Reading Response Week 9

Bryant Lymburn

This weeks reading was the story of the American expedition of 1953 and their attempt to summit K2, the worlds second highest peak, and most notorious. After World War II had finished the resurgence in exploring and climbing these great unconquered peaks began to rise once again. With new advancements in clothing and equipment made during the war, and now available after the war for the common person, found a new advantage in these challenging environments. The American expedition was sure to make use of some of these on their trip to K2. However these new technologies would only help then so much. At the time India was limiting the use of Sherpa and this made it difficult to decide the size of climbing party that was to go on the trip; eight members would be the final party size. This number could have played a factor in the events that fallowed on the mountain that summer.

Traveling to the base of K2 through Pakistan was not to difficult of a task for the group and were on schedule to start climbing. Since it had been around 15 years since any members of the climbing party had been on the mountain, route finding up the Abruzzi Ridge was tedious and time consuming. After establishing camps up the mountain up to camp VIII in fair or inclimate weather hopes to reach the summit were strong. However storms began to swell pinning down the members at camp VIII. After a while one of their companions grew blood clots in his legs and was unable to walk. A decisions was made to make an effort to escape the storm and descend while aiding their fallen comrade down the mountain. This would ultimately lead to their comrades inevitable death and risk everyone else in the process.

The main question that arises when individuals are put in a position which risks the lives of their comrades and knowing that your chances of survival are next to none, how do you allow them to help you? Or Why would individuals go through the effort of trying to save a “dead man?” These are some of the questions that plague the events that fallowed on the mountain. Climbing K2 is no hard task by any means it is one the requires your utmost attention, effort, and will to live at all times, and that is in good weather conditions. The fact one one person died (the one that would have inevitably died from his blood clots), was a miracle in and of itself. Climbing in a raging storm, weak from a long period at altitude, and aiding a fallen comrade down is almost suicidal. However the fact that this was done with full consciousness can almost put them in a realm of great bravery and heroism for their actions.

Personally if I were to be in Art’s position, knowing I would not have a fighting chance to live even after getting down the mountain, I would not have let my fellow comrades endanger their own lives to save one that was already lost. However if I was in the opposite position I would make every effort to help my friend. It is here that the events on K2 are a catch 22. It is by simple luck and great technique that every member on the mountain did not die during that climb down the mountain. Proper skill and preparation were also a factor. By stocking each camp on the way down enough supplies were available to aid in the retreat. Thus allowing more members to survive such perils.