Operation Midnight Alpha Fireball ride the gondola then eat soup before relaxing at the Barrels
Greetings from the Elbrus July 13th team, renamed Operation Midnight Alpha Fireball. 🙂
After yesterday’s hike to the observatory, today entailed packing up and relocating to the Barrels via the gondola and lift system. Following a hike up the mountain, we had a great afternoon soup prepared by Sascha and are now relaxing in the bunks eagerly awaiting dinner.
Tomorrow will be another longer acclimatization hike to the rocks.
Stay tuned!
Mike
Observatory climb
Day two of our acclimation hikes as we move closer to higher altitude and eventually our summit push.
Today we ascended about 3,000 feet in about 3.5hrs. It cannot be overstated just how amazing the views were. Vast expanses of green mountains, glaciers, beautiful rock formations, gigantic trees, spectacular wild flowers, an impressive waterfall and cloud covered peaks. Our group split into two groups choosing different routes to meet at an observatory at 10,000ft. One group went up a steeper more rugged route and the second group went a longer more gradual route to scout the backside of the observatory. On our way back down, the clouds turned to rain and Louis mentioned (correctly) that the energy was just amazing even with the rain and thunder. The fog rolling in the forest full of wild flowers and waist high grass made this place seem magical and movie-like. Its funny how we saw amazing art at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg but none of it could compare to the nature around us we have seen the past two days.
Today I finally got it! All those girls in my life that told me to “take a hike” were probably just trying to be nice to me and not breaking up with me at all, they just wanted me to see all these amazing things.
Jason
17 July, 2014 16:21
Hello All,
What a great day! It was wonderful to finally be in the mountains! After breakfast we headed out with our guides to get onto the trail. The acclimatization hike was along a trail with incredible fields of wildflowers. The weather was fabulous and we had beautiful views of Mt. Elbrus; the mountains that surround the town were craggy and quite impressive. We all did well finishing strong with a good portion of the day remaining to enjoy some of the local cuisine and to rest and relax. We’re so looking forward to tomorrow’s hike!
Priscilla
Elbrus Team hiking and touring!
The team on their first acclimatization hike. Beautiful weather to enjoy!
Here’s a pic from inside the famous Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg.
Elbrus July 13 Team
Hey All,
The group had a great day touring St Petersburg yesterday. We saw a lot of key places in the city with the highlight being a tour of the Hermitage, which was absolutely amazing. We spent today relocating to Terskol through the Baksan valley first by air to Mineral Vody followed by a 3.5hr bus ride. The accommodations here leave nothing left to be desired and will make a great base for the upcoming acclimation hikes. The whole team is ready to go!
I just want to say hi to everyone back home, I’ll be coming back with some awesome pics and stories.
Ryan
Excellent expedition! The accommodations were great. The logistics and itinerary were good. The acclimatization schedule on the mountain worked well and suited everyone.
