Hello everyone from Team Texas in Russia! St Petersburg to be exact. Look... I'm going to be honest with you, we don't want to make you jealous. However, ending the trip in St Pete's is indescribable. So! To give you a tiny idea of how spectacular it is here, take a look at our slide show of today's events.
And don't go to far. I will have another slideshow of our canal tour later tonight. Stop dreaming and come to Russia!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
With all that snow you’re getting, I bet you’d be happy to see a little sunshine. It’s nice and warm down here in the Chicago area. Wish we could send some sunshine & warmth your way.
Hope you’re able to get some good photos of the climb between the snowfalls. Can’t wait to see them.
As far as the home front goes, Summit’s doing good although Mom’s a wreck, but what do you expect! As you know, I’m the one that has to suffer through all this, so I hope you appeciate what I’m going through.
Anyways, take care and look forward to your return. Best wishes also to your fellow climbers.
Hello RMI family! It is Team Texas from Russia. Today we flew to St. Petersburg and we are enjoying this amazing city! We are celebrating our safe and successful trip on Elbrus. And believe me, everyone deserves to rest, relax and enjoy the good life that only sea level altitude provides!
Stay tuned for tomorrow's video dispatch of St. Pete's!!!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
The team checked in from the Baksan Valley today. They are taking a well-deserved rest day after their successful summit climb of Mt. Elbrus yesterday. We hope they enjoy their time in Cheget shopping and site-seeing.
They will spend their final night in Cheget this evening. Tomorrow they will transfer to Mineralnye Vody and take a flight to St. Petersburg, the final stop on their tour of Russia and one of the highlights of the trip.
The team had a leisurely start to the day with breakfast at 8 as everyone is still getting their internal clocks set. After getting packed up last night and checking out of the hotel today we made our way over to the big gondola. We rode two gondolas and one small chairlift up the mountain to our new home here at 12,000', where there are several huts including one for dining. The Garabashi Hut is also call the "barrels" because of the round shape of the huts. They are a little worn, but warm and dry nonetheless.
It was a pretty easy transition for the team and once everyone was settled we headed out the door on another acclimatization hike. We hiked for about 2 hours which took us up to about 13,500'. We then descended back to camp and had a great lunch of Bortch, a variety of fruits, salami, and cheese.
Everyone is doing great and are enjoying the beautiful weather and amazing views of the Caucasus mountain range.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
The team is making great progress. You’ll be at the top before you know it!! Praying for continued safe travels. From James’Madre
Posted by: Dolores Graham on 7/10/2013 at 4:24 pm
you all look great! ask Chris to point out where I would have stopped, Im sure u will all make it to the top. its great to be able to read these updates!
It was a beautiful day in Cheget today and we made the most of it. We started the day with a nice breakfast of porridge, eggs and fresh juice, then headed out to stretch our legs a bit. Being that this is a ski town in the winter, we took advantage of the chairlifts and rode them up to about 10,000ft to start our hike. The team hiked for a little over an hour to reach a sub-summit of Cheget Peak. The team did great on our first acclimatization hike and spent about 20 minutes on top to enjoy the view (our first of Mt. Elbrus). Again the team did great descending down the mountain side all the way back to town where we stopped in at a local cafe for lunch. Shortly after lunch we headed over to the gear shop for a few last minute items and have settled in back in our cosy hotel.
Things look good on the mountain and we're even heard that climbing conditions are great too. Two of RMI's great guides Mark Tucker and Jeff Justman aka JJ are also in town after two successful climbs. It was a pleasure to see them and hear about their climbs too.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Yeehaw! We did it!
The team took full advantage of perfect weather and great route conditions on Mt. Elbrus today. We could not help but stand on top this morning.
