Kasbek - Brief visit to Prometheus

Monday, July 1, 2019, sunny weather wakes me up and good hiking conditions are forecasted for the next few days. So I have decided to take a side trip towards Mount Kasbek. According to my research on the vastness of the internet, the summit climb to the 5,000 meters is not particularly difficult technically and maybe even possible for Rango and me. For today, I have planned to start hiking in the mountains. However, I do not intend to go all the way to the former weather station at 3,600 meters as described on the web. Nearly 2000 meters of elevation gain seem a bit too much for one stage, especially considering that I plan to stock up on food for 3-4 days. Hopefully, this will not create time pressure in the mountains. After breakfast, I go to Stepantsminda to do some shopping and have a coffee in the bus. I charge my battery and wander around a bit. Then I return to the tent, which Rango has guarded diligently, and start packing our stuff. Here I notice that I have lost my sunglasses. The third pair I have lost this year. Meanwhile, the clouds have revealed the view of the mountain massif for the first time during our stay. Good timing. We are ready to go around 2:30 pm and start our journey to Gergeti. I don't feel like walking along a road to the Gergeti Trinity Church, so we take a small path from the village to the famous sacred building. After a good hour, we have overcome the first 500 meters of elevation gain to reach the ruins. I leave Rango in front of the church and walk a little ring in the area. After visiting the dome church, I continue into the mountains with Rango. We pass several minibusses transporting lazy climbers. There are also some horses waiting to carry luggage for a fee to the old weather station. Then we hike along green slopes on narrow paths in the mountain world. From around 2,500 meters, the terrain becomes increasingly rocky. By shortly after seven, we manage to reach a campsite at around 3,000 meters. I set up the tent, organize some drinking water in the nearby shelter, and retreat to my sleeping bag. As soon as the sun disappears behind the mountains, it gets chilly in the mountains.

On Tuesday morning, we take it easy. After the first warming rays of sunshine reach the tent, I have breakfast for Rango and myself before I start packing the backpack. We continue our ascent around noon and reach the glacier after about an hour, which we will cross to go higher. It is less spectacular than expected, but walking on ice is quite manageable. The locals who bring tourists' luggage to the weather station with horses are wearing ordinary sneakers. By around two o'clock, we have reached our destination for the day and set up our camp at the foot of the old weather station. The rest of the day is dedicated to rest and acclimatization, which works quite well in the beautiful high mountain landscape. I go to bed early, as I am considering an early start the next morning.

On Wednesday (July 3, 2019), I wake up at five. It is freezing outside (the water that was flowing the day before is almost completely frozen), and I don't see anyone heading towards Kasbek. So I postpone my departure and have breakfast once the first rays of sunshine reach the tent. We are ready to go around eight o'clock and head towards the summit. According to the internet, it was said to take 6-8 hours for the approximately 1,400 meters of elevation gain. With the return journey (4-5 hours), I should be back at the tent by evening at the latest. I am traveling with light baggage and I am quite confident that I won't need as much time. For the first two hours, we make our way through rocky terrain and small snow fields. Then we reach the snowy part of the high mountains. It slowly dawns on me that I will miss my sunglasses. So far, we have met individual climbers who were already on their way back down. We pass several campsites, the highest one at around 4,500 meters. There are also larger roped teams. Sometimes, 10 people are tied together while descending the mountain. The slowest one determines the pace. Accordingly, some underchallenged participants seem to daydream and fall due to boredom. So I am quite happy when I am alone on the slope again and can enjoy the peace and quiet. In calm weather, you can't hear a sound and can enjoy the panorama that presents itself. Once again, I am lucky and can ascend the whole day with clear skies and little wind. Nevertheless, it is quite exhausting. Every now and then, I think about my grandmother's descriptions of what getting old feels like. "Every step is heavy, everything goes slower." Nevertheless, I am quite focused, as I do have respect for the mountain. When I am faced with the last 200 meters, I am briefly unsure whether to continue. The slope is now very steep, I am alone, and I don't have crampons. Thanks to the crowds of tourists, there are actual steps in the firm snow, and I can cover the last meters. Rango has already explored the summit when I arrive at the 5,000 meters at 12:47 pm. Done it. Joy, gratitude, pride, and a bit of disbelief fill my thoughts in that moment. After all, I have actually overcome the entire 5,000 meters of elevation gain in my own strength over the past few days. Then it slowly gets cold, the wind blows a bit stronger up here. I take some photos and immediately start the descent. It is surprisingly problem-free, and I am much faster than the mountaineers slowed down by their crampons. It is possible thanks to a kind of telemark technique. I manage the descent in 2 hours. Killing an eagle or freeing a chained Titan did not present itself along the way. I will research again, maybe someone was quicker than me. Upon arriving at the tent, I realize that I have lost my sweater, which must have come loose from my backpack and stayed behind. I need to be more careful with my stuff! Then I wash clothes and myself in the cold mountain water and doze off a bit in the warm tent. Rango also lies down and stretches out. The big guy has once again proven to be an excellent travel companion in the past few days. Good dog. When I get up in the evening, it becomes clear that the nearly 5 hours in the white summit world take their toll. My eyes hurt, and my vision becomes increasingly blurred. I start to worry. So I cool my face during the evening and well into the night, as my vision continues to deteriorate.

