Challenge 8000 -
The Makalu Diaries
Sunday 2 May 1999
Alan Hinkes has sent his latest report from
high base camp at Makalu (5700m):
"Today it's snowing heavily. I've been
very lucky with the weather up until now
- near perfect for climbing. The snow is
bad news as the conditions will deteriorate
on Makalu, but hopefully it will stop in
a day or so.
My acclimatisation at low base camp went
well and I gave myself three days there
to make sure I had fully adjusted to the
altitude.
I celebrated my birthday on Monday 26 April
by treating myself to a good scramble up
a slanting rock face, which reminded me
of a mini version of one of my favourite
scrambles on the Isle of Skye. I got as
high as 5300m before returning to base camp
for a birthday breakfast of cheese omelette.
On Tuesday I set off for high base camp
at 5700m. Most of the equipment that I would
need at high base camp had been transferred
there by my Nepalese staff who had been
at base camp for some time and had already
acclimatised well. The trek to high base
camp took me about four and a half hours,
less than I had expected. I had to cut across
the Chago Glacier and walk through what
can only be described as a high altitude
desert. The
whole route was covered in rocks and rubble,
the moraine from the glacier.
With no water on the surface, the winds
whipped up thick dust storms and the air
became brown with dust, allowing only occasional
glimpses of the blue sky above.
High base camp is on a cliff just below
a forest of ice pinnacles known as "penitons"
by geologists. I set my tent up about 50m
in front of the "penitons" and
as I look out of my tent door I can see
them standing there like fins, some taller
than a five storey house. We cleared a platform
for the tents and Dawa, my Nepalese cook,
set up the kitchen tent near to mine.
Once at high base camp I met up with the
other climbers from expeditions from Australia,
America and Denmark, who are climbing on
Makalu. Michael Groom is the top high altitude
mountaineer from Aussie and I had not seen
him for a while. He had been on a separate
expedition to Cho Oyu at the same time as
me in 1990 and we had bumped into each other
occasionally since then. His ambitions are
slightly more modest than mine, he is aiming
to climb the five highest mountains in the
world.
After resting at high base camp on Wednesday
28 April, I felt ready to push higher on
the Thursday. I had to start by going through
the penitents using a labyrinth of routes.
At one point I had to squeeze through a
very narrow gap between a penitent and a
cliff face. This led on to rockier terrain
and then on to the glacier. Since there
had been little or no snow falling over
the last few weeks, I found myself plodding
across the glacier straight on top of the
ice. It meant I could see all of the cracks
in the ice including the gaping crevasses
which I either had to cross or walk around.
My route took me to the head wall which
is about 150m high and at an angle of about
50o . It was a steep climb. At the top I
walked for about half a kilometre before
pitching my tent at camp 1, at 6200m, next
to an ice wall or serac. I felt OK to start
with and turned in for the night. The snow
started falling and there must have been
about an inch of fresh snow. By the morning
it had stopped. I suffered mild headaches
during the night and melted alot of snow
for water to drink before setting back off
down to base camp.
I was pretty wrecked by the time I got back
down to high base camp and Dawa and Pasang
fed me up with egg and chips, chipatis,
tins of fruit and plenty of fresh coffee.
I spent Saturday recovering and listening
to the BBC World Service. I was horrified
to hear about the death of Jill Dando and
the dreadful bombings in London.
Unfortunately, Saturday was also the day
that the weather broke and the snow has
been falling heavily ever since. The conditions
on the mountain will be much harder with
increased avalanche risks and poorer visibility.
It was also on Saturday that we heard that
one of the Danish climbers had been swept
off the top of Makalu in high winds. His
climbing partner staggered back into base
camp to tell us that Michael Joergenson,
who I had been talking to only three days
before, had summited Makalu, and had just
started the descent when he was swept away
by the strong winds. The last 300m of Makalu
are possibly the hardest part of the mountain
to climb.
Apparently he had pushed really hard to
get from base camp to camp 2 at 7400m in
twelve hours and rested for two nights at
this high altitude. He pushed for the summit
the next day, probably too quickly and before
he was
really ready.
It was sobering news for all of us at base
camp. I have always said that the hardest
part of the mountain is the return from
the summit. Too many people have relaxed
their guard once they have summited and
lost their lives on the descent. I try not
to feel too much euphoria on the summit
because I always know that the hardest part
has yet come.
One or two of the other climbers are considering
whether or not to continue. The others will
push on and so will I. This is not the first
time that I have been on a mountain when
someone has died and although it makes me
stop and think, it does not put me off.
As soon as the snow eases, I shall return
to camp 1. After spending a night at camp
1, I shall push on to camp 2 and Makalu
La at 7400m. I shall spend a night at camp
2 before returning to camp 1 and then base
camp by Friday or Saturday for a rest.
My next report will be on my return from
camp 2."
