Today we had an easy acclimatization hike to Diesel Hut (4120m) 13,517ft.  After we do some self arrest practice.  I don’t have gloves with me, so I scrape up my knuckles pretty good.  

 

I think it is worth mentioning that the latrine at camp on Elbrus makes the ones on Kilimanjaro seem like 4 star hotels.  They are so nasty I will not even try to describe them, just imagine the worst….nah, you are still way off, they are worse than that.

 

Tonight Hendrik has his summit attempt.  He gets up around 2am, gears up, grabs a bite of food and is off.  Hendrik does not take the snow cat, his plan is to hike the whole way.  Around 6am I get up to dump my full pee bottle in the latrine because I have to pee (again).  On the way back I see Hendrik smoking a cigarette.  WTF.  We sit down and talk for an hour.  He says he made it pretty high pretty fast but doesn’t know how high, only had several hours to go to the summit when the sun came up around 5am, but that his heart just wasn’t in it and he just wanted to go down.  I am stunned.  We talked a lot about many things that morning while everyone else was still in their beds and I feel a bit closer and more understanding of him.  A truly unique and genuine fellow.  Hendrik takes the morning lifts down and goes home.  In any case and for a variety of reasons, when we find out that Hendrik didn’t make it, 6 decide to take Snow Cat to the Rocks at 5am, the other 4 will start hiking at 2am tonight.