The beauty of the Elbrus region makes tourists from different parts of the country come here every year. One of the most popular places in this region is the Adyl-Su gorge. It is located between the Yusengi and Adyl ranges. The gorge is beautiful at any time of the year. In the warm months, sharp peaks rise above it, covered with a white snow cap. They blend wonderfully with the green valleys. In winter, the gorge turns into a snow kingdom with ice slopes sparkling in the sun.

Description

Adyl-Su in translation from the Balkar language means "beautiful water". A mountain river of the same name runs along the bottom of the gorge. Its turbulent stream makes its way through the rocks and stone screes. There are narzan springs in its mouth. It is they who leave a bright orange coating on the stones. The reason for this is that water contains a large amount of iron.

For the first time in the Adyl-Su gorge, tourists are amazed at the noise standing here. This is the roar of a raging stream breaking through landslides and stone embankments. Literally in a few minutes, visitors get used to the noise, starting to distinguish between the singing of birds and the rustle of a beautiful forest. The length of the gorge is about 15 kilometers.

The road runs along the river. It offers breathtaking views of the mountains. On the right side the gorge is overgrown with pine forest. Majestic trees exude a pleasant and very beneficial aroma for the respiratory system. There are berry fields in the forest. Huge bushes of rose hips, gooseberries, meadows of raspberries and lingonberries. Sometimes the pine forest is replaced by deciduous. It is especially loved by mushroom pickers. During the season, you can find a large number of porcini mushrooms, saffron mushrooms, boletus and boletus.

The trail winds a lot. She then rises to the open area, then again takes travelers directly to the river. The path leads directly to the Kashkatash glacier in the Adyl-Su gorge. A huge block is striking in its size. Even this natural attraction people began to use for entertainment. Ice climbing is practiced here. Moreover, training is carried out both in winter and in summer. The impressive height of Kashkatash in the Adyl-Su gorge does not allow people without special training and skills to take part in the process. The place is very dangerous, because there are many kinks and cracks in the glacier. You can climb it only with an instructor along a pre-planned and proven route.

The glacier fills the lake, also located in the Adyl-Su valley. They call the reservoir Bashkarinsky. It was formed as a result of melting snow, which broke away from the glacier in the late 30s of the last century. The depth is 33 meters. The lake is filled with clear blue water. Its temperature is always low. However, this does not stop tourists who decide to freshen up during the hot summer months after a long walk through the canyon.

Alpine camp Adyl-Su

Tourists often call the flat, gently sloping top of the gorge a "green hotel". Several alpbases are located on it at once. It is from this place of Adyl-Su that the routes leading to the mountains begin. Alpine camp "Adyl-Su" remains one of the most popular among them. It is located at an altitude of 1850 meters above sea level. Not far from it are the famous Narzan springs. Alpine camp not only gives shelter to athletes, but also trains beginners. Experienced instructors work here, they prepare people, and also lead them along the simple routes of the Elbrus region.

All the necessary equipment is rented at the camp. It is worth remembering that not all people are allowed to climb. Therefore, there is a medical control service on the territory that monitors the condition of all climbers setting off along routes of varying complexity. Alpine camp Adyl-Su works in the gorge both in winter and in summer. Guests are accommodated in comfortable rooms or rent separate cottages.

How to get to the Adyl-Su gorge?

The path to the gorge is not close. From major cities The easiest way to get to the Elbrus region is by plane. You need to fly to Nalchik. From the city you need to go by public transport or by taxi to the village of Terskol. It's the closest to the gorge locality. From it, you can continue the journey either on foot, or come to the "green hotel" by taxi.

If you already skidded to Elbrus, you need to take the opportunity and at the same time walk around the neighborhood. Places in bulk, I don’t want to choose) Now I want to talk about the gorge Adyl-Su(translated as "White River"), where you can go for acclimatization, or you can just take a walk.

