A few more days of overcast skies and sometimes low visibility have passed, but we've managed

to move farther up the glacier toward the col between Gasherbrum 3 and 4. By the time this dispatch is posted, Bruce, Guy, Billy and I will have left for a 5 day stint back up the glacier, where we hope to reach the G3-4 cwm. Unfortunately David's sinus issues have not abated, and he remains in base camp until he feels better. And for those Scrabble enthusiasts out there- yes, "cwm" is a word.

The glacier is blanketed by fresh snows which have accumulated almost daily since we arrived a week ago. The new snow makes travel a little rough, but even more disturbingly hides the crevasses striping the glacier underfoot. Every so often the trail we have made passes a hole in the snow, revealing glimpses of the unseen blackness looming below.

As I pass each hole, I peer down into the abyss, the bottomless view sending shivers up and down my spine. At these moments I try to humor myself  by recalling old Kung-Fu movies, when the grey-bearded master tells the student to "...think like feather, young grasshopper." We negotiate slowly and carefully on rope, tiptoeing  across the minefield, but despite our prudence each one of us eventually punches through. Two days ago it was my turn, when I managed to find a slot despite being second in line, wearing snowshoes, and walking directly in Bruce's tracks. As my flailing legs hung down inside the unseen chasm, I had a flashback to days swimming off the Marin County California coastline, treading water in the dark, cold surf, looking out past the waves at the Farralon Islands - a major breeding ground for great white sharks.

Both then and now I ask the same question: "Why would anyone in their right mind be doing this?" But I suppose the answer lay within that question. This glacier is only the first of many challenges to confront, of puzzles to be solved, of knots to be untied. (The latter somewhat diminished if Bruce coils the rope.

The amount of trash-talking and sarcasm in base camp seems to increase in proportion to our comfort level - which is actually a good thing. We all seem to appreciate being the sole base camp on the moraine right now - although that will change soon with all the commercial G2 expeditions soon to arrive.

Until then we revel alone in the solitude and grandeur of this vast corner the Karakoram. But just know that frequently our minds and hearts drift back across the great expanse, and back home to you......with a little help from satellite