We're tucked in to our nice new abode at 12,300', at the foot of the glacier on the North side of Mt. Elbrus. The smooth roll continued today, as the deluge of rain that we listened to all night broke early this morning, letting us rise to cloudy skies that increasingly became blue. We packed up our camp, sorted through the final odds and ends that were going to come with us or stay in base camp, then shouldered packs and headed uphill again, this time for good. The terrain rolled by as clouds intermittently protected us from the sun, and after 5 hours of hard work, we reached our new digs. It took some time to level the gravel in this glacial moraine to yield tent platforms, but pretty soon we had a comfortable new home that will serve well for the next few days. Tomorrow we'll retrieve our cache from just below, and spend some time reviewing our climbing skills. The rain was kind enough to hold off long enough for us to enjoy a group dinner outside, but now it has returned. We're going to head towards bed, thankful for dry tents and warm sleeping bags. We'll check in tomorrow. Thanks for following, RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and JM Gorum and team

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