It all began, as it often does, with a big dream. I worked towards it for a long time, and then at some point the wish and the means came together. A group turned up as well, and everything worked out as well as it possibly could.
I will leave out the preparation and the packing. Here I am on the ground, and our first day in the mountains has begun. The sky was completely clear until midday, but clouds appeared towards evening. We had to get up early, at five in the morning, and set off after seven. We reached the start of the path and began climbing. The path was so well trodden that losing it was practically impossible — you could not lose it even if you wanted to. And so, unhurriedly, we started up.
After three stages with short ten-minute stops we came out on the riverbank. The forest changed as we went: spruce and fir at first, then pine, then fir again. Moss covered the ground and the rocks, the water in the river was crystal clear and a half-light reigned in the trees, making a beauty that is simply beyond describing. It felt like untouched forest. After a couple of stages we found ourselves in a remarkable stretch of crooked birch woodland broken up by small clearings. Here the mosses and firs gave way to the steep rocky sides of the gorge. The path gradually became the tracks of a group that had gone before us and led out onto an old path. Some sections were boggy. Later, after one more stage, we reached the first water, where we stopped for a break and something to eat. The way along the valley floor became flatter, with occasional patches of forest; the river was calm and the banks were boggy almost everywhere. The path ran through thickets of marsh grass as tall as a person. On the second valley floor, barely alive, we decided to stop for something to eat and rested until three in the afternoon.
After the break we walked several more legs of 20–30 minutes. We came up to a large stretch of birch forest growing among big boulders. We had no strength left to get through it, so we decided to make camp. Altitude 2250 metres; we had covered about 12 kilometres and gained 850 metres.
On the second day the plan was to move up the Ullu-Murudzhu valley to the lake below the pass. The weather was still a pleasure: the day was windless and cloudless. Again we got up early, after five in the morning, and set out at 7:20. After a short stage the path brought us to a stretch of crooked birch woodland scattered with rhododendron and juniper. We decided to scout the way ahead, but found no tracks, and, choosing the line of least resistance, we kept to the river. After 10–15 minutes we did manage to find tracks, which led to an old path; we followed it for another 20 minutes, getting over fallen timber. Ahead of us a wide flat terrace opened up.
After 40 minutes of walking across the boggy valley floor we came to a steep rise leading off to the left. It was hot, and in a couple of half-hour stages we managed to climb the step, where we found a level terrace with plenty of places for tents. After a three-hour lunch and rest we moved on. After 35 minutes we came up to a turquoise lake. The campsites here really were good, and we found a perfectly flat sandy area. We pitched camp at 3000 metres; the lake stands at 2959 metres. Over the day we covered about 6 kilometres and gained 750 metres in five hours.
On the third day we stayed put for a forced rest day: a thunderstorm passed over in the night, rain fell all day and fog hung about. It cleared a little towards evening and the mountains appeared, but the weather stayed unsuitable for moving on.
The fourth day began with an early start — 3 in the morning, with our departure at 6, at dawn. The morning brought a welcome clear sky and cirrus cloud. Rain began at 13:30, but the sun came out again at 16:00, and fog came down towards night. In about 20 minutes across stony moraine we reached the start of the glacier, which has retreated noticeably. The glacier turned out to be crevasse-free and covered, so we put our harnesses on in advance. We climbed to the pass in 50 minutes.
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