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Camp 1 now has four
relatively tiny little tents on the prow of a ridge at nearly 19,000
feet. We established it yesterday through a very big push by both
Sherpa and Team members. It took us nearly 8 hours up and back. While
4,000 feet elevation gain in the Cascades is not a problem, here in
the Himalayas we are still acclimatizing. We rest today, and then
tomorrow we move up to Camp 1 for what will be many days. The Camp is
situated at the doorstep of heaven. It is surrounded by high mountains
that bow in height to Manaslu, but clearly give her good competition
for who can stick into the atmosphere the highest. Our plan for the
next few days is to push equipment and food up the mountain from Camp
1 in 1,500 foot steps, returning to sleep at Camp 1 in order to
further acclimatize. Then in four or five days, we may return to Base
Camp to rest. Which is what we are doing today. And what a great place
to rest it is!!
We are all well fed
here by our cook who has his kitchen tent organized better than most
restaurant kitchens. His creations include spring rolls, pancakes,
soups of all kinds, and of course the staple of rice and lentils
("dal bot"). The snow path to the eating tent is well
compacted and when he ("Krishna") bangs a pot to announce
one of his meals, six men spring from their tents in humble, hungry
obedience.
 We
are joined here in Base Camp by several other climbing parties
including Japanese,
German, Norwegian, Spanish, and Australian. Each
team has its own area with team and cook tents carved out on platforms
in the snow hillside. Each team’s camp is centered around a tall
pole (made from a sapling harvested from the hillsides far below) on
which the national flag and Nepali flag have been hung and proudly
flap in the breezes of Manaslu. There are also strings of prayer
flags, some as much as 100 feet long, attached and radiating out from
each pole. The prayer flags are composed of all colors and when taken
as a whole, make Base Camp an exceptionally colorful place. In a
sense, the prayer flags serve to unite all nationalities here at Base
Camp. Their purpose is not religious, but rather spiritual. In
contrast to the bright white snow, the flags are a colorful and
powerful reminder of how climbing this mountain is much more than just
an athletic event regardless of your national background. So tomorrow
up we go to Camp 1.
 The
beauty and awesome power of the mountains surrounding Camp 1 plus the
magnificence of Manaslu itself, on whose shoulder Camp 1 rests, is
what my love for this adventure is all about. This affection is only
exceeded by that which I have for those who sacrificed to allow us to
be here in the first place. I am confident establishing Camp 2 will
only serve to increase the strength of this affection in both
categories.
From Mike:
. . . Ki Kami, one of
our Sherpa climbers, led a small ceremony during which he asked
Manaslu for the safety and success of the team.
. . . The health
report is as follows: Brian, Dan, and Jerome are well acclimated to
Base Camp (15,700 feet), Tom is still harboring a headache, I am doing
fairly well, and Scott is dropping back to the village of Sama (11,500
feet) for a couple days to better acclimate.
. . . Yesterday, Khan
Cha, Kusang, Ki Kami, Brian, Jerome, Dan, Tom, and I made a carry to
Camp 1. Camp 1 is at nearly 19,000 feet (just above Naike Col). There
are a few dicey spots where we cross beneath active icefalls, but for
the most part the trip to Camp 1 is a glacier slog. We are fortunate
to be able to use the fixed line installed by the Australian
8000-meter meister Andrew Locke and his
Macedonian friend Alex. We’ve agreed to donate
$200 to the school in Sama in return for the use of the fixed line.
There is a small fixed line leading to Camp 1; we met Andrew on the
line as he was descending from the summit. He was cleaning his
gear and his pack was enormous. Everyone but Scott will move to Camp 1
tomorrow (he will be in Sama further acclimatizing). Our Sherpa
climbers made a second carry to Camp 1 today, and will join us in two
days. The only word I can think of to describe Khan Cha, Kusang, and
Ki Kami is machines. Kusang made it to Camp 1 in two hours today,
yesterday it took us six. We’re trying to carry our fair share, but
that’s nearly impossible when you’re so outclassed. The route
above Camp 1 looks a little hair-raising at the start, as it zigzags
through an icefall, but after that it evens out to a nice slope
leading to the North Col (Camp 3).
. . . Well we’re
defiantly on our way; we very much appreciate all the well wishes and
kind thoughts. This is definitely an experience like no other!
 
 Dispatches
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