21st - 4th day in second trip

The day started as usual with packing the camp and at 0800 we had departed. The goal today was to ascend 700 meters before descending 1300 meters to our final camp on this trip.

The first few hundred meters of the ascent was on rocks before reaching the glacier that was to bring us to the saddle we were to cross before descending. At the glacier we hooked up all our equipment and we started working us upwards the glacier. In the beginning it was mostly ice so it was easy to see if there were any cracks to avoid. Half way up there was too much snow to see the condition of the ice which meant we got tied together, and slowly we continued. People had a few issues when walking like this with regards to the rope, but finally – without incidents – we made it to the saddle, called Irik Pass. It is probably worth mentioning that the porters just walked up the glacier in their daily shoes and now safety rope.

After a short break we continued downwards; steep dirt and gravel (a little like the second day of this trip) but there were a lot of rocks sticking out so it wasn’t able to get a constant sliding going. Afterwards we crossed a patch of snow; it was much easier just sitting down and sliding all the way than walking – that cold sensation afterwards was the missing waterproof pants.

We had a short lunch break after which we just kept going down and down on rocks, gravel and dirt/growth. We ended up in a nice green valley which we followed for a while before reaching our campsite located on a platform/hill overlooking the surrounding area. Later in the evening clouds came rolling over and visibility dropped dramatically. Seeing the surrounding mountains disappear and temporarily reappear from the clouds was almost magical.

Tomorrow we will be walking for 2-2½ hours and descending app. 300 meters to 2200m before being picked up by our busses and driven back to the hotel. Here we will have the rest of the day off before departing on the trip that will bring us to the summit of Elbrus – if everything goes as planned.

Preparing for the glacier walk to Irik Pass.

After all the safety briefings it was weird seeing the porters without a single piece of safety equipment and in their sneakers, doing the same walk as us.

View from the saddle from where we came.

View from the saddle to where we were going.

The valley we were aiming for.

The location of the camp.