Mountain photos - amateur and professional photos of mountains.

The author: Michael Afanasyev, Moscow

 

Peak Lenina (7134m, Pamir, Kyrgyzstan-Tadjikistan)
February, 1993

Part 2 (Part 1)

A visibility was about 200 meters, a wind was not strong, as it was yesterday. In the meanwhile we had luck.

Snow flags on a ridge of Lenin peak Nikolay Orlov's photo

I made a hole in firn using the ice axe. I hammered a stick hilt down up to the midst. Then I attached a rope. One of the end I threw into the hole, the other one a wind threw downhill.

Now there was any reference point outside. I spent about a half an hour doing that, so I had to be hurry. I climbed quickly… A visibility was still worsening… In an hour I got tired to struggle with the process of my mountain-skiing glasses' freezing and I removed them. The usual, small ones left. In spite of the not strong wind, my skin around of eyes and eyelids were going to get frost bitten, and I should tear off my eyelashes with ice. Mentally I grinned… In an hour the wind amplified, and a visibility decreased till 20-30meters… I moved quickly without stopping - what a shape form! On my sensations I was already somewhere at 6800-6900m… There still was a rocky site just under the top I had to climb but why could not I meet my friend? All right, I was not going to miss the top: I had only to climb right upwards.

I climbed on a slanting ledge to the right - upwards, then the wall of 5 meters in height and of 70C degrees interrupted it in steepness, and there was a shaky bridge on front of it. Without a shadow of doubts I took a step on it and it held me to my surprise. It looked such thin… I climbed the wall: basically dry, not ice-covered rocks. It meant the top was a stone's throw away. Somewhere I bypassed the rocks and somewhere I climbed them. They were rather abrupt. If I fell down there (as and on ice however), I would not be able to stop. Rocks came to the end, I left on flater firn slope, 40-45 degrees… Suddenly the sky above was cleared up to 300 meters and I could see that the ridges converged in 40 meters above, the slope began flattering likely, there was a summit plateau there. I began feeling how I was tired. I had left to climb only a little… I saw a dark figure, quickly and confidently descending in my direction. It was Mike!!! He approached to me:

-Well, how are you? - I asked

-Summit!

-How long is it to the summit?

-Minutes 10-15 … But there is a lot of cairns on the plateau. It takes a lot time to find the highest point, and there is a strong wind. I left the note. If you want, we will descend together. It would be better for you…

-And cannot you wait for me here? I'll do that in a flash. I am in a good form and feel well…

-No, I am afraid, not. I lost my mitten: the wind carried it away. I am afraid to get my hand frost bitten.

-And how is it now?

-Normally while, I have internal mittens and long sleeves.

I looked at his sleeve and found only a stick sticking out. But in tent we had the first-aid set with all the necessary things, and there was a few gas there left. The main thing was to find our hole… I understood that it was really better and easier psychologically to descend with him and search the camp together... But it was impossible to recede now. We agreed: the first descended and found the camp, would shine a lantern to the second one, designating our hole and if the batteries sit down, and as the voice from under the mask is not audible he will knock a stick about the other stick…

We clapped each other on shoulders, and Mike quickly went downwards, I followed him with my eyes and thought that I would have to descend on this slope should on front points. All right, all the same I would not keep up him when it was so important to find quickly the tent.

So, I had to hurry up. Quickly, without stopping, I climbed further on front points. Finally I reached the plateau … The wind blew more strongly. I fell on my hands and knees… And moved creeping… I inspected all the cairns, at last I found in one of them a pendant with a square 15x15cm plate. At last! I could hardly breathed. I had no emotions, enjoyment. I sluggishly reflected. Perhaps it was because of the fact that I was out of fear during for two months? And I had lost something important and became an effective machine for achievement of the purpose? But I did it.