Let's start with what it is border area, and you need to get a pass to get in. It's free, and it's better to do it in advance (at least a month in advance) by sending an application (there is a form and a sample on the website of the Russian border service) to the office where it will be convenient to receive it. In the summer of 2015, a pass can be issued in three days at the branch closest to Terskol (about twenty minutes on foot). It was necessary to come to them, fill out an application, call on the specified date to clarify whether it was ready, and come to pick it up. Nothing complicated. You can also go without a pass, but it is officially allowed to go only to the Dzhantugan alpine camp. People go without passes, but there is a chance to run into guys in uniform, and then you can agree on how lucky

How to get there: we drive (or walk, for the first time I got there that way, but it’s far, it’s better not to) from Terskol to the village of Tenegekli. If by minibus, then ask to stop at the turn into the gorge, where the road departs from the main road. From this place to the checkpoint, a couple of kilometers, perhaps. At the checkpoint, they will count you, write you down, and if there is no pass, they will warn you that you can only go to the sign "Stop the passage is closed."

That is, until I see the sign, can I go?

So I got on Kashka-Tash glacier, where I really couldn’t, but I honestly didn’t know this) It seemed like there used to be a prohibition sign on the path, but it disappeared somewhere, but they didn’t put a new one.

From the checkpoint to the camp, it’s probably about an hour, maybe more.

The weather was cloudy, so I wasn't in a hurry, there was no view anyway. Went down to the river, crossed to the other side

I wandered there until the path ended, I sat on the stones, I was afraid of bears

I didn’t meet another bridge, so back the same way

Near the camp in a clearing there is a stone index post with arrows

Do you want to attend the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions?)

I chose "Turya Lakes" (the lakes are probably beautiful), crossed the river on the bridge and went. There, a crowd of military men set up camp, they didn’t care who I was and where I was going, they only asked not to come close to them. OK)

It was foggy that day, and in fact I had no idea where I was going. Or maybe these lakes are two days away? Maybe I can't go there? What if they get caught? I'll take off my bandana so that I can become more inconspicuous. What if I get lost? What does if mean?

In the cloud, you still can’t see anything, and I didn’t even suspect that there was a glacier nearby. And then I turned somewhere, the wind blew and here you are, please)

And there was such a small path, some kind of uncertain, just down. I followed her

And when I went down and traversed a little along the loose-leaf, it turned out that she was no more, and I was generally somewhere deep below

But at least take a closer look!

By this time the weather had improved, and it became clear that we had to crawl up. On stones, roots and berries (and they just came in handy, they are delicious). Already almost from above I saw another person below, and that’s it, I didn’t see anyone else.

And on the ridge it turned out that it was possible to calmly climb a good path, and not lay a new one, but as it is, it’s not boring

There you could fall apart, drink water, eat halva and stare at the beauty. And every five minutes, something fell off with a roar from the glacier:

How much more does he have left, I wonder?

Having rested and regained consciousness, she ran down - this time it was normal, along the path. At the exit, they didn’t ask me anything, so I didn’t even have to compose anything

The second time I returned to Adyl-Su after, and already with a pass. Now I wanted to get to the "green hotel" - a large clearing under the glacier, there is also a base for glaciologists.

We go back to the camp

Two hours from the camp

Once you will need to cross the river along a large log (from the left bank to the right), where the wire is stretched for safety. It is important, as soon as you cross, not to go up another path, but to continue walking along the river. Evening caught me at this place, and I’ll say right away that there is nowhere to put up a tent, you have to go all the way. From the bridge to the place half an hour walk

Over there over that little pass:

In general, have time before dark, with a flashlight it is not very pleasant to jump over the stones there.

When you reach the clearing, go behind the glaciological station, there are plenty of places for tents closer to the glacier, and you won't disturb anyone.

Elbrus was visible from mine in the morning:

There are clean streams there, but to be honest, I was too lazy to go to them, and boiled water from the river (it is clean, but white). I advise you not to be lazy, her taste is worse than the color)

Having risen in the clearing as a base camp, you can go to many places. I just walked and rested after the Mountain, so a little, just to look, but not to climb anywhere:

Here is a building near one of the houses:

Left summit - Dzhantugan

I didn’t know anything about the lake, it was a surprise

Beauty is there, look)

Ooozero!!!

And there is the glacier, or rather what is left of it:

Eh, if we were not in a hurry, we could have stayed another day

Went back after lunch. Rest is clearly beneficial - I left two and a half times faster than I entered

In general, this is such a cool place, if you are nearby - go, you will not regret it)

The Adyl-Su gorge is a tract of the river of the same name. This water stream originates on the top of the Caucasus Mountains, mainly from the melting of the Dzhankuat glacier, and flows through the expanses of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic of Russia. The Adyl-Su River flows along the Elbrus region and is a tributary of one of the most major rivers of this region - Baksan.

