I arrived in Pyatigorsk a couple of days before my mountain trip began. Looking back, that was a perfectly sensible decision. There were local people in the group, and once we had checked into the hotel I was taken off to see the sights. I can say with confidence that the legends about local hospitality really do match reality. One of the main sights of the town is a mountain with the unusual name of Beshtau, whose height is one thousand four hundred metres. It is from there that the striking view over the town opens up. Although the height is modest and the walk turned out to be easy, I found it very hard going. I nearly passed out on the way up, with terrible breathlessness and a pulse that was probably running at two hundred beats a minute. At that moment I thought there could be no question of Elbrus if I felt as bad as this. Some of the other members of our group felt much the same, especially those who had arrived at the camp straight off the plane. The reason was inadequate acclimatisation: the body needs time to adapt to altitude. From the top of Beshtau I saw Elbrus for the first time in all its glory. Arriving early also had its advantages, I should add. At the entrance to the town there was a large shopping centre with several shops, where I bought everything I needed. The next day the whole group went to Kislovodsk, or more precisely to its beautiful park, which is rightly considered the second largest in Europe. It is impossible to walk round it in a day. Interestingly, there are places here for treating various conditions: prescribed walking routes, which a doctor sets after an examination. The clean air really is good for you, and the walking programmes range from one thousand seven hundred to six thousand metres.
The next day we gathered early in the morning at the railway station with our things. There I met everyone in our group, including the guides, who checked the equipment briskly. Then we boarded the buses, called in at a hire shop on the way, where some people picked up the equipment they were missing, and set off. I even managed to doze on the way, and when I opened my eyes I had the feeling I had landed in another world: extraordinary landscapes were opening up in front of us. They did not drive us all the way to the camp, and after unloading we still had several kilometres to walk. A whole flock of sheep was running around us, with a rider on horseback behind them. All of it looked wonderfully vivid and could not help raising a smile. Because of the sudden change of altitude some members of the group genuinely did feel unwell. One of the secrets of quick acclimatisation is movement. The important thing is not to stay put and lie in the tent but to go out walking. On the way to the camp we passed through the Emmanuel meadow, named after the general who led the first expedition to Elbrus in 1829. A great deal of time has passed since then, and we were lucky enough to walk the same route as that first expedition. As we walked I was struck by the complete absence of civilisation: no people, no mobile signal. What did surprise, and sometimes even shock, was how quickly the weather changed. At last we reached our first camp, at two thousand six hundred metres in Jily-Su. It is a place with stunning scenery, where we were able to see Elbrus close up. The camp itself was an area fenced with wire, with buildings for the wardens and the rescuers, plus a shower and a lavatory. We put up our tents, split into groups, appointed people on duty and got on with camp life. All this time I was enjoying the beauty of the place. It really is a remarkable sight. If it is not your first time in the mountains you somehow stop noticing your surroundings, but when you see it for the first time it takes hold of you. That is exactly what makes the mountains worth going to. The small dots on the left are our camp. Evening came without our noticing. Something had to be cooked for supper, and I decided to take the initiative. The menu that evening was not especially varied, but it was filling and tasty, and above all good for us. After supper we went to bed.
The next day turned out to be full of surprises. The first was that I woke at five in the morning. That was unusual for me, since I am a night owl and cannot stand mornings. And it happened every day, which actually 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 beauty of Elbrus. It cannot be described, it has to be seen. In the morning we had breakfast, took food and water with us and set off to explore the surroundings. We did not go up into the mountains yet, because not everyone was coping well with the altitude, but the day was a full one all the same. We visited the Sultan waterfall, and the sheer force of nature was genuinely impressive. Closer to the waterfall a jet came out of a crack in the rock: this was narzan, sparkling and good to drink. I tried to drink only a little, because the body is already under strain from the altitude and I did not want to alarm it with unfamiliar drinks. Our group crossed the Kalinov bridge, a natural stone arch hanging some fifteen metres above the water. Later we managed to bathe in a narzan pool, which could fairly be called a natural jacuzzi. Baths like these are good for the cardiovascular, nervous and musculoskeletal systems. You have to take the bath without moving: bubbles of gas coat the body, it becomes warm, and by the end of the fifteen-minute session the skin reddens and you feel a burning sensation.
Late in the evening, tired but happy, we came back to camp. We had supper and went to bed, waiting for a new day.