Live for today

This hike, in addition to beautiful views and a sea of ​​adventures, gave me a mood that is not so easy to acquire: “Live for today.”

When you leave civilization for a week and forget about the things that seemed important to you in the city, your worldview changes. It becomes easier to breathe and life becomes more pleasant...

Day One. Phrase of the day: “20 minutes” (became a household word).

As planned, the group gathered at the Feodosia train station. There are smiles on our faces, anticipation of an unforgettable week in our thoughts. On the way to the bus station we walked around Feodosia. And here we are on the bus: 11 people and the same number of backpacks.

Then the first climb is to Mount Klementyev. The sun was shining mercilessly, the backpack, which seemed light at the station, was chafing my shoulders. The first calluses on my feet made themselves felt. But the view that greeted our eyes was worth it.

After an hour of walking, we left our instructor Evgeny with his backpacks and headed to the “Starfall of Memories”. It was hard to leave there. Not because we were tired and didn’t want to walk, but because the landscape was so captivating that it was impossible to tear ourselves away, breathe in, and remember it in its entirety. But still it was necessary to move on.

And finally HE is the Spring! With beautiful cold clean water. Lunch was included with the spring, which everyone was incredibly happy about.

Then we walked for n number of hours. I only remember Green’s path, along which even grannies walk and Old Crimea in the distance. There was no time to look around, but while walking it was possible to study the heels of the person in front in great detail. Having difficulty finding a place to spend the night, we rushed to set up tents with joyful fatigue. We got to know each other better by the fire, but we didn’t have the strength to get to know each other any closer, and everyone fell off to bed.

Day Two. “Is this today??”

Everyone woke up at about the same time. Evgeniy prepared us a very tasty breakfast (or is it all so delicious in nature?) and we hit the road. On the way, we met a very cheerful grandfather who took his grandchildren (there were countless of them) for a walk. They squealed and squealed joyfully, and he, jokingly, chased them with a twig. All in all, a fun company.

We headed to the Surb-Khach monastery. A very interesting monastery both inside and outside. As true connoisseurs of spring water, we tasted water from all three sources of the monastery and determined the best. Our lunch took place near the monastery of Surb Stepanos, which looked very vaguely like a monastery. After resting, we went to Mount Frank-Meser. I don’t remember how long we walked, but time passed quickly.

Another breathtaking landscape awaited us on Mount Frank-Mezer. While Evgeniy and Vanya went to the spring, we laughed and studied the plan of our route, and it turned out that we had walked a little more than necessary. Just for a DAY!!! Not expecting such agility from themselves, everyone was a little shocked. Well, in the evening we were treated to a delicious dinner and a farewell to the sun to the accompaniment of Birta’s ocarina and several mugs of tea.

Day three. Well, very rich.

Perhaps this day was remembered most of all. It all started with an innocent walk through the forest to the village of Krasnokamenka. On the way we saw local attractions: Scythian boxes, two monuments to partisans. We walked through the forest, which was pleasing to the eye, body and mosquitoes during the rest.

We arrived at the temple grounds at the foot of Mount Sandyk-Kaya. Leaving our backpacks in the “closet” of the temple, we climbed up. A tough climb and another breathtaking view. But what happened then...

And then there was the descent, which for some became a turning point (there were two fewer of us), for some it was an adrenaline rush, and for others it was just a fun adventure. It was, to put it mildly, steep, very “slippery” and dusty. Everyone walked as best they could, or, more accurately, they drove. On one side barbed wire hung welcomingly, on the other the trees were saviors (what would we do without them?). Overall, unforgettable.

Having descended, we hurried to the village to take a bus to the lake. Of course, it was not in the plan, but everyone unanimously voted “For”, because after 3 days of such adventures, I really wanted to wash myself!

And there was a store at the stop! Well, how can you resist here?! I immediately wanted ice cream/water/kvass/chips...Having had enough of civilization, we boarded the bus and went.

Unfortunately, local residents often visit the lake, so there was trash everywhere. We, accustomed to clean forests, were a little embarrassed by this circumstance, but what can you do? After the long-awaited wash and washing, everyone felt great.

Our happiness was reinforced by a delicious canned fish soup and other goodies, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon and CAKE, which Evgeniy’s friend kindly treated us to. What a wonderful day with a wonderful ending!

Day four. Lazy.

The weather was strange, we had to go uphill, but fortunately we had Birta and her magical refreshing spray (you take water into your mouth and spray it on the person who wants it).

Everyone wanted to go to the sea, and we decided to go to Fox Bay instead of the mountains. The landscapes were mesmerizing: the “sandy” mountains and Karadag in the distance and, of course, the sea. Already on the descent to “Liska” we began to meet extraordinary personalities, because it is precisely for them that it is famous.

And here it is, the long-awaited sea. There was nowhere to fall, so we went to the other end of the bay and found a free place, but with a bad approach. After a refreshing swim, most of the group began to suffer from stone disease. Personally, I brought home a good handful of stones. That is, not stones, but pebbles, which in water are brilliantly attractive with their color, but when dry they are not so beautiful.

The sea was very exhausting for everyone and the only thing we had enough for was to eat and go listen to the hippies play the drums. Very calming. We slept right on the beach in a row.

Day five. Day of enthusiasm.

We all woke up at 5 am to photograph the sunrise. Evgeniy made us coffee. And an hour later, 2 enthusiasts (Vanya and I) and, of course, Evgeniy set out for a morning walk to Echki-Dag. The rest stayed at sea to get a bronze tan.

I will never regret this little trip. Two hours of climbing up and another two down on my butt (collecting stones for my collection along the way), but what memories. Evgeniy took us to a green grotto, which “few people know” about, as evidenced by two hidden bottles of water.

We returned in the very heat, ate and all went together to the village of Kurortnoye to get from there to Koktebel. “For only” 40 hryvnia we were taken on a boat with a “luxurious” excursion, after which we did not learn anything new. But fortunately, our guide Evgeniy knew what to tell. After such a large civilization as Koktebel, for some reason I wanted to go home, but as soon as I had lunch with sprats and bread, life got a little better.

We were already too lazy to walk, but we still managed a couple of kilometers and reached Quiet Bay. While we were walking, paragliders were circling above us, it was very cool to watch this picture. We settled down on the beach, and Evgeniy went to look for water. We made a couple of attempts to set the tea ourselves, but to no avail. The evening passed quickly. And now it’s morning.

Day six. Farewell.

In the morning we ate farewell porridge and drank farewell tea. Everyone decided on their plans and began to pack their things. As a souvenir, Birta gave us original handmade bracelets. We took photos somehow without several people.

At 11 o'clock Evgeniy's friend picked us up by car. This day turned out differently for everyone. Personally, I went to the Aivazovsky Museum in Feodosia and then, together with Evgeny, drove to Sevastopol.

I want to say a big thank you to everyone for such a wonderful week! It’s not for nothing that they say: “Bad people don’t go camping.” A huge thank you to our instructor Evgeniy, who cooked very tasty food, was always in a good mood and knew everything about everything, who listened to our desires and led us in accordance with them.

This was my first trip and certainly not my last!

Inga Rozka, Sevastopol