Entries from Elbrus Southside
The team had a wonderful day here in Moscow. After a night of much needed sleep, the team set out and explored the city on foot. Not far from our hotel is the famous Red Square, Kremlin and GUM (sort of a super mall for the elite). Most team members did a little adventuring on their own in the morning, then met up later for a guided tour of the Kremlin. We spent a little over four hours visiting the beautiful grounds, and many churches that exist within the compound.
It was a really enjoyable day for all even though there was a bit of rain here today. We finished the day off with another great meal at a local cafe where we communicated with lots of finger pointing at the menu and plenty of smiles.
Everyone is doing great and looking forward to heading to the mountains tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Hello everyone,
Teams all here! Excited and I'm sure a little tired after such long flights and the big change in time zones. We kept things pretty simple with just a brief round of introductions and dinner. Tomorrow we'll stretch our legs and explore the city.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Crew
What a day, what a day!
We started the day off with a nice walking tour of this majestic city with our kind Russian guide Natasha. She led us around St. Petersburg stopping by the major highlights this city is know for and educated us to its deep history. We visited the Church of the Savior of Spilled Blood, St. Peter's Square, and St. Isaac's Cathedral along with many other beautiful sites. We took a brief break for lunch and explored a little on our own. Most of the team visited the Hermitage know for its incredible art collection, while others sought out their own adventure.
We reconvened around 8 and Natasha took us on a spectacular boat tour on the many canals that intertwine this city. The day was very rewarding for everyone and I'm pretty sure everyone would love to stay longer.
It has been a wonderful adventure the last two weeks with a great team! In a way it's sad that we've reached the end of this trip. Good times were had and good friends were made!
Missing all of our families and most of our friends.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
It was another long day here in Russia, but the team has finally arrived in beautiful St. Petersburg. We spent most of the day traveling and have just finished the day with a wonderful Indian meal and a nice stroll to stretch the legs.
Everyone is doing great and we are looking forward to taking in the sights tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Success feels good, and we soaked it up by relaxing around our hotel today. The team spent most of the day close to the hotel on our iPhones and visiting the local market for a few trinkets.
We wrapped up the day with our post climb celebration dinner at a nearby cafe. We had a Russian BBQ with wonderful soup and a potato salad. The team received summit certificates from our outfitter and from RMI, and made a few toast with a little vodka too.
Everyone is doing great and are looking forward to seeing St. Petersburg in the upcoming days.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Larry:
Congratulations on successfully summitting Elbrus. Your persistent hard work is paying off beautifully. You have a lot to celebrate!!!
Fred
Posted by: Fred Klingbeil on 7/15/2013 at 7:41 am
July 13, 2013
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 18,510'
We did it!
The whole team managed to stand on the highest point in Europe this morning. Everyone did a fantastic job of taking care of themselves and pushed hard in the thin air. It was a beautiful day for sure, in fact it was the nicest summit on Elbrus I've had. Not too cold and just the slightest breeze.
We spent about a half hour on top then quickly descended all the way back to the Barrels. After a quick lunch, we packed up and made our way back down to Cheget to our hotel where everyone ran for the first shower in days.
The team is doing great and are looking forward to some much earned sleep.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the summiteers
On The Map
Congrats guys, Reading about your climb was amazing. I can’t wait to start climbing those higher peaks. And Casey, I’m excited to meet up with you and Syd. Congrats again on the climb.
Posted by: Jay on 7/18/2013 at 9:53 pm
Congrats Larry and team!! Great job and the summit pic is awesome as well. Here’s hoping your already down safely.
