We are above all and still so fare away from the summit. That is what i know and realize on that day.
High above our lovely basecamp, which is on a frozen and with snow covered meadow almost 3000m below us. Where our cook Didar and the kitchen boy Aquil are waiting for us to come back.
High above the surrounding mountains, which are all so much lower than Nanga Parbat itself. And we enjoy a view like on a summit of another 8000m peak. But we have still a long way to go.
And we already left camp 2 at 6100m behind us. “camp 2″ and “61000m” sounds both so low, but here on Nanga Parbat it seems to be high above all.
We are connected to the world via satellite and it feels like being just around the corner of the next big city.
But it is a false picture and feeling. We are on an island, somewhere in the mountains, cold and isolated and only my mind and thoughts and dreams are able to escape to places where it is warm and cosy and my love is.
But on the other hand the island is not empty. We are not alone. we are surrounded by friends. the Sherpas, the original habitants of that island here, have welcomed us. Day by day they spread out and try to find a bit of grass for their shepherd, they cut wood to heat their small huts, just behind our tents. And they come and play card games with our staff and we chat with them. And with us there are others who are stranded here on the island inside the mountains. Our friends from Poland. We share the island and the mountain. And not only sharing, we work together and support each other, Which is a good feeling of not being alone but anytime i see myself in front of Nanga Parbat, i realize that still we are tiny dots in front of that giant.
And so i realize on that day not to think in the pattern of the other 8000m mountains i have climbed. Nanga Parbat make his own measurements in distances and altidude. We have to accept and deal with.
Credits
The North Face/david_göttler
The North Face/emilioprevitali.com
The North Face/simonemoro.com
