Hey Everyone,
Stephen checking in from Peak Lenin Basecamp! Today was our first full day here after much traveling (we all met in Bishkek, then flew to Osh the next day, then had a long van ride to Basecamp yesterday). We’re mostly over the jet lag from our initial travels and just did an easy hike to help our bodies acclimatize since Basecamp sits at 11,800’. We covered around 4.5 miles and 1000’ of gain as we wove around many small lakes nestled in rolling green hills and were back in camp for lunch. Basecamp here is a cluster of buildings that were built by the Soviets in the 1970’s in an effort to attract more international climbers to the high peaks of the USSR. Pretty nice to have a roof over our heads and a spacious dining room with a ping pong table! Other than our walk, we spent the rest of the day eating good food prepared by the basecamp cooks and reading or napping in the afternoon. We’ve got another acclimatization hike on tap for tomorrow before we contemplate heading higher on the mountain!
