Diary of a novice - Lynn M. Pease (expedición al K2 en 1960).pdf

8/13/2019 Diary of a novice - Lynn M. Pease (expedicin al K2 en 1960).pdf

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1960 German-American

Karakoram-Himalaya

Expedition to K2At 28,250 feet, the second highest mountain in the world.

February 12 August 14, 1960

Diary of a NoviceFrom the diary of Lynn M. Pease

Publication Support by George Guo

[Bracketed comments and words added.]

Transcribed from the Field Scrawl byEllen P. Chamberlin


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1960 German-American

Karakoram-Himalaya

Expedition to K2At 28,250 feet, the second highest mountain in the world.

February 12 August 14, 1960

Diary of a NoviceFrom the diary of Lynn M. Pease

Publication Support by George Guo

[Bracketed comments and words added.]

Transcribed from the Field Scrawl byEllen P. Chamberlin


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Grosse Pointe, Michigan

August 2008


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HEARTFELT APPRCIATION

Special thanks are due to granddaughter, Ellen Chamberlin,

for her patience and persistence in transcribing the

handwritten diary, and to collaborator, George Guo, for his

technical skill and sound advice, without whom this volume

would not exist. The constant support of my wife, Martha, in

understanding and meticulous proofreading was invaluable

and deeply appreciated. This sequel would also not have

been possible without the experience gained from Dave

Bohn, who produced the first book about our K2 adventure,

The Advance Party March Out, and who was a life-saving

companion during that trek back to civilization.

All photos, except Ludwig leaps and maps, were taken on

1960 Kodachrome 35 mm. film.


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CAST OF CHARACTERS

AGEMajor William D. Hackett 40

U.S. Army stationed in Bad Tlz, Germany. He had climbed the highest peaks onfive continents (no. 5 was Australia) and had permission to attempt Mt. Everest in1961, for which K2 in 1960 would be the dress rehearsal. Leader of theexpedition.

Dave Bohn 30Graduate student in anthropology, University of Oregon. Climber and expeditionphotographer (movies and still).

Lynn M. Pease 34Engineer with Radio Free Europe, Munich, Germany. Novice climber and

German/English translator.

And the following experienced climbers from the German Alpine Club (DeutscherAlpenverein) in Munich:

Dr. Wolfgang Deubzer 29 Doctor

Ludwig Greissl 26 Mechanical engineer

Herbert Wnsche 30 Model maker at BMWMarried two weeks before the start of the expedition.

Gnther Jahr 27 PainterKilled on his motorcycle in Munich shortly after returning from the expedition.

Plus

Hayat Ali Shah 29 Pakistani studentFrom Kohat, with mountaineering experience on two Himalayan expeditions.Speaks five languages fluently and three dialects.

Capt. Sharif Ghafur 29 Liaison officer

From the Pakistani Army, Karachi. English/Urdu translator.

High Porters - Taqi (Sirdar, or head porter, and Urdu/Balti translator), Asad, Longinoand Makhmal

and 165 local porters in Baltistan for the March In.


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CONTENTS

Preparations (12 Feb. 25 Apr.) ..................................................................................... 9

Trip to Pakistan (26 Apr. 15 May)............................................................................... 10

Karachi (15 16 May)................................................................................................... 11

Rawalpindi (17 29 May)..............................................................................................13

Off to Skardu (30 May) .................................................................................................. 21

The March In (31 May 13 June)............................................................................... 23

Base Camp (14 21 June) ...........................................................................................44

Up (and Down) the Mountain (22 June 15 July) ......................................................... 55

Back in Base Camp (16 22 July) ................................................................................ 82

The March Out (23 30 July) * ................................................................................... 90

Askole (31 July 7 Aug.) * ............................................................................................90

The Trip Home (8 14 Aug.) * ...................................................................................... 90

A Wifes Eye View (Much later) ..................................................................................... 91

*Please see bound volumeThe Advance Party March Out, January 2008by Dave Bohn and Lynn Pease


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Preparations (12 Feb. 25 Apr.)

PREPARATIONS

Fri. 12 February 1960

Article in the Stars and Stripes newspaper about Major Hacketts [planned] expedition to

K2.

Sun. 14 Feb.

Letter to Hackett offering assistance.

Thurs. 3 Mar.

Reply from Hackett seeking four Germans to replace the Swiss [who dropped out over a

contract disagreement].

Sat. 5 Mar.

Visit to Dr. Hans Joachim Schneider at the Geographic Institute inquiring about

possibility for four German members [from the German Alpine Club].

Sun. 3 April

Visit to Major Hacketts home in Bad Tlz and invitation to join the party extended [to

me].

April 16, 17, 18, 19

Easter weekend. Packing in Zahm warehouse in Munich [which included weighing up

four-day rations of all loose food stuffs in small plastic bags and making up 60-pound

loads for the porters and preparing the essential list of what each numbered load

contained! We also observed the old adage not to put all your eggs in one basket!]


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Sat. 23 April

Forty-one wooden crates picked up by American Express truck and put on a freight car

for Genoa.

Mon. 25 April

Thirty-three cartons of food arrived from U.S. and transferred from freight yard to

baggage room at Hauptbahnhof [German: main railroad station]. Sent as

unaccompanied luggage to Genoa.

Trip to Pakistan (26 Apr. 15 May)TRIP TO PAKISTAN

Tues. 26 April

Bohn leaves Munich by train for Zurich to be checked out on oxygen equipment and

Jahr leaves by train for Genoa.

Thurs. 28 April

Baggage arrives in Genoa, over 4 tons.

Sat. 30 April

Ship Asia sails from Genoa for Karachi with Bohn, Jahr and baggage.

Tues. 3 May

Hackett leaves Munich by military air for Karachi.

Sat. 14 May

Greissl, Deubzer, Wnsche and Pease leave Munich by air for Rome [Lufthansa over

snow-covered Karwendal Mountains]. Three hour walking tour of Rome St. Maria


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Maggiore church, Colesseum, Forum, Capitaline Hill, Victor Emmanuel monument,

Fontana di Trevi, Quirinale Palace. Fly from Rome (Alitalia) to Teheran.

Sun. 15 May

Iranian Plateau is hour after hour of barren brown desert with occasional villages of

rectangular brown houses and occasional salt flats. [Rows of holes across the desert,

marking the excavation shafts for the underground aquaducts, were often visible.] Saw

Mt. Damavand (18,605 ft.) near Teheran which Greissl climbed on his Persian

expedition last summer.

Met the Bishop of the Catholic church in Pakistan who had been appointed by the Pope

in Rome recently. Only five passengers besides the K2 expedition.

Karachi (15 16 May)

KARACHI

Hackett, Bohn and Jahr met us at the Karachi airport, customs slow, hot and humid and

dusty. Air conditioned room in the U.S. consulate house. Left hand drive with much

horn blowing.

Took a short walk around the neighborhood through a modern growing suburban

section. Tiny donkeys pull large loads with ragged old drivers. Sing-song prayers at

regular intervals [five times a day] over loudspeakers on the mosque minarets. Servant

facing Mecca and kneeling on cardboard in a corner of the front lawn. Small 3-wheeled

taxis, one with a woman veiled in heavy white cloth with even fish-net covering across

the diamond-shaped eye holes. Tried out tape recorder and radio [loaned by Radio Free

Europe] lying on the lawn after supper. Memories of Cuba [visited in the Navy] returned

with the tropical breezes.


