Crimean mountains

Hiking in the South-Eastern Crimea 07/19/09-07/24/09 (Water and Stones route).

We went as best we could. It was difficult for me. But I realized that I would do it, and that with every step I felt stronger, confidence filled me. With numerous short passes (30-50 seconds) I climbed. Windy - ears hurt. Such freedom - such a huge world - such a wonderful life - all these thoughts immediately came to mind. Vanya and I hoisted my wet T-shirt on some pole at the very top - symbolic, after all.
I was very fascinated by this height (about 1457 meters) - and I stopped being so afraid of it. And he was so joyful, inside, outside for some reason it was probably not noticeable, but inside there was a song.

The time has come for me to try writing. I even feel a little joyful from my first experience. In general, Crimea, or rather the Crimean Mountains.

I’ll skip the story of how I got from Minsk to Simferopol, although several new and interesting events took place on the road.

July 19, 2009 - Birthday.

5 o'clock in the morning. I have never woken up so early on my birthday. I'm on the train, Crimea is already in the window. Not too picturesque: industrial facilities, houses, ordinary forests and fields. Looking out the window, lazily drinking tea, I’m a little tired of the heat, as is a conservative-looking family with two children, politely trying to start a conversation about nothing. The customs officers (as I understood at the entrance to Crimea have their own service) smile and cheerfully search my tightly packed backpack. When they find fine salt, we laugh together.

I go out, hurry and quickly find the necessary company of people at the Simferopol station. They also promptly find me a backpack and what to pack in it (a rug, part of a tent, cereals, canned food and my things). Out of ignorance, I pack it poorly and overpack it. That's it, Andrey is ready, the backpack is on his shoulders - it's time to finally conquer these mountains.

After 100 meters to the tram I realized that I was not ready, something was wrong, my neck was being pulled down, it hurt - I panicked a little that it would continue to be uncomfortable. Dear granny makes fun of us, saying that if there is no driver, she will drive the tram herself. Let's go. It’s already more interesting - I’m sitting on a backpack, on the floor next to the face of some girl’s dog (not ours) and our instructor, Andrei Gipich.

The first impression of him is better than from the photograph. However, the already formed stereotype about him of a certain “Sea Wolf” or rather “Mountain Wolf” is superimposed - and, accordingly, there is respect there and a slight irony about his “detachment”.

At Perevalny (I don’t even know the name of the point or just the place where the pass is made) we get out, repack again (this is very important), tighten all the straps - it seems to have become easier, confidence has increased.

We climb through the forest, along the donkey path. After 300 meters, confidence began to recede again. It’s hot, the backpack weighs uncomfortably and pulls back. But everyone goes - and it’s simply a shame to retreat from oneself. With five or six very inconvenient, but still very pleasant passes, we climb to the lower plateau of Chetyrdaga, or rather to the lower part of the lower plateau.

The very first view from there inspires and gives strength. We are filming, breathing, someone is lying, someone is running, taking pictures. I sit, look at the lake in the distance, at the mountains below, at the members of our expedition, listen and breathe in the clean air.

After the pass, climb again to the lower Chetyrdaga plateau. Short, but pretty cool. Rejoicing at my second wind, I climb up with some effort. We wait for the others, sitting on our backpacks, and here we have our first lunch. After looking at the notebook and scratching the back of his head, in a rather quick speech, our instructor throws out “So this and that pate, cheese, who has bread, candied fruits,” sausage - as if he were getting the most valuable thing from himself.

The first lunch seemed boring to me, people apathetically pecked at their food, enjoying more just sitting and contemplating new views. We ate, washed down with water we had collected for future use, and went again. The paths and roads of the plateau are much easier than going uphill. We stopped on the road, threw off our backpacks, went to the nearest spring for water, drank there and returned to our backpacks not at all tired. Along meadow and forest paths we arrived at our first overnight stop. The Suuk-Koba Cave is a half-cave, just a large depression in the rock, on the walls of which other tourists and half-tourists have left marks.

