I only managed 4 hours and 15 minutes of sleep last night. I woke up feeling tired and slow.
I had to catch up on work late into the night, which didn’t help. Still, I got ready and met the team for breakfast at 7:30 am. The guide told us that today’s hike would be tough because of the steady climb. I wasn’t thrilled about that, but we started the hike at 8:45 am anyway.
Right from the start, my heart was racing. The scenery was stunning, with beautiful vegetation and snow-covered mountains. We met many other hikers, most of whom greeted us in Russian. I didn’t understand them, so I just smiled and said hello.
Some even wanted to take pictures with us, probably because they don’t see many black people around here. We crossed many little streams flowing down the mountain and navigated some muddy spots.
Luckily, there wasn’t much cow dung like the last two days. We also saw some healthy horses grazing, which was awesome.
I noticed a beautiful Russian lady hiking alone. Her speed impressed me, and I wondered how many of my female friends would try something like this. Our first major stop was a lake, which was a mix of light blue and green.
Akin and I decided to take a dip, and the water was freezing cold. After spending some time there, we hiked to the top of the mountain. It was really hard, and I had to stop several times to catch my breath.
At the top, we found cable cars. Many Russians and a few foreigners were using them for different purposes. We took the cable cars down, feeling excited and relieved as we approached the base near our hotel. We hiked a total of 3,053 meters, and it took us 6 hours and 28 minutes.
Next, our guide will check everyone’s gear as we prepare to leave the hotel for Camp 1 on the mountain tomorrow. Another chapter of our adventure begins. Dinner is coming up soon, and I hope we enjoy it!
Do Hard Things 🙂
