26-27 January, 2009
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. While being left behind with nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs was without a doubt the most boring thing I have ever done, it truly made me appreciate that happy fellowship all the more. What a crew! When they finally arrived back from their blizzards, their tree-chopping, and uproarious hardships, I nearly cried with happiness. I have never in living memory had such fun, as I did that last night. The singing all around, and joking, and simply having a grand time will remain among my favorite memories of all time. Two of the Russians «Сэм» and «Максим» are fantastic musicians and regaled us with classic Russian favorites. They really were rocking… Their enthusiasm was contagious. All feet were tapping, and most people added their own form of accompanying drumbeat. This was an excellent way to enjoy that greasy meal. It never ceases to amaze me how much better good food tastes (or even not so good food) when you share it with friends. Who would have thought that ribs and potato soup would be the best breakfast ever? With potatoes that I spent two hours peeling- because they were so gooey and gross. Didn’t matter- that was a great meal.
Even though I wasn’t WITH the group the whole time, I learned so much from them. Because I was stuck in the Russian wilderness far away from anything resembling English, I was forced to use my Russian to a higher level than I had previously thought possible, and it worked! I think there was some definite improvement.
The last day, instead of skiing back to town as originally planned, we hitched all of our gear to snowmobiles and were pulled back on sleds. No one said this, but I think it was because of my still weakened state. Whatever the cause, it was a riot! At times I thought I was going to go flying off the sled in a crashing splinter of broken chords (I had to hold a guitar the whole way back) Other times, the blizzard-like wind was blowing so hard in my face that my eyelashes froze shut. Whenever we stopped to make sure the whole group was intact, the sun peeped out from the snow clouds to dazzle us with brilliance. Awesome. Just awesome.
In conclusion, I feel absolutely certain that I will return to the Khibini Mountains at some time. Something about them stirs my blood.
Only next time I will bring a better immune system.
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