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Mon. 16 May

American style breakfast and meals at the Fountain House. Visited the American

consulate and Hackett made a studio recording for the VOA, Radio Pakistan and RFE

[about the expedition]. Busy streets with Diesel street cars, camel and donkey - drawn

carts, veiled women, bearded old men in rags, straw and burlap sheds of Muslem

refugees, but mostly broad and clean boulevards with modern buildings. Old Indian at

the Indian Embassy who could not get a visa to go back to India to see his family before

he dies. [When the British pulled out of the Indian sub-continent in 1947, part of the

settlement was to separate the conflicting religions by dividing the colony into two parts:

a Hindu India and a Moslem Pakistan. Many people found themselves on the wrong

side of the boundary, with families split, or forced to move or killed in the violence.]

After lunch took baggage, including two cartons of food and drink to RR station which

was teaming with people: veiled women in bright dresses or black, porters with red

turbans and jackets, vendors selling soda and food, people filling up earthen jars with

water for the 25 hour trip across the desert [to Rawalpindi], women squatting on the

floor with their children and baggage, gentle stink in the air for the first time, [children

urinating where they stood or squatted], red betel nut chewing and red dyed beardsand hair, curious people staring at the curious foreigners and their picture taking,

crowds hanging out of train windows and staring in train windows.

We have seven seats of an eight seat, two bench, section and there was much

confusion in getting them because an old man had a great pile of luggage in our section

including two iron boxes, bundles and his sleeping bag spread out on the luggage rack.

[We traveled third-class on the 1,000-mile trip in order to save money to pay for the hire

of a complete freight car to insure that all the equipment, food and baggage arrived

intact, and on time in Rawalpindi]. Bought and drank some orange soda and wondered

afterwards if it were OK to drink. Even in Consulate House, we could not drink tap water

or even brush our teeth with it.


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Some of the passengers speak English and are quite friendly and helpful one even

went to the dining car and sent a steward to us to see if we wanted anything. We cannot

walk through the train at all, much less not to the dining car. Third class passengers

may not even eat in the dining car! Our car was called Interclass, which is a third class

car, but slightly better fixed up, wooden benches but with luggage racks overhead. We

used floor for luggage and two men slept on racks with down jackets for pillows. Beer in

cans and beef sandwiches (from PX) [Good Moslems may not drink alcohol.] for supper

with melon purchased from vendor. Four Germans played a lusty game of cards.

Rawalpindi (17 29 May)RAWALPINDI

Tues. 17 May

We all spent a restless night on the train and awoke completely covered with dust which

we could not wash off because there was no sink or water. We ran out to wash hastily

at various stations. Beef sandwiches and orange soda for lunch together with a large

can of apricots which tasted heavenly. Wrote a long letter to Martha, looked out the

window, took some pictures (Dave made a tape recording of station sounds), and slept

off and on. The water buffaloes in muddy pools or streams were particularly interesting

as the landscape got greener and more moist. Also common were the ancient style mud

huts with irrigation machines consisting of a large vertical wheel with buckets around the

edge and a horizontal gear wheel around which man or animal walked pushing on a

wooden bar.

Finally, quite tired, thirsty and very dirty we pulled slowly into Rawalpindi and were met

by Sharif Ghafur, our Pakistani liaison officer, who took us to the very welcome Keays

Byrne Hotel. This is not a large building but a modest one-story, tropical style dining

room and office surrounded by high-ceilinged, white-washed buildings containing suites


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of rooms. Whirling fans, lizards on the walls and ceiling beams, darting bat in the

bedroom, great bathtub of cold water beside two old potty chairs [in the bathroom,

which was entered through an external door by an untouchable servant to empty the

potties!], great green lawn and trees and bright flowers a very welcome sight after the

desert. Turbaned waiters in old English setting in dining room.

Wed. 18 May

Registered at police station with friendly but slow official, and then prepared ourselves

with stamps, postcards and stationery. After lunch unloaded the freight car at Chaklala

Army Base [altitude 1,662 ft.] and unpacked everything in a portion of Army barracks

and began arranging food, porter loads and personal equipment. Sergeant very friendly

and bought us tea, but strong, in the afternoon. Pakistani soldiers looked in on our work

regularly and were very interested in special equipment and food took nothing. Late

dinner, as usual, after 8 p.m., and Bill afterwards planned jobs tomorrow and we all

wrote and signed K2 postcards, about 115 actually on our lists here to date. [Picture

postcards of K2, signed by all the expedition members, were sent to supporters in

Germany who requested them and donated DM5.00 a fund raising scheme which

returned under $150.]

Thurs. 19 May

I got first sudden, powerful diarrhea urge after beginning work at the barracks and used

the Army toilet a deep rectangular tin tray between two foot stones, dirty and smelly

but tremendously welcome ! The piss runs out on the floor through some dark hole in

the tin and I suppose someone comes to empty the tray later but I did not ask. No

paper, of course, since Moslems carry a cup of water with them instead, although it is

not yet clear to me how you would use water instead of paper! We weighed out food

and combined in plastic bags all morning, and again had strong tea. Pakistan Times

news reporter interviewed us in PM. Water in hotel only runs evenings and mornings so

you cannot bathe in the afternoon and have to be careful not to run out of wash water.


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In the evening Dave and I and three of the Germans took a cab to the Bazar, the old

quarter of town with many small shops on the first floor of the houses. Cheap prices,

lots of odd foods, many people standing and sitting around, loud oriental music, colorful

signs. People in a tonga (horse drawn, 2-wheeled carriage). Then had two drinks with

Bill and Sharif in a fancy club they were at with lawn bar, tables and dancing.

Fri. 20 May

Packed rest of food and most of the other things in the Army barracks in the morning

while Bill and Sharif ran around town as usual, seeing officials, getting permission to go

to Kashmir and to buy porter food from the Pakistani army etc.

We debated a good part of the afternoon whether a Pakistani mountain climber [Hayat

Ali Shah, a student] could join us. He had Karakoram experience, had been up 7,000

meters and looked a very valuable addition to a small party. Sharif was very much

against him. We were giving the guy an affirmative reply when it developed he did not

have all the equipment as he first said, and we do not have extra to supply him.

Bill took Dave and me to dinner at Major Wimmers house. The major is one of the U.S.

MAAG officers and lives in a large house surrounded by veranda and lawn, and has sixservants. The whole house was full of oriental rugs, Indian brass, Pakistani copper,

Siamese prints etc., which we looked at and priced with interest. She [his wife] also

showed us many beautiful shawls and pieces of jewelry. Dinner was an excellent

combination of American PX and Pakistani products including barbecue sauce,

grapefruit sections, and frozen strawberry dessert. Everyone drinking tremendous

quantities of water with each meal.

Sat. 21 May

Mad rush all AM getting porter food from army warehouses and transferring to PIA

(Pakistan International Airways) by which it develops we have to FLYto Skardu. [Using

the jeep road through the mountains to Skardu requires 1) that the road not be washed

out at some point and 2) Army support, which they could not provide after all, counting


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porter food, we had about 15,000 lbs. of baggage! Skardu is the capital of the province

of Baltistan where K2 is located. To add historic perspective, Baltistan is not just a

Pakistani province like any other, but had close ties to Tibet from the 3rdto the 15th

century, and speaks a language, Balti, which is related to Tibetan. Baltistan also

acquired the Buddhist religion from Tibet and became Moslem only in the 16 thcentury.

