Each pass revealed a fabulous new
panorama. The great ice sheet to the north
of the high Irikchat Pass (3667m) took
our breath away and the view from the
Teshikaush Pass was framed by rows of
jagged peaks and sheets of wild flowers. We
bivvied on a stony plateau near the top of
the Azau Pass, where Russians shared vodka
and pointed out the cigar-shaped Pruit Hut
on the high slopes of Elbrus. The Balkbashi
Pass was a bit more problematic since we
holed up there for a day and a night in an
August snowstorm.
Highlights included the crashing Sultan
waterfall, the weird pinnacles at the head of
the Malka valley and the fairy tale turf-roof
cabins used by summer shepherds. River
crossings and rickety bridges – sometimes
nothing more than a tree trunk - were
everyday events and giant puff balls dotted
the pastures where rattling horse-drawn
machinery cut bands of scented hay.
We tried to converse with locals (there
weren’t that many) who had never met
anyone from Western Europe. Warm flat
breads and fresh yoghurt were often their
way of saying hello, after which we would
be escorted to the nearest mineral springs.
One man knew a smattering of English and
offered a toast: “to a very special lady…
Margaret Thatcher!”
On the last day in the mountains we
crept across a steep snowfield and camped
at somewhere called Sand Hotel: nothing
more than a patch of coarse grit hemmed
in by old walls and thorny bushes. A deep
gorge continued east below towering cliffs
and a track cut across a stony moraine.
Grand mountain scenery in the wild Caucasus >
The dusty village of Terskol welcomed us
back to civilisation, though its wayside
stalls offered little more than tomatoes and
t-shirts.
An early morning drive in a battered
Lada took us back to Mineralnye Vody and
a flight to Moscow. An interpreter escorted
us to check-in where, bizarrely, two rows
of grubby ping-pong tables stood next
to the ramshackle security desks: “When
the buzzer goes you must run to the next
building. When the doors open you must run
to the plane.”
Fair enough, but the waiting passengers
far outnumbered available seats and a
free-for-all (complete with the occasional
punch-up) developed at the foot of the
plane. When it eventually rumbled down the
runway twenty extra travellers stood and
swayed whilst a Great Dane bounded up and
down the aisle.
There were cheers of relief as we touched
down but heavy bumps caused a trolley of
food to shoot out from behind curtains.
The dog made the most of a welcome meal
but the surly stewardesses gathered up the
sausages from the floor and carefully put
them back into their foil containers!
< The route necessitated a number of river crossings
14 Outdoor focus | autumn 2019