Pictures

July 21 - Home

Well my friends our trip has ended. We left Moscow and flew for about 10 hours to Washington, D.C. From there we waited for 5 hours for our flight to Denver. I am going to attempt to add some pictures of our trip to the blog. Thank you for following our journey from beginning to end! It was a fantastic adventure!

July 20 - Moscow

It's our last full day in Russia and we are feeling blue. It seems as if we've just arrived in the city and now it's time to go. Back to the van this morning at 9:00 for a short ride to the Kremlin. Today our guide has tickets for us to enter the walls and visit the cathedrals located inside. First we visit the Assumption Cathedral which was used as a stable in 1812! Now all of its frescoes have been restored. This church is one of my favorites! After visiting three more cathedrals we see the Tsar Bell. It is the largest bell in the world weighing 202 tons! Unfortunately it broke in the foundry during a fire. We run back to our awaiting van in the pouring rain. It has been raining since we arrived yesterday. Now we ride to the State Tretyakov Gallery which has the world's best collection of Russian icons. After lunch our group splits up because most members are heading to the airport for their flights home. We walk back to our hotel happy to finally be on our own! Tonight we are off to the Bolshoi Theatre for a German opera Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose). It's a magnificent theatre renovated recently. The performance lasts for about 4 hours with two intermissions. What a lovely way to spend our final evening in Moscow!

July 19 - To Moscow

We left Terskol after a few hours of sleep last night. We had dinner last night at a charming restaurant with a trout pond located in front of the outdoor dining area. The idea was to catch your own fish which would be grilled for your dinner! At first there weren't any fish willing to give up their life for our meals. But after 15 minutes or so we started catching fish easily! It was a lot of fun. Driving back to the airport in Mineralnye Vody was not so fun. Driving at high speeds in the middle of the night dodging random cows here and there in a van almost out of gas without any open gas stations isn't our idea of a good time. Our flight to Moscow only took two hours. After lunch at our hotel we piled into a van for a city tour. In just a few short hours we managed to see the Kremlin, Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, Sparrow Hill, Moscow State University and a convent. Our lead guide, Mike, is celebrating his birthday so we are all going out to celebrate at 8:00 this evening. We are looking forward to his party!

July 18 - Day Hike

I know, I know. Can't we ever rest?! Well I guess not. Our last day here and we have decided to go for a hike with our two guides, Igor and Sasha. We hire a van and head into a beautiful valley located in the border region between Russia and Georgia. Our permit from earlier in the week is still valid and the armed guards at the checkpoint let us through again. The weather continues to be marvelous. Sunny and warm with just a few clouds near the peaks. Our hike is easy and slow along a raging river. Glacier melt coming from up the valley. Wildflowers are blooming everywhere, some I recognize from home and many that I don't. After two hours we reach the end of the trail. There are four buildings here that scientists used for glacier study. We sit and eat a snack in one of them. Now we are back at the Seven Summits Club using their free Wi-Fi. Tonight we are going out to dinner at a restaurant where you can catch your own trout for dinner! We leave Terskol very early tomorrow morning (2:30a.m.) to catch a 7:30 a.m. flight to Moscow. We are looking forward to the next part of our Russian adventure!

July 17 - Cheget

You can imagine how excited we were this morning when we walked in to breakfast and saw two pancakes with red raspberry jam waiting to be gobbled up! Yum! Since we climbed Elbrus so quickly we now have two full days in the Baskan Valley for sightseeing, and today we are walking to Cheget. Cheget is a small ski town only 30 minutes from Terskol. When we arrive there we take the chairlift about halfway up the mountain. From there we take a very short hike to a beautiful alpine lake. We sit in the warm sun and drink it all in. Steep mountains covered in snow and sprinkled with glaciers, beautiful wildflowers blooming pink and purple and a clear blue sky. Gorgeous. Back at the lift we ride to the top where we can easily see Elbrus across the valley. We pose for pictures that will be used on Christmas cards and team pictures too. After lunch on the mountain (more shashlik and beer) we return to the base and head to the market. Lots of interesting homemade items to buy everywhere you look. Would you believe we purchase a small jar of tiny pinecones in sugar syrup? They are really good, believe it or not! Finally we walk back to our hotel and begin the job of repacking and organizing our gear. Our last dinner with Fatimah's cooking and collapse into bed!

July 16 - Off the Mountain

Another morning of waking up in the hut to coffee and bacon. After returning from the summit yesterday afternoon we ate some soup and fell into our sleeping bags dead tired! We all slept soundly through the night. After breakfast of rice and bacon and mashed potatoes we quickly packed up our gear and left Elbrus. Thirty minutes of hiking followed by two chairlift rides we were back where we started from just three days ago. The team decided to celebrate right away at a small outdoor cafe. We all ordered salad (tomatoes and cucumbers), shashlik (like shishkabobs) and beer. It felt wonderful resting in the warm sun! Later in the afternoon we were invited to the sauna at our hotel. According to tradition the sauna must be HOT, the plunge pool FREEZING cold and an area set aside to rest and have a drink of water or tea or beer. Three times through this circuit and you've done well! On my third turn one of or guides, Sasha, had me lie down on the top bench of the sauna so she could flog me with two wet bunches of wet oak leaves! It felt the best on my tired feet and legs! We have to unpack our wet stinky gear but neither one of us has the energy to do it today.

