đŹđ§ English below
đą Tout dâabord, je vais rĂ©pondre Ă une question collective. Malheureusement, le parapente est toujours interdit officiellement par le gouvernement pakistanais et par lâambassade du Pakistan Ă Paris, mĂȘme si le but de lâaventure Ă©tait de redescendre en volant.
đ Mais la peine encourue, câest la prison et lâinterdiction dâentrer au Pakistan. Bien sĂ»r, connaissant papa⊠Jâai eu trĂšs peur. TrĂšs peur quâil ne prenne pas cette interdiction au sĂ©rieux. On lâa dĂ©jĂ eu en prison au Tadjikistan, mais lĂ , je ne suis pas prĂȘte Ă aller le voir en prison tous les ans Ă Islamabad (y a pas la plage lĂ -bas)âŠ
đPremiĂšre pensĂ©e de Blutch en atteignant le sommet
En haut au sommet :
"Je croyais vraiment que le dernier raidillon menait au sommet. DĂšs la fin de la derniĂšre corde, j'Ă©tais en quĂȘte dâune pente pour dĂ©coller. Je ne me suis mĂȘme pas demandĂ© pourquoi il nây avait rien pour symboliser le sommet. Il y avait bien cette mauvaise bosse de 15 mĂštres, une pile dâassiettes un peu plus haut, mais qu'est-ce que ça allait m'apporter de plus ? J'Ă©tais en haut du K2, Ă peu prĂšsâŠ
Je me convaincs de monter cette bosse, mais le vent vient de plus en plus de lâarriĂšre, alors je redescends. Finalement, je ne suis pas satisfait du vent sur la derniĂšre pente de neige, alors je me botte les fesses et dĂ©cide enfin dâaller voir en haut de ce fameux dernier raidillon. Câest horrible comme je suis lent, comme je souffle Ă lâarrĂȘt autant quâen marchant. Alors, je mets un pied devant lâautre et je sors enfin au-dessus de cette fameuse pile dâassiettes.
Mince, derriĂšre, encore 80 mĂštres de plat montant.
Je nâĂ©tais vraiment pas au sommet il y a 10 minutes, 20 minutes, peut-ĂȘtre 1 heure max. Je ne calcule pas. Je ne suis peut-ĂȘtre mĂȘme pas capable. Je mâen fiche. Il fait tellement bon, avec presque pas de vent. Allez ! Encore 10 minutes pour couvrir ces 80 mĂštres quasi plats et je devrais ĂȘtre bon.
Oui, 10 minutes pour 80 mĂštres Ă plat. Câest ma tĂȘte qui lâa dit, lâa anticipĂ©, lâa chronomĂ©trĂ© !
Jâaperçois enfin le relief derriĂšre cette ultime bosse. La vache ! Un petit promontoire est couvert de drapeaux nĂ©palais et surmontĂ© du drapeau pakistanais. Il se trouve Ă 20 mĂštres Ă plat de moi.
Le Sherpa de la Japonaise, qui me suit Ă 100 mĂštres derriĂšre depuis 2 heures avec de lâoxygĂšne et que jâai aidĂ© Ă plusieurs reprises, est lĂ , assis peinard alors que je fais son job !
Je le contourne et le salue Ă distance.
Je ne ressens rien. Je suis dans le coltar. Je suis clairement dans un Ă©tat second, mais j'imprime tout. Je sais encore oĂč je suis, qui je suis, qui jâaime, qui mâentoure (un Sherpa et sa Japonaise).
Le paysage, mĂȘme pas je le calcule. Impassible ! « Câest grave, docteur ? »
Le ressenti : je suis bien, trĂšs bien. MĂȘme si un voyant rouge me rappelle dans ma tĂȘte de dĂ©guerpir dâici, je suis content dâĂȘtre lĂ , apaisĂ©. Il fait bon et jâai trĂšs envie de mâasseoir. Alors je mâassois. Pourquoi mâen priver ?
Assis, je sors ma GoPro 360 et lâallume pour immortaliser ma tronche, le sommet, la Chine et une partie du Pakistan.
Jâai soudain trĂšs envie de mâaccorder une petite sieste. Le voyant rouge sâest bizarrement arrĂȘtĂ©, alors pourquoi ne pas se coucher un moment dans la neige ?