Also notable is that Baltistan today is predominantly Shia, while the majority of the

Moslems in lower Pakistan are Sunnis.]

Others finished up at the Army barracks warehouse. In PM slept, and then most of us

took a walk to two souvenir stores to look at brass, copper, carved wood and gold-

embroidered shawls. I had an attack of diarrhea again. We all drank lemonade in an ice

cream parlor and on Sunday, Herbert, Ludwig, and Wolfgang had diarrhea which they

blamed on it. Bill and Dave and I had diarrhea in various degrees, apparently from last

nights supper.

The Pakistan Times has printed two articles about us, Friday and Saturday, and taken a

group photo which will appear tomorrow. After supper we tried to find some place to

hear Pakistani music but without success. In our living room, we had cans of beer and a

small athletic competition with feats of strength! Temp. per Pakistan Times Min 66.6F,

max 104.2F.

Sun. 22 May

A real Ruhetag [German: day of rest] packed, looked at oil paintings from a door to

door salesman [and bought three mountain landscapes], and got instruction from Dave

on loading and working two movie cameras. Took a number of closeups of flowers in

the hotel gardens with my new close-up lenses. A great pleasure to be able to

photograph flowers from a few inches away. Slept again. Herbert sick, and everyone

feeling sluggish. Thermometer on porch went up to 34C (93F). Bathrooms stink from

diarrhea and unemptied pots! Wrote a long letter to Wife. Hayat Shah came back with

all equipment and will join the expedition if he can get permission to enter Kashmir. Bill

came in and talked with us in the evening. Signed expedition postcards.


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Mon. 23 May

We all got up real early and rushed through breakfast to get to airplane office for flight to

Skardu but Skardu airport closed today. [The old DC-3 planes used could only fly

through the valleys and passes, and were not capable of flying overthe mountains,so

needed clear visibility for the whole trip, before starting! This caused many delays

before the whole party and all the food (for climbers and 165 porters), equipment and

baggage had been flown in. The essential gasoline for our stoves on the mountain did

not make it until much later.] Then transferred all equipment and food from Chaklala

barracks to PIA office. I sat outside to watch the things in the truck and had a fine time

talking with the school kids who gathered and showed me their books and slates. Dave

and I took pictures, movies and tape recordings of them and a good time was had by all.

One finally gave me a banana (which I ate gladly) and another an apricot (which I did

not) and I had to sign my name and address many times!

Herbert feeling poorly all day yesterday and today. Slept again two hours after lunch

and wrote postcards and letter to Aunt Cora and Uncle Howard. Walk to the post office

before supper where we met a German family from near Salzburg. Sharif took us to

movies after supper, Captains Table, which was terrible but took our minds off thedelay in flying, which bothers everyone. Discovered that the milk we have been drinking

in our tea and on our cereal is water buffalo milk which I had been wanting to try.

Tues. 24 May

Got up at 6 a.m. again in case we had to fly, but again not possible. Bill and I sat in PIA

office about one and a half hours in order to pay two bills and have tea! Then to

Chaklala Airfield (1662 feet above sea level) where we got the times and frequencies for

our weather reports and they checked out OK later in the day [on our short wave

receiver]. An Austrian expedition is already getting reports for the 5000 meter level.

Read a short story and slept and wrote letters and postcards.


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Our jeep driver, Mohd Ashraf (U.S. MAAG E.A., GHQ Rawalpindi), and his two children

came around to have their pictures taken. Several of us also had haircuts from the

traveling barber who came to the hotel (two rupees) [which are worth 33 US cents].

Walk into town to P.O., and to buy a short Urdu grammar book! Felt terribly tired and

pepless and out of sorts most of the day. The heat seemed unbearable although it was

not hotter than usual perhaps because we didnt have much we had to do. The food

has grown unappetizing and my stomach hurt slightly most of the day.

Wed. 25 May

Four left for the airport this morning but returned for lunch, and started out again at 1

p.m. to try again. We at the hotel repacked again and played the Bavarian swindlers

game of cards which I learned for the first time. After a very familiar lunch, more post

cards. Felt considerably better today, thank goodness. Went over the first Urdu lesson

with Hayat. Took pictures of some of the hotel employees including Mr. Alladar with

turban and dog, who wants copies. Walk to post office and early to bed, the five of us in

one suite.

Thurs. 26 May

Up at 3:30 a.m. to get to airport at 5 a.m. for flight to Skardu. Hackett, Greizel and Hayat

left with so much baggage that all except two rows of seats were removed for it. Modest

two engine plane (DC 3). The second flight scheduled for three hours later was

cancelled because of weather at Skardu. Thus after breakfast and a chat with a

Pakistani pilot, Herbert and I returned to hotel and got ourselves a smaller, but hotter

room. The office man, Mr. M. William (Keays Byrne Hotel, #169 Gwyn Thomas Road,

Rawalpindi), wanted his picture taken and would like copies sent. Slept after lunch and

then we had a very interesting discussion, with string demonstrations, of how to rope up

on a glacier and how to get someone out of a crevasse.

Word was that we could fly at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow so we had tea to celebrate and

ordered taxi and bed tea for 4:30 and 4:00 tomorrow morning. A discussion of our

respective roles in the war followed. Later city was hit by a bad dust storm with ugly


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orange-brown and black clouds and lightning. Flight for the following morning was called

off. Finished reading Joseph Conrad story.

Fri. 27 May

Still no flight prospect although we check office and airport each about three times a

day. Friendly lady in the dining hall lent us a map of Murree, a big book of birds of the

region, and suggested we make an outing to this hill resort. The next bus would not

have arrived until 2:30 and took almost three hours to get there so we took a local bus

to AYUB National Park on the edge of the city instead. The park is mostly a very dry

area with scattered trees and bushes and a few very brown lakes, but right near the

entrance was a very deep-set, odd shaped lake with boats, gardens, and a charming

white temple-like building which turned out to be a small aquarium. Five girls with

beautiful colored flowing dresses walking through the garden made quite a sight [and a

lovely photo as they smiled broadly!].

We tried VIM cola at a refreshment stand to wash down our hotel sandwiches, but it

tasted like sickening cherry syrup with a dash of soap. Flies covered the dirty tables so

we moved on to the restaurant for refreshing tea on the veranda. Afterwards Herbert

and I sat by the lake under a shade umbrella and he learned English and we had a finetime. What saved the day was that it was cloudy with a good wind most of the time, and

the temp. only reached 94F (the first such day since our arrival).

Back at the hotel we drank orange crush and tea to replenish our body fluids and slept

and took a walk. Another article about the expedition appeared in the Pakistan Times as

a result of an interview yesterday with a reporter who came to the door. Washed clothes

and early to bed.

Sat. 28 May

No early plane but they kept our hopes up until 11:30 for a late plane. We went to

MAAG headquarters to pay a call on Major Wimmer to see if he could help us get out of

here and also send a letter via the U.S. authorities to the Pakistan Embassy in Bonn


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with regard to Walter Pauses visa application. They typed it up for us which was a big

help. Then telegraphed Pause to send his life history to Bonn. [Walter Pause was a

German mountain climber and famous author of popular mountain books, who

considered joining our expedition and sending back regular articles for the news media.