We set up camp, I decide that it will be more comfortable for me to sleep in a tent with one person, even if it’s Vanya, than as a fourth person in a tent with our guide and two girls (Lena and Oksana). We walk around and look around - nature is very unusual for me - I literally sniff everything like a dog, it’s interesting. We collect firewood and prepare food, pasta and stew. From the very first dinner it became clear that the stew was just a thought or a fantasy about it. 2 cans of stew for a pot of pasta for 15 people doesn’t even irritate the smell buds much, to say nothing of the taste buds. But this fact, plus the end of the first day, for some reason caused such a euphoric wave of excited joy. Moreover, it’s not just me.

Vanya and I chewed the pasta and laughed as if the pasta had been boiled together with hemp. Wow, what a delicacy! Too bad it can't last forever! "Pasta with pasta"! Look at this picture from a food magazine - now close your eyes and chew the pasta.

Laughing and throwing wood on the fire under a pot of tea, they began to talk about themselves. Everyone has their own story, their own experience. Personally, I found this part of the evening quite interesting. People come to the Crimean Mountains from Germany, the Czech Republic, and Moscow - it’s interesting.

They casually congratulated me on my birthday. Let's go to bed. I couldn’t fall asleep, I lay half asleep and thought. What I don’t remember – I sometimes like to think about when I have insomnia.

07/20/2009 - The song is inside.

Morning, fresh and very clear. We head to a nearby cave for water. In the cave, I didn’t regret that I had replaced the sports sandals I had worn all day yesterday with sneakers, but I regretted that I had not taken a headlamp. In complete darkness, we descended along slippery stones to a place where there was water, a puddle of water. Scooping up water in a mug, they filled the bottles. To be honest, not all the contents of the bottles aroused suspicion in me; in some of them it was a little cloudy.

Breakfast, washing dishes, getting ready. Let's take a light walk. We leave Lena with the backpacks. We go to the Emine-Bair-Khosar cave. Cost – 50 hryvnia.

This is my second time in such a huge cave. Everything is very curious and you think about the antiquity of our planet and the weirdness of nature. I try to actively breathe its air. They said that it was very clean, good - I came to these mountains for health. On all sides there are bizarre patterns and sculptures of stalagmites, stalagnates, helictites and corallites, karst bizarre reliefs formed over millions of years of interaction of water with calcium compounds, and even other minerals. Numerous halls admire what nature is capable of.

We're back. It was already a more active lunch. In the rain in the yew gorge. I was very impressed, I wanted to throw everything off and climb like a child, explore all these irregularities and semi-caves, passages, trees.

But the people are tired. Dilemma: go up or go down? It’s only half a kilometer here - our Leader throws. We decide up. We quickly get to the observation deck. Exclamations of joy that this is all, and nothing complicated! The height is really huge, the tops of the trees are more than a kilometer below. We are standing over an abyss. Heights, or rather the fear of heights and the fact that someone might fall, makes me a little uncomfortable. In the distance is Mount Angar-Burun, a beautiful Crimean mountain, majestic, we take pictures. But I never thought that we would go along the ridge to this mountain.

We went as best we could. It was difficult for me. But I realized that I would do it, and that every time I felt stronger, confidence filled me. With numerous short passes (30-50 seconds) I climbed. Windy - ears hurt. Such freedom - such a huge world - such a wonderful life - all these thoughts immediately came to mind. Vanya and I hoisted my wet T-shirt on some pole at the very top - symbolic, after all.

I was very fascinated by this height (about 1457 meters) - and I stopped being so afraid of it. And he was so joyful, inside, outside for some reason it was probably not noticeable, but inside there was a song.

