Altai Mountains Timberline camp

We set up a treeline camp at North Ioldo Creek in the heart of Katun' Range of Altai on the day 7 of my March 1988 ski bacpack. The route ahead crosses South-East across the glaciated Main Range, then re-crosses North-East before reaching timberline at the shores of an awesome Kucherlinskoe Lake in a deep glacial valley. Our small crew of four, and a two-plus weeks length of a trip, meant that we were limited in the gear options. Opting to go without gas stoves, we had to haul firewood for above-the-timberline camps - or to camp without hot food and hydration. Cutting a day's trip a bit early to have aromatic Siberian "cedar" pine wood for cooking was at times the best choice.