The sky was blown away again for a short while and I could see the powerful ridge going down to the south, and even a sun’s reflection on it. What a severe, terrible place and how it was difficult to get here. Slowly, gradually any strange and weak feeling was filling me. Calmness? Satisfaction? Peace? Harmony? It was so unlike the others, I had felt in mountains… And having forgotten about the time, cold and wind, I was standing silently… Something started to disturb me. Ah, yes, I had to hurry up. Darkness was going to be soon. And I began descending as soon as possible.

Suddenly I made up my mind to bypass the rocks and quickly descended to the right under the western ridge. In 600-700 steps I decided to turn directly downwards. I went on front points trying not to leave from a falling line of water. At last, I felt, that it was possible to turn my back upon the slope and I could increase the descending speed. Visibility continued worsening. Suddenly I understood that I could already hardly distinguish the crampons and a red ring on the end of the ski sticks. I remembered the crevasses. I stopped and began to move very slowly groping my way. In 10 minutes I understood that with such speed I would have no time to descend before the darkness. Dear, we had no luck again. Well, hang them all!!!

Quickly I moved downwards. Unexpectedly the leg failed and I flew according my sensations 2-3 meters in the emptiness on a ledge of the edge of a crevasse. First I felt a strong stroke, landing on my foots, then on one side. Well, I had a lucky escape. I stood up and continue to descend quickly. Then I dived into the emptiness again and felt a terrible impact by me side. Some time later I regained consciousness and found out myself on a ledge under a wall. One crampon was taken off my foot. It seemed to be higher there. Well, I examined myself and found that I had the second lucky escape. I looked upwards but could not see anything. It did not surprise me however I could hardly see my legs. Well, all right… I removed my mittens and tried to put on the crampon. I touched the point with a finger and indifferently looked how the blood quickly painting in red color instantly been freezing. I put on the mittens. “Should I descend further or have a terrible spending the cold night here? Perhaps I will not survive it.” I continued quickly descending. Fall again! It is always unexpected though you wait for it! But you step accently on the emptiness! I felt a hardest blunt impact in my shoulder and head and I had time to hear as something crackled and the darkness came. The impact made me to regain consciousness during my flight downward on ice. I tried hardly to catch hold with the crampons. I could stop on the third site of firn. I inspected myself. Pain, hands, elbows, shoulders, breast, head, groin, knees...It was a miracle, I had the third lucky escape. I had never heard that somebody could stop on winter ice and firn before. Darkness came quickly. I decided not to tempt fate. Even my glasses were intact, just the filter was broke out but the mask did not fly away. I had to wait for any visibility. I searched and found a rather small crack and made something like an "armchair" digging into firn for an hour. I sat down in it. My head and knees were sticking out outside, but I had no forces to dig the ice further. I was dreaming the weather to be bad till the morning (it would be more warmly in that case) and a good visibility in the morning and I was worrying about Mike. And he perhaps was worrying about me.

I recollected all I had learned about a spending the cold night at the high altitude in winter. I had only few chances to live till the morning. And If I was still alive I would get frost bitten certainly. I moved my fingers on hands and feet: they were still felt. I was sitting so long between a life and not a life. It seemed strongly became cold. Vaguely I was glad to this - in fact when you freeze, you feel warm. And exactly by 4 a.m. it stopped snowing, and the clouds disappeared… I could feel how an improbable, space cold was falling from somewhere, covering everything around and extorting my last heat. Why it was too long to the dawn?

Now I could see beautiful stars, but not Mike's lantern … I determined the altitude as 6600-6700m…Sometimes I fell into drowsiness. In one moment I could see the slope from unusual foreshortening and I was above it in 6-7 meters. I could see myself bending. Could I die? But I did not see any light at the end of the tunnel!

I smiled and came back in myself … Now I could see everything with my eyes … It was too early for hallucinations… I understood that I would need a help in the morning, I was thinking how Mike would drink a lot of water, have a sleep a little, get out of our hole and then help me: tea, the first-aid set…

I asked a question to myself: “ Am I ready to die? ” I was thinking long about the answer: “ Yes… ” But my relatives will hardly get over the shock.

