After a
terrible two weeks ride from Sofia, we were in Islamabad. We lost 3-4 days in the Ministry
of Tourism, but in the end we bought bus tickets to Skardu and then we rented two jeeps to
Askole for us and the luggage.
We needed 27 porters, each carries 25kg. On the third day of the
tracking we ascended on Baltoro Glacier and turned to the left (Trango Glacier). We
crossed it and built our base camp near a lake.
There was too much snow in the couloire and falling stones in the day
so we had to approach at mornings. Camp 1 was near the col, on the right of the couloire.
Camp 2, more comfortable than 1, was on the "Shoulder" and we did a bivouac six
pitches before the top.
The team equipped parts the route with fixed ropes. Our neighbors were
Spanish climbers - they wanted to do second ascent of "Eternal Flame" and they
did it.
On 5/7/ Nikolay, Milen and Sofia reached the top, next day - the other
members - Mihail, D. Kolechev and Sotir.
Equipment for the wall: one tent, four sleeping bags, fixed ropes, 100m
climbing rope (a good old 9mm Edelweiss Stratos), friends, nuts, karabiners, one
"Camelot" (from the Spaniards), everyone has his own two jumars and sac.
About the climbers:
The leader, Nikolay Petkov, was the most experienced. For the others this was the first
contact with a BIG WALL and the ALTITUDE.
In the "normal life" Milen, Sofia (mother of Peter, seven
mounths old at that moment) and Nikolay are engineers, Mihail and Dimitar K. are students
in the Sport Academy, Sotir is a "vertical worker".
