KAZAKHSTAN - The Marble Wall and Khan Tengri Traverse

12 Aug 2011 - Walk to Khan Tengri Base Camp

 

All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2011. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.

 

Highlighted area shows today's climbing

Getting up at 6am after the previous epic day was savage. The morning was cripplingly cold. We were able to have a luke warm cup of tea before the last remaining gas ran out. After a few pieces of chocolate all food was gone. The day proved to be one of perfect weather and once the sun reached us it became warm. We began a long trudge through waist deep snow down the glacier. This was a huge effort and there were some crevasses to cross. It was straightforward trekking until we reached the North Inylchek Glacier. Collosal scenery. A ridiculous sidle around a steep loose muddy slope covered in a slippery layer of snow in order to get to the main glacier. It was getting hot. I was now totally physically spent and starving, I barely had the energy to walk. Up and down on the steep and loose morraine. Eventually we headed to the centre of the glacier and walked along gentle ground. It was a long way. Eventually people at base camp saw us and came up with food. Finally we reached the North Inylchek base camp, I had my own tent, a feast of fresh food and vodka. I had cracked and split lips and a swollen tongue. Finally I could sleep in comfort.

This is where we pitched the tent at midnight the previous night after abseiling the slope above. Now it is morning and we can look back up at what we had abseiled during the previous night.

This photo was taken later in the trip. It shows the route we abseiled and our glacier camp.
On this perfect morning we walked down towards the huge North Inylchek glacier.
On the North Inylchek glacier.
It was a long trudge down the glacier and I felt very weak. All my strength had gone.

At last the base camp came into view. We were saved!

 

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All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2011. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.

Page created 16 Nov 2011, last updated 7 Dec 2011.