Elbrus Expedition Dispatch

July 19, 2011 – Arriving in the Caucasus Mountains

Chet and I have come farther in one day’s travel as two guys can imagine coming. We went from the high heels of St Petersburg and the high fashion of Moscow to the wildflowers and glaciers of the Caucasus Mountains. We knew we were in the Caucasus when we stopped to visit our good friends at the roadside market where we always stop. They were selling fresh fruit and bread. We went to Nalchik, the capital of the region and from there we took off towards the mountains. We got out of the Audi that picked us up at the airport and got into a four wheel drive vehicle and started down a dirt road. Vladimir, one of our guides this season, looked at us and said, “Now we are going to the real Russia.”

Now at our lovely lodge, we are in the real Russia, high in the Caucasus Mountains, in a fantastically beautiful area. We are all four having dinner now and we look forward to acclimatizing in this unique and gorgeous place.

Photos provided by Vladimir Kopylov.