The beauty of it natural object attracts many tourists. The Adyl-Su gorge, the photo of which we present in our article, is located between the Adyl and Yusengi ridges. The length of the gap between mountain peaks is 15 km. In this way, the water flow moves from the very peaks of the Main along the entire Baksan valley to its mouth.

Description of the gorge

The beauty of nature is difficult to convey in words, this must be seen. This place is especially beautiful in summer, when the slopes of the surrounding mountains are covered with green grasses with flowering plants. Then they resemble alpine meadows. The smell in the air at this time is extraordinary. The sharp tops of the rocky mountains surround the valley from all sides. The glaciers that stretch their outgrowths into the Adyl-Su gorge are dissected by breaks from melting and sparkle white against the green background of vegetation.

Here in the natural expanse you can meet grazing mountain goats or sarn. Several peaks look at the fault at once, so many climbers start their ascents from this point, because sportsmen call the Adyl-Su gorge a "green hotel". Although translated from Kabardino-Balkarian, adyl means "beautiful, beautiful", suu means "river".

There are many streams and small lakes on the territory, which periodically fill up due to the melting of glaciers and snow caps of the surrounding peaks. The area is covered with a magnificent pine forest, which is also interesting to explore, passing along the narrow paths of the forest.

Authorization permission

But just to look at the beauty of this place will not work. The Adyl-Su Gorge in the Elbrus region is located just on the border between two states: Russia and Georgia. To pass through the border zone, you need to get a pass. This procedure is free, but it takes time. It is better to order it in advance on the Internet, through the website of the border service Russian Federation. There is a sample application. They will write it to the checkpoint where the tourist will subsequently receive it.

If you have already arrived at the place, then you can do this at the border office. You have to wait three days. During this period, you can plan a visit to other natural attractions, which are in abundance here. Some climbers or rock climbers, at their own peril and risk, start a journey without any permits. You can, of course, do so, if you are not afraid of meeting with border guards and you have time to find out all the details. Without a pass, it is allowed to go only to "Dzhantugan". So everyone should decide this question for themselves, but the best option would still be to arrange everything according to the law, as it should be, so as not to spoil such an amazing adventure as climbing mountains with unnecessary delays and troubles.

How to get there

You can fly to the Elbrus region through the airports of Nalchik and mineral waters(liners fly there from most cities in the country), but it is more convenient to get to the place of travel from Nalchik. From airports or bus stations, you need to transfer to buses, minibuses or take a taxi to get to the nearest village to the gorge called Terskol. It is located in the upper

dangerous acquaintances

Best to get to public transport, since, according to witnesses, there are cases when private traders offer their services very cheaply, and then they bring them into dark nooks and crannies and extort money, knowing that tourists take a lot of money with them on vacation. Also dangerous are meetings with strangers who can capture and sell the traveler into slavery, especially if he is on his own way. In order not to risk your freedom and life, as well as to keep your cash safe and sound, it is better not to use the services of strangers. If you missed the last bus in the Elbrus region, then it is better to stay overnight at the Nalchik hotel, and in the morning calmly, without risks, get to the place by bus.

"Green Hotel"

The peaks of the Adyl-Su gorge form a beautiful valley, which is one of the most impressive places in the Elbrus region. Since an asphalt road approaches this place, it is the most accessible for most lovers of conquest. mountain heights. There are four camps for climbers in the valley, which from this "green hotel" go to various mountain routes developed by instructors.

From the mouth of the gorge there is a good road to the Elbrus camp, but a dirt road already stretches higher, which will lead travelers to the rest of the "green hotel" camps. There are "Adyl-Su", "Shkhelda", "Dzhantugan".

The terrain is flat and great for stopping hikers and climbers. And a little higher up the mountainside, near the edge of the Dzhankuat glacier, there is also a camp, but it is the base of glaciologists, scientists and students studying eternal ice, their physical properties and the impact of glaciers on our planet.

