ANNOUNCEMENT: Two mountains in 10 days is not a mountain marathon. This is a new style of mountaineering that I want to try. The legendary Georgian Kazbek and Russia’s highest mountain, Elbrus, are located about 300 km apart, about 5 hours away plus crossing the border. Definitely worth a try!
Legendary Kazbek
If the peak of the Swiss Mountain Matterhorn is widely known for the chocolate Toblerone, the silhouette of Mount Kazbek Soviet people knew from the images on the pack of cigarettes.
There are many ancient legends and parables associated with the mountain:
- this is the place where Prometheus was chained, as punishment for the abduction of the fire he brought to the people from heaven;
- where, according to the annals of “Kartlis Tskhovreba,” is the Bethlem Monastery, which kept the shrines, the church treasurer and a piece from Abraham’s tent;
- where, according to an ancient legend described by the famous Georgian writer Ilya Chavchavadze, a holy monk fell, sheltering a lost shepherd-girl;
- where the Cross of St. Nino, the enlightener of Georgia of the 4th century, was kept at one time.
Mount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus is a two-headed tamada of the Caucasus, a mountain range of volcanic origin, the holder of the title of the highest mountain in Europe in the list of seven summits, and a truly unique place of the planet.
Climbers, skiers, motorcyclists, motorists, disabled people, riders, weightlifters with a barbell in their hands(according to Wikipedia materials) tend to ascend to its peaks. There’s something in these mountains. Honestly, I have to go and take a look.
