Next:

OK, we had a good sleep and then woke up at six to a nice blanket of snow!! Yeah, it was not much but it was enough to make the tent fly sag, real bad!! Had a breakfast of champions, hot dogs and oatmeal, and packed up our stuff. After driving out the tot road to the "highway" we found that during the night or early morning the road had been blocked off by the large wooden gate being pulled across the road and locked with a padlock!! OK, now what?? Well, what else, break down the gate!!! Yes, we pried the large log apart, slid it out of the chain and lock, drove the car through, and "put it back in place." [More or less] Problem solved. We drove to the turn to go down the mountain road and got to another locked gate. We went inside the hut next to the gate and were told that no one was allowed to go in during the winter. Well, we told them of all the experience that we have had climbimg wise and they finally let us go, after we paid them 25 grivnas. Problem solved. Driving up the road the snow started to get really deep and the scenery very pretty. Then we came to a big tree down across the road, we would have to park and start hiking from here. Well, we started to back up and the car just lifted up and slid into the ditch because the snow was so deep that it kept Dad from being able to stear the van. OK, make a plan, "Get out of the ditch." Simple right?? One hour later we were partly out of the ditch and here comes a forester's truck. "Hey, can you all help us??" "Oh sure, we are going to get a chainsaw and then we will pull you out." Yeah right!!! They came back all right and cut up the tree, but then they just drove away. Manners are not to big in this part of the world. Well after another hour of work we had gotten several of the boulders and all of the snow out from under the van. [Remember that all of this in in thirty degree weather.] Well, here comes a large SUV and it is a Lexus!!! "Can you pull us out??" "Sure" Praise the Lord!!! Well these people were rich, which is probably the reason why they were allowed to come in the road, because no one was supposed to remember?? We got out after a while and were shhouting glory. Problem solved.

Now, it is 11:15 and we are wet and tired but unstuck and Praising God. No climbing today, especially as it is snowing really hard. The other option, drive back to the "highway" and do some easy hiking. We did it and had a great time crossing rivers, eating, and looking at the mountain that we did not get to conquer, YET, just wait. A lot of other things happened on this trip but I don't have time to tell all.