Mt. Elbrus
Приельбрус
Mt. Elbrus in Russia
July 28, 2004
From St. Petersburg airport our plane took off very flat, like a rocket, taking
a long time to get any altitude, much different from the U.S. planes. The flight
was very bumpy and the food served was as predicted... Russian (translation = bad).
July 29, 2004
We arrived at the Mineralniya Vody airport yesterday, which is simply concrete slabs
on the floor and old fenced walls with some sort of translucent plastic glass. As
we entered the airport we came upon two police officers checking documents and everywhere
there were police, many of whom had semi-automatics over their shoulder.
We found our Russian guide and waited about ten minutes to get into the next room
for our bags. Our bags were all unloaded from the plane onto a giant trailer, which
sits about 1 foot off the ground, then the trailer was brought into this room, the
garage door closed and the door for us was opened. As everyone tried to find their
bags on the cart it looked like a feeding frenzy much like the taxi drivers hoarding
us earlier. We got our bags and on exit the tags were checked.
We put our stuff in a run down bus and ran into the next building for the bathroom.
Here, they again checked our tickets and we passed through a metal detector. After
we hit the bathroom we headed out but first we got water (cheaper than water in
St. Petersburg). The place that sold the water also sold porn and Kama sutras sitting
on the shelves beside the water.
The bus ride was a couple hours, perhaps about three and when we got to Chaget it
was dark; our trip followed the Baksan Valley most of the time. At one point there
was a road that headed east towards Chechnya and it was a lockdown, also as we were
leaving the airport we had to drive around concrete blocks with armed guards; no
one is allowed to park close to the airport because of the possibilities of bombs…
the larger the car the bigger the bomb, bus parking was quite far away.
Gondola on Mt. Elbrus & the Caucus Mountains
July 30, 2004
Today we got up and started up the mountains, first up a long chair lift then to
the mountains, the scenery was breathtaking, and not just because of the altitude.
We are only a couple kilometers away from the Georgian border here.
After our hike we went to the market and I played translator as people negotiated
for souvenirs.
July 31, 2004
We hiked from our hotel through town and up to the observation tower, a 3,500 foot
gain in about four and a half hours to the top. The observation tower is interesting
and seems to be the home of a surveyor and his wife. The woman was putting just-washed
clothes on the line and he was playing with some, I'm guessing, surveying instrument.
There was a lot of garbage and rusty metal lying around sporadically and the tower
was conveniently facing the Georgian border. On the way down to Chaget, we stopped
to see an incredible waterfall then continued on down the road to our town.
Before Chaget we hit a small town where we stopped for food/juice/etc. We also found
a post office then headed back to Chaget.
Mt. Elbrus area
August 1, 2004
We got up earlier then usual because our buses needed to get us at 9:00 instead
of our usual 10:00 departure. We loaded up the vans and headed towards the gondola.
We all took our share of food and our group broke into two groups for the gondola
ride up to Camp Mir.
We found our quarters here... at the bar; a group of "big Russians" wanted
the barrels we had rented so even though we had a reservation we lost it to the
Russians, which is, well, very Russian. Vern seemed upset, but he’s displaying a
good face even though his frustration is showing.
We dropped our stuff off and grabbed our day packs for a hike. After about 40 minutes
we passed the barrels and after about two hours we reached the huts. The path was
incredibly dirty, with garbage everywhere and human feces behind random rocks. On
the way we saw the snow cats, which are huge and hold twelve people each.
On the way down we stopped at the barrels; they look decent but old. The views from
here are of Georgia and the mountains.
After lunch I went outside and it began raining, thundering, and later hailing so
we could be in for a storm; Vern said it typically lasts three days when a storm
comes in, and we must be prepared for the worst.
At night, we saw the museum here at camp Mir dedicated to the “battle” on the mountain
during WWII; basically the Nazis took the area for oil in Azerbaijan and Chechnya,
but took Elbrus as a lookout, and for propaganda.
Mt. Elbrus area
August 2, 2004
Let me begin with some quotes:
Vern: Well some people like to do it that way; I guess they do it that way because
they’re f*cking idiots.
Duane: Paul, good for you it looks like Ben has become your personal pusher.
Duane: Be-en!
Vern: Since when does Ben have two syllables?
Duane: Since I grew up in the south… In Mississippi Be-en has three syllables.
Scottish guy: It looks like you have a gagglie of acclimatizers with you.
In the middle of the night we were awoken because of a rescue in progress; he got
off safely.
