Colorful clouds over the huts in the mountains. Summer evening

We take tea, lunch bags and the necessary minimum for an easy hike, we hit the road. The length of the route is about 17 kilometers, the drop and climb is 1050 m. The approximate time for the route is 8 hours. The first part of the route passes through the meadows of the Irahiksyrt high-mountain plateau, moving along it, we kind of bypass Elbrus, which is very close by. The view changes all the time: after the grassy hills, glaciers, moraines and streams open up, while the Mountain itself slowly unfolds its Northern slope, showing us the Western features. This part of the walk is quite easy, because the surface of the plateau has a very slight slope, and looks horizontal.

On the Irahiksyrt plateau

The route to the glacier 3650 m

At the far edge of the plateau leads us to the Karachaul glacier, under which there is a small picturesque lake, if you wish, you can even swim in it.

lake under the glacier Karachaul – north Elbrus

A small halt, and after it a more severe part of the route — we will climb the moraine that separates the Karachaul and Ulluchiran glaciers and go to its upper edge. There is no longer a path here — no one walks here, but the grandeur of the landscape deserves the presence of a person and his admiring eyes. Nature needs someone who can see and appreciate its beauty.

Ulluchiran Glacier and Balkbashi Pass

Altitude 3650 m. We are standing right above the giant blocks of the icefall. In this place, both glaciers, in their slow downward flow, break, creating architectural works of genius in their chaos. The sun shines through the clouds, filling the picture with the movement of their shadows. A cold wind is blowing from the ice world, and we will not stay here too long, we will have a snack, drink tea and go down.

Ulluchiran Glacier and Balkbashi Pass

After descending from the moraine, our path lies back, but we will go along the other edge of the Irahiksyrt plateau in order to better examine the details of the Tashlysyrt ridge, which protects the plateau from the opposite side of Elbrus. The ridge is not as simple as it seems at first glance. Its sawtooth back tightly guards the mystery that lives in this gorge. At the foot of the ridge, between it and the plateau on which we are walking, the Kyzylkol River runs. Geological work, research was carried out in the ridge, pits and mines were drilled, some can even be found at its very top, at an altitude of 3400 m. On its other side there is an abandoned settlement of geologists, on ours, below, you can see an old drilling rig. Both the gorge and the ridge are not so popular tourist sights yet, and they are interesting because they are wild places and are not afraid of people. Below, closer to the river, it feels better, but you can also catch it from here, from above — as if there is always someone there, or something … although you can’t see it, a slight chill on your back sometimes whispers that something can see you.

Gorge of the Kyzylkol River

We return to the camp.
Dinner.
Overnight stay in huts.

Kalitsky Peak

Breakfast at 7 am. Exit at 8 o’clock. We take lunch bags with us for lunch on the route and thermoses with tea. Our path starts from the Silver Spring, along the green hills we reach the Djilysu River, we cross it on the rocks, in the morning it is possible. Then we climb the green slopes to a large lava plateau. Alpine meadows slowly turn into lunar glades, so unusual that it begins to seem like we are on another planet. In the middle of all this, we pass a small transparent lake at an altitude of about three thousand meters with a colony of shrimp.

shrimp lake

The route offers a good side view of the North-Eastern slope of Elbrus, the Lenz rocks are visible in profile and in good weather you can even see the shine of the houses of the assault camps.

Lenz rocks on the slope of Elbrus

After 7 kilometers of the start of the route, we come to the huge Jikaugenkez ice plateau. A monumental spectacle — a horizontal frozen space, surrounded by dashing mountain ranges, and, in an incomprehensible way, a peak appeared here in the very center. How close you can get to it depends on the current state of the glacier on which we will move. In this place, it forms a moraine covered with lava chips and stones. Seasonal melting of ice forms amazing shapes and grottoes.

Near Kalitsky Peak

Here we have a little break for lunch. Then we turn back, after about an hour and a half of the way we cross the Dzhilysu River ford, here it spills over the floodplain and therefore shallow. We pass a group of small lakes and begin to climb the rocky shore of the stream, born by the Michelchiran glacier to a large lake lying under it.

Ulluchiran Glacier and Balkbashi Pass

Then we go down the hills back to the camp. The length of the route is 16 kilometers. Travel time is about 8 hours. Height difference 700 m. Overnight stay in huts.

Kalitskogo route