At the airport

I am sitting in the airport, after mastering the rules of excess baggage. I had a total of 4 bags of gear. 1 bag of food(about 70lbs), 1 bag of group gear (including 12 jetboil stoves, I left a few behind, expedition shirts for the team), 1 bag of personal gear, and 1 bag with boots and such. The total weight is about 240 lbs for the bargain price of $420.

A calm is descending upon me as I prepare to depart the hectic frenzy that has ensued my life over the past few weeks. The frenzy of packing, buying, and double checking everything. There is only one thing that I have forgotten that I can think of and it is not essential.

I am excited, nervous, and full of anticpation. I just spoke with my friend Beth G on the phone and she said have fun. My comment was that mountaineering is not fun while your doing it, but exhilarating in retrospect. Very similar to Mark Twains comment about travel. And K2 is travel to the extreme. My goal is to be safe, be calm, and above all else come home.

Climbing is a solitary experience undertaken with a team. Only you know what you are feeling, what you are thinking, and how much your body can take. The team enables you to perform at a higher level then you could by yourself. And that is what I am hoping to experience upon meeting the team in Islamabad. That together we will be able to perform this extraordinary feat together.

My thanks goes out to all my family and friends who have supported me in this project and my thoughts are with them.

Climb Hard, Climb High, Come HOME!

Chris
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