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Dispatches
Ice Cream Wednesday, August 9 2000 "We're all safe, made a lot of new friends, got to shoot machine guns, and managed to scrape our way up something...." Last Dispatch From Brady Wednesday, August 9 2000 "We would also like to thank the great nation of Pakistan. We have received nothing but warmth from its people and kindness from its military...." Last Week in Nangmah Wednesday, August 9 2000 "The Nangmah holds several expeditions worth of granite towers and alpine objectives. Amin Brakk is a beautiful giant tower, but the lower half is totally blank...." Recovery Monday, July 31, 2000 "I finally pulled out of my feverish hallucinatory stupor today. Glad to be back on earth...." Kande Village Floods Saturday, July 29, 2000 "I didn't pay them much attention until I looked up and saw a surge of water engulfing the wash several hundred meters above...." Sandstorms and Swaying Bridges Wednesday, July 26, 2000 "As soon as we left the trees sheltering the village of Khapulu, we were hit by a sandstorm...." Editor's Note: Having completed the first ascent of Tahir Tower, Steph Davis and Dave Anderson are returning to the United States. Brady Robinson and Jimmy Chin have chosen to stay two more weeks and are heading north to Hushe to seek more unclimbed rock. MountainZone.com will continue to bring you reports from Brady and Jimmy. Lighter Bags, Fond Memories Tuesday, July 25, 2000 "...all of these moments will always remain within Jimmy, Dave, Brady, and me...." Military Memories Tuesday, July 25, 2000 "Dave looked fairly terrified that the Captain had allowed me, of all people, to hold a loaded gun...." Shining Through Friday, July 21, 2000 "I stare off at the peaks shrowded in the clouds, wishing I could take flight and look at the hundreds of unclimbed walls of the Siachen...." Dancing on the Summit Thursday, July 20, 2000 "All four of us sat on the small summit together — unfortunately a rather cloudy day, but wonderful nonetheless..." A Bit Stunned Wednesday, July 19, 2000 "I was in a rush to get through when I high stepped on what I thought was a really good piece. It wasn't. A centimeter of rock on both sides of the crack ripped out...." Tackling the Band Tuesday, July 18, 2000 "While before they contained unknown climbing potential, now we can see that were any one of them located in the States, they would be one of the most popular climbing destinations...." 2500 Feet Above the Valley Floor Tuesday, July 18, 2000 "The wall is overhanging and I rest free hanging 10 feet away from it, spinning slowly counter-clockwise, taking in the valley floor 2500 feet below...." Tackling the Band Monday, July 17, 2000 "Free climbing tends to attract the glamour in the climbing world, but if you don't know how to do hard, tricky aid, you may not be able to get up a new route at all...." Luckiest Climbers in the World Saturday, July 15, 2000 "Our motion is simple — up or down. We feel excited, afraid, tired or happy, but never bored. Our goal is clear and beautiful...." Like A Giant Swing Set Saturday, July 15, 2000 "At the bottom of some of the fixed ropes, you can jump our nearly 30 feet from the wall..." Space Hauling Cowboys Saturday, July 15, 2000 "Now imagine that your new apartment is located 1800 vertical feet above your old apartment and you have to climb up..." Lucky or Unlucky? Thursday, July 13, 2000 "Looking up at the roof, I'm not sure if I am lucky or unlucky to get the much anticipated roof pitch...." Fighting for Inches Tuesday, July 11, 2000 "I climbed about 30 feet, letting out inadvertent whimpers and yelps as I passed a difficult wide section...." Rest Day with a 155-year-old Man Sunday, July 9, 2000 "Finally, I think of something to ask. 'Zahid, please ask him what he remembers as his best moment in life.' Zahid turns to tell us, 'He say, 'Right now, always now.'" Festering in a Portaledge Friday, July 7, 2000 "You always think it won't happen to you... I had the good timing to get sick the day before we were ready to do a final haul..." Working at the Office Thursday, July 6, 2000 "Our daily commute consists of jugging up fixed lines above camp and freeing new pitches in the Great Dihedral...." Hauling the Pigs Saturday, July 1, 2000 "Jimmy strengthened the anchors while Dave, Steph, and I began the arduous process of hauling climbing gear and 32 gallons of water up the ropes...." Steph Visits Khorkondas Village Friday, June 30, 2000 "I couldn't help but laugh too, they were all so excited and happy, although I must admit I wasn't sure what they found so exciting about me, as I can't even speak Balti...." Potato Chip Flakes and Dirty Holds Thursday, June 29, 2000 "The climbing steepens, and hope of future placements disappear as the seam bottoms out and the rock quality gets worse...." Climb Begins to Steepen Wednesday, June 28, 2000 "We are only a third of the way right now and the climbing begins to look much steeper and difficult...." Bad Rock on the First Pitches Tuesday, June 27, 2000 "We walk five minutes to the base or our route. I've been itching to climb for some days now, so Steph asks me if I "need" the first pitch...." Meeting the Pakistani Special Forces Monday, June 26, 2000 "After dinner yesterday, two officers from the Pakistani Special Forces stopped by for tea and cookies...." Discovering Unclimbed Rock Monday, June 26, 2000 "Brady and I decide to set out upvalley and check out one of the intriguing high valleys that has been piquing our curiosity...." It's Starting to Seem Worth It Friday, June 24, 2000 "...to find an unclimbed granite tower with one single splitter going straight up the middle...In the year 2000, how can any climber score such a prize?...." Yearning for the Mountains Tuesday, June 20, 2000 "The landscape is a parched brown, but peering out high above the hills are the hint of distant snow covered peaks. I know we will soon be amidst them, but my patience is waning...." Stocking Up For the Journey Sunday, June 18, 2000 "We then divide up tasks and set to work buying food and supplies for six weeks, inventorying gear that Jimmy and Brady left here last year, organizing equipment into porter loads, and purchasing gifts and souvenirs for friends and family back home...." Cooling Off in Skardu Saturday, June 17, 2000 "The heat that followed us up the KKH dissipated as the Indus River spread itself across the broad valley of Skardu...." Dreaming of Virgin Peaks Saturday, June 17, 2000 "We got three rooms in the Indus Hotel: two for us and one for our gear. We ate some food and went to sleep early, happy to have arrived. It is cooler here...." From Lush Greens to Lifeless Grays Friday, June 16, 2000 "Our driver passed the ornately decorated "long haul trucks" on the outside, bursting his horn as a warning to the truck and any oncoming that might be behind blind corners. Aggressive driving is the rule on the KKH...." The Raja Bazaar Thursday, June 15, 2000 "We start by ordering our stove, a massive hand-welded double-burner kerosene affair, from a stove seller, and then hurry off through the streets to do the rest of our shopping...." The Elusive Kondus Wednesday, June 14, 2000 "...we would be exploring a region that has been completely closed to all foreigners for decades. No one even has photos of the Kondus. It doesn't get any more exploratory....." Alaska to Pakistan in Three Days Tuesday, June 13, 2000 "The ambient temperature hovers around 100° F. I roll my window up to prevent the air, moving at 40mph, from searing my skin. Suddenly, a motorcycle darts in front of us...."
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