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Gasherbrum II Expedition Update: 1st - 6th July 2004
by Lindley Zerbe
G2 Camp 1, Camp 2 depot, 1st July 2004:
The team had a short night's sleep, heading off at 3:30am , with the objective of reaching 6,400m on a nearby ridgeline to acclimatize before our trip up to Camp 2 situated at 6500m.
After moving a short distance up the ridge, before the grade steepened considerably, the team performed a snow cross-section analysis to assess the avalanche danger. We found that the danger of avalanche was quite high, as there was 65cm of unconsolidated, dry powder with a 5cm crust, overlying a firm, consolidated layer. Based on these findings, the team moved back down the ridgeline.
 We then opted for an acclimatization climb on the ice fall leading to Camp 2, several hours' walk from our current position. We made our way across the snow field between G1 and G2 to a height of 6,350m, near a depot spot used by other expeditions climbing G1. Deep snow made the climb up to the depot difficult, but it was important to break trail today for the ascent up to Camp 2 planned for tomorrow
G2 Camp 1 to Camp 2, 2nd July 2004:
 The team woke up at 10:30pm to prepare for a 1am start with enough time to cook breakfast, pack up all of our personal gear and strike down the tents as the team would be spending two nights at Camp 2. All told, the team headed off with fully laden 17kg packs containing enough foo d and gear to sustain the team for 2 nights at Camp 2. After 5 hours of climbing, the two rope teams reached Camp 2 and set up the tents. That night, during dinner, we received the latest weather forecast, predicting stormy weather for 3-4 days, starting on the 4 th July. In anticipation of this, Lindley and Kim Boon decided to evacuate camp II the following morning, to allow for the dismantling of Camp 1 and ABC and a move down to base camp before the incoming storm.
G2 Camp 2 to BC, 3rd July 2004:
The team set off at 4:00am , laden with tents, excess foo d, and personal gear, bound for Camp 1. Lindley and Yen Kai (Team 1) set off first, with Shaffique, Efung, and Khong Lean (Team 2) following shortly after. The trail had a small amount of snow covering it, a premonition of the storm to come. In about an hour, we were safely through the icefall, the most dangerous part of the trip to Camp 1.
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The NUS Everest Team at Camp 1 |
Upon arrival in Camp 1, we started to strike down Camp 1 and move down to ABC where we would pick up more supplies before heading on to BC. Team 1 incorporated Kim Boon into their rope team and headed down first, reaching BC at 12:30 pm . Team 2 arrived some time later at 3pm . Both made it through the icefall safely. With all of the warm weather the previous days, the ice fall was rather slushy, with the ice bridges over the crevasses weakening. It was in a far different state from the day we first stepped on the fall.
G2 BC, 4th July 2004:
With the G2 Expedition in its closing stages, the team turned its attention to the upcoming training climb on Cho Oyu in September. Arrangements were made to confirm the date which we would be leaving BC and start our trek out to Hushe and subsequently returned to Islamabad . 10 th July is tentatively set as the date for us to leave BC to allow for several contingency days along the trek, for the flight from Skardu to Islamabad (subject to weather), and sending the gear by cargo from Islamabad to Kathmandu . We will be using the six remaining days in BC to clean and pack our equipment bound for Nepal or Singapore . The weather is very turbulent right now and is forecast to continue in this manner for the next few days. It has been consistently switching from strong snow to sunshine.
The weather forecast, the reason we evacuated Camp 2 and Camp 1, was largely accurate, with ominous looking clouds engulfing the upper section of the Gasherbrum Icefall and the surrounding peaks with accompanying snowfall.
G2 BC, 5th July 2004:
Another snowy day greeted us today. The team spent the day sorting through our excess foo d, a large part of which was distributed to our kitchen staff and high altitude porters. There was also time for some relaxation with team members engaging in games of chess, scrabble or just in the simple pleasure of reading a book.
G2 BC, 6th July 2004:
The team made full use of the sunny morning to clean, dry, repair and pack our high altitude tents, as well as the rest of our group equipment, getting everything ready to be shipped to Kathmandu from Islamabad for our upcoming Cho Oyu climb.
back < 7th - 15th June 2004
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