It was well that he did not come since we did not produce the big news stories of

summit attained, or climbers killed.]

Bright sun and hot again today, but great towering thunderclouds over the mountains.

Difficult to do much of anything during the heat of the afternoon and sleep overcomes

us regularly during the day. A very languid life which is not especially agreeable. Started

a long letter to Martha. No flights on Sunday confirmed our suspicions. With certainty

that we are to be here two more days, asked for a better room with bath, running water,

high ceiling etc. and Mr. Monahan was kind enough to give us this at the same price.

This, plus a bath, greatly revived our spirits. After dinner to the movies, Scared Stiff,

with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, which served to kill time but was old and terrible.

Sun. 29 May

Slept late in our large cool bedroom. Decided against a trip to Murree because of time,

heat and the runs which I acquired. Shaving was a big project with a dull blade.Finished letter to Martha and slept two hours after lunch. Call came that we fly at 5:30

tomorrow morning. We made preparations but find it hard to believe. Lovely cool bath

our last for some time?


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Off to Skardu (30 May)

OFF TO SKARDU

Mon. 30 May

Up at 3:45, to airport by 4:45 and incredibly took off for Skardu at 5:45. Eight

passengers at rear and balance of load was freight under cargo nets in the middle of the

plane. [All rows of seats, except two at the rear, were removed to lighten the load.]

Exciting ride over raw ridges, past rocky cliffs, and finally over and between snow

covered mountains. Past Nanga Parbat [famous peak in the saga of German mountain

climbing 26,660 feet] of which we got an excellent view from the Northwest.

[Unfortunately, for military security reasons, no photos were allowed in Rawalpindi

airport or from the plane. And when I took a picture of the centuries-old, ruined fort in

Skardu, bystanders were upset and I was lucky not to lose the camera.] Followed Indus

valley and after 1 hours landed on dusty strip at Skardu. [The airport is the sandy

flood plain of the river. Thus, not only clouds in the sky but rainfall in the valley

determine flight schedules.]

People there very cordial, including tea, while we waited for jeep. Long rough ride pastirrigated plots and natives trudging along road to town. Primitive houses of clay and

mud plaster. Mongoloid faces with round felt hats were at first startling. Rough

homespun shirts and blankets hanging loose over baggy pants. Skin bags for water and

small irrigation ditches with very brown water everywhere, but trees and green fields a

refreshing contrast to brown sand of Indus river bed and gray rock walls. All around

peaks to 14-15,000 feet, snow covered and very majestic. Skardu itself about 7,700

feet.

Stayed at Resthouse with three bedrooms, dining room and parlor, and ate C rations

for first time with little relish old bitter coffee and chocolate. Two hundred porters or

more standing around outside [from whom 165 were chosen to start the expedition off,

and the criterion for choice, we discovered much later, was partly the kick-back agreed


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upon!] and much bustle inside and out was most confusing to new arrivals. Packed own

knapsack after much sweat over weight and still only down to 19 kg (42 American

pounds). At 4:30 to a polo game on town field in our honor. No change of horses, but

very fast and dirty, e.g. swat opponents horse to make him miss. Tremendous

backdrop of snow covered peaks and terraced town, and old fort on rocky crag. Weird

music on flute and two drums was appropriate accompaniment.

Back at resthouse, we rushed to reweigh 80 lb. atta [local wheat ground for porter

food, used to make chapatis] sacks into 60 lb. [standard porter load, for which the daily

pay was six rupees if they buy their own food in villages, or four rupees if the expedition

supplies food. Exchange rate was about six rupees per US dollar.] To Pakistani style

buffet supper at Political Agents home with many varieties of meat plus chicken, and

apricot cream dessert. [The Political Agent, or PA as he is commonly called, is the

provincial governor, who is not a local Balti, but is appointed by the Pakistani

government. The province is Baltistan, located in the Pakistani portion of the Kashmir,

which is a sensitive military zone. The local language is Balti. Skardu, the capital, is not

far from the U.N. demarcation line separating the Indian and Pakistani claims and where

border skirmishes can occur. The border with China running through or near K2 is

also in dispute.]

To bed after some confusion about sleeping bags and our mattresses. Stars crystal

clear in cool wind blowing through the tall trees.


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The March In (31 May 13 June)

THE MARCH IN

Tues. 31 May

Bill reveilled us at 5:00 and we madly finished packing atta in 60 lb. sacks. The porters

showed up promptly at 6:00 and finished carrying porter loads across the river until

everything was on a great sand bank in a grove of trees on the other side. We all

packed and repacked our knapsacks to reduce weight and filled three gunny sacks with

overflow. I finally got down to 19 Kg or 42 lbs, a staggering amount at the first hoist.

After hasty, hectic and unappetizing breakfast, one last postcard home (mail runner to

go every three weeks at K2 base camp), we all straggled out the door. I at least felt

confused and uncertain others were excited because of the last minute problems,

especially Hayats missing permit to penetrate Kashmir and the gasoline which has not

yet come from Rawalpindi!

After a short walk we descended a steep bank to the Indus River and waited for the old

wooden boat, called Alexanders barge. [The famous Alexander the Great was here on

his conquest of India and the boat is said to resemble ones he used. The faces of someof the townspeople look very European, perhaps descendants of the ancient invaders.

To add to the international flavor, a U.N. peace-keeping officer from Denmark was on

hand to see us off.] By poling and rowing, but mostly by river current, the barge is

brought across the churning brown water. Much confusion getting the porters started,

including beatings by the policemen accompanying us, but suddenly everybody was in

motion and we were off across the immense sandy river plain. Just like a desert in the

hot sun for a couple of hours, but the snow covered mountains above the green fields of

Skardu against a blue sky were magnificent.

Up and down over bare rocky ridges and up the valley of the Shigar River. One

magnificent clear brook gushing right out of the rock mountain side, but this was the

only water, and one dry pecan roll the only food all day! There were occasional green


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villages or groves of trees, but mostly sandy plains or rocky slopes, and by 2:00 or 3:00

I was quite kaput. We followed a jeep road, but I hardly remember what was along it;

eyes on the ground bent over by the load. Mouth closed so as not to dry out, breathe

hard through nose to get air and try to keep strength. Shoulders and lower back ache

and sting and hurt like fury from unaccustomed strain.

Swim in the river was wonderfully refreshing muddy, but warm with cold springs even

though in the middle of a sandy plain miles long. I was also relieved to be able to wash

out my underpants to remove the traces of two days of the runs. But without food and

water, and with the unaccustomed load, the swim did not revive me, and I went slower

and slower, falling asleep whenever I sat down. Poor Herbert stayed behind to

accompany me, and we finally reached the town (Shigar). Little children gave us flowers

and we took their pictures. The uphill grade through the town about 5 p.m. was too

much for me, however, and Herbert went on to send a porter back for me, to my

embarrassment. Tents erected in the town polo field and porters, loads and

townspeople all over the place. Exhausted, I lay on an air mattress. No water or food

until well after dark, but we survived, found sleeping bags, stretched four people across

two air mattresses (two kaput) and went to sleep at the end of our first day on the

march. Everybody was very beat!

