Elbrus Expedition Dispatch

August 7, 2008 – Team Does Amazingly Well on Their First Glacier Walk!

It’s 6:00 p.m. on the 7th of August and we just reached the trailhead where our driver is waiting for us. This was another day that was good for our climbing power, to say the least. When we packed our backpacks at the hotel this morning, we put a particularly heavy load into our day packs. We put in our double plastic climbing boots, our crampons, our climbing harnesses and our ice axes. This is because our goal for today was the great glacier above the area we call the Green Hotel. There is no hotel at the Green Hotel, the name comes from a decade old glaciology station operated by Moscow University that is set in a lush green meadow right at the base of a big glacier.

We had a beautiful walk up to the Green Hotel. Nina, Karina’s mother, joined us. Along the way, she was pointing out wildflowers and plants that can be used for herbal remedies. She served as our ‘group naturalist’ today.

The glacier above beckoned and just after lunch we put on our crampons and went up for our first glacier walk. Vladimir and I agreed that the entire team did very well for their first time walking on the glacier with their crampons and the scenery all around was spectacular.

Now we are headed back to the hotel for saunas and another wonderful dinner. We are still doing great, having wonderful times and building our power as we get ready in the Caucasus to go higher on Mt. Elbrus.