July 15 - Summit Day!

Mike woke us at midnight to say that the weather was good and that we would leave at 2:00 a.m. We dressed and had breakfast. I had only slept on and off through the night but with all of the nervous energy in my stomach I felt wide awake! You wouldn't have believed how beautiful the sky was. I could clearly see the Milky Way shimmering right above my head. Gorgeous! The climb was long and windy and STEEP to the summit. It took us 9 hours and 30 minutes to reach the top at 18,481 feet! The wind was crazy on the summit plateau blasting at about 60 miles per hour. Good thing we didn't blow off! Fourchours later we returned to the hut. Exhausted and hungry but extremely proud of our accomplishment! This was one of the most difficult summits we have done. 5,200 feet of climbing. Wow. We are now back at our hotel safe and sound in Terskol. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. WE DID IT!!

July 14 - Day hike on the Mountain

This morning we awoke to the smell of coffee and bacon frying! Our guide sure knows how to get everyone up in a hurry! Our team took a small hike up the mountain to a rock outcropping called Pastakov Rocks. It took us about 90 minutes to reach the rocks. We took one rest break along the way in the shelter of a Snowcat. The wind was blowing so it felt nice to rest in the warm sun without the annoying wind. Elbrus is a very popular vacation spot. The Snowcats and snowmobiles ferry tourists up and down the lower part of the mountain all day long. Once we reached the rocks we turned around and headed back to our hut. We had a blast boot skiing and glissading down! Much quicker than walking! We took a nap then had an early dinner. If the weather is good tomorrow will be our summit day!

July 13 - To Elbrus

After breakfast we loaded up two vans full of our climbing gear and drove down the road to Chegit. The group fit into one tram which we rode up to the base of the ski area. From there we took a single chairlift we our backpackers on our lap up to the Barrel Huts. Many climbers stay in these huge old oil drums as their basecamp. Our hut was about two miles up the mountain from there. It was a luxury to have a hut to stay in instead of a tent! The hut had two bunk rooms for sleeping in and a common room for cooking and eating in. The bathroom was an outhouse with a hole in the floor! We put away all of our gear and set up our sleeping area before having dinner. We read in our sleeping bags untilbwe couldn't keep our eyes open anymore.

July 12 - Terskol

Today's hike was on a glacier located in the border region between Russia and Georgia. Our Russian guides had already obtained permits for our team to have access to the area. Our two vans were stopped at the border where we had to show our passports and answer some questions. The air was slightly tense, especially after they asked us to stop taking pictures of the military with their machine guns. Once through the checkpoint we drove for only about 15 minutes to the trailhead for the Kashkotash Glacier. We climbed a steep trail throught the most beautiful wildflowers and stands of rhododendrons up to the glacier. We puton our climbing boots and crampons and harnesses and helmets and practiced glacier travel for a couple of hours. Everyone in the group did well. I actually remembered much of this from Denali! On the way back I managed to slip and fall on the rocky trail and scrape my right arm bloody. I am fine. It is already washed and has a band-aid! Now we are heading back to the hotel for a trip to their sauna before eating dinner. Tomorrow morning we are going on the mountain so I will be out of touch for the next few days. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather and a safe climb for all of us. I will be in touch again my friends once we are back in town.

July 11 - Terskol

Today we ate breakfast and took our first hike together to an observatory perched on a hilltop. The trail was just an acclimitization hike up a dirt road. It took us about 3 hours to reach the observatory, which was shuttered. The best part of the hike was all of the flowers that were in bloom along the road. Some I recognized from home, but many of them I have never seen before. After the hike and lunch we found a small climbing store which caters to the groups here to climb Elbrus. We discovered they had free reliable Wifi. That is how I am back blogging. We walked back to our small hotel to repack our packs and have dinner. I hope you have noticed by now that we are doing a lot of eating. Our cook, Fatimah, is supposed to be the best cook in the valley and I assure you that she is! Every single dish she has made has been delicious. We have had dumplings, stuffed peppers, donuts dipped in red raspberry jam, caviar, borsch, you get the idea. Yummy!

July 10 - To Mineralnye Vody

Off to the airport at 7:15 this morning for our flight at 10:10. It was a very good thing that we got there so early and that our flight was delayed! We stood in line forever to check in, found out that our bags were 39 kg overweight, stood in line to pay that fee only to find out that all 3 of our credit cards were declined. David went to the ATM which informed him that our card was declined! Thank goodness Igor had money for us to borrow. Our flight was followed by a 3 hour drive here to Terskol. You would have loved speeding down two-lane roads dodging the cows with us! Free range cattle, for sure! Arrived at our hotel and ate dinner and right to bed.