Wed. 1 June

Bill spent a lot of time and effort last night and this morning checking the porter loads,

giving out porter number pins and making records a tremendous task. One of our high

porters goes the whole time in blue and white striped pajamas and seems very proud of

them. Many of the porters go barefoot or with sandals, and it is incredible that they can

carry 60 lbs (40 was too much for me even with good mountain shoes) for 14 to 18

miles in hot sun over very steep, and in places only half-shoe-wide trails.

The days hike was largely through villages, tree-lined lanes, across atta (wheat) fields

with occasional barren stretches of moraine. There were numerous, and very cheering

irrigation streams in which I bathed my hot tired feet a few times. A number of groves of


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apricot trees, also an experimental agricultural farm. All the farms, lanes, and irrigation

streams were neatly and cleverly arranged. Inside the houses, however, seems to be

very little except a few pots or pans and a dirt floor.

Camp the second night [Kochumal] was more orderly and a great improvement. It lay on

a grass plot under some trees between an atta plot and a deep wash carved out by the

apparently heavy rains, which must sometimes come. (Deep wash = good bathroom

possibilities. Normally so many townspeople standing around watching every move you

make that making the morning and evening toilet is a distinct problem!) Evening meal

consists of Army 6-in-1 rations which need only hot water added to plastic bags in

cardboard boxes to make passable beef and gravy, meat and spaghetti, cabbage,

noodles, apple sauce, pudding etc. This is supplemented (since meant for six people

instead of eight) by eggs bought locally, chapatis (made from atta) and cans of C

rations.

Cans of C rations plus the accessories of candy and gum are selected in the morning

for trail lunches, which are fortunately supplemented by hot tea and chapatis by our very

considerate cook. The fruit and cake cans disappear at once and are the popular and

really only appealing items. The numerous cans of beef and pork in various forms are

very heavy and not so popular. After the water tragedy of the first day, most members

got a plastic bottle and filled it partly with tea, used dirty water and C ration chlorine

tablets, or eventually judged which streams came direct from the mountains and drank

the water directly if not too muddy. Up to Askole, the last town, no ill effects were noted

(although tiny worms were evidently drunk in one small stream as mentioned), and

above Askole there are no more habitations so we should be OK. Dave has had a slight

sore throat, Gnther diarrhea, and Bill occasional liver (?) pains, but on the whole

everyone remarkably healthy considering our sanitation in comparison with modern

American hygienic living.

Most of the porters dressed all in brown, a material like fine burlap, which matches the

brown wasteland all around. On the feet either old sandals or a type of moccasin,


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leather underneath and sewn with coarse stitches to coarsely woven cloth above which

reaches half way to the knee much like the US slipper socks. The lower legs are then

often wound around with tape. Baggy pants, either plain, or with vertical black dotted

stripes. Long shirts of course, and often a vest with similar black stripes, or a touch of

color in a single design, or plain; amulets are worn, one or four-five, sewn to shirt or on

a cord around the neck. A double blanket of the same material hung over the shoulder.

A rolled woolen hat, often with an extra fold to give a touch of style brown, usually, but

for select individuals, white. Once in a while, a flower over the ear or fixed to the cap!

Skins Pakistani brown, but many faces with a definite Mongolian appearance, often with

beards, mustaches, and long bushy hair. Some faces with real character, a few

definitely handsome a few faces very European in appearance although brown. Very

few surly faces, most ready to answer a smile with a smile, and among the porters, at

least, some quite intelligent.

The inhabitants of the villages, however, are sometimes in very ragged clothes,

especially the old people, and a number with very large goiters, and children often

Mongoloid or idiotic appearing. In spite of all the confusion and milling of huge crowds of

people at each camp site, both porters and townspeople, very little was lost, and this

you might attribute to our carelessness a remarkable honesty considering the poverty.

Many whom you pass say Salom, Sahib but many of the kids say Salom,

bahksheesh. Cigarettes are in big demand from the adults and candy from the kids.

[We were amazed to discover a K2 brand of cigarettes. If we had known beforehand,

we could have asked them to donate some!]

The men squat to take a leak, apparently the Moslem custom, but we were startled one

evening in Askole to see two men squatting over the irrigation canal from which we took

our cooking water, washing their assholes with their left hands! [Right hands are

reserved for eating and greeting people and never the twain shall meet.]


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Loads are carried with homespun rope with padding of blanket or goat skins. A simple

wooden frame is sometimes used in addition. Personal belongings sometimes carried in

a goat skin bag. Some porters appear to be boys of 16, others men of 50. Many carry a

heavy staff with a crosspiece at the top which they use to lean their load on when

resting. Some mornings a porter or two asks for the weight of his load to be checked

usually he is right about it being too heavy.

Thurs. 2 June

Hike today was a real pleasure for once because heavy belongings from members were

put in my knapsack up to 60 lbs. and a porter hired to carry it! At first, the way led

through alternate towns and great expanses of moraine or Gerll [German: rubble,

boulders; mass of water-worn material], and then finally a very long stretch, very dry

and hot around the bend from the main valley [Shigar River] into the side valley [Braldu

River] which leads to Askole and K2. I carried Daves knapsack or the movie camera for

a good part of the day, but it was a blessing not to have my knapsack, although I felt

guilty about the arrangement. Lunch at a little green oasis high on a bluff overlooking

the river with the cook there making tea and chapatis.

The high point of the day, however, was the river crossing on goat skin rafts shortlybefore the camp. A real rushing brown torrent with whitecaps and eddies swept the rafts

downstream as they were poled across each raft flexing with the motion of the waves.

[The goat skin rafts, I was told, are a specialty of a particular village. The men hike for

miles to get to the appointed crossing on the day and hour needed carrying the

necessary materials to make the rafts: six or eight foot poles 1 to 2 inches in

diameter, vines or twine to bind the poles into a rectangular raft, and enough empty goat

skins, with all the orifices sealed, to cover the bottom of the raft. The skins are inflated

by human lung power, of course, and tied in place. If a skin begins to lose air underway,

one leg is fetched up through the framework, untied and the skin re-inflated. The rafts

are poled, not rowed, no matter what the depth of the water, which means that they are

very much at the mercy of the current. After one crossing, they are towed upstream by

men along the bank, to allow repeat trips if necessary. When the whole expedition,


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including all the loads, is across, then the boatmen take the rafts apart and return to

their village. At the end of the expedition, I hired a raft with four boatmen to make the

half-day trip from Shigar to Askole, and paid what the Political Agent determined was a

fair price: 24 rupees worth $4.00.]

Camp nicely located at the edge of town (Dassu) not far from the river with a

magnificent view, both up the side valley and back toward the main valley. The doctor

pulled a tooth among his other ministrations to the inhabitants. [EACH evening, when

we camped near a town, he was called on to treat wounds and sickness although in

chronic cases, all he could do was give a pill of some kind.] Decided to wrap the radio in

a sleeping bag and put in a porter load for tomorrow so I could carry my own knapsack

again.

Fri. 3 June

Fourth day march in and a long and tiring one over an up-and-down trail, in places very

narrow or with small foot places on steep slopes. At first a long walk just above the river

followed by a steep climb up over a ridge and then another steep climb even higher

magnificent view, but no water for a long way. Down a steep gully to the river where the

blessed cook was still waiting for us with tea. Dave and Sharif and I walked togetherand much behind the others. We had lunch, however, near the top of the highest ridge

under a bush with a tremendous view down the river brown water and brown earth

topped by glistening white.

