The first 7000-meter mountain climb. There is always something happening for the first time in one’s life. The first grade, the first dollar, etc. (Besides, what is not easy to recall as happening for the first time). Anyways, I climbed my first 7000 m peak. The highest peak of the Southern Hemisphere – Aconcagua, 6962 m. Alpinism is not the funniest sport in terms of diversity. You got rocks, stones, endless sky and a lot of life energy (prana). All this is there and few things are better than this. But if you want to see the world, too, you can do it all. Just check out the country guide with the mountain of your choice and suddenly it turns out that you have the Iguasu Falls there, and Patagonia is there, too. I moved out ten days before the climb and that time sufficed to visit Buenos Aires, the Iguasu Falls and Patagonia. (photo) The Aconcagua route begins in Mendoza, the center of the Argentinian winemaking with above 1000 excellent wine cellars. The impressive thing about the climb is the 27 km traverse with altitude difference of 1000 m. The luggage is carried by mules: a mixture of horses and donkeys. They cost cheap and if they die, nobody takes them away. The climb was not easy. Each new 1000 m is a milestone of sorts, for some 3000 is impossible, for some - 4000. If god had meant us to fly he’d given us the wings. The last trip from Colera camp was a long one. We returned at night. Two people of the team of five did not make it. Onу day a stray dog started following a Canadian in our team. Dogs like following tourists around. He complained about the dog to me. I jokingly pulled out a knife and suggested to kill and eat it. He got so scared and after that called everyone telling that Russians eat dogs. After the trip (we went for a week without a shower) and a 30 km march we went into the best restaurant of Mendoza and ordered the most expensive Argentinian wine Catena Zapata. It felt incredible after three weeks in a tent to sleep in a big bed in a nice hotel after a shower.