Glacier

On Mount Dzhantugan (translated from Balkar means "birth of the soul"), which starts from the gorge, there is a glacier, dotted with breaks and crevices. This is a very dangerous place where it is better not to be even for experienced climbers, not to mention ordinary wildlife lovers. Directly from the camp in the tent city of the "green hotel" you need to go through the gorge with water stream Adyl-Su. From the trail you can see such peaks of the Elbrus region: Bashkara - 4241 m, Dzhantugan - 3991 m, Chatyn - 4368 m, Ushba - 4710 m, Gumachi - 3805 m, Caucasus peak - 4037 m.

The Kashka-tash glacier hanging over the ledge of the mountain fills Lake Bashkarinskoye in the summer in the Adyl-Su gorge. Although the water is cold, you can refresh yourself in the summer heat in the clear water of a transparent lake.

A few words about the pond

The water bowl was formed in the late 30s of the last century as a result of the melting of "dead" ice that fell off the glacier. Now the volume of the lake is 800 thousand cubic meters of water, and its depth is 33 meters. It is not the only one on the mountain. Due to the melting of the glacier, new depressions and cracks are constantly formed, filled with water. So far, they have not been mapped yet, but this will happen soon, as moraine lakes grow more and more every year.

There is no surface runoff from the lake, but scientists consider it one of the most dangerous places Elbrus. More than once, the force of the water mass filling the lake has made itself felt by breakthroughs and the formation of mudflows. The very first collapse occurred in 1958-1959. The cause of such a disaster was the breakthrough of the grotto in the body of the glacier and the erosion of the ice dam.

Adyl-Su Gorge: Mudflow

Let's first understand what a mudflow is and why a mudflow is dangerous. During the melting of snow or a glacier and due to numerous precipitations in the spring-autumn period, a mudflow or (in Arabic) can suddenly form. Water along the road picks up fragments of stones, rocks, has a high concentration of mineral particles and soil.

Mudflow is a rather thick layer of water. Although its promotion lasts only a couple of hours, it has a terrible destructive power. Mudflow velocity ranges from 2-6 m/s. In the course of the current, he can lay a deep channel. Usually these are either dry places or small streams. After such a disaster, mountains of dirt and stones are left, which subsequently harden.

The mudflow has a frontal part, a huge shaft that moves forward, demolishing all objects in its path. There are streams consisting of several shafts replacing each other. Such a force of heavy water is accompanied by serious changes in the riverbed.

Mudflow danger

In the Adyl-Su gorge, mudflow descends quite often, especially in last years. Everyone suffers from such a formidable force: people die, cars, roads, entire villages are washed into the water, the gas pipeline suffers. The power of mudflows was also recognized by some tourists who were trapped. The authorities are constantly organizing rescue work. Several towers with observers have been built, who are trying to anticipate the formation of a mudflow.

But, unfortunately, this is not always possible. More often, a collapse occurs with such explosive force that the sound travels for many kilometers. In early September 2017, a mudflow descended into the Baksan gorge of Adyl-Su, three cars with people were washed away by a mass of traffic during the failure of the route, people died, the gas pipeline broke, several villages were left without gas. Authorities evacuated people by helicopter.

Tourist groups were cut off from the rest of the world, including children. Local residents said that they had never seen such a powerful mudflow in their lives. The road was washed away in several places, bridges were destroyed.

Behind the village of Elbrus, the side gorge Adyl-Su (Old Turkic - “Red Water”) leaves to the left, so named because of the narzan springs in the upper reaches of the river, leaving an orange “rusty” mark on the stones due to the presence a large number iron in a drink (one of the translation options; another option is “Adyl” - in Balkar - “beautiful, beautiful”, “Su” - “water, mountain river”), - one of the most beautiful places Elbrus. The Adyl-Su River is the right tributary of the Baksan, flowing into it near the village of Elbrus. Both the river and the gorge fully justify their name.

The right (on the way up) slopes of the gorge are covered with pine forests, where there are dense thickets of gooseberries, wild roses, raspberries, lingonberries.

The beauty of the Adyl-Su gorge, its accessibility, the abundance of various mountain routes made the gorge the glory of the “Mecca” of mountaineering. The Adyl-Su gorge is the capital of national mountaineering, which gave the world a constellation of names of climbers to the most difficult peaks of the Caucasus, the Pamirs and the Himalayas.

So, the tourist route along the gorge starts from the Saklya cafe, from the Baksan-Azau highway.