While it was early to die, the morning was close, and my friend was going to help me. How it is good to have a friend! A tender warm sleepiness was enveloping me, singing lullabies… A wind was singing hartly and gentle… Stars…Not to sleep!

After the long reflections I decided to fight for my life, especially to live up to the morning…

It was dawning … I could see Alayskaya valley … I had to move. Hardly I shook catalepsy… My hands and feet did not bend… I looked downwards, approximately where our assault camp should be settled. I could not see anybody. I found in a pocket a tablet, glucose with some stimulator. I had to take it otherwise I would not be able to stand up. I could hardly chewed and swallowed it. My throat was dried up. I remembered my nickname: Iron Michael. The rusty iron woodcutter. Only the laughter above myself could help me.

I stood up and slowly descended up to 6200m. I could not see anything and anybody. Where were the hole, the stick I had settled? Where was Mike? He should get out! He should wait for me!

And suddenly I thought: “May be he cannot get out, as I yesterday? That is me should help him!” And I wandered upwards - downwards to the right - to the left on the slope for 6-7 hours in despair, but could not find anything… No hole, no traces. For the third time I climbed upper than Razdelnaya (Separate) on 150 meters and descended again, searching for the camp… I shout: “Mike, help me, I am near to death!” The voice sounded poorly. I could hardly hear it. Suddenly I understood that he could fall yesterday. All the northern face was in plain sight. But I could not see him anywhere. It will get dark soon. I tried once again to find the camp, descending. There were gas, a stove, the first-aid set there…

I felt such despair… I had no forces to climb or descend for the fourth time. As I had not had them to do that all the previous times.

It was two hours up to the darkness. I did not find my friend and the camp. I precisely was going to death: I seemed to have one more cold night at this altitude. I felt, how I was strongly dehydrated… There was gas below, but there was no a stove. What was the sense to descend further, if up to the mountain we had approached for 6 days? It was impossible to stay alive… If to guzzle snow - I will get a pneumonia in 10-15 hours… And how can I leave my friend there? But I searched for him all the day long.

I understood, that at this situation I already died… I was alone, too far from people, even farther than in space, without any communication… And it was already unimportant when there will be the real death. I looked on Alayskaya valley - how it was far to it… Nobody will help me here, and it was clear to me that it was impossible to survive… I asked myself again: “Is it the time you to sit down and to die easily?”

I was ready to do that… But it was rather ridiculous… Should I descend up to 5800m, where there were a lot of crevasses and where it was quiet and there wasn’t a wind?

An idea came to my mind an: “If I stay here, nobody will find me and understand that we have summited!” In the summer there are a lot of snow there, the northern face is avalanche dangerous. But if I manage to reach the base camp, at the foot of the mountain, they will know about that. But I well remembered three huge crevasses: we had been falling all the time in them during our ascent…

Well, I should try … I began descended… All the time I looked through the slope: there were not any traces of falling. Somewhere at 5100m I had to take off my mitten - to correct a mask filter… And a wind pulled it from the other hand and went away… Powerlessly I looked following, it vanished in a pair of seconds … I recollected Mike and spoke to him: “It seems you already have been lost… Me too, but they have not registered me up yet”

Already in darkness I reached the crevasses at the foot. Hardly I recollected - what for? Oh, they should find my body… I crept on bridges, not paying attention to their thickness… To my surprise I did not fall through… I found our small ice house, crept inside and fell on a floor… “All right, what 's farther?” I was nearly going to die: I considered a pose, in which they should find me, and the last words of the final note… Stop! But I am not made out yet! Something inside spoke to me to fight for my life with all last forces for the sake of those that loved and waited for me. I found two 450-gramme gas balloons, some gear, skis…And the bags with buckwheat, dried apricots and sweets… I tried to chew dried apricots without saliva, and I threw this. There was no any stove to melt snow to get some water. When I took my left boot I found out that I had my fingers and metatarsus bones frost bitten. For 4 hours I tried to make it better without any result. The right one I did not even get out to look at. All the time I asked myself: "Can I help even a little my friend? How can I do that?"