July 9 2012 - Sightseeing with Group

After breakfast in the hotel we all jumped in the van to take a city tour. Our guide Sergei was like a walking Encyclopedia! He told us so much information about buildings, architecture and people as we drove through the city. We took a special tour through St Peter and Paul's Fortress which is located on the banks of the Neva River. Our group was allowed to climb the bell tower for a magnificent view of the entire city. Our guide there loved our climbing group because alpinists had saved the spire of the bell tower during the Nazi occupation. Another highlight of the tour was taking a boat ride through the canals of the city. It was a lovely way to view the architecture closely. The buildings are painted in the most extraordinary colors of yellow, pink, green and blue. Dinner was eaten at a traditional Russian restaurant with a menu that had to have had 12 pages! Back at the hotel we packed up to be ready for our early departure the next morning.

July 8 - Peterhof (Petrodvorets)

Another beautiful sunny summer morning as we walked to meet our guide and car for an hours drive west of the city to Peter the Great's Summer Palace. Built on a swamp the yellow and white Baroque-style palace is set on the Gulf of Finland. Peter designed the estate after visiting Versailles in France. Covering 60 hectares the gardens and fountains and palaces sprawled from a hillside down to the sea. Dozens of fountains work by gravity from a common water source in the hills. We watched the opening ceremony for turning on the fountains, then toured the palace before strolling the grounds with Anna, our guide. You can't imagine the opulence of the rooms. Gilted woodwork, chandeliers, parquet floors, silk wallpaper... To think people actually lived here is astonishing. On our return trip Anna pointed out the hard-fought frontlines of the Second World War between the Russians and the Nazis less than 10 miles from the city. This evening we finally met the members of our climbing team. We ate dinner together at our hotel, and chatted with everyone. It's a large group, 11 climbers and 3 guides, but everyone seems friendly and excited to be here.

July 7, 2012 - St. Petersburg in the Evening

Before moving on from the day's events, we forgot to mention visiting The Church of the Resurrection (also called Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood). This church took 24 years to build starting in 1883 and 27 years for the restoration which was completed in 1997. Inside there are 7,000 square meters of mosaics covering the walls and ceilings. It was magnificent! After a short nap we got ready for the ballet Le Corsaire. We took a taxi to the Marinsky Theatre for the performance. We managed to find our seats without any clue to row or seat number just before the ballet began! The costumes, set and dancers were breathtaking. We were awed by their grace and strength. Back at our hotel we enjoyed a late dinner outside. Even at 11:30 there is still plenty of daylight. We've been told that St. Petersburg and Alaska are at the same latitude. Check your globes to see if I'm right!

July 7 St. Petersburg - Out on the Town

Up early this morning and out for a 3 mile run to work out the kinks after so much travel. Breakfast than off for a long walk to the Hermitage. Along the way we saw many beautiful old pastel colored buildings, some Roman influenced architecture and many canals with gilted bridges. One of our favorites was the Singer Building which is over 200 years old and very ornate. All we can say about the Hermitage is wow and wow. The scale of this museum is beyond belief and only surpassed by the quantity and quality of fine art contained inside. Of course all the famous names were represented like Renoir, Monet, Degas, Rembrandt, Manet, Rubens, you get the picture. Besides paintings were great mosaics and a fantastic mechanical clock with a Peacock that moves. After the Hermitage we walked to a hotel nearby and had lunch on the rooftop with a great view of the city. Very fancy and worth it. Then off along a canal to the Summer Gardens. A few more blocks back to the main road Nevsky Prospekt and we headed for our first subway ride. The usual process of buying tokens and making darn sure we picked a train heading in the right direction and we were back to the hotel quickly. The evening continues....

St. Petersburg

We have arrived safely in St. Petersburg Russia. Flight was a bit delayed but not a big deal. Met our local contact Igor who took us to the Hotel Moscow. After dragging our 200# of gear thousands of miles we've settled into a hotel room. Instead of bed, Bucky wants to explore. He finds a 24hr supermarket for water and chocolate (necessity), map of the city and Internet access. He and Kriss wind up at the 8th floor bar for a nice view and good drink.

July 6, 2012

Greetings from Frankfurt, Germany!  Our flight here was on a brand new Airbus A340-600.  A very fancy airplane.  Too bad we didn't get to sit in first class.  We had dinner of chicken and veggies and went right to sleep.  When we woke up, we were already flying over Ireland.  Our flight to St. Petersburg has been delayed for one hour, so I am able to write this post while we wait.  We ate a little lunch of a salad and sandwich.  Everyone was happy to have more coffee to try to wake up.  After only about 4 hours of sleep, we all feel groggy and tired, but very excited to be on our way to Russia. 

July 4th, 2012 - Getting Ready for Elbrus

Our gear is packed and ready to go.  Each of our duffel bags weighs 50 pounds! Our crampons made the duffels too heavy, so they will go in our suitcases.  We've got a good selection of snacks to keep us happy on the mountain.  See pictures below.  Besides all of the mountain climbing gear we also had to pack clothes and toiletries for sightseeing in St. Petersburg and Moscow.  It took almost all day to get this accomplished.  We are tired but getting very excited!