We left Mineralnye Vody, driving through increasingly smaller cities and towns, fields of sunflowers, and finally into the mountains and the village of Terskol...
People always ask me, 'why would you want to spend your vacation huffing and puffing and suffering climbing a mountain'? and I tell them beside the obvious challenge and self-reward... it is a tremendous way, and an excellent excuse, to actively see the world with a purpose. How would any of them be able to meet and spend a couple weeks with people like Romalo and the Igors? To see and learn about their cities their country their culture and their people? To climb great peaks of the world, and not to mention to sit back with a couple of adult beverages while jumping back and forth from steamy sauna to a freezing cold pool with a bunch of buddies that were with you on a great adventure? We see so much more than just a tourist would see...
~Brian S.
It was an exciting and memorable trip. Russia's a bit like the old Wild West, but we found the people like Americans, and found them to be very cordial and friendly...
~John
As always, Phil had the logistics worked out to perfection, got us up and down the mountain in one piece, and took the time to pass on his lifetime of climbing and travel knowledge along the way. Absorbing the ups and downs of a two-week adventure like this must be a real pain, but Phil did so without missing a beat, allowing the rest of us to sit back and enjoy ourselves, which I believe we all did. I can't imagine the trip being planned out any better...
