Hey gang, This is Rich Collins. I was one of the leaders on the trip. I've known John for a number of years and participated in the 2xtreme Peru trip as a leader. He asked me to come along on this trip as extra support on the climb and of course, who could turn down a climbing trip to Russia.
This trip was much different from the Peru trip for me. I moved to Pennsylvania from Colorado in the Summer of 2005 to be near my wife's family and to attend graduate school to earn my Masters Degree in Counseling (John played a huge roll in encouraging me to take the step from being a climbing bum to earning an advanced degree, but that's another story for another time). On the Peru trip I was very active w/ the team. I planned and led training weekends and was able to build strong relationships w/ the guys on the trip. This trip was different in that I had never met the guys before I met up w/ them in Russia. I had no idea of their personalities, attitudes, or their experience level. Since they had been a team all year and had been through some tough experiences w/ each other I was unsure of how they'd respond to having to adapt the group dynamics to a new member and a new personality.
The guys were awesome! From day 1 when we met at the base of Elbrus they included me, listened to my opinion and voice of experience, and acted like I'd been w/ them from the beginning. This speaks volumes to me about how much they've grown. Young men, in general, have a very difficult time opening up to strangers. Trust is a huge issue and the masculine competitive nature we as men struggle w/ can impede honesty and openness. Maybe it was each of them being thrust into a foreign experience where their comfort level and need for each other was at a place it hadn't been before, maybe they've lived through experiences where they've seen the futility of displaying a facade and acting out of pretense, or maybe honest and personal communication has been modeled for them. I'm sure it was a combination of those and other factors. Whatever the reason, the guys were open w/ each other and honest w/ themselves throughout the whole trip.
The mountain was harder than I expected. I've spent a ton of time in the mountains. I was an instructor for the Colorado Outward Bound School for 5 years, guided for a Young Life wilderness program for two years, was a Ski Patroller for 5 years, and have climbed and skied religiously. Getting on a mountain the size of Elbrus, even though I've been on them before, always shocks you. In photos and in views from base camp the mountain looks easy. It is one of two moderate looking peaks and the route is straight forward.
The simplicity is the source of the difficulty. On technical climbs you have things to distract you from yourself. When you have to be alert and focused on where you are placing your next piece of protective equipment, where you will swing your ice axe, or how stable your foothold is the adrenaline and focus takes your mind off of how your body is hurting. I've said many times that mountaineering is a masochistic pursuit. There are moments of ecstacy and adrenaline but they are greatly out numbered by hours of pain and suffering. The reward is internal. Climbing mountains changes us. It changes us quietly. We are forced to test the limits of our endurance. The struggle, for me anyway, is more mental than physical. My body is screaming, my lungs are burning, my heartbeat is pounding in my head so loud and so fast from the exertion and altitude that I'm sure my climbing partner can hear it. The lack of oxygen and constant state of hyperventilation make me feel as if I'm going to vomit and I lose my appetite and desire for water. I count breaths, count steps, set attainable goals (OK, I can make it to that next rock outcropping w/out resting), and dream of my sleeping bag and a good book.
Why? What makes it worth the effort and pain?
As I said before, the reward is internal. When you sit on the top of a mountain you gain perspective. We gain perspective on how significant we really are and on how small our problems are. We understand ourselves better. Our limits aren't as narrow as they used to be. There is a quiet strength that wells up w/in us. It is difficult to notice, but obvious once recognized. We aren't the same people. We've wrestled w/ ourselves and with something greater than us. We've found strength and fortitude that we didn't know that we had. We've learned that the easy route isn't always the best route. We've become more confident in ourselves. We're more in tune w/ those around us. In John's words, "We've lived the metaphor". The mountain is a metaphor for life. For our struggles. Just as we can't describe to people what it is like to wrestle w/ addiction or deal w/ a dysfunctional family we cannot describe to people the true nature of the struggle w/ ourselves on the mountain or that moment on the mountain top. We can give them glimpses but they won't understand wholely. The reward, and resulting change, can't be described, only seen.
They guys ability to reach into their guts and will themselves up the mountain is something that I will never forget. It really took more strength than anyone who hasn't climbed can imagine. I am incredibly proud of them, not only for their performance on the climb, but for the commitment I saw of them supporting each other, working out their problems and differences individually and as a group, and their behavior on the trip as a whole. It was amazing to see how much the trip meant to them. Watching them break down as they read letters of encouragement on the night before the summit bid blew me away. I know that had a huge impact and I pray that the things written on paper are now words spoken since they've been home.
