The first big ascent – Belukha!

Belukha… My first serious trip. My first mountain. A motley group of Five men of different ages, and my husband and I. how we fit into this story at all-adults, serious people in their forties-is a separate song, but it’s not about that.

“Why carry a rucksack when you can ride?”Why go roundabout, through some Karatyurek pass, when you can go in a straight line? Why go up 3 thousand meters and then down again? Where is the logic? What’s the point?”. It was only much later that I learned and realized that there was both iron logic and common sense in everything that was happening. Some of the equipment and provisions went to the lake with the horses. And my body adjusted to the weight of the backpack, my lungs learned to breathe at altitude, and even my blood composition changed… a clear algorithm of actions appeared in the morning training camp and evening camp setup. The whole day was devoted to ice training, trying to bring all the movements to automatism. The most necessary, nothing superfluous.Looking ahead, all the skills were useful. Then we went up to the pass Delaunay, and through the snow came to The Berel saddle … at three o’clock in the morning rise, at four-the exit to the assault. Night, darkness, snowstorm. I went over to max… Why would I want to deal with the cold and wind if in the end I can’t see anything?”That’s your business,” Max said. .. I can’t promise that there will be good visibility, but it often happens. You’re all right, you can… I think we should go.””That’s who needs to, let him go” – I thought and went to the tent. Put on the system and the cat. Such was the conviction of this “must” in max’s words that instead of Curling up in a warm sleeping bag, I crawled out into the cold and buttoned myself up in a heap. And when dawn broke… it was so beautiful that I forgot everything.

On top… there were no words…It it was then that my obsession with mountains began, which changed me and my life in many ways. The people we stood with at the top live in my heart. And most of all I am grateful, of course, is to Maxim: in many respects it is his merit. It was he who led us to this summit with great care and care. Professionally. Respect and admire!

Anna Kolesnikova