp now and everyone is feeling well. We look forward to taking a rest day tomorrow!
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Our trek today began with a leisurely breakfast at 7 AM of fried eggs, bacon, bread, and porridge, along with our french press and espresso coffee, a great way to begin any day on an expedition! The weather continued to hold clear as we hiked along the Baltoro glacier to the famous Concordia camp, where the glacier splits. Here we have a nice view of K2! Tomorrow we plan to arrive in our base camp.
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Today we enjoyed a nice walk up the middle of the Baltoro glacier to reach our camp at Goro. We had great views of surrounding peaks, another perfect day on the expedition! The food has been wonderful, happy hour consists of smoked salmon and salami with cheese and crackers, for dinner fresh vegetables and meat every night. Yum!
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Today we left early again and began trekking before sunrise, catching the first morning rays of sunlight into the valley. We passed by the Trango Towers, and found ourselves in camp high above the glacier below admiring the view of the sunset. It’s been a great 4th of July for us here in Pakistan!
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Making the move from Jhola to Paiju, we started earlier today at 5 AM as the heat was very intense and we wanted to reach camp soon to relax in the shade. It was a pleasant walk but even more pleasant in camp under the trees by the cool stream! We had many great views of the surrounding peaks, and are excited to finally begin walking up the Baltoro glacier tomorrow, as the trail will transition from dirt to glacier moraine.
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We awoke early this morning and began walking by 6:30 AM, it was hot so we wanted to get an early start to the day. We hiked along the Braldu river and had many nice views of the surrounding peaks. After crossing the bridge we reached our camp at Jhola, and are now settled in for the night.
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Today we drove by jeep from Skardu to Askole, a very adventurous drive along the Braldu river. We are in the lush village of Askole and exited to begin trekking tomorrow morning!
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Tomorrow we plan to finish our journey by driving from Skardu to Askole by jeep! We have enjoyed our brief stay in this village and are excited to head onwards! A few photos from our stay in Skardu.
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