I arrived in Pyatigorsk itself only a few days before my trip into the mountains. Looking back, that was absolutely the right decision. There were local people in the group, so as soon as we had checked into the hotel I was shown the sights of the town. I can say with confidence that the legends about local hospitality really are true. One of the town’s main attractions is a mountain with the remarkable name of Beshtau, which rises to one thousand four hundred metres. From it there is a stunning view over the town itself. Despite the modest height and the relatively easy climb, I found it hard going. I nearly passed out on the way up; my breathlessness was dreadful and my pulse shot up to two hundred beats a minute. At that moment it seemed to me that Elbrus hardly mattered if I already felt this bad. Something similar happened not only to me but to several members of our group who had come to camp straight after arriving. The reason was acclimatisation – the body simply needs time to adapt to altitude. It was from Beshtau that I first saw Elbrus in all its glory. I was also glad I had arrived early, because at the entrance to the town there was a large shopping centre with several shops. In one of them I bought everything I still needed. The next day the whole group travelled to Kislovodsk, or more precisely to its beautiful park, which is rightly considered the second largest in Europe. Obviously you cannot walk round it in a day. Interestingly, the park has places for treating various conditions, known as terrenkurs. After an examination, a doctor prescribes walks in the park. What could be better than clean air? There are six programmes with distances ranging from one thousand seven hundred to six thousand metres.
Early the following morning we gathered with our things by the railway station. That was where I saw everyone in our group, including the guides, who quickly checked all the equipment. Then we boarded the buses and stopped on the way at a hire shop to pick up the equipment we lacked. After that we set off. Curiously, I even dozed off on the way, and when I opened my eyes I had the feeling I had landed in another world. We were surrounded by incredible landscapes. They did not drive us all the way to the camp, so once we had unloaded we had to walk several more kilometres. A whole flock of sheep ran past us, and behind them rode a horseman. It all looked wonderfully colourful, and you could not help smiling. Because of the sudden change in altitude, some members of the group really did feel unwell. One of the tricks of fast acclimatisation is precisely to keep moving. It is important not to sit still, not to lie in your tent, but to go out walking more often. On our way to camp we passed through the Emmanuel meadow, named after General Emmanuel, who led the expedition that first reached the summit of Elbrus in 1829. It seems an eternity has passed since then. We were walking the very route the first expedition took, and as I went I could not stop marvelling at the absence of civilisation. There were no people here and no mobile signal. What did astonish and even shock me, though, was how quickly the weather changed. Unhurriedly we reached our first camp, at two thousand six hundred metres in Dzhily-Su. It is a remarkable place with beautiful scenery, and we saw Elbrus close up. The camp consisted of areas fenced off with netting, with buildings for the wardens and the rescue service. There were also a shower and a lavatory, so the facilities were in place. We pitched our tents, divided into groups, appointed people on duty and got on with other domestic matters. All the while I was enjoying the beauty of the nature around us. It really is a breathtaking sight. When you have been in the mountains many times before, you somehow stop noticing your surroundings. But when you see it all with your own eyes for the first time, it cannot fail to impress and delight you. That is exactly what makes it worth going to the mountains. The small dots on the left are our camp. Evening soon came, and I had to make something for supper, so I decided to take that on myself. The menu that evening was not especially varied, but it was filling, tasty and, importantly, good for us. After supper we went to bed.
The next day was a day of surprises. The first came when I woke up at five in the morning. That is unusual for me, being a night owl who cannot stand mornings. And it was like that here every day, which pleased me, because it gave me plenty of time to admire the magnificent scenery. Picture it: on one side the rising sun, and on the other the beautiful Elbrus! It is impossible to describe; you have to see it. We had an early breakfast, took food and water with us and set off to enjoy the surroundings. We did not climb into the mountains, because by no means everyone was coping well with the altitude. Even so, it was a full day. We visited a waterfall with the remarkable name of Sultan, and its power was impressive. Being that close to a force of nature was mesmerising. Water gushed from a crack in the rock, and it turned out to be narzan – naturally sparkling and good to drink. I tried to drink in moderation, since the body is already under strain from the altitude and there is no sense in alarming it with unfamiliar drinks. Our group crossed what is known as the Kalinov Bridge, a natural stone arch hanging about fifteen metres above the water. We also bathed in a narzan bath, which can fairly be called a natural jacuzzi. Baths like that are good for the cardiovascular, nervous and musculoskeletal systems. You have to take one without moving: bubbles of gas cover your body, it grows warm, and towards the end of the fifteen-minute session your skin reddens and begins to tingle.
Late in the evening we returned to camp tired but content. We had supper and went to bed looking forward to a new day.