Elbrus Expedition Dispatch

August 2, 2008 – John and Kate Share Stories with the First Elbrus Group

On July 31, 2008, John and Kate arrived in St. Petersburg. The morning of the 1st, Lina met them in the lobby of our hotel on Nevsky Prospect, the street that can currently be described as the social and cultural centre of the 21st Century Russia.

That first day, Lina, John and Kate visited the Summer Palace. On the second day they went to Pushkin and visited the palace of Catherine the Great. On the evening of the second, all of the climbers from the first Elbrus climb returned weary from the long days travel back to St. Petersburg to the hotel on Nevsky Prospect. It was really nice, in the late evening as we sat around in the lobby bar, the members from the first group got to know John and Kate, tell stories, share photographs and wish them all the best.

Everyone was happy to be back in St. Petersburg. The familiar streets and buildings were a real welcomed sight for the first group after their long climb in the Caucasus. Many of that group had to leave very early the next morning for their flights home; Austria, Canada and United States. We did stayed up without much concern about what time it was and shared stories, we really had a great time together.