Elbrus Expedition Dispatch
July 8, 2013 – The Final Acclimatization Climb to Pashtukov Rocks
It’s 5 PM on the July 8th and we are just returning to our Barrel in a light snow storm, after an ascent to the top of the Pashtukov rocks that are at 15,100ft. We had a big day today; the team learned a lot and they got a taste of what climbing a big mountain like Elbrus will be like. We worked on our pacing and everybody pushed themselves well. Margaret was the ace pace setter; she set a really ideal slow and steady pace and was able to get where she wanted to go. We also worked on dressing; the team learned how quickly your body can get chilled after you stop moving. By the time the day was over we were all wearing our big puffy jackets, and really happy to have them.
It’s snowing now. The weather is always changing on Elbrus but through most of the day today we climbed with the twin summits visible in the blue sky above us. But then it began to get cloudy and now it’s not very cold but we are walking in the clouds and there is light snow. Olga’s going to have hot soup and nice meal waiting for us. Tomorrow is going to be a day for organization and a bit more training with ice axes and crampons and getting ourselves ready for summit day which will be the day after tomorrow.