Today, we awoke on the floor of the bar in true stereotypical Russian fashion. We
tried to get on the chair lift, but it took probably one and a half hours before
it started. Once we eventually got on we went on to the barrels where we loaded
a “cat” and started climbing.
We made our way to high camp, the chalet at 13,000. We had lunch and continued up
to the Pashtakov Rocks at 15,200 feet. We practiced self-arrests then created sleds
out of plastic bags and slid down to 13,000; it was a blast and we got down pretty
quickly.
I've debated how to describe our “chalet”… imagine plywood and press board with
an aluminum roof nailed together as the entire building is somehow clinging to an
edge of a cliff, part of which is hanging over the edge. It stands on the rock cliff
and is quite crooked. Our outhouse sits off the side of a cliff and smells pretty
bad.
I slept like a rock last night and we awoke at 8:30. We went for a very short hike
to the nearby hotel, which is no longer in business and the rock memorial to those
that have died on the mountain. Since then we’ve just been relaxing.
August 8, 2004... I think
I’m lost on what day it is, the 8th I think, so I'll have to backtrack to summit
day...
We awoke half an hour late at 3:00am because the weather was unstable. After getting
up we ate oatmeal and watched the sky. Vern was unsure of the weather because it
was very windy plus there was a very very light snow, but warm – he said with both
the warmth and the wind it's unstable so we had to wait. Half an hour before we
left the temperature dropped and the wind slowed, both good signs, our summit attempt
was on.
We all finished eating and going to the bathroom so left, very focused. Ten minutes
before departure Vern told us to put out crampons on and we headed out. Our cat
arrived exactly on time and we loaded up, the eleven of us (minus Armand who left
early) plus Vern was our twelfth.
I don’t know how long the ride was, I was focused and squashed. At one point I remember
someone pointing out Venus and a few stars; the sky was clearing up and the snowing
had stopped. We were left off right under Pashtakov Rocks and began hiking. On the
way to the rocks we passed Armand with our two Russian guides who showed up: Nicolau
and Artu. We also passed a guy on his own.
We hiked for about half an hour when we took our first break, I felt great and didn’t
even sit down, plus the weather had warmed, so I took off my fleece leaving me with
long underwear on top and bottom, gortex on both and fleece pants. I also wore my
gortex gloves.
We stopped a couple of times along the way and I kept feeling stronger on each stop.
At the end of our first break Armand caught up and he was doing terrible; he dropped
his water bottle at one break and at the next he fell… I’m not sure he even realized
he was falling until he hit the ground. He stopped on his own but Vern was there
before Armand even noticed he was falling.
We continued on to the saddle together with our two Russian guides, Vern and the
12 of us. As we sat I changed into my light balaclava (with my heavy one on over
it) and earlier I put my fleece back on. I was warm and decided to leave my down
jacket with my pack; we only took enough food and water for two to three hours and
enough clothes to stay warm for a summit bid and back. Most people brought their
down jackets.
It was at this point that Paul was at the beginning of the end. With one of our
guides a no-show, Vern hired the photographer, Anatolii to help guide. Vern asked
Paul if he wanted to continue and he said yes, although he was on the verge of being
hit hard with hypoxia, nearly bad enough to turn around. Vern tied him up to Anatolii
and said that if the group caught up with them they would have to turn back. Paul
didn’t seem to understand a thing and simply stood there looking at him, Anatolii
also didn’t understand enough to move. Finally, Vern got the point across and the
two started up the final stage.
Our break continued for some time and I later looked up the hill to see Paul and
Anatolii, the solo guy and three guys with sleeping pads. Our break was at least
ten minutes, at which point we got started again as did a very light snow and breeze.
We climbed for some time and were within sight of the top ridge, the end of the
steep part and there it flattens out. We had probably 20 steps to the top of the
ridge when I began noticing the wind and storm pick up significantly. I was following
Tom and his footprints were beginning to disappear before I got to them...
Ten steps left; Denali ran through my head even though I've been there… the wind,
the snow. I thought we were just more exposed here as we were approaching the top.
Five steps, the footprints were almost completely gone, I was making my own. We
then hit the rocks the snow began to diminish visibility. We sat for a break and
within 15 seconds of everyone getting there Vern was yelling over the howling wind
to cover our faces. About 15 seconds later he said we’re going down.
By the time we stood up visibility was down to about 15 feet and the winds were
around 50 mph. I couldn’t tell if the winds were simply pushing the snow on us from
the mountain or if it was snowing that much harder, but within about 10 minutes
we had a foot of snow. In addition the snow stuck to my glasses and they were hopelessly
iced up… visibility was down to nearly nothing and the only colors I could see were
white. Our descent and the rise in the weather all occurred within a matter of 10
minutes and the urgency rose to an unexplainable level.
