Koruldi Lakes, above Mestia, 12/9/2010

Left of centre in the top shot is Karl, my walking partner for the day, on what looks like crazy-dangerous sand but is actually nice knifelike teaspoon-sized bits of slate.  Their very sharpness makes them slide very little, even at such angles.  But as the way got more and more vertical, and the rock more and more rotten - coming away in my hands, all that sharpness digging into my palms and filling my boots - I decided to stop, no more than 3 or 4 metres from the place from which Ushba would re-emerge (middle shot).  What made me turn back?  2 thoughts:  1) this is getting very risky for my level of experience, and 2) I'm not single anymore.
The bottom shot has our vehicle for the day and Ushba's twin peaks, just to the right of which is the slate hill which defeated me. This time.