Whether it's snow or rain... but we have always remained a friendly family

About the hike "Water and Stones XL" May 2-10, 2009

To be honest, when I decided to go hiking in Crimea, I didn’t know what to expect from it and how it would be. I guess I imagined a summer walk in the mountains with only a backpack on my shoulders. And this is how it turned out...

Day one.

We all met at the train station in Simferopol. Nobody knew each other, but somehow everyone got to know each other very quickly, and it was fun from the first minutes. It all started with the distribution of food. Frankly speaking, I thought that only porridge was waiting for me, as my friend warned me, and what was my surprise when on our menu I saw pates, sprats, stewed meat, sausages, cheese, dried fruits and even chocolate. Very quickly we stuffed everything into our backpacks and went to the stop where we were supposed to board a trolleybus that would take us to the distant mountains.

We got out near, as I remember, a donkey trail. There was a store nearby and we couldn’t pass it by. Natasha, our fellow hiker, happened to have a birthday on that day, and we offered to buy some cognac to somehow celebrate this occasion.

Of course, we all expected bad weather, but what happened on our first day of hiking exceeded all our expectations. It’s not the most pleasant feeling when the rain is pouring down on you almost like a wall, and also this endless climb... We walked for a long time, stopping often, all wet through, squelching water in our sneakers. If at first everyone tried to avoid puddles and mud, then they quickly gave up on this and walked like soldiers, not paying attention to obstacles. And finally, we got up, all wet to the skin and dreaming of warmth and comfort.

As we were later told, we reached the plateau of the Chetyrdak mountain (Chatyr-Dag), where our guide Taras (by the way, I think the whole group would express a special thank you to him) suggested that we stop for the night in a camp site, dry off and not get wet in tents at night. Everyone, of course, agreed, because any of us could be squeezed out, although initially we were set on tents in the rain))). There we warmed up, ate, drank for our birthday and even rented a sauna))))

Day two.

We woke up dry in the warmth, looked outside and smiled. Of course, no one expected the sun, but everyone was glad that there was no rain, but the fog still followed us. The whole company went to the Emine-Bair-Khosar cave (it took me a long time to remember, and in the end I did it). There, a special thank you to the guide, he made us laugh from the bottom of his heart. It was my first time in the cave and I can’t describe it, you have to go there.

And after a joyful excursion, we went to conquer the peak of Chetyrdak. And again it’s raining, and fog, and everything is rising and rising. On a rare occasion, the clouds dispersed and allowed us to see all the beauty of the mountainous Crimea. And then the thoughts began: “Why didn’t I sit at home? like all white people go to the dacha, to barbecue, and to the bathhouse"))). But somehow quickly all these thoughts disappeared, your head cleared, and you walked and walked, no longer thinking about anything. At the very top there was only fog, but everyone was proud of themselves that they had conquered this mountain.

We took pictures in the snow, snacked on the candies that were in our backpacks on top, and rested a bit. We didn’t have to stay there for long, as the strong wind and rain that overtook us quickly drove us on our way.)))

The descent was already easier, although the fog followed us everywhere. In such conditions, you understand that you can’t lag behind, because you can no longer see a person 5 meters away. But everyone was waiting for each other, they were very attentive, so there were no losses or injuries. Finally, we went down into a beech meadow, lit a fire, set up tents and it was our first night in tents in the rain))) Very quickly everyone became friends, began to play our favorite, as I understand it, camping game “Mafia”, and we no longer cared about the rain and wet things.

Day three.

We woke up to the singing of birds, but in the fog... Sleeping on the ground is not the best pleasure, bones all ache, muscles make themselves felt after 2 days of active walking. At home you can soak up a warm bed, but here you want to get up very quickly and drink hot tea.

We got ready, had breakfast with oatmeal with dried apricots, which seemed simply amazing at the time, and went on to conquer the peaks of Crimea. On this day we almost climbed to the top of Dzhemerdzhi. Why almost, because they decided to go around to the very top, but to walk along a narrow path, knowing that there is a cliff under your feet, even though it is in the fog, you understand all the delights of this walk. Slippery stones, washed out paths and horse marks almost everywhere - that’s the danger, but we overcame it all, and when a herd of horses rushed past us, our joy knew no bounds.

We were also in the MAN clearing, although again due to the same fog, we could not see all the beauty of this place, but such is the weather))). And even walking in the fog, which you won’t find in Moscow, I was happy. If you think about it, we are not in the fog, we were walking in the clouds)) and when I saw with my own eyes what I had previously only seen in films, it took my breath away. We called ourselves “hedgehogs in the fog.” Everyone came to the parking lot again, wet, hungry and dirty up to their knees))) Hot tea, porridge cooked over a fire and good company - and everyone felt good. What could be better?!!!

Day four.

And here it is, finally the sun we have been waiting for so long. Out of joy, the girls and I ran straight in the morning to wash our hair in a local spring. I don’t know how we decided to do this, but we didn’t care. The ice cold water that just burns your head was just amazing. And if, under these conditions, someone tells you: “You can’t do this, you might get sick,” you’ll just laugh. People don't get sick while hiking!!!!!

After a pleasant breakfast and hot tea, we climbed lightly to southern Demerdzhi. Not all of us decided to go up, and therefore we could leave our things in the parking lot. And what beauty opened up before us, finally under the rays of the sun, very low and crooked mountain birches, the likes of which you cannot find in cities. The most beautiful valley of ghosts, which you look at from above. From there we saw the MAN clearing, where we were yesterday. And I realized it’s worth your effort! Standing there at the top, you experience emotions that will be remembered for a very long time, and which will warm you later. The feelings you experience at the top can never be conveyed; they must be experienced.

