We made it to the mountain! We got up this morning, had a last cafe breakfast in town, and loaded the YAZ vans for the trip to Elbrus-Northside Basecamp. The YAZ is the itinerant vehicle in rural Russia, and Mike Uchal's next car. Styled like a Volkswagen van, but diesel, four-wheel drive, with nothing but the basics inside, they are built to bounce, bump, splash, and grind their way over terrain, generally at what feels like a fair amount of speed. That's exactly what we did this morning. Our drivers Igor and Yuri deftly maneuvered us over the rough four-wheel drive track that leads to base camp. Upon our arrival, we quickly erected our small city of tents, went for a walk to stretch our legs, dodged into the tents to hide from a passing rain shower, and covered up a delicious dinner of chili. Tomorrow, we'll move a load of things up to the camp on the moraine at 12,000'. We'll be in touch afterwards! RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

On The Map