Today almost nothing remains of the fortresses, as Hulagu did not want any more trouble, and the valley of Alamut was not exactly on our route; but it is not everyday that you can make a dream come true, so we decided to go, no matter what. To reach Alamut we had to hit north from Qazvin and cross a first pass into the Alborz. Despite the absence of proper roads we had some hope of being able to cross from Alamut, through the Alborz Mountains, to the Caspian Sea, carrying our bikes if necessary. Most people we met said we wouldn't even make it to Alamut because of heavy snow in winter, without mentioning how insane the idea of reaching the Caspian was. Charlie did not want to waste time and risk cutting his line so he went straight on towards Rasht, pedaling against the wind or under the rain for days. We made it across the first pass with less effort than we expected. We camped on the ridge with a beautiful view over the large Alamut valley trying to spot the fortresses on the opposite flank.