DISPATCHES

O'Fallon

Last night was our first night in Yechem after five days of trekking from Chinese Base Camp (CBC), two days of taking down Advanced Base Camp and carrying gear to Camel Dump, one day of retreat from the mountain, a day of arguing with the camel drivers (some call it negotiations) and a day for the camels to take our gear from Advanced Camel Dump (the camel drivers could not pick us up where they left us due to rivers so we had to carry gear up and over a mountainside) to CBC. Not in any order, much like our retreat.

I suppose the music is meant to be a calming influence throughout the day. I wish it would work on us. Failure to climb the mountain is not sitting well with some. It is not so much the failure that bothers me as never getting a chance to try. By my count I spent 18 days on the mountain. Nearly 80 days at K2 and only 18 days on the mountain. Some feel better we were chased off by yet another storm. It was a summer of storms — be it the weather or the discord between members. For me, I am bitter. I lost a summer with my 2-year-old daughter to be with people that could not get along and not even get a shot to summit. A childish feeling.

On the way in my feet rarely got wet. On the way out they got wet while on a camel. It seemed liked years, those five days. Thoughts of my wife and daughter delayed time. Only the brief interludes crossing rivers on camels severed the succession of regrets: thoughts of Kaelin swinging and laughing throughout the Alaskan summer (made more special by the Alaskan winters) and hopes of returned normality.

We had about 12 miles of extra trekking on the way out as the roads between Mazardala and Yelick were out. Psychological torture.

Our luggage was searched at the Mazardala police checkpoint, a couple of shacks and a huge microwave dish at the edge of the Himalayas. A couple of people were belligerent and the search intensified. A bag of missing (and much missed) coffee was found in the personal luggage of one of our National Geographic cameramen. Yet another argument ensued.

I am melancholy. I had great expectations and hopes but I should know better. Nearly 20 years of climbing should have taught me more about the fickle nature of weather. Life should have taught me more about people. This was my one shot though. We have another child on the way and it will be years before I can again take this much time to climb. I could never again steal from myself and my children time so precious.

What was learned and gained? I think only the distance time can give will truly tell me. I should be positive for I climbed with some great climbers and some great people. I earned some new friends, became much closer to an old friend and learned much about my own strength and weaknesses. I was in one of the most remote regions of the world and had an adventure of a lifetime. Now... I can't wait to see my daughter.

Maybe that will be my greatest gift from this trip - the appreciation of what I have because the mountains and the adventure means much less without it.

Now I have but six days until I see my family again. Four days driving along the Karakoram Highway, 23 hours of flying and untold hours of waiting for flights. Another adventure many would love to have that I am not fit to appreciate.

One reader wrote us to tell us we were rich and spoiled. Well, not rich. I can't wait to get home to fully understand how spoiled.

— Shawn O'Fallon, MountainZone.com Correspondent

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