I wake up at 2 in the morning and need to use the bathroom, but I’m too lazy to get out of bed. At 5:30, I can’t take it anymore, and I finally decide to get up. The sun is just about to come up over the mountains, and a sliver of a crescent moon is hanging in the deep blue sky just above the snowy peaks. Nobody is up but me, so, after taking care of business, I walk around camp for a few minutes, taking in the beautiful pre-dawn scene at 14,435 feet. (more…)
Tag: Peak Lenin
In the Shadow of Peak Lenin, Day 2: Shashpay Style to Yuhina
Camp One stirs to life at 3 am as the first shift of climbers awakes. Breakfast is served twice to accommodate trekkers and climbers, first at 3-4 am for those who need an early pre-dawn start, and again from 8-9 am. Mercifully, we are in the second group this morning. (more…)
In the Shadow of Peak Lenin, Day 1: Welcome to the Big Leagues!
We have been trekking in Kyrgyzstan for 23 days now. We have only four days left, and we have saved the biggest challenge and hopefully the best scenery for last. For our final trek, we will be hiking around Peak Lenin, Kyrzygstan’s highest peak at 23,405 feet. They say that Peak Lenin is one of the easiest 7000+ meter peaks to summit, but we have no interest in going that high. (more…)