My travel diaries
Wednesday 15 August, 2007 - Camp 1, Muztag Ata, Xinjiang, China
It's the first day of our summit attempt proper, and we wake up to snow. We take an 8am breakfast and wait for things to clear up a bit before, one by one, we start the ascent to Camp 1.
Ascent to Camp 1
Again I begin with the slow plod, but now I'm feeling much better acclimatised and can keep going for longer before I have to stop and rest. About halfway up I meet Steve coming back down. He's never got any higher than a little way above Camp 1 throughout our time on the mountain, and already he's feeling the strain again. He knows his summit attempt is over before it's really begun, and he looks gutted. I ask him what he intends to do - whether he will wait for us in base camp or try and get transport to Kashgar for some extended sightseeing. His mountaineering experience is limited and it has been clear that Muztag Ata was too tough a challenge for him, yet despite this he has remained cheerful throughout, and mixed easily with the rest of us who have much greater high altitude experience. It's been good to have him on the team and I can't help feeling his disappointment as he returns to join Ela, who is manning the base camp radio as the rest of us ascend.
Just above this I'm hit by a squally snow shower and stop to put my waterproof on. I decide to up the tempo in case the shower is prolonged, but it doesn't last long and a few minutes later I'm able to resume the slow plod, albeit a little more out of breath. When I reach Camp 1 and look at my watch, I'm amazed. It's only taken me 2½ hours - an hour less than any of the three previous occasions - and I'm feeling less tired. It's a good sign.
Domestic difficulties
I get settled into the tent and Geoff arrives. We have a ropey lunch of rice and pepperami, but wash it down with chocolate and coffee. Another squally snow shower erupts, and when I go outside for a pee it's blowing a gale. As soon as I open the tent door, snow comes rushing in. Toilet facilities at Camp 1 are rudimentary. As I look up the hill, the snow slope to the right of camp is reserved for harvesting snow to melt for cooking, while the snow slope to the left is the toilet slope, and it's steep. As I stand there doing what I have to do, I'm glad I don't have to pass anything more than water. Crouching down on this snow slope with no ice axe to arrest your fall would be an operation requiring a great deal of care. Falling several hundred metres with your underpants around your ankles would be an ignoble way to go, and not really how you want to be remembered.
Back in the tent it's now very cold. I've already carried my down jacket up to Camp 2, so I have to zip myself into my sleeping bag to keep warm. We're only at the first camp and I feel a bit of a wimp. I drift into sleep and wake up a few minutes later, sweltering. The sun has come out and hit the tent. I hear voices outside as the sun brings people out of their tents.
I'm feeling lazy, however, and spend the remainder of the day lying down reading my book.Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Next
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