Saifee expedition, October 1999
The next day we brought back the rest of the stuff in a move to shift
camp to C-1. Now came the moment we all dreaded - crossing the narrow ledge
around the boulder. Porters had fixed a line tied securely to rocks on
both ends, but I think that was more of a moral support than physical.
Imagine falling down 15 feet with a 17 kg backpack before the rope becomes
taut and still keeping the hold on the rope. The sheer impact would be
enough to yank the rope out of the falling person's hands. But amazingly
the psychological support worked wonders and everybody managed the treacherous
stretch pretty well. The trick to cross these ledges is to walk upright
and not to lean on a side. Walking upright provides a better balance to
the person than walking while leaning onto one side with a heavy load on
the back.
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