Crystal horizon of Elbrus. Climbing Eastern from the North

The climbing on the eastern vertex of Elbrus, my father was planned for a very long time, but could not find a suitable time, interfered with some circumstances, all sorts of excuses and constantly arising. In general, it was fundamental to me with dad, because in his youth, he was eagerly engaged in climbing, went around the entire Caucasus, fell into ice cracks, again and again returning to his native places. Then I was born, from the southern Stavropol we moved to Stone Moscow, and his hobby was lost in time, remaining on the pages of outgoing youth. So flew two decades without climbing ..

The city of mineral waters in the Stavropol Territory, where we met with those who had to help us climb to handsome-elbrus. Guides were three – extremely experienced guys with an excellent sense of humor, such different, each with their history and a personal look at what is happening. Having gathered near the airport on the outskirts of the city, we, ten fresh, in combat and very decisive guys, disastened their heavy backpacks, sat down in loaded loaves and, opening the windows to let the rays only waking up the sun, rushed towards the highest mountain peak of Eurasia.

On the first day we lasted a serious trouble. A couple of hours after departure from mineral waters, when we, having passed, crossed the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria, my father felt a sharp and wavy pain in the lower back to the right, which intensified every 15 minutes, delivering it incredible torment. Obviously it was one thing – you need to turn it back to the city. We arrived in Kislovodsk and made an ultrasound – it turned out that the dad was manifested by a urolithiasis. Having written antibiotics and painkillers, the doctor did not insist on his return to the city, and the Father himself was not ready to surrender, especially when all the symptoms were removed, and the stones were safely released on the road to the hospital. Restarting the attitude and gathering with new forces, we hurried to go to the Polyana Emmanuel, where it was necessary to get to the onset of darkness.

Polyana Emmanuel in Jil-Su, located at the foot of Elbrus, is known as a place from which the first successful conquest of an impregnable mountain in 1829 led by General G.A. Emmanuel. Nowadays, this is a major transshipment camp, which is located the main center for the preparation for climbing, as well as the base of rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. In the glade at an altitude of 2500 m, we held our first acclimatization night to the next day, translating the backpacks and distributing me together for the next 9 days, climb a little higher, to the area of ​​so-called stone mushrooms.

The first jerk is always the most difficult, at least for me. The body is very quickly emolred from the unusual load for it (on average, the backpack group weighed 25 kilograms), and already after a couple of hours after the start, you crawl around the stones like a dead and completely helpless creature, not noticeing anything other than a dusty boot comrade, going ahead. The most difficult thing in such a state is to periodically raise the head and look around the sides of the intact and absolutely unique beauty of the vegetable and animal world. Pine-birch forests reach the height of 2700-2800 meters, and individual pines are found on three thousand. Alpine meadows stretch above. Sometimes you go and notice the Caucasian swimsuits, and the bell-haired flowers of Blue Prix Pricks are so rapprocked with each other, which has been published seem to be solid lazoic stains. Space unity with nature, absorbing your consciousness and stronger and stronger ..

According to legend, Elbrus is the Sacred Mount of Ariyev (people of the Aryan race), the so-called "place of force" or "Gate Shambhala", "Countries of Happiness", entering which you can become superhorecom. Our path to the basic camp took place through the "German airfield" – perfectly even, as if the playground is tailored to a huge bulldozer with a length of about two kilometers and a width of several hundred meters. Old-timers say that immediately after the war on the plateau there were attributes of the summer field – iron masts. Lie airplanes here, no one saw, but the stories are full of the most picturesque details: allegedly the Germans brought here dark hairless people here, apparently Tibetan monks, but having heard a unwanted forecast about the outcome of World War II, shot them by order of Hitler.

Bypassing the airfield, we rose to 3000 meters in an amazing place in our beauty – the melan of stone mushrooms. On a small, slightly tilted platform are unusual rock formations, in shape resembling mushrooms, though, honestly, everyone sees something in these natural sculptures. It is believed that Polyana has supernatural healing forces. Throwing off your painful cargo, I ran through these huge elevations and looked at the cherished vertex for a long time, which was getting closer and closer, and closerly towering over our sealing heads.

