Teacher's Peak: Uchitel, 4,540 m

After the Silk Road Mountain Race, I was off to the mountains for rest and recovery, thinking I might attempt to summit Uchitel Peak (4,540 m, 14,895 ft).

My flight wasn’t until 5 September, and though Bishkek is sweet, I couldn’t stand the city life. So I decided to head to Ala Archa National Park and spend some time in the mountains.

I camped near Ratsek Hut, at 3,300 m (10,826 ft), sitting out the bad weather and heavy gusts before attempting to summit Uchitel Peak, at 4,540 m (14,895 ft). Feels like home.

Mountains are great teachers, and it was time to learn some lessons from Teacher’s Peak: Uchitel Peak, 4,540 m (14,895 ft), in the Tien Shan mountains, Ala Archa National Park, Kyrgyzstan.

It was cold and windy, but a beautiful day to summit, with splendid views of the Ak Sai glacier and the other summits around it. There aren’t many things as soul-restoring as being in the mountains. They are always a magical place to be.

I encountered high mountain deer.

Then it was back to base camp.

It was a beautiful way to end a great and successful trip to Kyrgyzstan.