We returned to the Garabashi Hut, our home for the last few nights, packed our gear and continued our descent. We are back down in the Baksan valley at the base of Mt. Elbrus. Let the celebration begin!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Hi Dr.Raj, following your journey. Enjoy your expedition. Take care. Liz
Posted by: Liz on 7/9/2013 at 8:02 pm
Hi, Mama Z here. So exciting to ride and hike the mountain with you. I am exhausted. Good luck with tomorrow and the bathroom situation. I heard about that. Can’t wait for the next set of pictures. Love Mama Z. Tell Jennifer I love her
Today the team left Moscow and caught a flight to Mineralnye Vody, which is a medium size city here in southern Russian known for its abundant mineral springs. The flight over Russia's inland reminded me of the rural Midwest back home. We quickly hopped on our waiting bus and headed further south into the Baksan Valley where Elbrus sits on the border between Russia and Georgia. The area is mostly farmland with a few small towns that are predominately Islamic via its Turkish roots. We arrived in Cheget which sits at the base of Elbrus and is our launching point for our climb. We are currently getting ready for bed in our hotel after a wonderful authentic Russian meal.
It was another long day of travel and the team is doing great. Everyone is looking forward to stretching their legs tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Glad everyone and every thing is doing great. Success to all. The blog is wonderful. Almost feel like I am there!! Mom
Posted by: Gerri Seaton on 7/10/2013 at 12:20 pm
Larry: You are looking great, sage and youthful. All the best for another of the Seven. Godspeed, Walter Tell the peak “hey” from Lori and I, June 2010.
RMI Guide JJ Justman and 100% of his Mt. Elbrus team reached the summit this morning! Everyone is back, safe and sound, at the Garabashi Hut. The team sent a video as well as a photo from their successful summit.
RMI Guide JJ Justman calls from the Mt. Elbrus Summit!
After a good night of sleep and a belly full of fresh fruit, bread and an assortment of meats and cheeses we headed out to explore the city a bit. Our hotel is perfectly located in central Moscow with the Kremlin and Red Square just a short walk away, so that's where we headed first. We payed a brief visit to the Red Square then watched the changing of the guard at Russia's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before spending a little more than 2 hours inside the beautiful Kremlin. Once back outside we opted for a tour of the famous Moscow subway which sits hundreds of feet underground and is incredibly efficient and meticulously decorated. Apparently it was built so deep it could double as a bomb shelter during the Cold War years. It was amazing and a little overwhelming too.
The team then took a break for lunch and so members took naps and others explored a bit on their own. We have wrapped up the evening with a great meal and a nice little walk. Everyone is still feeling the jet-lag, but doing great otherwise.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Our night's stay in the Garabashi Hut (12,000') on Mt. Elbrus went well. We were up early for a quick breakfast and then headed out onto the mountain with our crampons and ice axes to do some training and review while the snow was still firm. The team did well and we climbed up 15,000' which also helped with our acclimatization. Around noon we started our descent and after a few hours arrived back to our camp. We enjoyed soft snow on our way down and perfect weather.
Once back at the hut we gathered for a nice lunch. We have spent the afternoon resting and drying out our gear.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Looks like an awesome trip; can’t wait to hear more next month. Rigorous art book training is paying off!
Posted by: Mary Leslie on 7/8/2013 at 8:09 am
Looks like you guys are fitting in well with the Cossacks up there! Gosh, RMI really went all out and organized a mega-group climb for you all—a “barrel” of fun! They know how much we love a party. Any shopping on this mountain?
I spent the weekend at the beach - sunny and warm and thinking of you guys. Take care, go slow, and listen to Mr. Tucker! Xoxo. Renee
Hi Scott,
With all that snow you’re getting, I bet you’d be happy to see a little sunshine. It’s nice and warm down here in the Chicago area. Wish we could send some sunshine & warmth your way.
Hope you’re able to get some good photos of the climb between the snowfalls. Can’t wait to see them.
As far as the home front goes, Summit’s doing good although Mom’s a wreck, but what do you expect! As you know, I’m the one that has to suffer through all this, so I hope you appeciate what I’m going through.
Anyways, take care and look forward to your return. Best wishes also to your fellow climbers.
Dad
Posted by: Wayne Adaska on 7/11/2013 at 9:41 am
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