Day 13: Summit…Then Chaos

Today was the most amazing summit day.

After all the weather, all the waiting, all the shifting forecasts… today was by far the best weather day we’ve had since arriving in Russia.

Which made me incredibly grateful we stayed flexible.

We had an original itinerary.

But I kept watching the weather and pushing for us to move earlier than planned.

And that decision ended up playing in our favor.

Leadership Lesson: Make the Plan. Don’t Worship the Plan.

A plan is important.

But conditions change.

The best leaders aren’t rigid. They’re responsive.

They know when to hold the line… and when to adjust before the opportunity disappears.

Summit Morning

We woke up early and pushed through the night.

The original thought was we’d arrive near sunrise.

Instead… we beat the sunrise.

Which was surreal.

Just Sasha and I.
Dark sky turning blue.
The mountain completely quiet.

We were the first to summit.

No crowds. No lines. No noise.

We even started descending before anyone else reached the top.

And honestly… it felt magical.

A little windy on top, but otherwise absolutely incredible conditions.

Different Mountains for Different People

I went privately with a guide so I could move at the exact pace I needed to.

We hammered to the top and back down.

Meanwhile, Maya and Tom both had successful summit days too, which was amazing to see.

James struggled again with altitude.

And honestly, that’s one of the hardest realities of mountaineering.

You can prepare. Train. Want it badly.

And still… some bodies just don’t perform well at altitude.

Which is incredibly frustrating when your heart is fully in it.

Leadership Lesson: Effort Does Not Guarantee Outcome

That’s a hard truth.

Preparation matters.

But there are variables you don’t fully control.

The goal is to maximize your opportunity… not demand certainty.

And Then Everything Changed

I got back down first and headed to the hotel to work on flights home since we had finished earlier than expected.

That’s when I found out:

Flights in our area of Russia had all been grounded through May 12th.

Drone activity. Security concerns. Airspace closures.

No Wi-Fi on the mountain. No service. No way to know while we were climbing.

Apparently the internet outages yesterday were connected to all of this.

And suddenly…

The expedition shifted from mountaineering problem-solving to geopolitical problem-solving.

The New Mission

Get out.

Fast.

The current best option appears to be driving into Georgia tonight and trying to fly home from there since flights are still operating.

The other option was a 30+ hour train into Moscow and hoping conditions improved there.

But tomorrow is a major holiday in Russia, restrictions are increasing, and a lot about that option didn’t feel right.

So now we pivot.

Again.

Leadership Lesson: Stability Changes Decision-Making

One thing I didn’t fully appreciate until today:

How much mental energy comes from simply knowing you have access to resources.

No credit cards here.
Cash only.

And I’ve used most of the cash I brought because some costs ended up very different than expected.

So part of my urgency to get to Georgia isn’t just travel.

It’s regaining access to basic stability.

Money. Communication. Options.

It’s amazing how much calmer the brain becomes when options return.

The Border Reality

Normally the drive to Georgia should take around eight hours.

Right now?

Reports are saying border backups could be anywhere from 24–48 hours because of the grounded flights and airspace closures.

We hired a driver who supposedly has a fast pass for the border process.

So now we wait and see.

Again.

Leadership Lesson: Resilience Is Staying Functional While the Plan Falls Apart

This whole trip has felt like a masterclass in adaptation.

Weather changes.
Route changes.
Travel changes.
Political changes.

And the work is staying steady enough to continue making good decisions while things keep moving underneath you.

The Perspective Shift

One thing I noticed today:

When bigger problems show up… little problems lose weight immediately.

Things I was frustrated about days ago suddenly feel completely irrelevant.

That alone is probably worth paying attention to in everyday life.

The Best Part of Travel

And through all of this, people have been unbelievably kind.

Tonight in the hotel lobby, we connected with climbers from Liverpool, Switzerland, and other places who had just climbed Mount Elbrus two days earlier.

Sharing information. Advice. Border updates. Ideas.

Helping simply because they could.

That’s one of the beautiful things about travel.

You get out of your normal world.

You ask questions.
You depend on strangers.
You help each other.

And most of the time, there’s no real way to repay people except gratitude.

It’s humbling.

Final Thought

Today held two completely different realities.

An absolutely beautiful summit.

And complete uncertainty immediately after.

And maybe that’s life too.

You can stand on top of the mountain in the morning…

And spend the afternoon trying to figure out how to get home.

The adventure continues.