Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Prvyet from Elbrus Northside Basecamp,
We got an early start from Kislovodsk this morning. With our backpacks packed and our street clothes stored away, we piled into the back of an old Soviet-era off road vehicle and headed into the Caucasus. The pavement quickly disappeared only a few minutes outside of town and we began the long, twisting dirt road to Base Camp. The enormous 36" wheels of the former military truck handled the rocks and ruts of the road with ease and we made good progress through the lower slopes of the mountains. Rising gradually from the fertile fields in the heart of Russia, the northern Caucasus steppe is a stunning landscape. The farms and fields slowly give way to grand rolling grasslands, cut by deep canyons, hemmed in by rocky plateaus, and framed by jagged, snow capped peaks. Herds of sheep, cows, and goats wander slowly, feasting on the alpine grass before autumn sets in. And rising above it all stands Mt. Elbrus, it's twin summits literally shimmering in the clear morning air. The view of the mountain this morning was fantastic and we were thrilled to watch the mountain grow larger as we bounced our way towards it.
After five hours of gradually making our way higher into the mountains on increasingly narrow and eroded roads, we reached Basecamp - a cluster of brightly colored tents at the foot of Elbrus' flanks. We set up camp, unpacking our climbing gear, taking stock of our food supplies, and keeping an eye on the curious bovines wandering about. Before the afternoon slipped by we headed out on a short walk above Basecamp to stretch our legs.
Back at camp we sat down to a hearty minestrone feast before crawling into the tents for the evening. After days and days of travel from our homes almost a dozen time zones away, it feels great to finally be on the mountain. The team is excited and eager to start our ascent. Tomorrow we are planning to go on an acclimatization hike and cache some of our gear higher up near our next camp. It is an excellent opportunity to get out on the trail and give our legs a shake out while positioning us for a move to the next camp. We will check-in tomorrow night and let you know how it goes.
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside
This morning we drove to Moscow's domestic airport and caught a morning flight 600km to the south to Mineralnye Vody, the airport used to access the Caucasus. An hour's drive finally brought us to Kislovodsk, our point of departure for Elbrus. We spent the afternoon sorting, repacking, and making our final preparations for the mountain. The team is doing well and in fine spirits. All are ready to get into the mountains after the days of travel and preparation.
We have an early start tomorrow morning as we head across the lower slopes of the Caucasus and finally reach Basecamp on the north side of Elbrus.
Hope all is well at home
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside
Dobry vecher from Moscow,
By seven last night the entire team - including all bags and gear! - reached our hotel in Moscow to kick off the 2009 RMI Elbrus Northside Expedition! The team was tired from the hours of traveling from halfway around the world, but excited to be here as we shared a drink with the sun setting over the buildings and illuminating the Moscow River. We found a little cafe down the street from the hotel where, with two English menus amongst the ten of us, we managed to order a delicious dinner through a mix of broken English and phrasebook Russian. Afterwards, we returned to the hotel for a well deserved rest.
This morning we made the short walk from our hotel across the Moscow River and along the red walls of the Kremlin to Red Square. We arrived early enough to beat the crowds of tourists and admired the stunning architecture of the GUM (the Soviet State Department Store), St. Basil's Cathedral with it's unmistakable brightly colored onion-shaped domes, and the dark red walls of the Kremlin, the seat of Soviet and now Russian government. After visiting Lenin's tomb, walking through the dark and somber marble building, we met our local Muscovite, Nina, who led us on a tour of this famous area. We walked through the shops of the GUM whose shelves used to stock basic provisions and now houses luxury brands like Dior, then explored the dozens of small, beautifully painted chapels that make up St. Basil's Cathedral, before watching the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We ended our tour by making our way through the gates of the Kremlin and exploring it's beautiful churches, gardens, and monuments - such as the largest bell and cannon in the world.
