Saifee expedition, October 1999
After moving like that for some time, Rana bhai decided it was best
to rope up and we split up in three groups. The first
group, headed by Govind, comprised of Andy, Vikas (another porter),
Balu and Harshad. My group was headed by
Pooran Singh, and comprised of Yatin, myself, Sameet and Ketan Rajput.
The third group was headed by Rana bhai
himself and comprised of Paresh, Mrs. Sarita Rana and Ramu Singh. Walking
when roped in requires a lot of team
coordination and understanding. Crevasses were abundant and it is the
responsibility of the members ahead and behind
to support and pull a member out if he falls into a crevasse. Most
of the crevasses are not very deep, but one can get
sunk till the thighs and the members ahead and behind have to stand
still and pull the ropes while the sunken member
uses his body strength, ice axe and luck to climb out. Progress is
slower when roped in since the slowest member
determines the pace. Pooran Singh was given to irritation when somebody
stopped and pulled on him without giving a
prior warning.
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