Adventure with a purpose: Elbrus expedition: Day 4 #trek4choc #trek4kidzwithcancer

We got up this morning with some sunshine. It was looking promising for a summit bid tonight. The top of Elbrus was still looking as though some big things happening between the twin peaks. This would be our last window as tomorrow we would be heading down off Elbrus and making our way back home. Most of us had had a fairly goodnight sleep. All teams that defied sense last night and had attempted to summit had to turn back. This was the bit of chaos I had heard sometime in the early hours of the morning. We watched as some of the teams started to spill into the camp. Exhausted snow blasted, with burnt faces and looks of complete defeat. Elbrus was very spirited last night and she sent everyone back down the mountain well whipped with their tails between their legs. I was really glad we had not attempted a summit last night as we would be within this group of very tired and sad looking climbers. I looked up at Elbrus and asked that she be kind to us tonight. It had taken me two years of saving up and preparation to be standing at the base of Elbrus. But it is important to remember that we do not pay for a summit but pay for an experience, an adventure. However that said everyone's mission is of course to summit, but your goal should be about the journey, making great friends, learning more about yourself and what you are capable of doing, learning more skills and just having some quiet time with Mother Nature taking in new cultures and new experiences.

Our awesome South African Guide Heinrich and the old man of the mountain - the epic Vladimir He was a mountain rescue tech for many years but now only guides. He had incredible experience and wisdom on all things Elbrus and he assisted our team and always got me the best piece of meat and kept me stocked up on the tiny chocolate Russian doll chocolates (like the Russian doll chocolate Easter egg in really beautiful wrapping.)

2 great and epic guides: Vladimir from Russia and Heinrich from ADI South Africa

After breakfast we were going to do a bit of ice and crampon training. We were taking a fast walk down to the iconic Barrels, rest a bit and take a look around, then take a fast pace back up to our base camp to get the blood flowing. In the green jacket is Roma our Russian Guide and of course me in Pink!!!

I got behind Roma and he set a great pace and I was directly behind him feeling really strong and able to keep up without taking a tumble. Today was really the day that I managed to work my crampons and walking on the ice and slushy snow was great.

Behind us was Elbrus with some cloud cover and later it cleared and we had some great views of Elbrus from below the Barrels. This is really a beautiful place if you can cut out all the noisy and busy snow-cats and snow mobiles, the smell of diesel and the large garbage piles on this side of the mountain. Littering on the mountain does not seem to be a major concern on Elbrus, just when its time to pee or poop then you are fined if you don't use the stinky loos. Since 1986, Elbrus has been incorporated into the Prielbrusye National Park, one of the Protected areas of Russia.

In 1997 a team led by Russian mountaineer called Alexander Abramov and a 10 man team drove a Land Rover Defender (of course it was a Defender!!) to the summit of the East Peak, making it into the Guinness Book of Records at the same time. This adventurous project took the team a total of 45 days to complete. Somehow they were able to drive the defender as high as the mountain huts at The Barrels, which sits at 3 700 m (some posts put the Barrels at 3 700 m while others at 3 800 m - our container homes sit at 3800 m, about 100 m or so higher than the Barrels). From the Barrels they used a pulley system for most of the way to the top. I would have loved to see photos of how they rigged this pulley system made up of tyre chains and winches to haul the Land Rover to the summit. The vehicle literally broke apart so the poor team members had to constantly descended for parts. It must of been exhausting and no wander it took so long to summit. They achieved their goal on 13th September by summiting, then apparently drove around the summit plateau in celebration.

They then left the Land Rover on the summit to go and celebrate further and a few weeks later they went back to retrieve it. After this feat while on the way down (remembering that when you reach the top it is only half way, as you still need to get back down!!) the crazy driver somehow lost control - easy to see how when you watch the snow cats and snow mobiles - of the Land Rover. Luckily he survived the accident, not sure of the extent of his injuries which must have been fairly hectic as the Landie crashed into the rocks below. What is left of the Land Rover can be found at the bottom of the summit. We obviously did not see anything but it is rather interesting and explains a lot of the human spirit always wanting to push out the envelope.

