Voronezh goes to Crimea again

Hiking trip in Crimea September 6-11, 2009, route “Water and Stones”.
To the foot of Chatyr-Dag we walked along the edge of the plateau, observing the already seemingly unreal civilized life below. And when the ascent actually began, a very interesting and pleasant ascent mode was announced. Its essence was the phrase “Do you see that tree?..”

My second trip to the magical Crimea, due to problems with tickets, began as usual from Kursk (after all, we are not looking for easy ways).

After a 5-hour vigil on the Voronezh-Kursk train, Zhenya and I (a colleague and, in fact, the main instigator of the next trip) finally boarded a real train. We traveled at night and in different carriages, so this journey was not memorable in any way. Except that the conductor completely forgot to give me a registration card before crossing the border, and this super-important piece of paper was filled out in the semi-darkness and haste on the top side shelf at half past two in the morning under the stern reprimand of a gloomy border guard.

In the morning it turned out that another Crimean traveler was traveling in my compartment, oddly enough, also from Voronezh (and the train was Moscow-Simferopol via Kursk), unlike me, however, he was free. Those. such a “one-person tourist”. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of hiking with and without a group, I finally took a closer look at the map of Crimea, and we quietly approached Simferopol.

At the station.

At the station at the gathering place, by the time we arrived, a substantial crowd of people with huge backpacks, in bright clothes (there was a lot of orange) and with cheerful faces had already formed. Flying up to the guys, I cheerfully announced that Voronezh had arrived, after which the guy standing next to me recoiled from me, muttering “I’m not Kirill,” and ran to the other side of the circle, which made me laugh very much.

Zhenya, the tourist with whom I was traveling in the same compartment, said goodbye to us, handed me a head of garlic with the parting words “if you’re freezing, eat it” and set off along his own route towards the mountains of Crimea.

With us, Sorokin was the first to arrive from the leadership team (which caused a slight cheerful shock in Zhenya - she was not aware of who would be the guide this time, and now it turned out that on her fourth Crimean campaign, as in the previous three, she would go again with Vladimir). Next Kirill appeared, finally divided us into 2 groups, handed over food and rented equipment, helped pack everything, handed out pieces of paper with contact information in case of force majeure and sent everyone on a minibus to Perevalnoye.

In our group, excluding 2 people who did not arrive without warning for some mysterious reasons, there were 8 people, not counting the guide: Zhenya and I, guys from Moscow - Sveta and Dima, 4 people from Donetsk - Regina and Sergey with their 11-year-old daughter Katya and their friend Ivan.

First hiking day

The first group left the station earlier, and we followed suit. We boarded the bus and drove for about 40 minutes to the starting point. I almost fell asleep (the nervous communication at the border was taking its toll), without realizing the delights of contemplating the space around Simferopol from the minibus window.

A short briefing from Vladimir in Perevalny - and hello, the famous Ishacha Trail. I can’t say how long the transition took before the first halt - in general, the concept of time in Crimea tends to change in an arbitrary direction - but no one thought it was enough. Mass changing into lighter clothes and a furious attack on water supplies began. For the latter, of course, we were punished by the next part of the climb.

The second big stop was already “lunch”. Vladimir quickly made tea, and we made sandwiches. Water was granted to us from the nearest pure Source, decorated with exquisite natural taste with fallen crimson leaves.

We approached the Mammoth Cave (lower plateau of Chatyr-Dag) in the evening, having overcome a boring long climb, part of which I, having seen enough of Vladimir, walked barefoot. The restless child Katerina ran ahead of everyone.

By the way, on this and subsequent ascents, thanks to Ivan, I changed my opinion regarding smoking tourists, because the Donetsk native was not much behind the 11-year-old sprinter, i.e. He was always above us on the rise, smoking and waiting for those lagging behind.

Having found a deeper depression, we set up tents. In response to the logical assumption that the lower, the damper, Vladimir said that “everything will be fine,” sent us on excursions around the caves and advised us to take flashlights, because... we had to return back in complete darkness.

Of the two caves available relatively nearby, we chose the one further away - Marble. The not-so-friendly ticket taker said that we couldn’t possibly make it on time for the full route and offered to get acquainted with only part of it (something about lakes, I don’t remember the names). At this time, a little further away at the table a group of people were hanging out, we assumed they were guides, wondering who would get the last group. We were lucky - the excursion was led by a pleasant girl in every sense, Sveta, who, in my opinion, very competently and with humor told us about the sights of the local underground kingdom. It was promised to show a piece of another move at the end of the route, but the demonstration was spontaneously canceled because... from behind the desired turn, the chilling indistinct howls of local speleologists could be heard, to which Sveta said meaningfully: “They are working...”)))

