Expedition report from Kashgar, Pakistan -- Monday, June 10

K2 team rests in Kashgar

This month, a group of Polish, Italian, and American climbers left to attempt an unclimbed ridge of Pakistan's K2. R.D. Caughron, an American on the climbing team, will file regular reports on the team's progress.

Arranging gear before the trek.

Eleven climbers plus four Pakistani and two Nepali support members have arrived in Kashgar with all equipment in tow. We're running one day behind schedule due to road blockages on the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan and also in China. Last night we overnighted below Mustagh Ata and Kangar, peaks explored by Eric Shipton. Before that we enjoyed a terrific view of Nanga Parbat. Going over the Kunjarab Pass was interesting. The pass was 14,490 feet in elevation according to my altimeter, and snow was everywhere. Fortunately, we've enjoyed fantastic clear weather since arriving in Islamabad.

This is an unusually accomplished climbing team, with members having climbed a total of 42 peaks higher than 8,000 meters before this expedition. Krzysztof Wielicki, our leader, leads the pack with 12 out of the 14 possible 8,000-meter peaks in the world. He's hoping to finish off both K2 and Nanga Parbat this summer, to complete all 14. Also on the team: Piotr Pustelnik with six, Marco Bianchi with six, Christian Kuntner and Ryszard Pawlowski with five, and Carlos Buhler with four.

How will our team members cooperate to climb K2? Some are very quiet; some prefer a more strategic approach. I asked Krzysztof, "Why all 14?" He answered that this was not his original motivation. But both the press and the public constantly ask him about reaching that goal. It will be more of a relief than any other satisfaction to have this monkey off his back.

This is the first time I've met Krzysztof--his energy is infectious. He's not shy about taking charge of organizing our team effort and the organizing never ends.

Another aspect of this expedition is how our many international sponsors (mostly contributing products to individual team members) are viewed within the team. Last night at dinner eight of our members walked in with bright yellow shirts with Kodak inscribed on the front. The effect was a bit overwhelming to the senses. The Italians who received Kodak support took a lot of good-natured ribbing from those who weren't involved. At last count each of us has received about ten T-shirts from different sponsors.

To top this took some doing, but Piotr Pustelnik, my Polish partner, and I received a very generous donation from The North Face. Piotr reciprocated by a making up a number of North Face logos, which we put on all the expedition T-shirts. North Face is everywhere now on our team, and at the base camp the logo will be permanently displayed on our high-altitude tents, in all camps.

I wasn't sure exactly how I would view this commercial influence as it might affect our team cooperation, but for now, my initial reservations were dead wrong. It appears on a climbing expedition to China, as in the United States, if a company's products are successful in the marketplace, the process of promoting them in the mountains adds rather than detracts from the team spirit.