The famous loos - note these are from Google Image

Barrels This outhouse hangs over a
glacier on Mount Elbrus in
Russia www.pinterest.com

the little wooden loo at the end was my spot!!www.rosbif.org

Image result for Barrel huts on Mt Elbrus toilets

Barrels

www.mountainsoftravelphotos.com at the Barrels

Loo of Shelter 11 (Elbrusenglishrussia.com

Once we arrived at the Barrels it was time to remove our crampons so we could walk around the camp and explore. I was super excited as I had read and been told tales of Elbrus and the famous Barrel huts and now I was standing in front of them. Big Wow!! Toilets are in a pretty bad condition - they have been gloriously named "House of Pain and House of Horror"; "the Worst Toilet in the World" all names I can assure you are all very well deserved. For some reason, very few people are able to aim straight and pee in the hole and some cannot seem to aim their bums facing the hole either, it makes no sense to me at all. Using one requires bravery and preparation. You do need to bring your own loo paper, wet wipes and sanitizer. Also you need to cover your face and mouth usually with a balaclava or buff. It would be great to be able to cover your eyes from the visuals but you may end up in a rather unfortunate situation. When squatting on the loo two important tips 1: hold onto the door handle for balance, to bury your face into your arm (helps with the overwhelming smell especially if its a clean top, but smelling your own mountain armpits is heaven compared to what lurks below, and holding onto the door handle prevents the door from flying open when the weather is unleashing is wrath or someone else ripping it open leaving you rather exposed and no 2: make sure you roll up your trekking pants above your knees to avoid them touching the soiled floors - all wooden so it absorbs everything!!!. Oh and also make sure your laces and straps from your gaiters are not on the floor either. Gross!!! Then you must emotionally prepare and physic yourself up for this traumatic journey. After exploring the Barrels as well as the famous loo perilously perched on rotting wooden platforms looking worse for wear, I was infinitely grateful for our comfortable abodes we had found ourselves in. Naturally as disgusting as the toilets were I had to go and have a pee. How could I not. So I made my way up the rickety wooden ladder type stairs. They really pushed out all safety standards and I wondered when they would eventually give in. Health and Safety Standards were not in play here and it must be a complete nightmare to find the loo in the dark and in a snow storm.

WOW. Walking along the creaking platform. there were 3 small loos. 2 that had doors, well lets say I may not have made it out if I had closed the door, so I opted for the small long drop that had no wooden door attached. It offered a little fresh air for what it was worth as I gazed out through the open doorway at spectacular views of the Caucasus mountains. I thought at least if I died this would be the last thing I saw and not the inside of a wooden door. Besides at this stage of the game I did not care if someone came walking onto the platform while I was having my moment on one of the worlds most disgusting outbuildings!! I survived and did not chunk!!!Mount Elbrus is said to be home to the 'world's nastiest' outhouse which is close to being the highest privy in Europe. The title was confirmed by the Outside magazine in 1993 and they also mentioned that the "outhouse" is surrounded by and covered in ice, perched off the end of a rock. Very funny.

Sherrie had her camera with her and took photos of everyone around the barrels so hoping to get them soon. I tried to find out a bit more regarding the Barrels, when they were built, who built them and what was their original purpose but I could not find any.

There are 9 main barrels, each sleeping 6 people more if necessary. I seem to remember counting 11 which may be used for the dinning-room and storage. There is a mattress and pillow in each barrel, a small entry room (great for storing crampons, ice axes, trekking poles). Apparently each of the huts has an electric heater, electric plugs, and electric lights. In addition each hut has a small room with a wardrobe, a table and chairs. There is a canteen with a kitchen in a separate building.

Around the area we found several structures at the Barrels, apparently this is usually where the guides sleep, and 2 more additional structures which served as kitchens. Hot boiled water is easily available from the kitchen. Like our camp there are no wash rooms or showers but if you climb and hike regularly this is the norm and you bring along wet wipes!!

The Barrel huts are one of the oldest and best known forms of accommodation on the slopes of Mount Elbrus. It is close to the Garabashi lift station at 3750 m. Here climbers and mountaineers from all around the world will prepare and acclimatize themselves for their respective attempts to climb to the top of Europe, Elbrus being the highest mountain in Europe some dispute this saying that Mont Blanc holds this title. Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco meaning white mountain is the highest mountain in the Alps and the highest in Europe after the Caucasus peaks. It sits at 4 808.73 m and is ranked 11th in world in topographic prominence.

