Lenin Peak part 2

First night on 5300m was not very good. The altitude and noise of wind and snow hitting my tent was waking me up every now and then. In the middle of the night I realized that my tent is getting smaller. As it turned out the snow blown with the wind was building up against my tent. I was forced to leave my cozy shelter by the light of my headlamp dig up the tent. This ritual repeated a few times throughout the day. After 2 days of waiting out the blizzard I went down back to camp 1. Another day brought no change in the weather. Finally on the 10^th day the sun came out and I could dry my equipment. Having rested a bit on 11^th day again early in the morning I left for camp 2. The rest and more time to acclimatize definitely helped. I got to the camp 2 much faster and in better shape. I decided not to try the summit alone as it is too dangerous.

 

The following day I moved with no load to camp 3 and climbed nearby sub peak of the NW ridge of Lenin Peak – Razdelnaya Peak 6148 m.

The view was worth the 2-week effort and months of preparation. I was happily savouring the moment. Back in camp 3 I gazed on the distant summit – so close yet beyond my reach. I know I will return one day. I hurried down to reach my tent in camp 2 before nightfall. After the coldest night of my life I packed my gear and joined a group of friendly Russians to reach camp 1. After a day’s rest I moved to base camp and on to civilization.