Most of the mountaineering bases of Kabardino-Balkaria (three), a boarding house and a recreation center are located in this gorge. At 200 meters from the fork in a pine forest, the Adyl-Su mountain base was built, which previously belonged to the Lokomotiv sports society. Behind the base there is an open mountain slope, where beginner skiers actively train in winter.

Higher up the gorge, the road goes through the forest: in some places the pine forest is replaced by deciduous (birch, maple, mountain ash, bird cherry), where there are boletus, porcini mushroom, boletus, mushrooms, currants, stone berries, etc.

In winter, there is an avalanche danger in a certain area.

Three kilometers from the fork, on a steep slope, the Shkhelda mountain base was sheltered, which used to belong to the Spartak sports society - the cradle of domestic mountaineering, which brought up more than one generation of outstanding mountain climbers of the country.
The Shkhelda River, the left tributary of the Adyl-Su, flows into it immediately after the alpine camp.

Immediately behind the alpbase (to the right) is a short but severe Shkhelda gorge (link) with the Shkhelda river (from Balkar - “lingonberries”), starting on the glaciers of the Shkhelda-Tau peak (4368 m). This is not even one peak, but a massive wall with 4 peaks in the Main Caucasian Range.

The route to the Shkhelda glacier to the glade "Smile of Shkhelda" is very popular among tourists. It runs along the left bank of the river and ends for beginner tourists at the Golden Beach near the Shkhelda glacier. Here you can observe an exceptionally curious natural phenomenon - the entire end part of the glacier bears a thick layer of rock destruction products (the surface of the glacier was covered with rock fragments as a result of a grand collapse that occurred in the 60s of the 19th century).

The stone flooring protects the glacier from melting, and therefore it does not retreat, like all the glaciers of the Elbrus region. Large pines have grown on this drift, reaching with their roots the surface of a glacier hidden underground. Along the moraine of the glacier there are routes popular with climbers: to the peaks of Shkhelda and Ushba, to Shchurovsky peak, to Chatyn-Tau. “One of the most majestic and beautiful mountains of the Caucasus is Ushba, which ends with two peaks,” notes the Guide to the Caucasus Mountains of 1904. “Both peaks are in the form of trihedral pyramids and are amazingly beautiful. The higher of them ... differs in more gentle slopes, the second, on the contrary, is steeper. Almost until recently, Ushba was considered completely inaccessible for climbing. In 1888, the Englishman I.G. Kokkin made the first successful attempt to climb the northern peak. In 1903, five German climbers ... climbed the even more inaccessible southern peak.

And up the Adyl-Su gorge, the road after one kilometer, crossing the bridge over the Shkhelda River, leads in a serpentine to a fork. One road, going to the right into the Shkhelda gorge, leads to the Prielbrusye boarding house, a chic three-story building belonging to the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation. But the boarding house accepts, in addition to high-ranking, and ordinary tourists, and it is certainly pleasant and prestigious to relax here.

The road along the Adyl-Su gorge leads to the educational and methodological center (UMC) "Elbrus" (previously the alpine camp belonged to the Ukrainian sports society "Shakhtar"), located, like other alpine camps, on the left bank of the Adyl-Su River, in a cozy meadow, belted with pines, aspens, birches and bird cherry. Previously, the center worked to train mountaineering instructors, specialists for industrial mountaineering, and now it is increasingly working as a regular mountaineering camp. Border guards who serve in the mountains and master mountaineering equipment for their service also conduct training here.

This is followed by a steep climb, and in front of us is an open area, on which there are a number of cafes and barbecues, where you can make a halt. This area is always crowded, tour buses line up in rows.

At the Elbrus UMC, the asphalt road ends and already in the form of a gravel road passes over the bridge to the right bank of the Adyl-Su. It offers a beautiful view of Mount Shkhelda and the chain of peaks in the Adyl-Su gorge. An avalanche gun platform can also serve as a viewing point. The road is steep, through alpine meadows, rises to the recreation center "Dzhantugan", located in a forest clearing 7 km from the fork of the Baksan Gorge. Cars quietly rise to the base along the road.

You can also go to "Dzhantugan" along the lower hiking trail, here - by the river, a source of narzan makes its way between the stones.

Previously, "Dzhantugan" (from the Turkic - "Soul of Tugan") was a climbing camp. Belongs to the Moscow State Technical University (MSTU) named after N.E. Bauman. Students and teachers of the university in "Dzhantugan" not only have a rest, but also improve their tourist and mountaineering skills.