Mount Elbrus was formed more than 2.5 million years ago. The volcano is currently considered inactive. This was great news!! Elbrus was active during the Holocene, a geologic time period that began after the Pleistocene approximately 9 700 BCE and according to the Global Volcanism Program, the last eruption took place about AD 50.

I found this!! Evidence of recent volcanic activity includes several lava flows on the mountain, which look fresh (they did not define fresh nor when) and roughly a huge 260 square kilometres (100 sq mi) of volcanic debris. The longest flow extended 24 kilometres (15 mi) down the northeast summit, indicative of a large eruption. There are other signs of activity on the volcano, including solfataric activity and hot springs. The western summit has a well-preserved volcanic crater about 250 metres (820 ft) in diameter. Alright then good thing I am back home now!!

The ancients knew the mountain as Strobilus , Latin for 'pine cone', taken from the ancient Greek word strobilos, meaning 'a twisted object". This perked up my interest as I have been to Greece and Greek Isle. the Myth is that Zeus had chained Prometheus here. Prometheus is the Titan who had stolen fire from the gods and given it to ancient man. This would more than likely be a reference to all the known historic volcanic activity. You can see the Mount Elbrus figures in Greek mythology where Zeus chained Prometheus, one of the four sons of the Titan Iapetos, to the mountain after he stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mankind. After Zeus imprisoned Prometheus, he sent a long-winged eagle to consume his liver but Herakles killed the eagle and freed Prometheus, the archetypal trickster, the bringer of fire, and a champion against oppression. Tjoe quiet a lot of Mythological significance our beautiful Mt Elbrus has.

A cable car and chairlift, built between 1959 and 1976, ferries climbers up Mount Elbrus to 12,500 feet. From there, most ascend the Standard Route up the south flank to the summit. The route is mostly free of crevasses, making it relatively safe. The Standard Route, however, is not easy with lots of snow, high winds, and a high elevation defeating many attempts. Many climbers attempting the mountain are inexperienced and ill-equipped. Most climbers take the cable car, operating from 9 a.m to 3 p.m., and stay overnight at the Diesel Hut. An alpine start at 2 in the morning allows enough for climbers to reach the summit and descend to the cable car/chairlift in time for the last ride down.

And then this happened. A guy in tiger print undies - the tiger face strategically placed that had us all in hysterics with this bikini clad girl posing on the snow. It kept us entertained for hours. the guy standing in front of the camera with the white hat was our tiger man!!

Myself and the great man himself Vladimir

You can see the big chunks of ice making up the glaciers hanging off the summit.

Wayne composing himself before he made a dash for the famed loo with Roma making a run for it! you can see in this photo just how preciously the loo is perched!!

bad weather the weather man said!!!

Daniel, Mark, Debbie and Heinrich

The afternoon was spent resting and in our own space as we prepared physically and mentally for tonight. The weather was changing every minute. I watched this sunset and chilled a bit and was hopeful that Mother Nature would be kind to all of us tonight.

we were treated to a stunning sunset on our final night then the weather changed again

by late afternoon the weather looked dismal!!

Sherrie getting ready after midnight for our summit attempt

the 4 girls in the container

Yvonne and Sherrie the Power Fly Girls!! with their snow goggles on = backing and getting ready for the summit later on tonight.

It was time to leave the warmth of our container huts and make our way to the snow cats. The wind was fairly strong and snow was falling as we all bundled into the big red machine, the strong diesel filled my lungs and the warmth of the growling engine was a real treat. Suddenly the snow cat lurched forward and we were on our way as the engine seemed to strain through the deep falling snow, making its way upwards towards our drop off point. I was sitting at the top end and had to hold on rather tightly as the upward tilt of the snow cat pushed everyone downwards. Pity the poor person who got on first - they were getting really squashed. It is a bit of a gym workout to keep seated. Very similar to being inside a fire engine so it was not really such a bit deal. I had heard all sorts of stories clearly somewhat embellished. I loved riding on the snow cat it was great fun.

This was the view from inside the snow cat through the windscreen - pretty hectic!! The driver just shock his head and said we were mad people!! Which sounds about right!!