Even on Thursday morning (July 4, 2019), I can't see clearly. I can see the time on my smartphone, but that's about it. The sun tickling the tent fabric is too bright for me. It hurts. So I am grateful when clouds start to appear and the sky darkens. I start my map app, but I can't see any marked routes on it as we set off on our descent. Nevertheless, we find our way, even if we take some new paths here and there. It is cloudy up to about 2,500 meters, and it hails and rains a bit. Then we reach sunny areas again. After a few short breaks, we arrive in Gergeti around 3 pm. I treat myself to a coffee at the first café, and I can now even read some writing on my phone again. It's high time to send a sign of life to the home country. Then we walk the last meters to the familiar campsite, and I set up our camp. After dinner, it's time to go to bed early again. The mountain adventure was exhausting.

Friday's weather is rather mixed. It rains frequently and is quite cool. So I take the day off to rest and do some minor repairs. I need to glue my shoes and mattress and sew my belt in some places. The weather is good for my eyes; I see better and am confident about regaining my full eyesight. It's not the same without it. In the early afternoon, I take advantage of a break in the rain to do some shopping in Kazbegi and have a hot drink. The big guy devours a kilo of dry food at the tent. He must have been hungry. In the evening, I treat myself to some fried potatoes with eggs. Then it's time to go to bed again early.

Saturday (July 6, 2019) is also characterized by bad weather. I spend the morning in the bus updating and reorganizing my phone software. Then I have phone calls with my family. Other than that, there are some errands to run, although the purchase of new sunglasses fails due to lack of availability. They simply don't exist here. Charging my battery doesn't quite work as planned either; an attentive employee takes it off the power and puts it in "safekeeping" while I am not in the bus. So I spend some more time in the bus in the evening and write this travel article before heading back to the campsite.

Originally, I had planned to continue my journey on Sunday, but I stay in Kazbegi for another day. In the morning, I go to the bus again for coffee and to charge my battery. I spend a few hours reading and uploading pictures. Meanwhile, Rango is approached by two other big male dogs. Everything starts off peacefully. Then I do some shopping, organize new data volume for the next few weeks, and am on my way back to the tent when the big white Caucasian dog shows up and Rango attacks him quite unexpectedly. A small brawl ensues until I separate them again with determined action. Once again, no injuries, especially since the big guy seems to have learned where to grab so that the other dog can no longer harass him. After many relatively relaxed encounters with dogs recently, it feels like a setback. Back at the tent, we have dinner after a little training session, and then it's off to bed.