From the road, opposite the "Dzhantugan", the "ice laboratory" of all alp bases looks good - the Kashka-Tash glacier (from Balkar - "bald stones") and the peaks: Germagenov Peak - 3993 m; Ullu Kara (from Balkar - "Big Black") - 4302 m; Bzhedukh (from Kabardian - "Stole the horn") -4279 m; the peak of Free Spain. Dzhantugan peak is visible behind the alp base - 3991 m. In "Dzhantugan" highway ends, and only along the path winding between rocky ledges, scree and boulders, after 1.5 hours of walking you can reach the glacial Bashkarinsky Lake. Behind the lake, the peaks of Dzhantugan and Bashkara are clearly visible. On the right is the Dzhan-Kuat glacier.
There are smaller lakes nearby, formed by the Dzhan-Kuat glacier. In the distance you can see the whitening peaks of Elbrus. After 2-2.5 hours - we are at the climbing shelter, called the "Green Hotel". The "Green Hotel" is a large meadow, covered with thick grass in summer, with a hut for 20 people. Trails leave the clearing to the Gumachi and Koi-Augan-Aush passes, leading to the neighboring Adyr-Su gorge (link) and to the Dzhantugan pass, leading to Svaneti (Georgia).

Throughout the Adyl-Su gorge, up to a dozen small narzan springs gush in the riverbed, which is a pleasant surprise for tourists who have come a long way, especially during the hot season that happens in the mountains (usually: July - mid-August). The duration of the movement from the beginning of the route to the "Green Hotel" is about 5 hours, the return journey will take 3 hours.

In the Kyrtyk gorge, we went down to the village of Upper Baksan, where my mobile phone finally got into the zone of reliable reception. It was necessary to look at the weather forecast for the date of the planned ascent to Kazbek. But the rest of the world somehow did not even suspect our plans. The rest of the world was, as usual, fun:

The Russian sailing ship Kruzenshtern rammed the ship of the coast guard of Iceland ...

Paternity test will be introduced for UN peacekeepers in hot spots...

Tbilisi flooded as a result of an abnormal downpour…

Six lions, six tigers, bears and dozens of wolves escaped from the enclosures of the Tbilisi Zoo...

A hippo got stuck in the central streets of the capital of Georgia, and several alligators swim in turbulent streams, sowing fear and horror around ...

And on Kazbek, at an altitude of 5000 meters, on the day of our planned ascent, a meter of snow was seriously planning to fall to the ground. And this nasty meter planned not just to fall out once, but was going to meanly bring down several days in a row ...

2. It was still possible to somehow cope with the insolent meter of snow, but a stuck hippo! Well, it wasn't part of our plans. It became clear that it was absolutely futile to meddle in Georgia now, and it was necessary to use emergency options:

3. With emergency options, it was not very good. Strictly speaking, there were none of these options. Therefore, spitting on all preliminary plans, we decided to stay in the Elbrus region and see the gorges within daytime accessibility from the "base" on the Chegetskaya glade. Despite the fact that we did not have border passes, we wanted to see the well-known directions towards the border - the Adyl-su and Adyr-su gorges. At least until the prohibition signs:

4. The next day the weather was beautiful - a real scorching hell for a photographer :) And our plans included the Shkhelda and Adyl-su gorges:

5. Another playful, “familiar, but illegal” semantic content of the word “SHKHELDA”, which is equivalent to the terms “toilet” and “go to the toilet” (go to “shkhelda”), is firmly rooted in the tourist-alpinist lexicon. There are several versions of the origin of this term.

According to one version, it happened due to the fact that the peak was clearly visible from the toilet of the "Shkhelda" camp, "like in the picture." According to another version, one of the climbing groups going to Shkhelda suffered greatly from indigestion, and in a peculiar way “marked” their entire route to the top with frequent visits “to the Shkhelda”. According to the third version, all the groups turning into the Shkhelda gorge ran into the alpine camp toilet along the way, all the paths converged here. And the groups that got lost on these paths invariably went out again to the toilet (again “shkhelda!”, again “stumbled!”). According to the fourth version, the path in the alpine camp to the toilet also went “towards the top”, therefore the walk to the toilet was jokingly called “the trip to Shkhelda”.

