Day 9, 7/13: C2 (20300 ft) - Tashkurgan (11000 ft)

Today will be a long descent from C2 to C1 to basecamp to 204 then to Tashkurgan. It’s about time to get some rest, recuperate, and prepare for the final summit push.

I didn’t sleep well last night again, partly due to the howling wind that made some loud noises. No one slept well, not even experienced guides. One of the guides even vomited. Our bodies were all trying to acclimatize to the new altitude, so headaches and fatigue were pretty normal. After suffering through this night, we would feel much more comfort the when we return to this place for the summit bid.

Kind of smoky.

We woke up early around 5 a.m. to allow time for us to get back to Tashkurgan. The morning without sun made the mountain equally majestic as it was when the sun was out (plus more comfortable). Descending was such a fun process, at first. I was almost running down the mountain because the powdered snow from last night gave my snowshoes more cushion.

Then I realized, I bruised my toe nail again, this time more painful since I haven’t recovered from the injury two days ago. After we started roping up to cross the icefall, I passed through the most frustrating and dangerous hour of the climb.

The sun was getting out already, which infused some of the snow into the hard ice, making the road particularly difficult to step on since we were descending. Two people slipped and fell, thankfully we caught them.

The rope team was moving at a very fast pace. Everyone was trying to get down and enjoy the luxuries at lower altitudes. I was having a very hard time keeping up with others. In some sections, the person in front of me would be walking downhill, and I would be walking uphill. I was basically dragged to walk. Luckily it was over very soon, and descending from C1 to BC was a piece of cake since we’ve already done it before.

Glaciers become blue-ish in the morning.

When we returned to BC around noon, we saw Pepsi and melons! I refrained from drinking Pepsi to avoid upsetting my stomach, but the melons were heavenly. Two more members, a married couple, decided to depart from the trip due to serious health issues at C2. After a 30-minute break, we took a pickup truck down to 204, switched onto a van, then got a ride back to Tashkurgan.

Hot pot with a chimney.

Feeling civilization every once in a while, was great. Although my lips were mildly sunburnt, I still joined the rest of the group for some sizzling yak hot pot. Who wouldn’t want to eat some good food and stack up nutrition.