We returned back in the light of an almost full moon; we only needed flashlights when descending over the rocks into our karmic funnel with tents. Dinner was already ready, and it was there that our somewhat strange 6-day relationship with various kinds of cereals began. The people clearly did not understand this way of eating, and most of the contents of the pot were traditionally sent to the local animals for dinner/breakfast.

Over the fire we finally met by name, but we were all somehow very tired, so after tea we went to our tents.

Second hiking day

Despite Vladimir's assurances, it was very damp at night. I woke up, apparently, before everyone else (but not before the guide), in fact, from the feeling that I was lying in a damp sleeping bag. Having walked up from our overnight rocky depression, having nothing else to do, I warmed up a little, and met Vladimir, who had already managed to run to a distant spring, shower himself and start preparing breakfast. Soon the waking people began to flock to the fire. Donetsk claimed that that night they had their first acquaintance with sleeping bags and not to say that it was particularly pleasant. So the morning porridge was eaten accompanied by a cheerful discussion of the features of the tourist lifestyle.

After breakfast, at exactly 08-50 (as on all subsequent days; how we did it is a mystery), we set out to conquer Tent Mountain, turning to a spring along the way for water and morning washes. One of the next stops was in the Yew Gorge with a tiny cave favored by midges, gorgeous huge stones and fallen trees.

To the foot of Chatyr-Dag we walked along the edge of the plateau, observing the already seemingly unreal civilized life below. And when the ascent actually began, a very interesting and pleasant ascent mode was announced. Its essence was the phrase “Do you see that tree?..” In short, we were given the final collection point and given a free schedule of movement. We climbed in a comfortable mode, the main idea of ​​which in Zhenya’s and my case was that when “I can’t do it at all,” then “I go for another 30 seconds and a minute’s rest.”

However, Vladimir did not approve of our tactics, saying that it was better to walk longer and rest longer than to move in such leaps. Well, but we enjoyed the climb, and that’s the main thing. Katya and Ivan, it should be noted, as usual, they waved their hands to us all the time somewhere far above))

After having lunch almost at the very top, we went further along the ridge. Along the way we observed climbing hooks, inexplicably driven tightly into stone, foreign-looking iron structures in an extremely abandoned state, and clouds rushing almost through us.

We stopped at a stone embankment, next to which we found an excellent bird's eye view of Alushta and the beginning of the descent. As has already been repeatedly mentioned in reports, the descent is a separate article concerning the physical condition of the important support points of the tourist’s body - the knees. Voronezh and Moscow managed without injuries, but among the male population of Donetsk old injuries to the kneecaps reminded of themselves, which is not a joke at all... However, the guys courageously continued to walk, without even requiring a bandage.

At one of the stops during the Great Descent (we were rapidly losing all the height we had gained with such difficulty over the past day and a half), I discovered a tick on my neck. Apparently, lying on the grass without foam at the top of Chatyr-Dag, despite September, was not in vain. However, this day was not the most successful for the insidious insect, because Vladimir in a few seconds deprived him of both food and transport in the form of me.

Soon we crossed the Angarsk Pass; passed the highway where Sergei asked everyone to stop for a very important purchase. Guess what? No, not beer and/or chocolate. He bought a bow. Regular raw onion. To the logical question “Why?!” I saw eyes no less surprised than mine and an equally logical short answer: “To eat.” As I suspected, the onion was to be consumed in a completely unprocessed form, which was a cultural shock for me - well, neither I nor anyone I know eats this vegetable this way.

However, it was not only me who was shocked - Donetsk also witnessed for the first time the phenomenon in the form of a person who does not know how to enjoy the “delicious addition” to almost any dish. By the way, attempts to accustom me to this sacred act (eating raw onions) lasted several days and had virtually no success - I still believe that they are bitter and generally inedible in their natural form)).

On this day, the weather watched us especially carefully, adjusting it as best it could. Those. As soon as we stopped to rest for a few minutes, a cloud appeared above us and began splashing water meaningfully and with varying intensity. We sighed, put our backpacks on our backs and moved away from the rainy cloud grazing us.

