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"Pack it up, pack it in, let me begin!"
14:08 p.m. EST Mar 5, 2004
Judging from the picture to the left, these guys are either getting ready for a barrel jumping competition* or are about to embark on a very large Himalayan/Karakorum expedition. If you guessed the former, you’re probably from Canada, and if you guessed the latter, you’re right.
The Italian Everest/dual sided K2 expedition’s warehouse is starting to fill up. You can count 100 barrels in that picture alone. These will be filled up with everything from ice-screws, to crampons, to toilet paper, to tents….
Supplies are coming in daily and the team is readying for their huge spring/summer. These barrels come from all different places. You can buy them some mountaineering supply places or go about some alternative routes. Some teams have gotten them from rum manufacturers. The only catch is that the plastic really absorbs the smell and reeks of rum, even after you’ve washed them out countless times. Not even the smell of old socks and long underwear gets the alcohol out.
This large, ambitious Italian expedition is sending a 19-member team to scale Everest’s north side this spring then two large teams to scale K2 from each side in commemoration the 50th anniversary of K2’s first ascent (by Italy).
*The present barrel jumping record of 18 barrels (29 feet, 5 inches) was set by Yvon Jolin of Canada on Jan. 25, 1981.
Title courtesy of 'House of Pain'
Image of the barrels courtesy of Montagna.org.
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