After a full day of sightseeing we relaxed for a few hours in the afternoon, taking some time to explore Moscow on our own. We are headed to a fantastic Georgian restaurant tonight to sample cuisine straight from the Caucasus before we head down there ourselves tomorrow. We are catching a morning flight to Mineralyne-Vody, the gateway to the northern Caucasus. We will check-in tomorrow night from the town of Kislovodsk, our launching point for our climb of Elbrus' wild northside.
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside
Hi from Russia! The whole team and luggage has arrived in Moscow. We just finished a great dinner and are getting to bed so we can enjoy our city tour tomorrow.
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
The Elbrus team is doing great in the beautiful city of St. Petersburg. We had an incredibly exhausting day of travel yesterday filled with car problems, delayed planes, baggage issues, but managed to make it to our new hotel safe, albeit a little tired. We finished the night off with one of the most impressive and delicious spreads of Indian food I have ever seen. A special thanks to Parth and his family for that. Thanks!
The day has been spent enjoying this beautiful city on foot and by boat. Most of the team split up to do a little exploring of their own. Some went to the famous Hermitage museum while others just enjoyed the elaborate architecture this city has to offer on foot. We will wrap up the day with an evening boat tour of the city and then head off to dinner.
Thanks for following.
After yesterday's adventure the team slept soundly, some a little too soundly, if you know what I mean (read snoring). We had a leisurely morning with breakfast at 9am and then finished packing up all of our gear and headed back down the combination of lifts to reach Azau once again. The thick air of 8,000 ft was warm and welcoming. There was a look of panic in everyone's eyes when I reminded the team that there were 12 of us who were hoping for hot showers and the water might be limited. Everyone quickly raced off, but there was plenty of hot water and everyone is looking and smelling much better.
We spent the next 2 hours stuffing our bellies with chicken kebabs and some tasty local beer. After lunch the team headed out on a gift shopping mission from which we have just returned.
There is a celebratory dinner on schedule for tonight that usually ends with a little sampling of the local vodka. I'm sure it will be a fun night as everyone is happy to be down from Elbrus and ready to head to St. Petersburg tomorrow.
That's all for now.
The One Step Closer Climb for organ donation was a project started by transplant surgeon Dr. Andrew Precht of Swedish Transplant in Seattle. The goal of the project was to put climb Mt. Rainier with a group of transplant recipients, organ donors, and transplant medical professionals including Dr. Andrew Precht and team members from Swedish Medical Transplant Program to promote organ and tissue donation awareness and demonstrate what is possible after a life-saving organ transplant. The expedition was lead by guides from RMI.
We made it!
Everyone has safely returned from our fantastic climb of Elbrus, the highest point in Europe. Our summit day started with falling snow and flashes of lightning in the distance that left the team feeling a little uneasy. Shortly after starting our climb the snow stopped while the lightning provided some beautiful views as it slowly moved away and the skies cleared. We ended up having one of the most enjoyable days in the mountains I've had in a long time. It took us about 7 1/2 hours to reach the summit, which was sunny, warm and windless. All but two of our team were able to stand on top and we spent about 20 minutes taking photos, giving hugs, high-fives, and just taking in the breathtaking views. We made it back to camp after 13 hours on the go and most of the team is currently taking their well earned post-climb naps.
Thanks for wishing us luck
Hello friends,
Summit day is finally here!
The team is doing great and we are all well rested. It's been a beautifully clear day with fantastic views of Elbrus and the Caucasus range. Most of the day was spent telling tall tales, eating lots of Russian food (plenty of borsht) and watching scantly clad russians dance (really). We will be waking at 1 am for breakfast and start our climb shortly there after. If all goes well, we should reach the summit in 6 to 7 hours.
Wish us luck.
Hello friends,
We spent the day hiking to over 15,000' on Elbrus to continue our acclimatization before our summit bid. Our plan is to spend the rest of today and most of tomorrow resting in preparation for Saturday's climb. The weather has been less than ideal with snow falling the last few days. Although there have not been spectacular views the team is psyched about the improving climbing conditions. Normally the route is very icy which makes for tough going and slightly more dangerous conditions. However, all the new snow has made easier and safer climbing.
Everyone is doing well and we are looking forward to lounging around tomorrow.
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