The beginning of the way to Shkhelda looks like this:

6. And this is already a creative composition directly in the Shkhelda climbing camp:

7. Alpine camp "Shkhelda" was nicknamed "The Cradle of Alpsport". At one time it was one of the leading climbing and instructor centers on the territory of the former USSR:

8. In June, we did not see a single person here, although the camp itself does not give the impression of being abandoned:

9. Memorial plaque in memory of Mikhail Khergiani, nicknamed "Tiger of Rocks". In those days when my mother spent summer time in alpine camps, the following bike went among climbers:

Once seasoned climbers gathered to storm the next impregnable rocks. They sit like that, all in gore-tex, click carbines, knit ropes and discuss the strategy of the assault. And then a Svan boy in bast shoes and onuchs comes up to the seasoned climbers and asks:
- Uncles, what are you all doing here?
- Go, go, boy, on your way. We want to climb there, - one of the seasoned climbers tried to impress the boy. Not impressed.
- Why do you need all these things? - the boy nods at a pile of iron and ropes.
- What do you mean why? I'm telling you, we want to get in there. It is impossible to do this without this equipment.
- I see, - the boy says and, without taking off his bast shoes, climbs onto this impregnable rock, singing a song under his breath.

Well, maybe stories, but the seven-time USSR climbing champion was:

10. Immediately after the alpine camp, a packed path begins in a pine forest:

11. And below the stormy river Shkhelda roars:

12. "Shkhelda", by the way, translated from Balkar means "lingonberry":

13. Local. In the fresh air, he waved the size of a finger, not like his frail counterparts from the middle lane:

14. Along the way, there are constantly signs that remind the living that the mountains are still dangerous:

15. Each of these tablets has its own tragedy.
Four Polish climbers fell into a crack while passing through the Ushba Icefall. We failed “successfully”, hitting a snow cushion at a depth of 20 meters. Two were able to get out and, leaving their comrades with a burner and warm clothes, went for help. Marta and Miroslav, who remained in the crack, were not only alive at that time, but also felt great.

Rescuers never found this crack, which, apparently, was covered with a multi-ton block of ice that had come down. So it goes…

16. Somehow very quickly we reach the border marker. As much as we would not like to disturb a little and go further, but we are turning around. The wall is impressive.

17. We return to the Adyl-su gorge and have a snack under the shade of daisies:

18. I hope that everyone here sees a toad with a bouquet? Below you can see the base of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Shkhelda alpine camp:

19. By car, which was left near the base of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in front of Shkhelda, we decide to climb to the next alpine camp - Dzhan-tugan. Camp from MSTU im. Bauman - quite modern, there is even a swimming pool, but now it does not work. On the way, of course, we stop for photo shooting:

20. We leave the car not far from the camp and continue on foot:

21. Beautiful - finally! It is very difficult to convey with photographs - the sun is hot, mother do not cry. Moreover, it “fries” with light, it is relatively cool in degrees outside:

22. A mountain that looks like a chisel. We go and think aloud that it would be nice to slide down on such an ideal table. skiing:) Tell me the correct name of this peak, who knows:

23.

24. Suddenly we stumble upon the marriage encroachments of hundreds of grooms around two brides in yellow and blue outfits. Although whoever understands this Caucasus, maybe everything is the other way around - these are two grooms, in yellow and blue suits :)

25. Elbrus. Today, the weather allowed to reach the summit, and someone definitely reached their goal. Wow, they, climbers, wave their hands at the very top :)

26. Again a border sign, but to you! In general, in connection with the change of plans, I had dissatisfaction somewhere inside.

There were also thoughts of renting ski touring equipment and sliding down from the slanting ledge. And the weather that day would have allowed it, but all the rentals were closed in the morning. We decided to postpone it for the next time, although the idea itself is very good:

27. By the time it's time to go back, but this very dissatisfaction drives you up some path. Drives for a long time, but, in the end, leads to the Kashka-Tash glacier:

28. Since this exit was not planned and there was no sensible description at hand, the exit to the glacier was a surprise for us :)

29. And that's why he became the cherry on the cake, which finally made this day:

30. And now, when the internal dissatisfaction is finally crushed by the views of the glacier, you can finally go down to the car. Wow, it is marked with an arrow:

31. Adyl-su is a very beautiful gorge. Well, just a lot: