Soooo.....
The weekend was spent driving out to the nearby republic of Adygea, to climb one of the tallest mountains around... Mt. Fisht. The ridiculously short Wiki article can be seen here. But anyway, we drove for about 3 hours with 13 other people, including Caleb and I.
So we get there, suit up with our backpacks and set off on what would turn out to be the MOST GRUELING TRIP OF MY LIFE (bar none). Don't get me wrong; it was beautiful, breathtaking even. These are some of the most impressive mountains I've ever seen. At the beginning, we were stopping every 5 minutes to take photos.... But then.... the ground began sloping up, and Up, and UP. The only hope we had was derived from one of the members of our party saying, "This whole trail is only 18 km, guys, no problem, no problem [in order for this to have its full effect, you have to say it in your best Russian accent]." Steeper and steeper the trail went, and the further up we went, the more rugged the trail became. No joke, we're walking through knee deep snow, we look to our left and we see.... Straight down to the bottom of the mountain. Yay for Vertigo!!!
Finally, 9 hours later... we arrived at the BaSE camp of Fisht. The scene that played out there was something like the love child of the Mos Eiesley Cantina from A New Hope and the Tibetan bar scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Rugged Russian mountain men (and I say that with no exaggeration) mingled with the Russian version of the Park Rangers and later, we would learn the national Junior Olympic Wrestling team was there too. Add hot stew, roaring campfires, and a VERY healthy dose of Russian vodka, and you get the idea. The sun had already gone down by that time, so we prepared our meal and our tents in the dark with a freezing wind coming down the mountain. And slept in our tents, huddling in freezing temperatures and wishing to God we were somewhere else...
The next day, everyone woke up, and nobody was prepared to even attempt to summit. So we decided to break up the hike we had done the previous day into halves, spending the second night along the trail. So we bade farewell to the summit of Fisht (nobody get me wrong, we were not giving up; we had hiked to the last vestige of civilization before the summit. We camped easily at over 7,000 feet above sea level). So we began the trek back. And only then did I realize: It was my 21st birthday. Actually, I was sharing the birthday with another girl on the trip, who had turned 19. Granted, it wasn't the best birthday I've ever had. But as I looked around at the great group I was with, and at the wonderful creation of God, I began to think: It's not bad, as far as birthdays go. Thanks, God.
After camping about halfway next to a stream, and eating instant oatmeal over propane stoves, we finally made it back to the cars for the 3 hour drive back to Krasnodar. I sit here on the computer, feeling like two Japanese sumo wrestlers took 10 pound sledge hammers and decided to pummel my back for all they were worth, but still happy and contented and with a deep feeling of satisfaction and pride of a hike well done.
And sorting though all the Facebook messages and emails I had gotten on my birthday from all my friends in Russia, the United States, and around the world. Thanks, my friends. I love and give thanks for each and every one of you.
Do Svidanya, my friends.
P.S: Oh, and by the way, that "18 km" distance was as the crow flies. Actual distance, walking by the trail: 36 miles round-trip, which our group did in ONE day on the way there and then split in half on the way back. Just sayin'.
The weekend was spent driving out to the nearby republic of Adygea, to climb one of the tallest mountains around... Mt. Fisht. The ridiculously short Wiki article can be seen here. But anyway, we drove for about 3 hours with 13 other people, including Caleb and I.
Finally, 9 hours later... we arrived at the BaSE camp of Fisht. The scene that played out there was something like the love child of the Mos Eiesley Cantina from A New Hope and the Tibetan bar scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Rugged Russian mountain men (and I say that with no exaggeration) mingled with the Russian version of the Park Rangers and later, we would learn the national Junior Olympic Wrestling team was there too. Add hot stew, roaring campfires, and a VERY healthy dose of Russian vodka, and you get the idea. The sun had already gone down by that time, so we prepared our meal and our tents in the dark with a freezing wind coming down the mountain. And slept in our tents, huddling in freezing temperatures and wishing to God we were somewhere else...
The next day, everyone woke up, and nobody was prepared to even attempt to summit. So we decided to break up the hike we had done the previous day into halves, spending the second night along the trail. So we bade farewell to the summit of Fisht (nobody get me wrong, we were not giving up; we had hiked to the last vestige of civilization before the summit. We camped easily at over 7,000 feet above sea level). So we began the trek back. And only then did I realize: It was my 21st birthday. Actually, I was sharing the birthday with another girl on the trip, who had turned 19. Granted, it wasn't the best birthday I've ever had. But as I looked around at the great group I was with, and at the wonderful creation of God, I began to think: It's not bad, as far as birthdays go. Thanks, God.
After camping about halfway next to a stream, and eating instant oatmeal over propane stoves, we finally made it back to the cars for the 3 hour drive back to Krasnodar. I sit here on the computer, feeling like two Japanese sumo wrestlers took 10 pound sledge hammers and decided to pummel my back for all they were worth, but still happy and contented and with a deep feeling of satisfaction and pride of a hike well done.
And sorting though all the Facebook messages and emails I had gotten on my birthday from all my friends in Russia, the United States, and around the world. Thanks, my friends. I love and give thanks for each and every one of you.
Do Svidanya, my friends.
P.S: Oh, and by the way, that "18 km" distance was as the crow flies. Actual distance, walking by the trail: 36 miles round-trip, which our group did in ONE day on the way there and then split in half on the way back. Just sayin'.
Sounds like a Birthday to Remember! That would have been awesome to do, glad you got to. Sounds like your having the adventure of a lifetime. We miss you here bro, miss talking to ya. Let's video chat sometime soon!
ReplyDeleteKevin, what a memorable 21st! Thought about you and prayed for you many times during the day and the whole weekend. We will do a "Second Birthday" when you get home. Love and prayers!!
ReplyDelete"the love child of the Mos Eiesley Cantina from A New Hope and the Tibetan bar scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark."
ReplyDeletethis is why i love you kevy :)