I've got to go to work. If any of you guys want to e-mail me pics or tell me how you're doing I'd love to hear from you. richheathercollins@yahoo.com
Rich
This trip was much different from the Peru trip for me. I moved to Pennsylvania from Colorado in the Summer of 2005 to be near my wife's family and to attend graduate school to earn my Masters Degree in Counseling (John played a huge roll in encouraging me to take the step from being a climbing bum to earning an advanced degree, but that's another story for another time). On the Peru trip I was very active w/ the team. I planned and led training weekends and was able to build strong relationships w/ the guys on the trip. This trip was different in that I had never met the guys before I met up w/ them in Russia. I had no idea of their personalities, attitudes, or their experience level. Since they had been a team all year and had been through some tough experiences w/ each other I was unsure of how they'd respond to having to adapt the group dynamics to a new member and a new personality.
The guys were awesome! From day 1 when we met at the base of Elbrus they included me, listened to my opinion and voice of experience, and acted like I'd been w/ them from the beginning. This speaks volumes to me about how much they've grown. Young men, in general, have a very difficult time opening up to strangers. Trust is a huge issue and the masculine competitive nature we as men struggle w/ can impede honesty and openness. Maybe it was each of them being thrust into a foreign experience where their comfort level and need for each other was at a place it hadn't been before, maybe they've lived through experiences where they've seen the futility of displaying a facade and acting out of pretense, or maybe honest and personal communication has been modeled for them. I'm sure it was a combination of those and other factors. Whatever the reason, the guys were open w/ each other and honest w/ themselves throughout the whole trip.
The mountain was harder than I expected. I've spent a ton of time in the mountains. I was an instructor for the Colorado Outward Bound School for 5 years, guided for a Young Life wilderness program for two years, was a Ski Patroller for 5 years, and have climbed and skied religiously. Getting on a mountain the size of Elbrus, even though I've been on them before, always shocks you. In photos and in views from base camp the mountain looks easy. It is one of two moderate looking peaks and the route is straight forward.
The simplicity is the source of the difficulty. On technical climbs you have things to distract you from yourself. When you have to be alert and focused on where you are placing your next piece of protective equipment, where you will swing your ice axe, or how stable your foothold is the adrenaline and focus takes your mind off of how your body is hurting. I've said many times that mountaineering is a masochistic pursuit. There are moments of ecstacy and adrenaline but they are greatly out numbered by hours of pain and suffering. The reward is internal. Climbing mountains changes us. It changes us quietly. We are forced to test the limits of our endurance. The struggle, for me anyway, is more mental than physical. My body is screaming, my lungs are burning, my heartbeat is pounding in my head so loud and so fast from the exertion and altitude that I'm sure my climbing partner can hear it. The lack of oxygen and constant state of hyperventilation make me feel as if I'm going to vomit and I lose my appetite and desire for water. I count breaths, count steps, set attainable goals (OK, I can make it to that next rock outcropping w/out resting), and dream of my sleeping bag and a good book.
Why? What makes it worth the effort and pain?
As I said before, the reward is internal. When you sit on the top of a mountain you gain perspective. We gain perspective on how significant we really are and on how small our problems are. We understand ourselves better. Our limits aren't as narrow as they used to be. There is a quiet strength that wells up w/in us. It is difficult to notice, but obvious once recognized. We aren't the same people. We've wrestled w/ ourselves and with something greater than us. We've found strength and fortitude that we didn't know that we had. We've learned that the easy route isn't always the best route. We've become more confident in ourselves. We're more in tune w/ those around us. In John's words, "We've lived the metaphor". The mountain is a metaphor for life. For our struggles. Just as we can't describe to people what it is like to wrestle w/ addiction or deal w/ a dysfunctional family we cannot describe to people the true nature of the struggle w/ ourselves on the mountain or that moment on the mountain top. We can give them glimpses but they won't understand wholely. The reward, and resulting change, can't be described, only seen.
They guys ability to reach into their guts and will themselves up the mountain is something that I will never forget. It really took more strength than anyone who hasn't climbed can imagine. I am incredibly proud of them, not only for their performance on the climb, but for the commitment I saw of them supporting each other, working out their problems and differences individually and as a group, and their behavior on the trip as a whole. It was amazing to see how much the trip meant to them. Watching them break down as they read letters of encouragement on the night before the summit bid blew me away. I know that had a huge impact and I pray that the things written on paper are now words spoken since they've been home.
I've got to go to work. If any of you guys want to e-mail me pics or tell me how you're doing I'd love to hear from you. richheathercollins@yahoo.com
Rich