Getting ready for a hike

About the hike "Over the Sea" June 28, 2009
When getting ready for the hike, I tormented the organizers with a bunch of questions. The main thing I wanted to clarify for myself is what a high level of complexity means. Is this surmountable for an office worker who has been athletic in the distant past? I was also frightened by the possible heat and lack of food, and the composition of our group. I was tormented by thoughts about whether to leave the route in three days….

And now about everything in order. When choosing a vacation, my friend and I firmly decided that we:

• we want to be in Crimea, by the sea, but we don’t want to just lie on the beach.
• we want physical activity))
• we want to take a break from people, a noisy city and mobile communications

And, with the help of our friends from the Moscow region (or rather from Balashikha), we found out about the organizers of the hikes - outdoorukraine.com and decided to choose the route “Over the Sea”.

Our route ran in the clouds, we started from the Uchan-Su waterfall and went to Laspi.And the first climb was very difficult, we walked up for about 4 hours. With the help of the group, I dropped the ballast - 2 liters of water, a liter of kefir and half a liter of yogurt (the guide did not have time to check my backpack for the presence of this contraband:)))) The group was satisfied))

Then the first dinner, acquaintance and overnight stay overlooking Yalta at night, celebrating the Day of the Constitution of Ukraine.

About the weather. We were very lucky with the weather - there was no rain, and the clouds hid us from the scorching sun.

A little about the group – our group turned out to be very friendly, we quickly found a common language. And it consisted of guys from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Balashikha, Yekaterinburg and Kyiv! Therefore, we just relaxed and enjoyed the communication, because “bad people don’t go hiking, they have other hobbies” (author - Kyrylo Yasko).

A lot about food: as our guide said: “You are a strange group - you walk a lot, drink a lot, but eat little!” We had no shortage of food. We ate everything with extra ingredients and it was very tasty! For which many thanks to Andrey, the guide and cook! We gave up sugar tablets and powdered milk, but made a cake from condensed milk and cookies, which could not stand up to several rest stops.

At rest stops, we ate pure energy - sandwiches with pate and sprats, dried fruits, nuts, and washed it all down with water from wells and springs! The chocolate didn’t particularly go well with us, which also surprised our guide. We especially liked the dried pineapples.

During halts, we collected fragrant Crimean herbs and drank wonderful teas in the evenings. For those who have never eaten on a hike, I am attaching photographs of camp cuisine and the main equipment on a hike - a spoon, fork, and knife))

Entertainment of our trip. Spraying group mates with mosquito and parasite repellent, tick control (about 10 individuals were found and eliminated), swimming in streams, dousing, as well as other songs, dances and other types of active recreation. The game “Contact” scares away wild animals in the area and prevents you from falling asleep. The game “Showing Off” (aka “Pantomime”, aka “Crocodile”) scares away even the foresters. The game “Mafia” reveals the real faces of your fellow hikers. Wild animals coming to the camp: roe deer, foxes and hedgehogs (yes, they are scary and wild at night) - also a kind of entertainment if you spend the night outside the tent)

In addition, we had our own radio - Radio “Balashikha-ha-ha”, whose announcers contacted the participants of the hike, informed about the weather, the news of the day, and conducted surveys about the health and mood of the participants.

The last night we stood on the beach. We didn’t set up tents, we slept “sleeping”. This is a very memorable moment for me, because that evening we shared our experiences and impressions of the journey we had taken. The bright moon illuminated us, and we wanted to run across the sea right along the lunar path.

The way home from Laspi. We went out to people and asked for a car to Sevastopol. We had to wait 20 minutes for the car. So we returned to our world again - a world with clocks, money relations, strange people... time appeared, but in the mountains we didn’t think about it. While we were waiting, languishing from the heat and bad music at the stall, a forester approached. He had a small truck for transporting firewood. We asked to be dropped off at the highway. As a result, we saved a lot of money on a taxi and had a great ride in the back. Another bright moment in the album of our memories.

And in Laspi we met an amazingly kind man who lives by the sea from April to October. He meets different people, helps them, shares his experience, opens his eyes to happiness. His every morning begins with the cry of seagulls, he inhales the salty wind and the smell of pine needles, he lives in Crimea and radiates happiness.

If you haven't tried it, try it! A boost of energy and active relaxation are guaranteed! Huge greetings to all members of our group!

Irina Golubeva, Kyiv 2009