Posted by: Paul Kinneberg on 7/14/2013 at 11:56 am
New team member! We now have a second man on the team. Carter is his name and is husband of Lucy. We put him right to the test by climbing the 218 steps up to the colonnade at St. Isaac's Cathedral. No crampons, nor ice axe needed, but we did put on at least another six miles touring around and he handled it no problem. Super nice guy and loads of fun to be with, guess I need to make him a summit certificate. So much to see, what a great job they do here to make it user friendly. The rich history and the sights we visit, accompanied by a local guide, are overwhelming to say the least. Can't forget the multitude of food options with the group making some great choices. Definitely not cheap to get some calories on board, but if you do a little research the taste buds are well rewarded. I have been on the Borscht taste testing program when possible, this kind of beet-type soup can take on many identities. So far the smoked pear version has been the most far out in flavor. Being at the end of the Bay of Finland and part of the Baltic Sea,they say that they get about fifty sunny days here a year. The usual maritime climate prevails. We have been fortunate with the glorious days we have been so lucky to experience. Better get here quick before the nice days are gone for this year. That said, could not of had a nicer evening boat cruise to top off such a wonderful day.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
July 12, 2013
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 12,000'
Today was our rest day, and that's exactly what we did!
We started the day off with a brief review of how to use our ice axes and crampons just a few feet from our camp at 12,000' on Mt. Elbrus (there's plenty of snow very near). And quickly transitioned into another delicious breakfast with plenty of coffee. Once our bellies were full everyone returned to our bunk space and relaxed till lunch. It is vacation after all! We had lunch and then discussed tomorrows climbing plan so that we could do a little prep work before settling in tonight. If all goes well our plan is to have breakfast at 1am then catch a snow cat ride up to about 15,000ft and begin our climb from where we left off yesterday. I'm expecting the climb to take about 6-8 hours up and about 3-4 ours back down. So, if all goes according to plan we should be on top around 9 a.m. our time!
Everyone is excited for tomorrow.
Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Congratulations to the whole team. What a wonderful view from the top and a great achievement. You all look happy and healthy. And best of all you have arrived safely at the lodge. All our love to Jennifer and the whole team. Thanks for the safe journey. Love Mama Z
Posted by: patricia Blitz on 7/13/2013 at 2:06 pm
Larry,
Well done, once again!
Howard
Posted by: Howard Norman on 7/13/2013 at 10:58 am
It is tough to leave the Baksan Valley, what a gorgeous range of mountains. After another wholesome breakfast we loaded up the van and made the three-hour drive to Mineralnye Vody. Once there we said good bye to Jonny, our local guide, who shared the adventure on the mountain with us. He will be going back up the mountain very soon and we wish him all the best.
We arrived in St. Petersburg with all our bags and a van ready to take us to the center of town. We are all pretty good at packing and unpacking,so a quick stop at the hotel and we were off to start exploring this city of so many sights. After another very nice meal, we enjoyed wandering around the neighborhood. Since we are so far north, at this time of year we had a beautiful sunset over St. Isaac's Cathedral at around 10 PM. This is a town surrounded by water with many canals running through it. There were many people taking boat rides late into the night. Tomorrow we will explore some of the historical sights topped off with an evening canal boat ride.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
July 11, 2013
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Elevation: 15,000'
Hello again from Russia!
We woke to clear skies and cool temps which made for nearly perfect hiking conditions on Mt. Elbrus. After a wonderful breakfast of porridge and mini pancakes prepared by our friendly Russian cook, we set out on another acclimatization hike. The team did great and reached an altitude of just over 15,000' in a little under 4 hours. On our descent the clouds came in and almost like clockwork began sprinkling on us right as we pulled back into camp. Lucky us!
We had another delicious lunch and some of us played a little cribbage, while others retired for a nice siesta.
Everyone is in good spirits and looking forward to having a rest day before our upcoming climb.
RMI Guide Casey and crew
On The Map
Casey, I’d recognize that jacket anywhere. Larry, the beard is looking great. Hope you are having a blast. Missing you and all the gang. Looks chilly there. It’s 98 degrees in the shade in Houston. Enjoy.
Posted by: Cindy Calder on 7/12/2013 at 7:43 am
Hey Casey and Larry!!!! You guys look great!!! We will be following y’all all the way to the top.
Posted by: Holley Harris and Cindy Calder on 7/11/2013 at 8:47 pm
Best wishes to everyone! Enjoy and be safe!
Posted by: Les on 7/22/2013 at 12:51 am
Savor the Journey. Listen to the Mt. Enjoy!
Wish you all well! Thinking of u lots, G!
Posted by: The Pit Crew on 7/21/2013 at 8:10 pm
View All Comments