At dawn I took some gear and looked at the north face slope again: there was not any Mike's traces. Sobbing without tears, I put on the skis and went away. I walked stupefied one hour, then another. How hard it was! Yes, if suddenly I survive, My God, I will believe in you instead of my mathematical education. My inner voice asked:

-Well, are you going to fight?

-Yes.

-There is a crevasse right here and you are going to fall in it.

-According to all my experience there can not be crevasses here, on such relief.

-Let's see

Falls! About 4 meters. But to my luck I fell on the bridge. The longitudinal crevasse was sharply narrowed downwards, and it bent in a meter under the bridge on 30 degrees at the already 30-40sm width. The 3m long bridge saved me, otherwise my legs would be broken and moreover jammed.

And even my skis did not come off… Having cut steps under the skis with the ice axe I finally got out outside in two-three hours. I had luck again: the weather rang, the surface of the glacier was covered with a dense snow, my skis fell not deeply, on 15-20 centimeters…

On approaches everything had been in another way. And when had it been? And whether had it been at all?…

The snow became even denser, I was skiing well on the slope with increasing gradient… My inner voice talked to me again: “Brake, the fool man!” I just fell sideways and hammered in my ice axe. This small couloir that I was skiing on ended with rocky dumps sticking out of the glacier approximately in its middle. I could not see them from above because the ice crawled over. I continued skiing on the glacier. It became more and more snow, the glacier became more torn. How many days did not I drink? Three? I wondered when I would fall and not stand up any more? I recollected, that hallucinations should begin…

While they were not present. And how to distinguish them from the reality? At night I reached the glacier's tongue… It was starry sky again, it was again cold and windy… Should I stop? What was my biggest desire that time? Stop to move, sit down, lie, die. It would be the end to these extreme efforts. We had made it. Did not I really deserve award? Yes. We did. It was too hard…

But I decided to try… If I stop and sit down, I will not stand up again… And suddenly I remembered that I used to play almost every sports when I was a child, I remembered all my life years: heavy trainings in different kinds of sports, competitions, victories, defeats, traumas, voices of trainers. They came to life somewhere inside me and spoke to get to the finish on the Retransmitter. And you had no right to stop, while there was an opportunity to continue.

-Faster in attack! Flush them! - my basketball trainings said to me.

-Fight! - judo said…

-Calm down. You are better, - practice shooting said…

-Work! There is only one place - the first, the others mean loss, - track and field athletics said.

And finally

-Be hard-hearted! - mountaineering said…

All right, I will move before the full refusal of the organism … I smiled and continued to go downwards along a small river. There was snow of different density above my hips in places… Sometimes I regain consciousness in movement, but sometimes I went on losing consciousness. I was thirsty to death already for a long time and all the time. I had to go to a place where the slope was lower and to get out upward, somewhere in the area of IMC and to reach the Retransmitter. And the main task was not to miss it. And I moved forward searching and putting on again and again the dumped ropes of fastenings, with groans and damnations breaking trail. All the time I was waiting when the glitches would appeared. I was lead by autopilot correctly put my hands and legs and simultaneously looked - how not to miss the way. I recollected about wolves: “there were a lot of them this winter”… Suddenly I saw a small house without a roof. There was a stove with something heated in it. And there was a girl from our club near the stove.

- Come, - she spoke, - Michael, I've heated up to you some beer and baked pies…

- Thank you, Olga, I do not want pies, but warm beer - without ceremony… And why this house doesn't have a roof?

- Well, It is better to observe stars.

