So I had thought I could just bag the odd 6000m summit.
Leaving La Paz the day before yesterday after a little odyssey getting half-way proper equipment from the agency (half the stuff was broken, they did not have plastic mountaineering boots my size, which we had to rent from an other agency in the end, etc.), we took off to the low camp at the Zongo pass at 4600m in a ramshackle mini bus. We that´s me and Trevor, my English companion on this trip, and Andrés, our Bolivian mountain guide.
After setting up camp, we went up into the glacier to familiarize us with the equipment and practice some ice-climbing which was good fun and a nice acclimatization exercise. It is surprisingly easy to walk up an almost vertical ice-wall with crampons and ice-axe!
Next day - yesterday - not much else to do than packing up camp and walking up to the high camp at 5130m, where the glacier starts. The weather was quite mixed and we waited out the snow and hail during the afternoon in the tent. I was truly fit, full of energy, and did not have any issues with the altitude. In the evening, the clouds ripped open and gave view onto the stunning mountain scenery.
Today, a very early start; we got up at midnight. And after an agonizing time putting on all the layers and the climbing harness in the extreme cold (I'd guess a good -20 degrees), we stood on our crampons on the glacier at 1am. Unfortunately I did not feel all to well, but attributed that to the awkward time to get up. A second guide had appeared the day before and so we took off stomping through the snow in two teams, me and Andrés, and Trevor and the other guide. It was a moonless night and there was hence absolutely nothing to be seen of the glacier or the landscape. Only myriads of stars above and the glitter of the snow crystals in front of my head-torch.
After a while and quite some climbing through snow and ice, the city lights of La Paz in the distance became visible. Occasionally the dark abyss of some giant crevasse showed up which would have easily swallowed a stack of five trucks or more. My boots were allright, only did I have very cold feet. I was still feeling weak. The thought of turning back crossed my mind repeatedly... Our guides were making us to walk relatively quickly, and I did have trouble keeping up the pace. But we were making very good progess. Below us, in the glacier, the flickering lights of a few other groups ascending became apparent. The first obstacle, a 40m high almost perpendicular wall of snow and ice, was still good fun to climb - jamming the ice-axe into the wall and just walking up with the crampons. The mittens I had gotten from the agency turned out be crap, not very warm and certainly not water-proof at all. So I kept walking on with numb hands and feet, having to catch my breath continuously due to the altitude.
Earlier than expected we arrived at the final 200m high ice-wall before the summit at 6088m. Here, a fierce wind made things even worse. The air temperature must have been at -25 degrees or below, the additional wind-chill was tremendous. At this stage I had already full-blown hypothermia and was quivering and shaking. No place to wait, or hide, or warm up.
Maybe this made me go berserk (literally!) - the strenuous climb up this wall seemed the only way for me to warm up somehow. So I had outbursts of quick climbs up for about five to ten meters, often catching up with my guide who was supposed to stay the full lenght of the rope ahead to secure me, and physical breakdowns on the ice-wall for a few minutes, having to catch my breath and gather energy. All that in pitch-black darkness. I was so desperately climbing, that we left the other team behind quite a way. I was amazed to watch the snot coming out of my nose as icicles straight... I was just hammering away with the ice-axe, not much caring for my numb feet and hands. Stopping on the wall was absolutely no option due to the cold.
When I finally arrived at the summit at about 5.45am after a far to long climb through the wall, my fingers and feet were frozen stiff and there still was no daylight yet. Nothing much to be seen, except the glittering sea of lights of La Paz in the distance. I was totally hypothermic and shaking bitterly. The altitude made things worse. No way even to think of taking out the camera. (You know me - this is a very bad sign!) I had the dubious honour of being the first person on the summit today, after my guide.
After only three minutes, Andrés and I started the descent. On the way down, I tried to warm up my completely numbed fingers. And all the way down to camp the only thing I could ever think of was my warm sleeping bag. After the sun had come out, the outlandishly beautiful glacier landscape and the rim of gorgeous peaks around became visible. Unfortunately, I did not have the slightest amount of energy left to appreciate the stark beauty or to take pictures.
Yes, no need to argue, I should have been more sensible and should have turned back earlier. I did have a bad day and should have realized. This trip was certainly one of the most extreme situations I have been putting myself into ever. But by now, being back in La Paz, most of the feeling has returned into my fingers and toes. And after eating, drinking and sleeping a little, I feel almost human again.
But do not get me wrong - I did enjoy the trip lots, despite the suffering!
