Multiple people have commented on the trail how tight our summit push is. We didn’t have a third rotation, nor did we get a chance to sleep in camp 3. This is because we were there at the mountain early in the season, but had to sit on our hands for almost ten days due to snow (and then some more snow) and logistics issues. At the same time those of us who got up to camp 3 were fit and strong, ready and eager to go for the summit. Having some more leeway would’ve been nice, but with bad weather incoming, we had limited options. Being a commercial expedition means that we can’t just stay for three more weeks waiting for the next window.
Up, up, up!
After the second rotation on Broad Peak, I hoped we’d get a day rest. Resting a day in base camp after sleeping in the high camps helps a lot with acclimatization. Not to mention on the way up a rock rolled under me and I hurt my left knee. Luckily it got better after the rest in camp 1, but it’s still not good. Letting it recover would’ve been nice.
Except the weather forecast had other plans. There wasn’t enough time anymore to waste: snow was coming, and probably to stay too for weeks. Which meant we only had this one chance to move for the summit. Those who wanted a rest in camp 1 would start the next day, while those who were okay with the long way straight to camp 2 would get a day.
Second rotation
After taking a day of rest after the first rotation in base camp, we were heading back for the second rotation on Broad Peak. This time the goal was to sleep in camp 2, and preferably hike above camp 2, maybe even touch camp 3.
We started early in the morning so the glacier rivers would still be frozen and the snow firm. Once the rivers on the glacier thaw, traversing the moraine becomes much more difficult. The rivers’ flow is too strong and the terrain too slippery to cross just anywhere, and finding a safe crossing isn’t easy even with experience. (Hell, a local porter died trying to jump one of the rivers…) Higher up on the mountain having firm snow means much easier progress. Not sliding back a step for every two steps forward is a huge difference in exhaustion.
First rotation
As soon as the weather allowed, the Sherpa team set out to fix the ropes on Broad Peak. To make the most out of the good weather, we followed a few hours later in their trail, just late enough to minimize rockfall risk.
携帯はロック解除しようね
長期の海外の旅行・遠征などに行く前に、携帯（スマホ）の”ネットワークロック”は解除しておいた方がいい。特に山奥など離れた田舎に向かうと、現地の特定のキャリアじゃないと一切つながらないこともある。そして現地でそのキャリアのSIMを買っても、端末自体のネットワークロックを事前に解除しないと、使えない。
大した手続きではないが、現地からちゃちゃっとできるようなものでもない。auやdocomoはウェブから申請して、場合によっては請求もあって、うん日経ってようやくロック解除のコードが入手できる。別に現地のSIM使う予定がない場合でも、緊急対応で急に使いたくなることもある。ロック解除して（手数料以外は）損しないからやっといた方がオススメ。
一方でiPhoneや一定の時期以降購入した端末はロックされてないことも多いので、事前に念のため確認した方がいい。
The weather days
For the past week, we’ve been waiting for two things: first, for the team cargo to arrive, and second for the weather to clear.
Broad Peak base camp
Very early start today, I assume to avoid glacier melt as much as possible. Woke up before it even started getting bright. The terrain the same rolling glacier landscape as the days before. Lots of up-and-down, pretty exhausting.
To Goro II
Once again I got scammed. Every day they’d tell us something like “breakfast at 7, we leave at 8” then they’d be shaking my tent at 6 and we’d hit the trail before 7. So today I was way ahead of the announced schedule, but they were yet another half an hour early.
Onto the glacier
Pretty tough and long hike. Loose rocks all the way made it really exhausting. The Sherpas were of course moving really quick, so I felt pretty drained when we stopped for lunch.
Reaching shade
20km or so trek to Paju camp (about 3300m). Only 200m gain, but lots of up-the-cliff down-to-the-river all day so my watch was saying 700m climb total.
