Elbrus Expedition Dispatch
July 1, 2015 – Some Images From Our First Day Hiking in the Caucasus Mountains
We had a forecast for more rain today. In fact we went to sleep last night listening to a violent thunderstorm and very hard rain. This morning we woke up mostly clear skies however and the good weather held throughout the day. It was a beautiful first day in the mountains.
We began our day at Cheget Ski Area.
Cheget has an eclectic base area with funky shops, great food, bars and cafes. And the views above the area are fantastic.
Kristen checking out the shops at Cheget base area
Vladimir at Cheget
Todd and Nic cruising Cheget
Heather shopping at Cheget. It looks like Braxton is going to get some new shoes!
The views from Cheget are amazing.
Then it was time to ride up.
The views from the chair ride were spectacular
Riding the chair was not Kristin's favorite thing to do, she has a fear of heights, but she did fine.
Heather at the top
Then it was time to hike. Vladimir led the way.
We were thrilled to have our first views of the twin summits of Mount Elbrus. Our goal is the highest of the two, The West Summit, on the left.
Karina on the trail as we climbed higher
Vladimir on the trail
Kristen in the Caucasus Mountains!
We met this Couple from Central Russia along the trail. They were a long way from their home just as we were but they were enjoying the beauty of the Caucasus Mountains. They spoke great English and we enjoyed visiting with them. They were very pleased to know that we like their country and we all enjoyed getting a USA - Russia friends’ photo.
As we hiked higher the West Summit of Elbrus still beckoned us.
Todd and Heather at our high point for the day, 10,400 feet above sea level.
Heading down
On the way down we passed this abandoned building in a spectacular location
We continued to have great views of Elbrus and the village of Terskol far below
Vladimir relaxing back the base area at Cheget
Back at the bottom, it was time to celebrate with one of our favorite local beers, 5642, named for the elevation of Elbrus in meters.