Author Kristy McCaffrey's Blog ~ Pathways: The Belay

Monday, June 17, 2019

The Belay

By Kristy McCaffrey

K2, located in the Karakoram Mountain Range, is the second highest mountain in the world at 28,251 feet, straddling the Pakistan/China border. Its icy sides are steep and exposed, and it’s prone to heavy storms and avalanches. K2 wasn’t surveyed until 1852, and the first known climbing attempt was in 1902, with one of the climbers none other than the English occultist Aleister Crowley. They never made it higher than 20,000 feet.

K2, located in the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan.

In 1953, with the summit yet to be reached, an American expedition was launched, marking the fifth quest to conquer the mountain. The team was led by Charles Houston, who had attempted to climb K2 in 1938 but had retreated just shy of the summit due to diminishing supplies and imminent bad weather.

High-altitude mountaineering had, up to this point, been an enormous undertaking with the establishment of many camps along the route to the top, taking several weeks of ascents and descents to stock gear, food, and heavy oxygen cannisters. Instead, Houston proposed a lightweight expedition, and this would later become known as the Alpine style of climbing.

There were eight men on the team: Charles Houston, a physician; Robert Bates, a climbing friend of Houston’s from their Harvard days, who had also gone to K2 in 1938; Robert Craig, a ski instructor from Seattle; Art Gilkey, a geologist from Iowa; Dee Molenaar, a geologist and artist from Seattle; Pete Schoening, also from Seattle and the youngest member at 25; George Bell, a nuclear scientist from Los Alamos; and Tony Streather, an English army officer.

As they approached the summit, Art Gilkey became ill, most likely with thrombophlebitis (a blood clot). The team decided to descend in order to save Gilkey’s life, despite that his condition was likely fatal. Since he was unable to walk, they carried him in a makeshift stretcher made from canvas, ropes and a sleeping bag.

Somewhere around 24,600 feet, Bell slipped and fell on a patch of ice, pulling off his rope-mate, Streather. As they fell, their rope became entangled with those connecting Houston, Bates, Gilkey and Molenaar, pulling them along as well. Pete Schoening, who had been belaying Gilkey and Molenaar, was now the only climber still standing and was connected to the force of six falling men. He quickly wrapped the rope around his shoulders and ice axe, and he miraculously held all six climbers from plummeting to their deaths. This act became known as “The Belay,” considered one of the most famous events in mountaineering history.

After the climbers had recovered and made their way to a tent at the next lower camp, they unfortunately lost Gilkey. He had been anchored to the ice slope as the exhausted climbers had prepared the tent. They could hear his muffled shouts, but when they returned to retrieve him, he was gone. The most likely culprit was an avalanche. Later, members of the team concluded that Gilkey had released the anchors to unburden himself from the team, but the true cause of his death remains unknown.

In more than 150 years of mountaineering, only about 300 climbers have reached the summit of K2, known as the Savage Mountain, while nearly 80 people have died trying.

Two years ago, Lindsey Coulson lost her sister on K2, the second highest mountain on earth. Searching for answers, she sets out to climb the Savage Mountain. Mountaineer and freelance writer Ty Galloway has assembled a small team to conquer K2 and welcomes the esteemed climber. But K2 is a force unto itself, as is Lindsey. Both will test his limits. Both will test his heart.

“Full of action, suspense and adventure. Loved this book!”
~ Rebecca Lyndsey, author/illustrator of the children’s book Into the Ocean

Cold Horizon is now available in print.

Contact Kristy at kristy@kristymccaffrey.com if you would like to purchase an autographed copy.

Read an excerpt from COLD HORIZON

“All the 8000-meter peaks have been conquered with winter ascents now, except for K2,” Ty said, seeking to change the subject. “As usual, she’s holding out. Here’s another interesting fact—K2 is the site of the most famous belay in mountaineering history.”

“I’m hoping to get a photo as we pass the spot,” Packer said. “I’m gonna put it on my social media with hashtag ‘BadAssBelay.’”

“Why is it so famous?” Brynn asked.

“One man held the force of six falling men,” Ditch replied. “It was in 1953 and the summit of K2 had yet to be reached by anyone. The expedition—only the fifth one here—wouldn’t reach it either. It was an American team led by a man named Charles Houston, an excellent and well-respected climber. They had made it quite high on the mountain when one of their teammates, a man named Art Gilkey, for whom the memorial here is named, became very ill. They had to bring him down in a makeshift stretcher, which is a very dangerous thing to do. At one point, each man slipped in fast succession, becoming entangled in the ropes. A young climber named Pete Schoening was at the end, and he held them all, saving their lives. It was an incredible feat, really. Unfortunately, later, they anchored Gilkey to the mountain while they set up a tent, and he disappeared, likely swept away by an avalanche.”

Brynn took a sip of coffee from her mug. “Don’t all of you find the death in these places unsettling?”

“You can’t let it get to you,” David said. “On Everest, some of the dead are still where they died. You walk right by them.”

“One of the markers to the summit is Green Boots,” Ditch said. “I think he was an Indian climber.”

“They just freeze and are left there?” Captain Juneid asked, having remained silent during the meal.

“It’s too dangerous to move them,” Ditch replied. “It sounds unfeeling, but if they’re dead, they don’t need to get down the mountain.”

“Sometimes climbers try to bring bodies down,” Ty said quietly, glancing at Lindsey. Alison’s body was somewhere on K2. “But most of the time it’s all they can do to get themselves down safely.”

“Well, if I freeze my ass to K2, I give everyone here the green light to leave me,” Packer said. “I’d be happy to spend eternity here. Then everyone can pass me by, referring to the Packer marker.”

Ditch smirked. “You mean they’d be saying ‘The summit is just beyond the asshole blocking the route.’”

Packer let out a whoop. “I’ve been called worse.”

Brynn’s face took on an expression of concern. “I know climbing is addictive—I surfed for years, so I get the mentality—but really, why do you all do it?”

“It beats working,” Packer said.

Ditch finished off his coffee. “Which I don’t think you’ve ever done.”

“If you’re nice to me, I’ll let you rope up with me.”

“I think I’ll rope with Lindsey.”

Packer released an exaggerated sigh. “God, I hate it when there’s a better climber on the team than me. I have to work so much harder. Wait a minute, why do you get to rope up with the lady?”

Lindsey looked at Brynn. “Are you sure you don’t want to take up climbing?”

“Maybe I will. But I can see why you always climbed with your sister.”

“You girls are too picky,” Packer said.

“Just watch yourself,” Ty cut in. “There’ll be no messing around with my sister.”

Glee filled Packer’s face. “But Lindsey’s fair game?”

“No.” Lindsey answered at the same time as Ty.

He immediately regretted the force of his opposition, the hair rising on the back of his neck. The protectiveness for his sister didn’t surprise him, but hell if he wanted anyone laying claim to Lindsey.

Shit. So much for keeping his feelings under the radar.