Vern was screaming to get down and “keep breathing or you’re going to die!” Luckily
we had Anatolii and he knows the mountain better than probably anybody in the world.
We literally ran down the mountain, seeing nothing and only following a colored
blur ahead of me. I had my ice ax in my right hand and my left hand was pulling
my balaclava from my face, allowing air to get in around the frozen mask preventing
me from getting oxygen. I didn’t know where I was or where I was going, but only
followed the yellow blur in front of me. My constant breathing allowed me to stay
relaxed and focused.
The wind was loud and I only occasionally heard Vern’s voice over the wind. Vern
stood about 10 feet below us watching us to prevent us from falling, then after
the group passed, he would run ahead of us again.
It was like I was in my own little cloud; no idea where I was, where I was going,
only following the yellow blur, breathing, and occasionally hearing Vern yell “keep
going or you’re going to die!”
I had a couple things pop into my head, first I truly thought someone would slip
and never be found in those conditions; second I asked myself what the Vegas odds
of us dying would be, next the odds of frostbite, third, whether it would be better
to stop and hope the storm would pass; finally the word “die” gave me the vision
of a green hill side with the little quirky guy from Princess Bride saying “to the
death” and “when death is involved.”
Although there was a sense of urgency, half the time it was as if time was slow
and I calm and relaxed, while at the other times I wished it all over, and still
others... praying.
The urgency gave me a sense of relaxation and a sharpness of mind I’ve never experienced,
mentally I truly was alone, so focused, I forgot I was at altitude. I wished and
prayed it to end, but couldn’t until I finished the journey.
I guess I just assumed no one could see better than I so ran like hell. At one point
the yellow blur disappeared and got yelled at for getting off the trail. At another
point someone grabbed my coat and I turned around to ask what was wrong, but I got
no response... I think I was simply his guide.
After what seemed an eternity we reached the saddle and got our packs. The conditions
were as bad here as on top and we soon left, but for the first time I noticed we
now had four more people: the solo Russian and the group of three with their sleeping
pads.
From here things seemed to get slightly better, perhaps only because the terrain
was more level… we moved quickly and once got lost so stopped to check the GPS.
As we were approaching the top of the rocks the rest of the day looked promising
with the weather clearing slightly.
However after getting south of the rocks the wind and snow started again, the wind
created icy spots on the glacier and a couple crevasses were opening up, but still
only about a foot wide each. The white out reached the severity of the top, but
without the altitude or steep edge beside us.
At one point I took off my glasses, but still couldn’t distinguish between the ground
and sky. When one ended and the other began was a mystery because of the white out.
It took some time and two more GPS checks to find our chalet; we rolled in at 3:00;
eleven hours after we had left, but now completely exhausted and without any energy
left.
We spent the rest of the day sleeping, warming up, and trying to eat. Vern offered
a second attempt, but I was drained, my neck, back, and calves were very sore, we
were running out of food, I discovered my abilities, and had nothing to prove from
another attempt.
Mt. Elbrus & the Caucus Mountains
The next day, on our encouragement, Vern did a solo summit and we recollected on
what happened:
It seems only a couple people were real nervous, however many were hypoxic and their
memories are a little blurred. I was apparently not the only one with the thoughts
of us turning into a book like Into Thin air going through my head.
Vern's recollections however were the best and probably clearest given his time
in the mountains; he said one line to my dad that was classic. My dad said he couldn't
see so Vern told him “blind people climb mountains, you have nothing to see so go
or you’ll die.”
Vern also said he was counting his lucky stars and from his tone and expression
I feel he really was surprised at how we did up there given the conditions. He told
us (probably out of politeness) that he would climb any mountain in the world with
any one of us. When we asked him what his closest call ever was, he said “four hours
ago.” We don’t believe him, but it definitely was scary and we’re all lucky to be
here; we made it without a single injury mostly due to Vern and Anatolii.
Anatolii was rewarded not only with the money Vern paid him as a hired guide, but
also everyone bought the photos he took, so I think he made a killing, thankfully
not literally on this trip.
*NOTE/p>
To learn more about our journey, you can
Read Our Cybercast Online (we were part of Team Dancing Dozen, the August
trip) or visit the site of our tour company,
Alpine Ascents International, based in Seattle Washington.
Despite the weather problems, our tour company was fantastic and our guide, Vern
was entertaining and invaluable when the snow decided to get the best of us... mother
nature can be an unpredictable beast.
Mt. Elbrus & the Caucus Mountains