- I understand. But I cannot stop, I'm sorry… If I stop, I won’t be able to move any more…

What a pleasant meeting!… It was a pity that I did not drink some beer… I was going along a small river, I had to climb again soon… The dawn came… I found a 20-m, 35 degrees slope of ice-covered clay where I was able to climb upper. It seemed there were only three-four hours of torture ahead. I took off the skis, cut steps. I tried to climb it for a half an hour falling down again and again. Finally I could do that and saw the aerial of the Retransmitter in 4-5 kilometers. The snow was dense. I remembered the small house under the starry sky. I began to understand just that moment. But it seemed good…

My thoughts were still flowing slowly, smoothly and in some layers.

I found the way and I dragged myself… I met big, kind lovely animals like steppe marmots. I called them gamsunyata. They felt badly, hungrily and they had not enough water. Some hours we were talking and discussing development of their program of their adaptation in our severe world - they did not come from here... People could support them. And in exchange they would play with children… and do many other fascinating things … I consulted to them. The matter was in the following: I was bypassing a precipice of 200 meters in depth for one (two, three?) hours. It was somehow strange located across a valley, between IMC and the Retransmitter. On our ascent way we had not seen it. But now I saw it and went along its edge.

-And do you see it? - I ask my fellow travellers.

A gamsunenok with gray hair spoke:

-Can you look narrowly?

And he went away… I called him… But he did not answer… The others gamsunyata were absolutely strange, light, shapeless, but very benevolent and they went away too…

I looked at the precipice, trying to present, as it looked under the other degrees of illumination rays. Oh, it was simply hollows between low hills… My aim was the Retransmitter… I could not see it now, but I approximately remembered, where it was… It was growing dark … Finally there were about 200 meters left up to the small house. It seemed strange to me that the dog was not barking. My leg dumped again from the ski and I fell through up to a groin… The second one remained on a ski… I was sitting bow-legged and sobbing without any tear… If they had left I would not creep 20 versts more to Sary-Mogol. I threw my skis and crept to the door. The first door was closed… I made the bid to reach the last, second porch. Had not I have all these tortures for nothing?… I did not dare to try to creep inside. I had no one from my fellow travellers left with me. All my gamsunyata disappeared and I had nobody to consult with. "Where are you?"… I pushed the door - it was open. Keeping for walls, I rose to my feet and entered into the tambour. I pushed the second door, fell down into the light and heat… Finish…

The roar was likely from bundles of firewood what somebody coursed to collapse… And I could see nobody there… Suddenly everything exploded with movement. They came running, said that they had thought it just seemed to them, grasped, set down, unmask me… And I sobbed again without tears, - it frightened them…

-Water… Warm … A lot of Water, - I rattled

-Would you like tea?

-All you have got.

They brought…

-We are the other change, we have been waiting for you. And where is your friend?

- Be lost … Likely…

-There is a portable radio set here, we can contact the frontier-guards, but we can do that only tomorrow.

-Yes, we need a helicopter to flight around, we shall try once again… to look him…

They were striving over me…

-Hungry?

-No, just more water … and more…

-You have got frost bitten, take off your boots.

I took them off…

-What have you got in the first-aid set?

They gave me two bandages and iodine…

- Have you got anything from frost-bites, vitamins?

-Whence is this here?

I was sitting on the floor near the door putting my feet in a basin with warm water… I could see that my right leg was got frost bitten stronger, just now I noticed my fingers on hands got frost bitten too… All right… I drank a lot, I could not stop…

-Do you want to have a bath?

-Yes, thanks…

They helped me to reach the bath, undressed with creaked teeth. Asked: "Can we leave, and came back in a half an hour when you get warm, to wash you, to dress, to conduct back?

