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World's Highest Pool Table Mustagh Ata Base Camp - Saturday, June 24, 2000
Hello from Mustagh Ata Base Camp. Today is Saturday, June 24. Bad luck seems to be plaguing Camp I as Walter reports that a Nepali climber, Lakpa, fell unroped into a crevasse yesterday while attempting to reach Camp II. Thankfully, he was able to extricate himself with a slight leg injury and considerable shock. This morning finds Lakpa ill with a headache, and so he's decided to return to Base Camp. Swiss Walter, having spent his second night at Camp I, at 5300 meters, has decided to try again today to reach Camp II. Dan Mazur reports that he and [unintelligible] spent the night at Camp II, 6200 meters, unable to reach Camp III yesterday due to fatigue and exhaustion. They will wait there for Swiss Walter and then hopefully continue together to Camp III, and then on to the summit. Jon, Walter Kay and Krzysztof all managed to reach Camp III at 6800 meters yesterday. Jon reports that they will begin their summit attempt at 6:00am this morning. With most of the climbers in various teams on the mountain right now, the hub of Base Camp has now turned to the porters. This morning there were about 20 or 30 porters in Base Camp. Somehow, a pool table has been hauled up here, and games are going for about five jiao a piece, which is about two cents in American currency. I'm not sure, but I would guess that the Mustagh Ata Base Camp now has the highest pool table in the world. I'll have to get my cue ready. The valleys around Base Camp also provide some great bouldering problems— although bouldering at 13,000 feet can wear you out quick. The rock around here is an interesting, gray-black, almost metallic-looking rock with this dried, orange fungus on it. The valley couldn't be more beautiful, with little yellow and purple flowers everywhere, a huge, huge sky and wispy clouds surrounding the distant snow-capped Chinese Pamirs. There is an immense quiet, with the only other creatures around being and occasional crow or bird, and these weird-looking gopher-type things that are orange with black paws. They build burrows at the base of the boulders and screech a terrible, high-pitched warning when anyone comes near. I think they must be terribly confused as to why anyone wants to climb around their home. The weather around here seems to be holding up, and hopefully, with any luck, it is the same up on the mountain, where the first group of our team is making their summit attempt. I'm Anne Ramzy for MountainZone.com with the Mustagh Ata East Ridge First Ascent team.
— Anne Ramzy, MountainZone.com Correspondent |
Hear Anne's Call from Base Camp 
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