Trekking - 7th passage

DUSHARIN:
As we had planned before, in the morning we separated into several groups. Almost everyone from the team (except for Renat Temirbaev and Luba Shvedova) started going up to the mountain saddle. The caravan went by the spur along the river. To tell the truth, the caravan people were nice to us that morning. Before loading the caravan, they transported us through the last stream on our way on the camelbacks.

Having reached the pass, I continued walking along the path that almost never lost its height. Suddenly I saw a small flat area and understood that it could be the place we were aiming for. It took my breath away, and my heart started beating frequently. I went to that area, and the giant K2 appeared in its very beauty in front of me. The whole stature! It's just impossible to describe. It was something mysterious! It was a white gigantic pyramid, framed by clouds and lower mountains, still staying isolated. It seemed to be standing a little aside, somewhat hidden, and pulled into a mountain chain. All those things couldn't take a bit of magnificence away from the giant. It beats everything. It is impossible to describe. I had an unbearable delight, the cry out of soul! I almost started yelling: 'Hurrah! I can see it!' That happens when you meet your loved one or a dear friend or when you see something magnificent... I saw the thing I had been dreaming about. The destiny gave us its present. A brilliant weather - and our summit in all its beauty. It was a fantastic sight!

Trekking, day 6

For the first time we saw K2

The fellows started gathering around. Everyone had an incredible delight. We started taking pictures as if we were crazy about that. The happy person would be the one who reaches there. Nobody was sorry about 7 days of slow passing, cold, hunger, lost strength and nerves, and so on. It was nothing comparing to the thing we were to see. It was a marvelous scene! I don't have enough words to tell you about the feeling I had been watching the summit hiding away in the cloudy sky. Such things worth all the difficulties. It gave us the moment of joy and happiness, and it was all that really mattered!

Shaksgam Canyon and Kulkin River

VOLKOV:

As soon as we went down the spur and crossed the K2 river, we turned out to be at the final point of our trekking. It was a very different place. There were green plants, clear water springs and some kind of hares running around. The liaison officer and Yura, our interpreter, would stay at that place. From time to time we would come down there to have some rest. So we named that camp the "Chinese camp". In the evening we were selecting the luggage to load on 20 camels that were the strongest to carry those things closer to the mountain. We finished trekking and next day we would have to start taking things to the base camp.

Volkov's diary

Dusharin's diary