July 02 2011
A super fast trip to base camp (5 days from Askoli) has led to not much activity. Strong winds, clouds and snow has meant a lot of reading and not much else. We did wake up this morning at 4 am to try and go up to camp 1 or 2, but returned to bed as clouds and snow were obviously on their way.
The mountains look very dry, rock fall is my biggest concern for this season. A stroll along the glacier towards the base of the Basque Spur (often incorrectly called the Cesen Spur) a day or two ago was a somber reminder of all the incidents over the years here. Much detritus was to be found; some relocated off the safest route to the start of the spur.
The weather paterns seem to be following exactly what 15 years of elapsed weather journals state. We wait for the expected change of weather. Luckily we are staffed by the best cook and assistant I have had in many years, so yummy food and some fun conversation about the state of Pakistan help pass the time. Please enjoy the photos, and have a happy 4th of July if you are following along in the US!!