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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Well it was an amazing last day to a great adventure on Elbrus. The group left the hotel early this morning if different directions as there are so many sites to see. Some went to the famous Hermitage Museum that houses more art than any other single exhibit in Europe. Others went to St. Isaac's Cathedral, The fifth largest cathedral in the world, and other palaces that are throughout the city.
Everyone enjoyed the day and we finished the evening off with a city tour on a boat. St. Petersburg was built with Dutch influence and is similar to Amsterdam. There are rivers and canals that tie this beautiful city together and there is no better way to see the city then from the water.
Most of the team heads home tomorrow.
Thanks for following along.
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Dobre Veycher,
After a long couple days of travel we arrived in St. Petersburg this afternoon. Compared to the throngs of summer travelers filling the terminals back home in the U.S., the airport here in St. Petersburg was comparatively calm and within a half hour of landing we were strolling into the afternoon sun with all of our equipment. The drive into St. Petersburg is a fascinating mix of eras and cultures, with the clean lines of the European inspired city mixed with neon Cryillic street signs, statues and archways celebrating the USSR, and giant billboards advertising the latest in electronics and hair care products. Plunging northward deeper into the heart of the city the wide boulevards gradually constrict and soon the buildings push in on both sides of the streets, occasionally intersected by the canals that help drain the city. With the warm temperatures of summer we saw several locals out on jet skis in the canals, navigating between the barges and tour boats at full speed, leaving bewildered visitors and boat captains in their wakes.
After reaching the hotel, we dropped our bags in the rooms and then snuck out for a quick dinner at a trendy little cafe around the corner. On our way out we met up with the RMI Team led by Casey Grom, returning from a successful climb of Elbrus. They reported fantastic conditions on the mountain and great climbing up high.
With the sun setting out to the west over the North Sea we are turning in for the evening. Tomorrow we will spend the day visiting St. Petersburg and getting settled into the new time zone before heading south to Elbrus and the Caucasus the following day.
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Jambo
We have just arrived at the Dik Dik resort.
A few hours of down climbing this morning has put us right back into hot showers and nice beds. We had a great trip and are so lucky with all the great local support that helped us achieve such great success on our climb. We head off to some of the National Parks tomorrow for a grand safari.
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Hello everyone,
We spent the entire day traveling from Elbrus to St. Petersburg. It was a long and tiring journey that has left everyone tired. We are currently relaxing at our hotel and are looking forward to exploring the city tomorrow.
SUMMIT!
Under clear skies,a bright moon and breezey conditions, RMI, once again had the good fortune to have the whole team on the top of the "Roof of Africa". We are all here at Meweka camp, our final camp of the climb. A bit tired, but all in good spirits.
We are now back into the clouds that we have been looking down on for the last 5 days. We have been up since eleven last night, so it's quick nap before dinner.
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Showers was the word of the day! That's all anyone could think about after such a great night of sleep, that and having not bathed in four days.
After breakfast the team descended back down from Elbrus to our hotel in the Baksan valley via the 2 gondolas and single chair lift. The weather continues to be sunny and very warm here in Russia. Tonight we will have a celebratory dinner and I'm sure there will be a little sampling of the local Vodka too. Everyone is smiling.
Tonight is the night!
We are at Barafu camp, 15,240', the last stop before our summit push.
The whole team is in good shape. A few high clouds have moved in, so we will see what comes along. I will start looking at the weather conditions at midnight and hope we can get moving shortly there after.
Fingers crossed.
100% on Top!!!
The team has safely returned to our high camp after an amazing climb. The day started pretty early with breakfast at 1:00 a.m. We departed camp at 2 a.m. and rode a snowcat for about 30 minutes which dropped us off at 15,000'. A rather convenient start, but it's the norm here and was enjoyed by all.
The climb took about 6 hours to reach the summit of Elbrus (which is the highest point in Europe) and 5 hours to descend. The weather continued to be perfect, with only a slightly chilly breeze blowing out of the north. It was an incredible adventure with a great team.
Currently everyone is relaxing back at camp and we are all looking forward to sleeping tonight.
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Just finished a nice lunch here at Karanga camp.
Another beautiful day, just a bit breezy with clouds below and clear above. We have become a smooth moving team. Everyone is in good shape and having fun. This afternoon we'll have a short nap and then tea time.
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
We got up early this morning to make use of the night hardened snow to review cramponing. We then rolled into breakfast and just relaxed until lunch. After lunch we reviewed a few more basic climbing skills and began preparing for tonight's departure. Everyone and everything is looking good so far. If all goes well we hope to be climbing just after 2am. The climb usually takes between 6 to 8 hrs to reach the summit and just about half the time to descend.
We will have dinner early tonight and get to bed by 7pm, and hopefully the team will get a little rest before we head out to summit Elbrus. We'll check in as soon as we are safely back down.
Wish us luck!
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