Mountain diary

11th July (1998)
     Toni and Jesús climb up to Camp I on the Hidden Peak. They pass their mates, who climb down from the Gasherbrum II to the basecamp. Julián gave up before reaching the summit.

12th July
     At night, bad weather disappears and makes way for instability. It snows almost all night. Jesús and Toni decide to return to basecamp.

13th July
     Álex, Fausto, Félix and Julián return home. Jesús and Toni wait at basecamp for a weather improvement.

14th July
     Waiting at basecamp.

15th July
     At 4.00 am, with signs of a weather change, they leave for the Hidden Peak. In less than five hours they reach the Camp II (6400m).

16th July
     Once more, the clouds and the snow keep them there, with other groups.

17th July
     At night, the wind and the snow are their company. They opted to climb down to basecamp with regard to this new worsening. Clouds are so thick than it's difficult to see something 20 meters further.

18th July
     The day breaks without clouds. The English, who remained at Camp II, try to climb up to Camp III, but it is impossible because of the accumulated snow. There is no time and they consider the possibility to move down tomorrow. As it's necessary to let the wall rest for a few days, Toni and Jesús decide to go to the K2 basecamp, where is a group of Spaniards. They ask them if the ascent of K2 is included in their permit.

19th July
     When passing by the Broad Peak basecamp, they see four expeditions which are attempting this mountain. At the K2 basecamp they shed their doubts as they find out that they have no permit to climb. They spend the night there.

20th July
     They return to their basecamp. Weather turns better those days.

21st July
     At daybreak they make their way to Camp II on the Hidden Peak. At 12.00pm, clouds roll in again.

22nd July
     Though weather is not as good as anyone wanted, they decide to climb up to Camp III with a Japanese group. Nearby to the narrowing of the canal, 500 meters above Camp II, they decide to retreat because of the powdered snow which is constantly falling down on them. They see people going for the summit on the Gasherbrum II, but they are shortly surrounded by clouds. Once more at Camp II, they pitch down the tent. It snows nearly all the afternoon.

23rd July
     It snows at night. As there is so much snow accumulated on the Japanese route, they opt to move down to basecamp.

24th July
     At night it also snows at basecamp, but in the morning it seems as if the wind changed its direction. It blows a North wind, what should bring good weather with.

25th July
     At 4.30am, they leave for Camp II, reached at 9.30am. They meet some groups again. One of them has also arrived today from Camp I. In the afternoon, clouds appear again. Toni and Jesús hope that it's something temporary, as they intend to go for the summit that night. At 10.00 pm, with three Japanese from the days before, they leave for the summit. The Japanese climb up to Camp III.

26th July
     At 2.00 am they reach Camp III (7000m). The wind is pretty strong and the sky becomes cloudy. It is difficult to see something. They resolve to wait in the tent, pitched down here by the Japanese, and they will decide what to do when the day breaks.
     At 4.30 am, as it didn't look very nice above them, they resolve to return. The Japanese carry up sleeping bags and food to stay. At 6.00 am they are already in the Camp II tent. They sleep all day through.

27th July
     Clouds overcast the top of the Hidden Peak at daybreak. The sky has been kidnapped by clouds. Once more they come back to basecamp.

28th July
     Wait day

29th July
     At 4.40 am, they climb up again. This time, they intend to climb up direct to Camp III. They have in mind to wait there for some days, on the lookout for any step forward, however minimum it may be, in this crazy weather. They reach Camp III by 2.00 pm. They remove the tent at Camp II. They left the Japanese, who had climbed up with them days before, behind. One of them has a broken leg; the other one is now climbing up to the summit. Another Japanese group, which had climbed up the day before, is at Camp III. The other expeditions (German, American and Dutch) stay at Camp II.

30th July
     Night winds and snow make them desist from climbing up that day, so they sleep like logs the whole day.

31st July
     At 2.30 am they hear the Japanese leaving for the summit Toni and Jesús leave an hour and a half later. They left the Japanese behind at the beginning of the canal. At daybreak the sky is completely clear; a sea of clouds overcasts great part of the mountain below. At 9.00 am they reach the summit and observe the sea of clouds moving up quickly, so it will be soon over them. They climb down and pass the Japanese again, who have hardly covered halfway. Peter, the German, and his mate, Tony, go with them. The Japanese seem to be climbing up in bad conditions.
     The weather gets worse and Toni and Jesús have difficulties to find the tent at Camp III. They finally find it. They remove it and go on moving down, following the fixed-ropes trail on route, as visibility is null. Having drunk some liquid that the Dutch offered them, they continue their way to Camp I, together with Reiders, a member of Peter's group. They reach it by 6.00 pm.

1st August
     The sky is overcast and it snows from time to time when they move down to basecamp carrying all the equipment. It was farewell of the Gasherbrum glacier.