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<photo: Barrels Huts Base Camp 3,800m @ Mount Elbrus>
there are 9 barrels at the Barrels Huts Base Camp, each sleeping 6 climbers. barrel #3 was home for several days as we completed our last few acclimatization climbs before attempting to reach the summit of Mount Elbrus. electricity from the power generator is only available for two hours every night. you can imagine the device-laden Singaporeans all rushing to charge their devices, all ready to take selfies the next day!
meals are taken in the mess/kitchen next to the barrels. this is where stories are told, adventures exchanged, failed climbs remembered and friendships made. more time is spent at the base camp than at the the summit, and more memories.
and when the weather turns bad, the base camp is a safe place where we can plan our next moves. it's also a time when we have to think about turning around and come back another day to conquer the summit. there's no certainty in climbing - sometimes you reach the peak, sometimes you don't. just like life. #bcc
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity” - John Muir