We had planned and anticipated for the group to split into 2 groups and had enough extra guides with us. The front group were walking a lot slower than I had anticipated and I was right behind them and many times I bumped into the backpack of Rupert! It was really hard to see. The second group started to breakaway and Heinrich told me to keep at my pace which was ahead of the second group and tailgating the lead group. With the weather closing in it became difficult to see where the 2nd group was. Gaven was right behind me and I started to cramp in my calves and under my arches. It slowed me down a bit and I told Gaven to push past me and I will catch up. He hooked up with the group. One of the local guides Alex stayed with me. The front group was not too far ahead and I could still see their head torches. I eventually had to take a break and my salt tablets as well as a spas-med which helped and I slowly started to get my mojo back. I could barely make out the head torches of the lead group now and the snow steps the group created had all but been blown away by the strong winds and blasting snow. It was a real struggle to keep upright and kick in new steps with my big boots. Lots of snow was jamming into my crampons and my ski poles, so this needed to be sorted out often. My legs were really working hard and I had to concentrate on my breathing techniques that Heinrich had taught us. Once I got my breathing under control, the cramps and sore legs did ease. Now it was time to catch up a bit as we started to traverse the slopes. Once in the saddle we would hopefully be able to rest while making our way across and if the sun was out I would be able to see the rest of the team. I was really worried as I had not seen or heard from Sherrie and Yvonne who were far behind me and I hoped they were okay and safe. I knew a guide was with them so they were in good hands.

this is such a cool photo of Debbie that Mark took during the snow storm we found ourselves in.

As Alex and myself made our way across we spotted 2 sets of head torches coming up towards us and I was really excited as I thought they must be Sherrie and Yvonne. But they belonged to 2 guys, a climber and the other a guide. The climber was struggling a bit and said he was already exhausted and hoped he could make it to the summit. The wind was really blowing hard and many times we nearly got blown off our feet. You could not see in front of you let alone behind you and had to rely totally on your guide to guide you safely and not get disorientated. The 4 of us started to walk up together, kicking in the loose and deep snow and getting into a rhythm when our radio barked. Lots of excited voices, almost in a panic were coming over the radio, some raised voices. It was all in Russian but even so you could tell there was a big problem just by the tone. Alex then told me "we go down now" I looked at him in disbelief. I was feeling strong again and asked him. "why?". He shouted above the howling wind "weather dangerous everyone must come down off the mountain now - we must hurry - we in danger" I could hear in his voice that this just got real, we needed to get off this mountain and now. Lots more shouting in Russian over the radio. The climber and his guide that had joined us decided to continue. Alex and him had words and Alex told him he was being stupid it was not safe and they could die on the mountain. They must come back down. The continued but not for long.

And so we started our journey back down. It was really steep, the snow soft and loose. I could not see a clear path nor could I see the ski pole markers with the flags on top. It was a complete whiteout. The wind was really very strong and I fell a few times. It was easier for me to come back down backwards. I had a lot more control and balance this way. I was really disorientated as I did not know where we were. Everything was just white, cold and dark. The wind was howling and hammering our bodies. My legs where like jello and it was really hard going. The snow was soft and deep adding to the extra work my legs were doing. Alex was on the radio from time to time getting updates.

Suddenly my right ski pole gave way into the snow and when I looked down I saw a deep black hole beneath my hand. In my brain I remembered the scene in the Movie Ice Age and imagined the whole ground beneath cracking. But in reality it was only about 20 square metres in diameter of what was visible to the eye. I did not really want to think about what was if anything beneath me. I froze and nearly pooped in my brooks. I screamed at Alex above the howling wind. He told me to keep still and not to move. He then walked towards me digging his ski poles into the snow checking for any crevasses. After what seemed forever he instructed me to move towards him and guided my steps out. This shit got really real and my sphincter was in all time "plucker mode" and now were were testing the ground beneath us until we had moved across to the left, several metres away. We finally found the ski pole markers and kept close to them. Alex told me that the snow cat was coming up to fetch everyone off the mountain because the weather was getting worse and some of the climbers were sick. From behind us Andre and Heinrich came down. Andre was suffering from the effects of altitude and was vomiting and not feeling well so Heinrich was getting him back down safety to base camp. Soon after this, the snow cat burst through the snow curtain and came chugging past its engines working overtime and groaning as though it was about to give up. I honestly did not hear it or see it coming up until it was almost on top of us. That is how loud the wind was and how bad the whiteout was!! Pretty epic!!