-Yes…

Why were they so surprised? I looked at myself. I clasped a biceps with fingers of one hand almost entirely … My hips became as my arms earlier… The feet swelled… I cried… But having looked for a back, I found only my ass thick. I started to laugh loudly, as mad man…

In the evening I weighed - 46,5 kg… I had had 71 kg on start, excellently shaped… And my usual weight was 72-73 with 175 cm in height… I began to see double. It passed only in 2 weeks, in Moscow…

The weather began to spoil… Next day we contacted the frontier guards, they promised the helicopter as any visibility would be. I waited… They looked after me, as for a child: fed, gave to drink… All the time I stayed lying. In two days gleams appeared in the sky - it was possible to fly. To tell the truth, for 7 hours of searches and during descent I did not see anything - at the ideal weather.

We communicated. They asked who was going to pay? I answered that if they confirmed a start, I would give them phones in Moscow, and the people with money would arrive already the next day. In two hours of communication they informed that they would not fly… For some reasons it was not a surprise for me. Languidly I thought: “On the 27-th of February we were at the top, on 2-nd of March in the evening I came to the Retransmitter. Now it is the 5th of March… The rescue team from Moscow would able to get up to the foot only by 9-10 of March. That means Mike has no chances if he lays somewhere in a crevasse injured… If he found the assault camp he would have search me… If he spent a cool night as I we would have seen each other the next morning… There were only two variants: failure and death or failure and a trauma. And in the both of them he did not remained on the slope…

However, I had already been thinking about that during my searches…

I understood that in this case we could rely on ourselves only.

It was the bad ending... Just in case I decided to wait for two days more. The weather was bad again, all the time a wind sadly whistled…

I was lying, in a room among clubs of a smoke: the attendants, Ivan and Alexander smoked weak tea, turning it in the newspaper… At getting a light the newspaper flashed, and consequently they had their eyebrows singed… There were 4 TVs in front of me, and all of them were working, but I could hardly to watch them: everything was seen in double in eyes because of the unbearable efforts I had lived… Languidly I thought how I managed to survive? There was only one chance from thousands… But Mike had no luck. But I already could not cry…

Ivan spoke, that I had to go to hospital: it was clear and to me too. I had to be treated, if I could survive… Alexander went on my skis for shepherds. They had a shelter in three-four kilometers from the Retransmitter.

On March 7-th since the morning local shepherds came on horses. I put on, said goodbye… I thanked the muzhiks for everything. Ivan asked the shepherds, brothers Saynazar and Beknazar, to feed up me better… I left all superfluous: skis, a stick, ice axe... It was a lot of snow, so it was hard for horses to move, we went one by one… The main thing was not to give a horse to eat snow. But I was absolutely weak, and I frequently did not have any forces to crane horse's head… We stopped for a dinner in another shelter. They met us friendly and fed us long and a lot: fresh meat, shurpa, kaymak, tea, sweets. They eat such food seldom, not more often, than a time in two weeks… Their usual meal - tea, a flat cake. At night we reached Sary-Mogol. They fed me a lot again and carried to hospital.

The doctor examined me in his cabinet for a long time sadly clinking his tongue. I asked: -Do you have any medicine for frost-bite treatment in general?

-No, - he answered.

-What about trental?

-Yes! - the doctor rejoiced.

-Remember, - I told him, - You have to use it with solution in a dropper…

The doctor reflected for a while: "There will be a dropper for you!"

There were seven person with me in the hospital chamber. A nurse made the cleanest bed, brought tea, put a dropper. I was astounded at the patience and kindness of these people… I knew that they lived on the poverty line, but they took care of me, fed me with hot milk, oil, fresh bread... Likely, they correctly speak that the life is heavier, the people are better.

On March 8 I said goodbye to all of them, left the superfluous things to distribute all of them to the patients. I took only our passports and a piece of bacon. I thanked everybody for the help. The brothers conducted me to the bus station. In spite of a local civil conflict with seldom firing here and there in the area of Alayskaya valley, the packed trip bus went regularly. I could find a place on the floor, and I sat there.

We approached the Kirghizia boundary. The frontier guards deduced outside all non kirghizs and non-russians. Judging by the sounds, the frontier guards beat them outside, plundered and send back - on foot. The Kirghiz frontier guard long looked at me…

-Uzbek? Go out.

