I think the attitude with which you begin an event can often
decide the fate of the player even before the game begins. At least that was
true of our first hike up the mountain to Camp 1.
Danny was sick, so he stayed behind; with Chris out front we
had Evan, Eric, Anna and myself. We each had light loads, maybe 30lbs, and
light hiking boots. There was not meant to be any real snow on the way, so we
planned on a "light and easy hike".
Just after breakfast we left our lush green Base Camp and
stepped onto the gray glacier that constantly moves, churning rocks and
boulders that come down from the mountains. The only challenge there was route
finding. Since Chris was up ahead we all plugged in our music and began the
slow forward roll, each of us watching our feet move, one out in front of the
other.
When we stepped off the glacier onto the mountain proper it
went up a steep scree slope winding around towards the Kinshofer Route. This was the beginning of a hike that we would
not soon forget. As we ascended, we spread out, each making steady progress up;
not that it was easy, as the scree slope constantly moved. With each step the
scree moved around your feet, gaining only half a step each time.
When Chris finally stepped into Camp 1 (some 45 minutes
ahead of the rest of us) was when all the fun started, and for the first time
that morning I looked up to where my footsteps were leading. I had found myself
on a steepening ice slope with a bit of plastered grit on it. I was acutely
aware that if I slipped I would be speeding down an ice chute into a pile of
rocks at the base. Just then, my purchase failed and I found myself on all
fours, peddling my feet madly, with my bare left hand trying to gain purchase
and my right grasping the base of my trekking pole, trying to scratch it into
the ice. When I finally flopped over the top of the slope, I jumped up quickly
trying to see if anyone had seen my ridiculous and foolish struggle. Luckily no
one had, as they were all in the middle of their own struggles. Eric, on his
own path, found himself in a similar situation, only in the middle of a snow
slope. He finally admitted defeat, and slide down on his arse back to the scree
slope, controlling his speed with his trekking pole. Evan, having been the only
one smart enough to bring crampons, followed a high road and was looking good...
until he planted one foot into Camp 1 proper. Suddenly all the rocks he was
standing on rolled out and he tumbled down the mountain, smashing up his knee.
Anna-well Anna was lucky and smart enough to have learned from our mistakes,
she simply walked across the easy weakness of the snow slope straight into Camp
1.
It was as if we were at a cocktail party, and casually
turning around to meet Nanga Parbat, he grabbed
our hand with a crushing seriousness and stared straight into our eyes as if to
say, "There are no games here, I will demand your respect and your complete
focus, oh and by the way, nice meeting you".
We will not be so foolish next time.
[ Also check out the video of the climb to Camp 1 and above HERE ]