It passed us as it went up to fetch the guys still coming back down. The snow cat had now left deep and compact tracks in the snow making it so much easier to make our way back down. My legs could barely hold me up as they were so wobbly I felt like a newborn foal!! What felt like 15 minutes passed and suddenly the snow cat was back down and almost on top of me. It stopped and its doors burst open with guides jumping out and hurling me into the cats bowls. I had no choice in the matter. The cat was packed with solemn looking climbers, their dreams dashed. I was a bit too excited and relieved that I was alive and did not have to walk all they way back down in this weather. so I was a little too happy I think, for me this was already an epic adventure of huge proportions. I looked around and saw our team as well as the other guy with his guide amongst the groups of climbers rescued off Elbrus that night. and what a night it was what an adventure. Sad that I did not get to stand on the summit, 2 years of training, working lots of overtime shits to save up and now I would have to do it all over again. But hey that's why we do it - to challenge our bodies, minds and to take Mother Nature head on. This time she won, she won six love!!

Both the above and below Epic videos taken by Rupert van Zyl, give you an idea of what we were up against then soon after these videos where taken everything went to shit and got really real as Mother nature unleashed her full wrath onto all of us and it became a fight for survival and an epic adventure for all to get back down the mountain safely. Well done to our amazing Head guys Heinrich and Roma with local guys all from Pilgrim tours who did not panic and got us all back down in one piece albeit licking our bruised pride and somewhat shell-shocked that we had been beaten down. But we were down but not out and we will be back to give it another bash. Because we climb mountains and that is how we roll!

Heinrich took these photos from me with my South African flag which has been all over the world and any summits, just not Elbrus!! This was taken just above our base camp before we left Elbrus. You can see the weather is still bad.

Me with my Adventure with a Purpose flag

After some hot tea to warm us up it was time to reflect. Yes they had Earl Grey Tea!!

The gutted looks on the faces says it all - our breakfast post summit attempt briefing.

This was myself with Alex my personal Russian guide that got me off the mountain. Do not be fooled by his youthful looks there is a lot of experience in here and he got me off alive!! And the old man of the mountain the epic Vladimir

We packed up and had to run quiet a distance with our backpacks and duffel bags as it started to rain. Daniel and I jumped into the cable car with all our gear. It was really cold and raining and I was extremely grateful that we were inside and not on the old ski chairs that had been previously used. We had to rush to make the cable cars in time and with the weather closing in we were worried they may close them for the day and we would be stuck up here and miss our hot showers!!

Daniel, Mark and Debbie

Ski-station cold and nearly home!!

Exhausted but safe and warm inside!! Me back at out hotel in the Elbrus Valley - post summit attempt - think my face says it all!! I really needed and looked forward to my hot shower and nice smelling soap I had packed for this moment!!

Once everyone had showered the celebrations of life, mountains, good friends and drowning our disappointment started in true mountain style!!

Enjoying my first 5642 beer my first beer this whole yea and since my last Kilimanjaro beer in October 2015. I do not drink normally but by the end of the day and night I had consumed a fair amount of Vodka shots I might add.

Then things went south - Mark!!

After our celebratory lunch we moved onto the next spot. Not that there were many but we needed to try them all out. Note that the strength and taste of the vodka changes from place to place.

This was the very unusual loo that took some time to work out after so many vodka shots. Debbie and I were in complete hysterics - sorry no photos at this time.

Lots of laughter happening as the Russian vodka flowed

Then it was time to spend some money and buy gifts for family and friends.

Debbie and I trying to do our blue steel look post vodka shots.

Yvonne, Wayne and myself all similes!!

and then this happened how we were not arrested I am not sure, but it was the Aussie's fault completely lawless bunch, us South Africans were really very well behaved!!!. A group of youngsters came running to pose and take photos of Yvonne in her Tina Turner hat. Lets just say that Tina Turner was a hit in that little Russian Village. Regarding the stall owners, well that was another story!!

the stalls in this little village where filled with magical treasures from a time long past. It was such a thrill and a treat to be able to walk though here and look at this incredible talent on display.

making our way back to the hotel for our celebration dinner before we left the next day for Moscow

Our crazy dinner that went on to the wee hours of the morning. Sherrie and I reliving our youth dancing to ABBA. and so many old 80's songs blasted our the speakers with revolving lights turned the dinning room into an 80's disco. What a blast. The drive back to the Mineral Vody Airport however was somewhat quiet.