-Russian.

-Passport.

He examined it…

-Get off.

-I don't.

I showed my business trip from the sporty club, the reference from hospital… He took them and carried away. Then he came back.

-Get off. There can't be any climbers here in winter. Only saboteurs. If you don't go out by yourself we shall pull you out.

-No.

-I shall shoot.

I looked at him thoughtfully and indifferently said:

-Just try to do that, freak!

He left me again and again came back soon… Our dialogue repeated… At last, in 20 minutes a Russian major, seemed the chief of the outpost appeared… He looked at my documents too, asked, returned them, apologized, obliged the driver to deliver me in hospital in Osh, asked about any things he could do for me. In Osh I got off the bus at the road service station, and hired a taxi to Andizhan. The Uzbek boundary we crossed without excesses. At the station I was deranged - the train to Moscow was going to depart only tomorrow and there wasn't free places in it. I had no enough money to bribe somebody… I asked the cop - the Uzbek, that I had to do and how to leave, I told him about my traumas. He did not want even to talk to me, turned his back and went away.

Somebody, seeing that, conducted me to the hotel in 300 meters. I dragged the way up to it minutes 20. I had a bath, languidly chewed a flat with bacon and cake presented me by Saynazar. A man entered, told that he was the manager and looked at my legs…

- Don't die here. And put on socks not to dirty the bedsheets.

He went out.

Well, all right…

In the morning I dragged on the train, and asked the conductor of each carriage, whether he would take me. No, they spoke, you seemed the invalid and could fall or die… And the train left. But I remained. The following one was going in two days later. I spent the night at the station in a carriage of a deserted train… I did not dare to eat because of shortage of money… In cash departments they banished me, the chiefs ran as from a plague. I went slowly to the platform and I saw a signboard: "Fracture clinic". - Oh! (The internal voice spoke).

I came in, and told for a long time my story… They sympathized, fed, bandaged the legs… They did not have any need medicines too… Two tablets with vitamins C and two ones with ampicillin - there was all their stock in general. They gave them to me. The doctor Lyudmila Semenovna first went somewhere and then came back with a bottle of spirit - It was good!

She left again and came back not so soon. "Give me the money, the ticket will be". She returned with the ticket and left me to spend the night. We had a long talk. What nice people lived there!

In the train I was laying all the time… My foots did not go into boots. My neighbours fed me too… On Sunday, the14-th of March, in the morning the train was in Moscow. My neighbour, a machinist without a leg helped me to get to the Kurskiy railway station. I called home to Balashikha and told that I was alive, but Mike wasn't. I was going to reach home in an hour and asked to meet me at the station. The machinist passed one stop with me by my electric train, wished stick up. We shook strongly our hands.

The controllers came in.

- Your ticket?

- I haven't got it…

- Get off.

- I am an invalid, - I spoke, - what will decrease of you?

- Remove your legs from the bench!

- No, they hurt me…

I was been whirling and looking on familiar small woods behind the window.

That's the end.

I was thrown out of the carriage at my station. Two friends met me. First they were going to carry me together, then Dmitry, having been surprised, - You are so light, - carried me as the child only by himself…

Then there were joie of meeting of ones and a mad pain and despair of others, congratulations, charges, hospital, amputations and others things… I arrived to Moscow with gangrene, but nevertheless everything turned out all right, without the big superfluous losses… I left the hospital in two month … What have happened further, I think, is absolutely not interesting.

But sometimes, especially in a sweating room and having drunk, I recollect Mike, his smile, his words “mountaineering is sports of a head for 90 percent”, his stories, our ascents… and as it was cold there, how terribly the ice shone on the Northern face of Lenina peak… I recollected everything already almost without a pain… Time treats…

In summary I would say many thanks to everyone who helped me including the people what names I have forgotten (but not their heart and kindness) or have not mentioned. Forgive me.