From tea on to the camp [Chakpo] was an endless, dreary haul and we didnt arrive until

6:30, quite out of sorts. The last obstacle was finding a way across a branch river, and

after walking a long way up it, we found a bridge consisting of two half logs built out high

above the rushing brown water. I did not like it at all, but with much concentration made

it. Supper and to bed after sitting a bit in the bright moonlight to let supper digest and be

sure it was going to stay down.


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[There had been some] delay getting started in the morning because the precious

gasoline arrived and those porters had to be paid off and new ones hired. [Also, as the

expedition members and numerous porters ate food day by day, the number of porter

loads could be reduced and a few porters released. Bill Hackett kept careful records of

who carried what load for how many days, and then paid off the unneeded porters. For

the purpose, the expedition had acquired large bundles of small denomination rupee

notes (which had to be NEW to be acceptable to the porters) and heavy packages of

coins. This wealth had to be divided so that each Sahib (European) could carry a share

in his knapsack, for safetys sake. In addition, with 16 annas to the rupee, calculations

were not simple.] Then Hayat, who had been left behind in Skardu for lack of permit,

arrived, and we were delighted to see him. He had brought the gas, even built a bridge

for the jeep to get it further and save time and porter money. He had gotten a permit to

come the afternoon of the day we left. Also arrived slightly before him, however, was a

message for Sharif that Hayat was not to proceed further until further notice, so we still

do not definitely have him with us.

Sat. 4 June

Fifth day march in started over brown earth and stones beside the river. Very dry and

barren, except for a few brooks. Beautiful cold water to drink in one, after too little liquidat breakfast and too much tea altogether. Lizards frequently dart over the rocks away

from the trail. Steep sandy slopes in places. Large birds (eagles) soaring high overhead.

Doused my head in river water to revive me. Finally came to an immense ridge over

which the trail led. Cook waiting in a stone shelter with hot tea which was most

welcome. Herbert led me up the ridge, I dont know how many thousand feet, which was

a big help. I breathed hard and still could not get enough air the whole way. Then down

a steep trail with a stone couloir and a couple of rock slabs. I was beat and my pace

was very slow. Finally another upgrade, short but a steep rock couloir which was too

much for my tired body. Gnther, behind me, kindly carried two rucksacks, his and

mine, up the grade, and then he and Herbert on into camp which was fortunately not far

and flat. Two caffeine tablets which I took had no noticeable effect except perhaps to

make me feel sorry for myself.


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Camp [Chango] in a walled-in grass area where the townspeople watched us closely.

Rested before supper and directly in the sack after. Wolfgang treats a number of people

directly after camp is reached every night. Many have terrible goiters. A big white and

yellow butterfly just landed on my diary as I write. Supposedly [the day was] 14 miles,

but it seemed to me like 114! After drinking from a small stream this AM, we found

small, very lively, red-brown worms in our cups. The Dr. laughed in the evening and

said they would die in our bellies.

Sun. 5 June

Martha seeing Oberammergau Passion Play today. Bill called us about 5 a.m. as every

day, and the first move is to empty the tents, take them down and get the porter loads

ready. Porters rush for loads and take off about 6 AM and then we have a peaceful hour

to get breakfast alone except for one or two dozen townsfolk and pack our

knapsacks. Only eight miles supposedly today, an Erholungstag [German: day to

recover], thank God. Soon after leaving we crossed a rushing mountain stream of cold

lovely water, although somewhat muddy as usual. Wet down head and neck, and filled

plastic bottles as usual. Dave was right there too, making the most of every pleasure, as

I, but the others all charged on.

Shortly after, the blessing of the ages was reached a clear, lovely pool of warm spring

water, just big enough for two men to stretch out in. We soaked and soaked and

enjoyed ourselves immensely. Odor faintly sulfuric, and bubbles from the bottom tickled

our spines.

A short distance and several rest stops later, we had a magnificent lunch stop with

plenty of tea, plus pecan roll and apple sauce which tasted magnificent. Many of the C

rations are heavy but unappealing. We sat for a long time while Sharif talked with the

villagers including the head man. Here, as often seen, a man was making thread, as he

stood, on a wooden bobbin. Women are nowhere to be seen in public, only shyly

peering behind their shawls or behind brush screens in their houses. Herds of tiny goats


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on the barren slopes. Yesterday high up on a grass slope, a herd of mountain goats

was seen.

Arrived in camp, again unfortunately in a walled-in area in the middle of town (Askole) at

the unheard of hour 2:30! Wrote several back days in diary, and then came the long but

interesting process of paying off [the porters] to date to Askole, the last town although

a good sized one. We all counted money and gave it out for at least two hours. Special

treat with supper curry chicken courtesy of Sharif, since it is a Moslem holiday! Even

the tough beef of the 6-in-1 rations tasted good tonight I am developing an appetite.

Mon. 6 June

A week ago today Herbert and I got our flight to Skardu now we are on our seventh

day of march in it barely seems possible. The day began wonderfully almost two

hours of time in the shade of the tall tress at the camp to write in my diary, look at the

scenery and study the people. The delay was caused by giving out portions of food to

the porters. Up to now they have gotten extra money and bought food in the towns, but

Askole is the last town and now rations have to be issued. Shortly after leaving we

passed the last green field and entered the endless barren world of rock and stone and

sand. A clear cold stream refreshed us all the more by the contrast and we filled ourprecious plastic bottles. Water during the day is treasured because there is never any

clear drinking water in camp only tea.

Also noteworthy was the sun gleaming on the snow and ice on the high jagged peaks

across the valley. The same snow in the moon last night was magnificent almost an

ethereal white haze. The high point of pleasure during the day was the lunch stop with

all the porters and Sharif, Dave and I in a small cool cave from which a crystal clear,

cool spring bubbled. The cave itself was beside a rushing glacier stream (admittedly

muddy) in a deep cut which it had worn in the old moraine. Fragrant sage bush (and

also thorny bushes) around the camp site and along the trail. For lunch curry chicken

and chapatis, courtesy of Sharif, for the holiday a wonderful taste instead of canned


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C-ration meat especially with the cold spring water. We discussed a bath in the river,

but finally reneged because of the cool water and laziness.

After lunch, a terribly long walk across endless dreary moraine which finally led to the

tongue of an immense dirty glacier sticking into our valley from a side valley with a lake

of dirty water at its base. Constant falling of stones off the glacier and sliding dirt and

trickling water. Another long trek over moraine, where we lost the rocky trail once or

twice, and up on to the glacier to cross a gushing river which raced from an archway

under the glacier. The trail on narrow ridges of ice led up and across the torrent, and

again Dave and I lost the way on top of the wild ice and stones of the glacier a forlorn

but mighty landscape if there ever was one. Camp [Korophon] as usual was much

further than we thought, but the welcome site of the two green tents and the cluster of

porters and loads finally greeted us on a sandy strip on the far side of the glacial

moraine. The view from there on up the valley, previously blocked by the mountains of

moraine from the side glacier, was magnificent. [Because of the clear, thin air, distances

are very deceiving, and a mountain which appears to be a days march away, may

actually not be reached for two or three days!] Carried my pack without padding on the

shoulders for the first time today and did not feel exhausted after arrival.