We walk along the plateau to Pepelats (the movie “Kin-dza-dza”, if you remember) - a very strange thing at such a height, it really looks like Pepelats. Let's go down. Going down is more difficult than going up, much more difficult. It’s heavy, previously unused muscles are tense. Natasha sprained her ankle. Volodya lowers it on his back, Vanya and I pick up 2 more backpacks - and for some reason it becomes easier. Like difficulties provoked the production of some stimulating hormones.

We walk through the beech forest, just like in a fairy tale, to a beech clearing. There's a camp there. I try and succeed in taking a shower, using a little more than 2 liters of water, I understand European economy.

After eating around the fire, we talk about the universe (my favorite questions are about the infinity of the universe), religion, principles, weddings, family, raising children, divorce, love, food, women and men, stars and books. Then, in the tent, we spent a long time talking about dreams and Slavic culture. It rains at night.

07/21/2009 - Traverse of Northern Demerdzhi.

The general preparation of breakfast begins sluggishly. Those who wake up sleepily wipe their eyes. We collect and pack our backpacks faster than usual. Mine makes me noticeably happy - over the previous 2 days I managed to reduce the existing reserves of cereal in it.

Through a fabulous rocky and earthen beech forest, we stretch through a shop for ice cream, the Angarsk Pass - and again up the mountain. A feeling of strength fills your legs. Monotonously, but quite steeply we go up. Through the forest you can already see a decent height and a distant, heterogeneous, grayish-blue sea (you can often confuse it with the sky). We pass a tree that resembles some kind of forest octopus. Stop at the observation deck, from where you can see Alushta (it was visible at almost all our heights - we sort of walked around it).

El Kaya Ridge. It gets easier to look down each time. The thickets and trees on the sides of the ridge generally soften the feeling of height.

Peak Kudryavaya Marya, from which I photograph Vanya against the backdrop of Bald Ivan Peak. We go down - we go up - we go down - we go up - it’s quite easy. A very fun and unusual lunch in the clearing. Whoever chews faster, or simply who has faster and longer arms, eats more. The energy accumulated from pre-camping food has left our hardened bodies and now we live on porridge and bread with a piece of sausage for lunch.

Against the wind we move further past Baldy Ivan. Soon - a halt. Part of the group decides to climb Ivan. Without ammunition it’s so easy. I climb without a T-shirt, the wind gets cold, and, most importantly, there is nowhere to hide from it. It fits. I climbed on the peak, there is a cross, under it there is a small depression - I lie down in the depression so that the wind does not blow. It’s a strange feeling to be on the peak of a mountain under a cross - I feel at peace, and a certain kind of reverence comes over me and calms me down.

After the descent we meet Uncle Lenya (grandfather, I would say), who, having pitched a tent on the mountain, is waiting for a friend. There once was that cunning wolf, I thought. His stories and anecdotes are filled with inexhaustible optimism and longing for youth at the same time. We quickly retreat, except for Elena, who just needs to friendly invite Uncle Lenya to our camp, the distance to which she has no idea.

The traverse along Northern Demerdzhi - what it's like. I wrote it down in my notebook - as the instructor said - it seems to sound so authoritative.

We are walking on the edge of an abyss. The right foot slips and uffffffffffffff. This is even a little exciting. I really feel the adrenaline splashing out and spreading sharply in the solar plexus area. Through the forest we reach another observation clearing - one of the most beautiful, as it seemed to me. The sea is already visible more clearly. Alushta - I’ve never been there, so it looks like a village to me. A little more and the Dzhurla parking lot. We are swimming at the lake for the first time in this time - very pleasant. Dinner also turns out to be very enjoyable. The herbal tea turns out to be incredibly tasty and laugh-out-loud funny (thanks to Elena - well, the one who gossiped with Uncle Lenya). Conversations about the stars. Through the transparent sky - starfall.

07/22/2009 - Along the helicopter trail.

Morning. Those who wanted to took a swim (there won’t be such an opportunity again soon). After getting ready, climb up the mountain. On the way, Vanya actively collects boletus mushrooms. People eat them even raw, converting them into energy necessary for life in the mountains. We reach South Demerdzhi - Alushta is somewhere far below.

