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Winter
Makalu 2000/2001
1-2-2001 Dispatch
EXPEDITION
TO MAKALU Up the hill - matched in pairs
A
Wise Dog
We
said goodbye to the old year four hours and fifteen
minutes earlier than our compatriots in Poland. We did
not wait until midnight in our homeland. A snow storm
and cold made us escape into our down sleeping bags
after a few hours.
Krzysztof
Wielicki thinks that, weather permitting (we hope that
snow fall and blizzard of the last twenty four hours
is a temporary state), the two-people teams which are
to leave the base tomorrow, will stay in the upper
parts until the end of the expedition, which is in
about two weeks. Each of the teams should spend a
night above 7000 meters (the area of Makalu La pass)
in order to acclimatize and then try to ascend the
summit fast with a shock tent, Alpine style. We have a
long section ahead of us, probably with very strong
wind. During the night of the New Year's Eve, at
midnight local time, Wielicki wished everyone to come
back home safe and not to give up the challenge ahead
of us. He thinks that division into twos increases
safety because this allows you to control your
partner's state and back off in the right moment in
case of problems. He himself has now overcome his
illness.
Everyone
was in the base the last day of the year, besides
Maciej Pawlikowski and Jarek Zurawski who left camp
no.2 (6600 meters) and descended the western slope in
blizzard, wandering around the cracks in the Chago
glacier, where camp no.1 (6200 m) is located. They
reached the advanced base very exhausted. They had a
long way to the main base ahead of them through stones
and rocks covered with fresh snow. At that moment they
saw tracks of a dog. As it turned out, Kukur, our
Nepalese dog, which we fed, chose a more convenient
and safer way than the colleagues who descended
before. Pawlikowski and Zurawski reached the canteen
tent at night. The tired Kukur was honored with
dainties he has never seen in his life.
Snow
in the Kingdom : My Storm Years on Everest by
Ed Webster, Peter Williams (Editor),
(Illustrator) This item will be published in
November 2000. You may order it now and we will
ship it to you when it arrives.