Dave and I prepared the 6-in-1 dehydrated supper of chili, apple sauce, bread, peanut

butter, milk and candy bars but it is very trying to always have to stretch a six man

supper for eight. Fortunately there is always plenty of tea and usually chapatis extra for

those who want them and in the towns there were eggs.

At one rock couloir during the day, as the line of porters ascended, a porter up high

loosed a sizable rock which grazed the head of another about two hairpins below. He

bled, but Dave who was near him, took care of him, and it was fortunately not serious.

The day concluded on a wonderful note when two groups of porters behind their rock

wall enclosure began to sing lustily. I took up the tape recorder and got group and

individual performances which they were very interested to hear played back. Finally got

the portable radio and sat in the center of a great circle recording and playing back


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33

through the radio. With a clapping accompaniment, the rhythm and enthusiasm at the

climax of the songs was tremendous. The others slept, but I was thrilled to be listening

to the native folk songs which I had hoped to find.

Tues. 7 June

We began our march a week ago today hardly possible! Beautiful clear weather every

day of our march warm sun all day, with a few puffy white clouds, and breeze every

afternoon cool nights with a bright moon that will be full in a day or two. Trail today led

up the valley alongside the river or partly up the mountainside with a few places which I

would call not difficult perhaps, but definitely exciting. There was one rocky crack

which made an exciting picture with the porters descending. About an hour after starting

was a lovely clear spring at the edge of the river bed which was actually carbonated. It

sparkled in your cup and tasted like carbonated water. We filled our plastic bottles, of

course, and regretted that we couldnt take gallons with us.

The exciting high point of the morning, and perhaps of the whole trip to date, was the

river crossing [Dumordo River]. A raging torrent of brown silty water poured over the

gravel bottom of a side valley and we had to get across to continue up the main valley.

A rope bridge those famous insecure crossings of this region lay three miles up theside valley an extra six miles so we hoped the water would be low enough to ford

the river. One of the high porters went across first and took over a rope. Then we all

took off our shoes, socks and pants (porters included) and with three or four men

holding the rope taunt at each end, the rest plunged into the brown current. It was very

exciting and very cold at one place the water came half way between knees and hips,

with waves and splashing up to the waist, which was plenty deep enough for that

current and for the rocky, uncertain footing. Three or four porters fell and got all wet

including part of their loads, but no loads or persons were swept away, thank God. One

poor old man, who was obviously afraid, fell and got his full face under the cold water.

Wonderful pictures, both still and movie, of course. On the other bank we lay on the

warm sand in the sun recovering.


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[At this point, the Braldu River divides and we continued along the southern branch, the

Biaho, which drains the well-known Baltoro Glacier. This in turn leads to the famous

Concordia area where five glaciers come together. One of these, the Godwin-Austen

Glacier, leads north to K2 which is clearly visible in its majestic glory at this junction.]

At lunch stop a little further on, I sat for an hour or more in the sun eating and writing in

the diary and really got warmed up. Sugar is going too fast so Bill has cut down on the

cooks allowance for tea, so now we drink salt tea at noon with some kind of fat in it

not bad, and a pleasant change. What we all consider unpardonable, however, is no

new issue of C-rations for lunch today, since C-rations are also short because of those

eaten by the crew waiting in Skardu. Fortunately, I had two cans of meat left in my

backpack since we had the chicken for lunch yesterday. One I gave away since others

had no canned food left, and when lunch actually came the remaining can had to be

shared. This meant a very skimpy lunch for all of us which is not enough to walk and

climb on from 7 or 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Most of us had a candy bar for dessert or afternoon

pickup which was lucky. It is a good thing that one or two loads of food were not lost in

the river. Plenty of salt tea and a half a hearty chapati supplemented the lunch for Dave

and me who happened to be with Sharif and the cook! Another valid complaint is that

the 6-in-1 suppers are meant for six persons not eight but sometimes Sharif or Bill

do not eat too much, and sometimes there is a supplement of potato sticks, a C-ration

can of meat, or chapatis. The Germans especially complain about lunch because this is

normally their big meal. Bill, of course, eats very little breakfast or lunch and does not

see the sense of them.

After lunch the way was very long and dreary over endless, hopeless stones and sand,

and rocks and brown dusty earth. About once every morning, and near the end of every

afternoon, I ask myself why the devil I left my wife and children and the comforts of

Munich to come on what is for me a strenuous march. Sometimes tears almost come to

my eyes and I begin to choke up, but there is no alternative now but to go through with

it. With the hardships are also extraordinary pleasures, however, which I have also

mentioned. Martha gave me a handkerchief before I left, which I wear around my neck


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all the time both because its from her and for the practical reasons of protection against

sunburn in the day and cold at night. I wet it occasionally in the cold streams, and it is

then very refreshing around the neck it also makes me think of Marthas cool hands

around my neck!

Camp (Bardumal) was finally reached about quarter of 5 and wonderful luck, a cool

clear stream came out of the rocks nearby. I washed myself, which took all of my

courage in the cold water and wind, and a number of clothes. Soap is of little use in ice

cold water on very dirty clothes things are getting very gray now! Washing a very dirty

and snotty handkerchief in ice cold water is a unique experience. A great big supper

with two meat courses and supplements of soup and cocoa finally satisfied everyone.

Since two air mattresses are kaput, Gnther sleeps every night without one, and

Herbert and I sort of alternate, although he insists I have it more than half the time.

Putting two extra sleeping bags under you is a reasonable substitute for a mattress,

although naturally not quite so comfortable and with fewer satisfactory positions to be

found.

Wed. 8 June

Another beautiful day although hot in the sun. Martha and the kids fly to Americatoday. I cant believe it, but I hope they have good weather too. It hurts to think they will

be even farther away, but from here I guess it doesnt really matter. It is hard to believe,

and also slightly frightening to think that from here it takes a whole weeks walking to get

to the nearest telephone, telegraph, radio or airplane. [There were no satellite phones,

fax machines or E-mails such as modern expeditions routinely have now. We did not

even have two-way short wave communications to send out news or call for help and

there was no way help could reach an injured climber anyway, since helicopters could

not reach these high, remote regions. Our only contact with the outside world was the

short-wave receiver which gave us daily weather reports and news for those who cared

to listen.]


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We left our camp on a patch of sand beside the broad valley of endless stones late this

morning because food had been given out to the porters last night and all the loads had

to be checked and a number readjusted. Six porters were paid off and sent back.

Another endless trek over stones, sand, boulders and brown dirt in the hot sun which

made me ask myself more than once why I had come. I had to go very slowly and felt

very weak all morning, perhaps because of the thinner air at this altitude. Last nights

camp was about as high as the Zugspitze [the highest mountain in Germany, about

9,720 feet] someone said, and by lunchtime we were considerably higher [This is more

accurate since Askole was 10,000 feet and it is uphill every day].

A blessed pause in the days journey was a two hour lunch stop in the shade under a

great overhanging rock. After a scraped-together lunch, a 15-minute nap was very

refreshing, and I awoke gazing at the snow-covered peaks and the puffy white clouds

drifting overhead and praised God for the wonders of the earth and shed a few tears

for homesickness.