More than once in the forests we met decently dressed people on a walk. And while the adults smiled reservedly and even responded to greetings, the children were openly having fun, pointing their fingers at us and making mysterious signs to each other.

By the end of the day, we finally arrived at Andryukhin’s glade (as the inscription on the boulder stated), set up camp and started eating dinner. There was a spring nearby, so swimming in the icy water complemented the evening’s program.

Third hiking day

On this day we were supposed to see Demerdzhi and the Valley of Ghosts, and in connection with this, such a strong climb was planned. During the process, Vladimir was interrogated with passion about how to breathe correctly. After much torture, he confessed that in fact you only need to breathe through your nose. Or at least inhale through your nose. We immediately started practicing. Indeed, it became easier to climb. If you could still resist taking a sip of water at rest stops, it would be absolutely wonderful.

While we climbed the saddle between North and South Demerdzhi, we managed to observe various methods of conquering the peaks. The most popular were jeeps and horses. Raising clouds of dust, they proudly rushed past, looking down at us, not suspecting that it was we who were looking at them with a grin)

Having reached the secret clearing where we hid our backpacks, we set off to the legendary peak. Having shown us the Valley of Ghosts from above, Vladimir went to prepare lunch, while we scattered around the local attractions. At some distance, teasing with its unapproachable metallic appearance and the fantastic shapes of the stones around, stood a tower marking the height.

Of course, Zhenya and I headed there, fortunately we fell into the “window” between the raids of tourists and had a lot of climbing and lying on the rocks. We even had the honor of watching a small flock of 5 ravens perform a ceremonial Wind Dance right next to us. The rest of the guys used this time more productively - they went down to the lunch clearing. However, we soon joined them.

After snacking on sandwiches, we began to descend again and in the evening we reached a large clearing near a mountain stream, in which, of course, we did not hesitate to swim. A little further from the clearing there were marvelous observation platforms, from which a stunning view of the autumn mountains opened... It was wonderful.

Fourth hiking day. It turned out to be the most difficult for me.

If we thought that we went down a lot yesterday, we were wrong. This time everything was much more serious, and the guys really began to persuade Vladimir to replace the descents with ascents. “Do you still have knees? Then we are coming to you” - this was the slogan of the day performed by Vanya.

And the goal of this long execution, popularly called the descent, was the Jur-Jur waterfall. Again a meeting with civilization, and here Ivan, embodying everyone’s aspirations for normal food, made a heroic foray into the village closest to the waterfall (2 km) for tomatoes, sweet peppers, honey, milk, cheese and other various goodies.

While waiting for him, we walked around the developed part of the “reserved area”.

It was not possible to photograph the falling waterfall from above - the process was interrupted by the uncle-guard’s screams into the megaphone, in various variations, but always in the imperative mood using the verb “to move away.”

The number of people swimming everywhere upstream was staggering. It was a massive water craze, in which we also wanted to take part, but somehow without the noisy crowd. Meanwhile, Vladimir confidently led us to the treasured rock, which, however, only Dima and Sveta and I had the desire to climb over. As a reward, we received for unlimited use several completely free baths with refreshingly icy water.

After swimming and meeting Ivan with tasty purchases, we settled down in a clearing not far from the checkpoint, had a snack, and then moved on. Our evening destination was the Ai-Alexiy parking lot.

On the way, we met more than one group moving independently and gave them our entrance tickets to the waterfall area. There we also met a friend from the train, Zhenya, cheerfully running “like a moose” (Vladimir’s expression) towards Chatyr-Dag. On another steep climb, we saw in the bushes a bull that had wandered in and was resting. Having estimated its weight, we decided that we couldn’t carry it to the parking lot, and left it alone.

Having received secret information from the tourists he met that a forester periodically goes to Ai-Alexiy, collecting bribes for tents, water, and fire, Vladimir changed our destination to the Su-At parking lot, which was located 1.5 km further up. This climb was really difficult for me personally, and for unknown reasons.

However, our efforts were rewarded with a beautiful clearing, a spring from a barrel and a mind-blowing prelude to dinner in the form of a salad of tomatoes, peppers, garlic (a gift from the “one-person tourist”), soy sauce, mayonnaise, raw onions (where would we be without it!) and smoked cheese. Moreover, Ivan performed shamanism over a work of culinary art with his own hand, having first driven the entire female team away from the kitchen hemp (“you’ll ruin it...”)

