Miro Caban

I'm lying in the tent and thinking about the yesterday's mystical date of 7.7.2007. But as far as I remember nothing extraordinary happened. Only a meeting of the expeditions' leaders during the trek over Abruzi's ridge, which meant agreeing on when and how we will cooperate on the way to the summit. Tomorrow on the 9th all expeditions should start going up together. It should be altogether 20 people including the sherpas.

The forecast talks about nice weather for the 9th but with 80 km/hour wind at the altitude above 8000m. The same it should be on the 10th, with slightly slower, 60 km/h wind, when we should be at C3 at some 7200m. Seems fast? Yes, we plan to reach already C2 at 6400m on the first day. July 11th is set for reaching the C4 at 8000m but the wind is forecasted at 40km/h which will make the trek quite difficult. The summit day (12.7.) should bring 30km/h wind at 8000m which should change to cold 45km/h north wind on the very peak.

All the expeditions have been waiting so long for the good weather days that are not coming… The above mentioned days are the best considering the weather conditions of the past 30 days but nobody gives much chance yet for reaching the summit on these. Silently, all of us hope that during the climbing up the wind will cease to a fine level for the summit day. A climb up during a night is not a solution. The wind is weaker but still blows on and the temperatures are much lower which makes it, the conditions summed up, the same as during the day with the strong wind. The word goes around the BC that we might leave a day later. Let's see...

Anyway, lot of snow fell during the night and thus the first nice day will also bring the avalanche danger which is nothing pleasant to fight with during the climb up. Thus I think that the start of the climb up will be postponed. Talking about me, the toes stopped hurt and one of the friends from the Russian expedition gave me some special medicaments for speeding up the treatment. I walked the camp today in the altitude boots and nothing hurt. Yet I will go to the doctor and see what he thinks. It seems that I should go up together with the others.

Greetings from the K2' BC,
Miro