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But before long I was enjoying the snow, comparing
the pristine white scenery favourably to the
noisy chaos of the big city. Our first stop
was to be the high meadow - yayla - of Subasi
at 2325 metres. The light was already fading
and we chose a camp site in a valley on the
western side of the yayla, making sure that
there was no risk of an avalanche. For supper
that night we sufficed with soup made from snow
water. The temperature had fallen to minus 15
degrees, and a storm was blowing up. Like a
buoy tossed by the waves, our tents bent first
to the right and then to the left, as the wind
whistled uncanny melodies.
We awoke the next morning to heavy cloud and
mist, and nobody objected to postponing the
ascent until the following day. Three of us
made a small reconnaissance trek to the south
of the yayla. Although the cold was not quite
'moustache freezer' level, it was nevertheless
very cold, blowing a gale and still misty.
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