We went down the mountain, got ready, and today our path lay to the “Jur Jur” waterfall. A long descent awaited us, which turned out to be too long. We passed by another waterfall, “Dzhurla”. Having reached the appointed place, I, of course, was fascinated by the waterfall. It was strange for us, cheerful, dirty and happy tourists with huge backpacks, to watch ordinary people, beautiful and neat, avoid mud and puddles, and who came to look at the waterfall. Here we decided to stop for the night. The four bravest ones, including me, decided to go for a swim in the baths of youth at the Jur Jura waterfall. The water was icy, so it didn’t last us long, but we were able to stand under the stream of water.

And as usual, dinner cooked over a fire, hot tea, and today, also the sound of water, pleasantly accompanied our evening.

Day five.

On this day, 3 people separated from our gang. Having said a tearful goodbye to our compatriots who were already close to all of us, we began to climb up again. And again the sun smiled at us. They walked briskly, not paying attention to the heavy burden on their shoulders. We stopped for lunch near the spring of St. Alexis, and there one of our tourists even washed herself in a swimsuit, and she didn’t care that surprised people were passing by, watching this picture.

After a delicious lunch, we came to Suat, where we decided to stop for the night, but it was only three hours, and according to the plan we still had to reach the city of Karatau. The most persistent ones, all the guys and I, decided to conquer this mountain, the rest of the girls remained to guard our place. I imagined a short walk to the nearby mountain. But how wrong I was!!! Although light, the path was not easy. And again the rise!!!!

We walked for about two hours, stopping a couple of times to look at the landscapes that surrounded us. And finally we got up. What beauty there was!!!! Below were the Karabi plateau, the sea, on the other side of the mountain... We sat on the top and enjoyed the views. What beauty it must be here when the sun rises!!!!!!

We didn’t have to sit there for long; a strong wind quickly drove us away and we began to return to our girls. When we arrived, we immediately noticed how the parking lot was filled with groups of tourists like us. This time we had very noisy neighbors who sang songs very loudly.

Day six.

As always, everyone woke up in a good mood, because the sun was shining for us again. But Andrei, who had a connection with high technology, reported that it would rain in the evening and it would rain for more than one day. Of course, we didn’t want to believe him, and hoped for the best!!!

We reached the Karabi plateau, which we observed from above yesterday. But walking along it, you cannot see all its beauty. We walked cheerfully and cheerfully, singing songs, the sun was shining hotly and we decided to stop and put on sunscreen, which some took, in the hope that they would sunbathe. And finally, we finally got such a chance. It’s not for nothing that we carried these tubes all the way, which after all, weigh something. We smeared ourselves, rolled up our jeans and trousers, undressed and moved on happily. But not even 5 minutes had passed before it began to rain, so we had to stop again and put on our raincoats. Less than 5 minutes later it began to hail. Well, all the joys of life!!! Nothing will surprise you anymore. We laughed for a long time and thought that maybe the cream we applied would save us from dampness))))

They walked for a long time, again in the fog and rain, but with songs. Sometimes the clouds in which we walked cleared and we saw the sea below. Taras (our guide) showed the “Cheginitar Gorge”, from above it looked wonderful. A beautiful, quite deep gorge, and I really wanted to go down it, not on the same day, but in general! To be honest, some were already tired and wanted to go to the sea! And, again, our experienced and beloved guide did not let us dissolve and found a spring on “Karabi”, where, by the way, as he later said, he never stopped.

It kept raining. We were alone at that place; there was no company nearby. We lit a fire in the rain, boiled water, and then some remembered their supplies, namely hot mugs of Maggi and Rollton puree. We ate everything to the last spoon))) The rain stopped and we managed to dry our shoes and clothes, even our sleeping bags, which had become quite damp during all this time. A fire, the realization that you are at an altitude of 1000 meters and sitting near the warmth is a wonderful feeling. Someone quickly went to bed, and the four of us (me, Anton, Andrey and Kirill) stayed and just started talking near the fire. Around 12 we went to bed. I knew that this would most likely be my last night in the mountains.

Day seven.

When I woke up, I didn’t want to go out at all, it was raining outside. I heard that they were already making breakfast and knew that I had to go out, otherwise I would be left without tea)))))) After breakfast and getting ready, Taras told us that we would go down the Cheginitar gorge, and if the weather didn’t improve, then we could go down to “Rybachy”, and there we would rent a house and be warm near the sea. Nobody objected. 7 days in the mountains, and for some for the first time, this is already a lot and, in principle, enough to understand all the delights of such a vacation.

We went down the gorge that I wanted to walk along. The descent turned out to be steep and long, but we didn’t care anymore and everyone walked quickly enough. We went down to the lake, where, after having lunch, we began to discuss what we would do next, stay or go down to the sea. But everything was decided by the rain, which again took us by surprise))) There was no choice, we decided to go down to the village, and from there to the sea. We stopped in Sudak, there were friends of one of our classmates who provided accommodation. And then we reached civilization and settled down in cozy rooms. And the first thing we all did was take a shower. And here it is joy!!!!! In the evening, Taras, who stayed with us, prepared the last camp dinner for us, but he was no longer at the fire. Everyone was happy, especially at the moment when it started to rain, and we were warm and didn’t care about it.

Bottom line.

We all stayed there until the end of our planned hike, and someone else decided to relax near the sea. We spent an unforgettable 9 days together and I think not the last time. I would like to say a huge thank you to the entire group that accompanied me. And special thanks to our guide Taras, who always supported us, who did not let us lose heart and instilled joy in us, and who united us all so well. You definitely won't go wrong with him! I don’t know other guides of this company, but Taras gets 5 points plus!

Olga Chelnokova.