K2 – Muhammad & Iqbal
NB. update 13 May 2010…for any K2 or Karakoram climbers in the 2010 season I have three new cylinders of Poisk oxygen in Skardu that are for sale email Sean on venture@hot.co.za
Forget the logic that men in Kaftans can’t sprint. Porters Muhammad and Iqbal from Shikar accompanied me from K2 BC to Askole. They are absolute gems.
Now, there are two types of rock fall – 1) Serious and 2) Very serious. Serious rock fall sounds like small machine gun fire and the stones are usually about cricket ball size. Very serious rock fall sounds like a heart beating and the rocks are about the size of chairs. Now, serious rock fall had a lot to do with us getting to Askole in 29 hours – that’s 100km! Not great when compared to the Comrades Ultra marathon – (I guess 93km) but then the terrain is ultra different. When the rocks start falling Muhammad and Iqbal start sprinting. Don’t look up – just run away from the sound. When I look again all I see are two Kaftans tearing over the rocks and moraine…they are sprinting!
Along the route back to Askole, there are many porters graves and its very touching that at every one, the porters stop and say a few quiet words. Portering in the Baltoro is a super risky profession but without the lads it would be impossible to access the region. By the time we reached Askole , my feet were so heavily blistered (from the heat under foot) and so heavily taped (thanks to Leuko) that they looked like Tutankhamen’s (that’s after he was exhumated). Today is a slops only day.
Muhammad, Iqbal and me
It feels great to be back in civilisation again, take a shower and I can’t wait to have a good glug out of a tap when I get home. This is not something you want to do in Islamabad which is where I am now. The weather in Skardu was good so managed to skip the Karakoram highway and scrounged a flight back to the city.
Back to JHB on Saturday.
Still good looking
Push to C1
View from C2
Tags: blisters, K2, Karakoram, porters, Sean Wisedale
You look one hell of a lot better than I did on my last night on Kili. How do you manage it?? Well done Sean, enjoy the small comforts of modern man on your return.
Well done Sean glad you back safe. You do look good after what you’ve been through. Your hairdo unfortunately can’t beat the one i had in Kenya. Safe flight to Durbs and hope to see you soon.
After looking at that photo I am not so sure it was the rockfalls that these guys were running from… Chris and the Chakarinet team
Sean I guess by now you are home and enjoying the comforts of ‘civilisation’. I join everyone else who has been following your K2 expedition in saying ‘Well done!’ for following your heart and your ‘gut feel’ and coming home when you felt it was the right thing to do. It must have been a tough decision to make and we are all so grateful that you had the strength and courage to make it. Welcome home!
Hey Sean thats what you going to look like after the next red wine evening get used to it Mike Weston
I have been away! Only looked at this today! I am going to assume you are at home – Welcome! Congratulation to you both for living! We need more people like you in the world!
See you at DUC!
Eish Sean!!! You need to come for grub so we can help fatten you up! See you soon for a glass of red and fine dining at the Knibbs’.
Hey Sean, you look like you just spent an other 7 years on our settee.Go well.John Dunne