Je pique du nez. Ă deux ou trois reprises, alors que ma chĂ©rie est blottie dans mon dos, je relĂšve ma tĂȘte, regarde le sommet et me dis que je nâai rien Ă faire encore lĂ , avant de repiquer du nez. Au bout dâune Ă©ternitĂ©, je suis reposĂ©, refait. Je me relĂšve et vais prendre la place du Sherpa et de la Japonaise qui ont disparu.
Jâai le sommet pour moi tout seul. Peut-ĂȘtre que câest ce que jâattendais inconsciemment⊠Savourer ce moment unique par un itinĂ©raire unique en solo.
PS : Le soir, au bivouac, je mâaperçois que ma camĂ©ra a enregistrĂ© ma sieste au sommet pendant 8 minutes. Jâai beau chercher, je ne trouve pas ma chĂ©rie blottie contre moi.â
-Blutch
đŹđ§K2 SUMMITER đ
What's going through his mind at 8611 m?
đą First of all, Iâm going to answer a collective question. Unfortunately, paragliding is still officially banned by the Pakistani government and by the Pakistani embassy in Paris, even though the whole point of the adventure was to fly back down.
đ But the penalty is prison and a ban from entering Pakistan. Of course, knowing Dad... I was really scared. Scared that he wouldnât take this ban seriously. We've already had him in prison in Tajikistan, but I'm not ready to visit him in prison every year in Islamabad (no beaches there)âŠ
đBlutchâs First Thought Reaching the Summit
"I really thought the last steep slope led to the summit. As soon as I finished the last rope, I was looking for a place to take off. I didnât even wonder why there was nothing to mark the summit. There was that ugly bump, 15 meters high, a pile of plates a bit further up, but what more could it give me? I was at the top of K2, more or lessâŠ
I convinced myself to climb this bump, but the wind was coming more and more from behind, so I went back down. Finally, I wasnât satisfied with the wind on the last snow slope, so I kicked myself into gear and decided to finally go check out the top of that last steep slope. Itâs horrible how slow I am, how much Iâm panting, both when Iâm walking and when Iâm stopped. So, I put one foot in front of the other and finally get above this famous pile of plates.
Damn, thereâs still 80 meters of slightly uphill terrain behind.
I really wasnât at the summit 10 minutes ago, 20 minutes, maybe 1 hour max. Iâm not counting. Maybe Iâm not even capable. I donât care. It feels so good, with almost no wind. Come on! Another 10 minutes to cover these nearly flat 80 meters and I should be good.
Yes, 10 minutes for 80 meters of flat ground. My mind said it, anticipated it, timed it!
I finally see the landscape beyond this last bump. Wow! A small promontory is covered with Nepalese flags and topped with a Pakistani flag. Itâs 20 meters of flat terrain away from me.
The Sherpa of the Japanese climber, whoâs been following me 100 meters behind for the past 2 hours with oxygen and whom Iâve helped several times, is there, sitting comfortably while I do his job!
I walk around him and greet him from a distance.
I feel nothing. Iâm out of it. Iâm clearly in a daze, but Iâm taking everything in. I still know where I am, who I am, who I love, whoâs around me (a Sherpa and his Japanese client).
The landscape? I donât even process it. Impassive! âIs it serious, doctor?â
How I feel: Iâm good, very good. Even though a red light is flashing in my head, reminding me to get out of here, Iâm happy to be here, at peace. It feels good, and I really want to sit down. So, I sit down. Why not?
Sitting down, I take out my GoPro 360 and turn it on to capture my face, the summit, China, and part of Pakistan.
I suddenly have a strong urge to take a little nap. The red light in my head has strangely stopped, so why not lie down in the snow for a while?
I start to doze off. Two or three times, as ma chĂ©rie is snuggled up against my back, I lift my head, look at the summit, and tell myself I have no business being here, before dozing off again. After what feels like an eternity, Iâm rested, refreshed. I get up and take the place of the Sherpa and the Japanese climber, who have disappeared.
I have the summit all to myself. Maybe thatâs what I was unconsciously waiting for⊠To savor this unique moment through a unique solo route.
PS: In the evening, back at the bivouac, I realize my camera recorded my nap at the summit for 8 minutes. I look, but I canât find ma chĂ©rie snuggled up against me.â
-Blutch