If you're like me and spend each May watching the updates out of the Everest spring climbing season, you were disappointed this year. The Khumbu Icefall avalanche that tragically killed 16 Sherpas essentially shut down the southern Everest season before it got started.
So I'm living Himalaya-vicariously this summer through Alan Arnette's blog of his K2 expedition. If you're not aware, K2 is the second highest peak in the world at 28.2K'. It's in Pakistan, in the Karakorum, and is regarded as much, much more dangerous than Everest from a deaths-to-summits ratio. It has definitely earned it's nickname of "the savage mountain." Only Annapurna, I believe, has a higher kill-to-success ratio among the world's 8000-meter peaks.
Anyway, Alan has completed the weeks-long acclimation rotation and is currently at Camp 2 on the final ascent. He expects to try for the summit on the 27th, Sunday. Very few Americans have successfully climbed K2, so this is somewhat of a big deal. Alan has a website and blog where he has been posting dispatches from the expedition daily. If you're interested:
Alan Arnette's K2 Blog 