I was so peppy after the rest and coffee for lunch that for once I was even ahead of the

porters, and followed the familiar hobnailed footprints of Bill and the German sole

patterns like mine for the trail. It is however much easier following a trail made by 150

people than one made by five! Finally the beach ended at a steep slope of rock which

looked as if people had gone up but I couldnt judge just where. With difficulty because

of the backpack and my very limited rock climbing experience, I got up on a ledge about

15 feet above the rushing river not without shaking legs however but then could not

go further. Fortunately, the porters were not as far behind as I thought and one very

kindly helped me up to the next ledge. From there the footsteps were very small and

slanting, and close to the rock face which made it difficult with the knapsack. The

churning waters of the river were now about 30 feet below, and my courage was just not

up to it. The helpful porter took his load across, came back and took my knapsack, and

then helped me across for which I was deeply grateful. He got a smile, a handshake

and a cigarette. Im sure none of the other members of the party gave it a second


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thought, and how the over 100 porters with awkward 60 lb. loads and mostly barefoot

made it is still a miracle to me.

After another dreary trek, campsite (Paiju) was reached on an inspiring promontory with

a view forward to the ugly end of the Baltoro glacier, left up to a striking peak of rock

walls and shafts called Piz Paiju, and back down the broad river valley with its backdrop

of snow covered peaks. A cool clear brook running through a grove of trees and bushes

nearby was a blessed addition. Finally found time to mend my shirt sleeve. The usual

complaints about not enough food at supper. A violent political argument began but

fortunately petered out because of language difficulties. [There were not only cultural

and attitude differences between the German and American members of the team, but

two Germans did not speak English and the other two were not fluent. Bill and Dave did

not speak German, so throughout the trip it fell to my lot to translate German/English in

any but the most basic conversations. Evidently I also tried to mediate differences of

opinion and soften hard words.] Tried to hear 5:30 and 8 p.m. weather broadcasts from

Radio Pakistan since clouds were gathering around the peaks, but unsuccessful. Our

tent turned in at the early hour of 8:05 to give us a fine nights sleep. I discovered the

one thermometer, with which I had been entrusted, was broken in my knapsack

yesterday which was disheartening. Temperatures in base camp and on the mountain

would have been very interesting. The radio is also so dusty, and our cameras too, that

they barely operate. The transparent cover for the radio tuning scale has also broken

loose.

Thurs. 9 June

Renewed discontent at breakfast because Bill will not open any more C-rations for

lunch. All anybody has is packets of instant tea or coffee and a candy bar. Of course,

the C-rations left we will need for the march out, so Bill is, in that sense, right. He

offered to let us cook up a regular 6-in-1 lunch but we are never together at noon to

make that work that is, Bill and the four Germans are far ahead while Sharif and Dave

and I usually lunch with the porters and the cook which means hot tea. The doctor

produced a last can of crackers and jam which he ordered me to take, I guess because


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I have proved myself to be the weakest member of the party a doubtful distinction

but I was really grateful for the lunch. For days I have struggled into camp last, hours

after the other climbers, but yesterday at last I came in with the porters and in time to

help put up a tent for the first time.

Surprisingly enough BMs every morning have been regular, solid and quite a source of

satisfaction. Under the circumstances, I would not have been surprised to note

problems. The farts on the trail however are sometimes so stinky that I can hardly stand

my own.

Another dull mornings trek to the glacier end, [the Baltoro Glaicer which fills the valley

from wall to wall, hundreds of feet thick, and will offer a very different terrain underfoot in

the coming days] up the gravel beside it, and then several tedious hours up and down

through the stones, great and small on top of it, before we got to the little green glacial

lake which was our lunch stop. This was very pleasant, however, and I had a nap,

peacefully gazed at the now very striking peaks with their glaciers, and wrote. Clouds

blew in during lunch and it looks as if the many days of clear weather will end shortly.

As the porters climbed up on the glacier for the first time, each group, first high up and

then lower down, sang a brief chant which we believe was a prayer for safekeeping in

this strange world of ice and rock.

The afternoon wasnt too bad but always rocks, rocks, rocks [on the glacial ice] to climb

up and down, and to roll underfoot. I feel much more confident leaping from boulder to

boulder it has a sort of grace and feel of motion like dancing. When I first had to step

from rock to rock across small streams, I was definitely uneasy if the gap was more than

two feet. Also numerous small and fairly clear glacier streams made the afternoons hike

easier to take. Camp (Liligo) on a sandy ledge beside the glacier with two clear streams

and a magnificent view to the peaks across the glacier. Few complaints about feet these

days, most of the blisters have thickened up, although this was a topic of much

discussion and some pain the first days.


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The food situation is fairly well solved now we have a 6-in-1 supper and half a dinner

in the evening, and a breakfast and the other half of the dinner in the morning. This

provides two hearty meals and also enough left over to save for lunch for those who

desire. Then lunch becomes an eminently satisfactory picnic with a couple of slices of

bread or cake, margarine or peanut butter, candy, and instant tea or coffee.

The most beautiful evening of the whole trip with a full moon shining eerily on the snow

capped peaks across the glacier, camp in darkness with the scattered glowing

campfires of the porters burning fragrant cedar wood, and again the wonderful singing

drifting through the night. Unforgettable!

[Since we are now camping up on the glacier, which fills the valley wall-to-wall, except

for our sand strip, the porters have had to add firewood on top of their regular loads of

60 lbs expedition plus a goat skin full of personal belongings. The firewood is used

principally at this camp and the next one (also on a dirt ledge) to cook chapatis and tea.

The final three camps are located directly on the stone-covered ice, which is where the

porters, each wrapped in his blanket, have to sleep.]

On a rock cliff by the camp was inscribed Arsch der Welt (arrow toward Concordia) by

an experienced German expedition (DAV) which preceded us.

Fri. 10 June

Up and down over the stony glacier, but a very pleasant pause in the shadow of a cliff

with a number of porters. Two offered me pieces of chapati which I gladly accepted, and

in turn I showed them pictures of Martha and the kids, and explained that the writing

which fascinated them was a letter to my wife. Unfortunately the clouds closed in at

lunch time and snowstorms began to develop around the tall peaks. Followed one of the

younger, faster porters in a game of boulder hopping during part of the afternoon which

put the rough ground rapidly behind us. The strap on one of his old sandals broke so I

gave him half of the waist strap from my knapsack, which I never use.


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Magnificent camp spot (Urdukas) on a ledge with grass and tiny flowers, even higher

than last night, and again overlooking the glacier and the rocky crags of the peaks

beyond. Two small streams again blessed the spot and a great hanging glacier was to

be seen up behind us as well as several sorts of great glaciers across the valley. Food

was issued to the porters for three days which meant fewer loads so a number were

discharged and paid off. Some porters demanded a day for rest tomorrow or double

pay. There was some danger of a strike or walkout and expeditions frequently have

trouble at this point since no more porters are to be had and the going is tough.

[The very time-consuming negotiations with the porters, here at Urdukas, highlighted a

constant challenge on the whole trip: the language problem. Basically the porters speak

only the local Balti of this province, Baltistan, which had close ties with Tibet in the

third through fifteenth centuries. The Sirdar, head-porter Taqi, translated between Balti

and Urdu, a common language of Pakistan. Our liaison officer, Sharif, translated

between Urdu and English. Thus, the channel between our leader, Bill, and the

demanding porters was long, slow and fraught with possible misu

Documents

Diary of a novice - Lynn M. Pease (expedición al K2 en 1960).pdf