We begin the descent. On the right, bizarre rocks create outlandish sculptures: the head of a hero, the head of Catherine, singing nymphs, weeping women, one of the organs of Potemkin’s body. A small pass for lunch and it begins…………

Descent along the helicopter path. The name of the trail is quite true. Imagine a path going down through impressive trees, their roots, stones of various shapes and sizes along a spiral path. Sometimes you need to stop and think in advance where to step in order to stay on your feet.Descending along the trail, I experienced feelings of joy long left behind in childhood from conquering such new and difficult objects to climb. Remember your feeling when you climb a branchy oak or other tree for the first time. So here it is. The sensations from the Helicopter Trail are those childhood sensations multiplied 10 times. Despite the difficulties, it was very exciting and interesting. Later we had to pay to use the trail. Some entrepreneur leased these lands from the local forestry department (it is quite likely that the lease was free of charge) and now charges a fee for the right to pass through them.

We went down. In the place where the Nikulin oak grows, we make small purchases. Along the cow path, through the forest we go up the mountain again. I lightly hum something about the captain who sailed all the seas. We quickly reach a new halt (the most beautiful in my opinion).

Dzhurla waterfall, gentle cliffs, a shepherd's house, a spring deep in the gorge, and Vanya and I bought ourselves some beer. Cooked mushrooms. We washed ourselves in the river. All in all, the evening turned out to be excellent. We talked about music, technology, likes, women, romance, laughed and joked. I slept wonderfully that night.

07/23/2009 - Man is born to rise.

It’s a pity, but you need to leave the Dzhurlu waterfall. We collectively decide that we will not follow the paths of our instructor Andrei’s youth. We came up with a name for the new trail. Lower Shadow Trail. It’s not a boring path at all, but we walk almost silently. We go in the direction of the Jur-Jur waterfall. Going down to him is very annoying. After all, man is designed by nature to rise (both literally and figuratively), which is why descending is somehow uncomfortable for the legs.

Here he is this Dzhur-Jur. Again we pay for the entrance to a place with a waterfall rented by someone. After setting up camp, a small group of daredevils (three of us) decide to find the place that Uncle Lenya told us about - where the height of the waterfall reaches 38 meters. To do this, having walked a little along the river bed along the gorge, we climb high up another Crimean mountain in order to go around the rock that is on our way along the gorge. We go around it. With great difficulty we descended again to the river (it took quite a while). We go forward along the riverbed again, but, despite the lack of backpacks, we decide to return. We cross to the other side of the river, overcome the obstacle in the form of a complex rock architecture and find people who freely walk back and forth along the other bank, without making any complex acrobatic and labor-intensive ascents and descents.

It turns out that, walking along the river bed, we could freely come here, and at the same time we would still have the determination to go much further to find this high waterfall. Well. Let's do this next time. And now we take the advertised baths of youth and take pictures at the 7-meter waterfall. I note to the organizers that if part of the hike passed through this gorge along the river bed, then the name “Water and Stones” would be more suitable.

Vanya and I bought bottled wine from local merchants and had a wonderful time sitting on a bench, watching people and having a heartfelt conversation. We returned to camp. It’s been a long time since we ate a very satisfying meal. Sleep.

07/24/09 - Sea after mountains.

In the morning we went down to Generalskoe, ate fresh pies bought from grandma, and took a taxi to Solnechnogorsk, to the sea, people, heat and noise. After several swims, I got tired of the sea, or rather, the mountains left such a memory of themselves that the sea was no longer interesting. We had a snack with Vanya and took a minibus to Simferopol. We drove past Alushta. With a smile I remembered how the city looked from the mountains and how small it seemed.

Having said goodbye to Vanya, I boarded the train to Kyiv and left for new adventures, which I will write about another time.

Andrey Zubkevich, Minsk 2009.