Fifth marching day

The end of the hike was approaching, and everyone was slowly becoming sad. Even the worn-out legs no longer seemed like a problem, and walking somehow became much easier... But jokes about raiding the nearest cheburek shop also remained relevant)

The pre-lunch trek passed unnoticed, and at the end a special surprise was prepared for us - another global descent. We went out to two lakes - Big and Small, stopped at the last one, because it was fed by the purest spring, and rushed to swim.

During the entire hike the weather was surprisingly pleasant - it was warm, but not unbearably hot; clouds protected us from the sun, a light breeze helped us dry off after the climbs, and the rain appeared only as a driving factor and for no more than a couple of minutes. Apparently, this was compensation for our trip to the Crimea with Zhenya in May)) And the Jew's harp lost there was clearly favorably received as an offering to the gods of the Mountains.

On the Small Lake, local vacationers were found talking in a mesmerizing Ukrainian language and passing the time catching fish and crayfish. After a swim, everyone set out together to get the coveted grapes, because 200 meters from the parking lot, many kilometers of vineyards began.

Having gorged ourselves on extremely juicy berries, we headed to the parking lot, enticed along the way by several wonderful fresh pallets as firewood for the fire. Already sitting at dinner, we remembered that, in fact, there was a rolled-up blanket and matches lying nearby, i.e. most likely we plundered the rookery of a local guard)

Before dark, Zhenya and I still managed to run and admire the neighboring Big Lake, which also had the purest water.

The final evening passed with leisurely conversations about the past campaign; then the people smoothly flowed into the tents. And Ivan came up with the wonderful idea of ​​sleeping in the open air, which he did with success.

Sixth hiking day

In the morning we slowly got ready and took pictures, Sergei joked about the acquired analogue of decompression sickness - now we will have to specially buy a backpack, load it and run along the seashore and around the house in Donetsk in order to get into the familiar state of a cheerful tourist.

That morning we persuaded Vladimir not to cook the porridge, limiting himself to tea with the remains of dry rations.

And at exactly 8:50 we set off towards Rybachy, the end point of our route. Vladimir warned that we would have to walk 8 kilometers along a very dusty road, and we mentally prepared for this. However, our mystical punctuality “shot” in the most unexpected way. In the last seconds of departure, a small truck was caught bringing workers to the grape harvest. And we, shouting “hurray”, jumped into his body together. It was dusty there too - but only for 20 minutes. We were taken straight to the entrance to the beach, where we solemnly unloaded.

Having released our "taxi", we went to entertain with our appearance the peacefully resting citizens, in large numbers reclining on the coastal pebbles. There was a light storm, the sea diligently did not allow those who wanted to plunge into its possessions, and those who got to the opportunity to ride the waves were released with great reluctance.

Having refreshed ourselves, we rearranged our things so as to free up the backpacks rented by the guys from Donetsk, said goodbye to Vladimir and put him on the bus to Simferopol. Next was a festive banquet and eating various complex foods in a solemn atmosphere in one of the coastal cafes, after which, having said goodbye, hugged and exchanged addresses, we went our separate ways in accordance with our plans for further rest.

I'm finishing

I’m finishing, and I really want to thank my companions along the incredibly pleasant and definitely more comfortable weather (than the previous May hike - Romantic Collection) route. I was quite surprised that Donetsk, as it turned out from subsequent correspondence, was really having a hard time in some moments, both worn out legs and injured knees hurt, general fatigue was taking its toll, but the guys, to their credit, did not leave the route and, moreover, they tried not to show any discomfort, turning everything into a joke.

Dima and Sveta also very steadfastly endured all the steep climbs and equally steep descents, overcoming them measuredly and delighting with their optimism.

Traditional “domo arigato” to Vladimir as the author of amazing herbal teas, an expert on many secret paths, clearings and springs, who generously shared his knowledge with us.

Kirill and Sveta, the organizers, of course, thank you too. Well, it’s clear why)

p.s. By the way, I researched sites offering similar services for organizing various hikes - I am pleased to note that in terms of friendliness, the form of providing information and the overall impression outdoorukraine.com is unrivaled)) Keep up the good work)

p.p.s. Another surprising fact for me, which, however, confirms the inscrutability of the Crimean mountain roads - we never crossed paths with the first group, although the key points that were marked both in ours and in their photographs were generally the same))

Arsentieva Anna, Voronezh 2009.