Andrés Cruz is still on his way to conquer the highest mountain in Europe. This his his journal.

"We've begun the climb. Today we reached 3,750 metres. We'll go back down to sleep at 3000 metres and then we won't come back down again until we summit.

One thing I didn't know was that Mt. Elbrus is an inactive volcano. That makes the climb more difficult, because the paths are covered in rocks. So one part was covered in rocks, surrounded by melting snow which reated tiny waterfalls, and the other part was completely covered in snow. Oh, and it's very foggy. Most of the time you can't see beyond your nose.

The geography here is amazing. The sonw appears red due to a sand storm that took place 2 or 3 months ago in Arabia, and it looks amazing. There's red and pink snow on each side of the path, with wite patches and volcanic rocks.

It's already very cold. Even so, while I was all bundled up, the Brits were still in their trusers and t-shirts. Right now, I'm wearing: Two pairs of socks on my feet, one wool, and one silk, which I wear under the woollen pair to avoit blisters; black, puffy booties between my socks and my boots, which are made of plastic, not leather. To cover my legs I wear thermal shorts and water-proof trousers. Above my boots and my trousers, I wear a pair of woollen boots which tie up at the knee in order to water-proof the foot and shin area.

Above the waist I have a first layer of merino (a special wool from New Zealand which absorbs all sweat), a fleece jumper and an orange windbreaker from a Juan Valdez shop. And a pair of sunglasses, which I dare not remove because the reflection of the sun in the snow might leave me blind. Also, my backpack, where I carry a bunch of other windbreakers, two litres of water, beef jerky and dried fruit to eat, a thicker fleece jumper, a first-aid kit, gloves, an extra pair of sunglasses, a camera and couple of ski poles to help me walk.

My equipment has been checked already, and since once we summit we'll be between -25 and -35 degrees, I'm going to be wearing 4 layers on my legs, 4 above the waist, a hat, sunglasses and a hood when we climb. That, aside from the boots and all those things I've already numbered.

If there's good weather, we will be summiting in 4 days, next saturday at 11 pm Colombian time. It will be 8 am Russian time. And on Sunday, between 6 and 7 am (Colombian time) I will be climbing down".

Andrés Cruz is climbing Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, in support of 157 single mothers and teenagers who live in Cartagena. Follow his blog, and remember to make a donation.