Closer to the evening we rose to the base camp, which is located at the foot of Elbrus at an altitude of 3800 meters. This place can be called the second starting point, since it was from here that we had to go to the top in a couple of days. Putting a tent and having acquainted with happy Americans, just descended from the mountain, I ran into the most distant and high Morane to say hello to Elbrus. Eastern and Western peaks reflected a fireball slightly brilliant pale pink glare, and the dark gray sky lowered to our camp, gradually absorbing him into his dark arms. It seemed to me that everything is bad, like the sun, leaves my head somewhere behind the horizon, freeing the place for something very simple, but extremely important. Here it is, the true power of beauty: you get answers to the questions when you let them mean significance, dissolving in the infinite freedom of their own thoughts.

The date of our climb was chosen sixth of August. The main part of the group was already acclimatized, and it was necessary to have time to climb before the weather finally deteriorates (the forecast left much to be desired). It so happened that my father became worse, and he was launched into the city for further treatment, so I was especially motivated – I wanted to do this for us two. From the camp we went out somewhere in half the first night to have time to go and return to the onset of blizzards, and at the height, as you know, worse to get lost or get into a thunderstorm. Feelings indescribable, in fact. The bundle goes like a group of christmas elves, with lanterns on the forehead and "bags" on the shoulders. Because of the darkness there is no boundaries, therefore a charming impression is created, as if you really fly to the mysterious task of Santa Claus, and the full moon adds a mystical entourage to everything that happens. Periodically lifting your head, you consider stars that fall so closely that you think for a second, as if it’s all the dream and there is no Elbrus, there is no climb and there is nothing in this world anymore. Only you and space. Cosmos and you ..

With the onset of dawn, we rose to Lenz’s cliffs at a height of about 5,200 meters. Another extraordinary spectacle – Dark purple night paints go to a bluish-turquoise morning sky. These colors were so combined and beautiful! It seems to me that if Yin & Yan exists, then it was definitely he. Mountain sickness almost went around me. To the upper cliffs of Lenz, I felt just fine: a tide of strength, no nausea or headache, I woke a lot, and I wanted to stop less and less. After 5300 it became, of course, heavier. I can characterize my advantage of my advantage: I am eighteen again, I came home very drunk, but I try to stay smoothly, so that my mother does not suspect anything. There was a feeling of strange lightness and some wild alcoholic intoxication. The last 300 meters to the vertices were the hardest. In addition, the blizzard began, and we shot down from the route. Time – eleven hours of the day. Forces on the outcome. The cold wind beats in all the gaps, the eyes closes from fatigue, but the muscular pain is illite, and you slowly rearrange the ice ax half a meter above. Every half meter seemed a whole kilometer. The fear of cutting into and pulling the rest almost did not attend me. In the end, I just believed Barashkov and tried to hum "Farewell to the mountains" Vladimir Vysotsky. It turned out bad, but words, as you know, have a magical power over our consciousness.

On the eastern vertex of Elbrus, we entered the twelfth hour of the day. 5620 meters of pure kayf! Although we were not lucky with the weather, and we did not see the beautiful Caucasian ridge, opening from the top, I still really happy, because the meaning is not at the destination point, but only in your own way to her. "The path in length at 12 o’clock, and all in order to stand 10 minutes on top?"- just say most of you. "The path of 12 hours long to leave your heart in the mountains forever," I say so. Above me only space. Below – Native Caucasus. This is a certain return to the origins. Return to yourself. In the end, another return home.

Every time I come from the mountains, I am visited by a strange feeling of anxiety. We descend from the peaks, we return to the endless stream of large cities with their shining skyscrapers and crowds of people, fussily running around the crowded streets, – this is the rhythm of modern life, which I love my own and to which I got used to the circumstances arising from it. But day after day, plunging into this mad marathon of life, I am very afraid not to return to the mountains. I’m afraid that the next meeting may not be that the new vertices will not let me in their strong snowy arms, and the old one will remain on the pages of the thick book of distant memories. Anyway, it is exactly the kind of fear that makes me look ahead and see a little higher than I probably could. Climbing Elbrus became an extraordinary discovery and deepest insight.

Now, waking up every morning and with a smile looking through the window glass, I just enjoy realizing that somewhere in this huge world there are vertices for which I dream to climb. Climb, and not to conquer, because the top can not conquer. You stand on it, very few minutes, and then the wind sweats your traces ..