Oh my, what's next?

Review of a hiking trip in Crimea along the “Water and Stones” route in September 2012.
Where to start, probably with the choice of route and fees?
We had never gone hiking before; our ideas about what awaited us on the road were very vague and based on stories from friends. And these stories ranged from “a most pleasant walk with photography and an overnight stay in beautiful places” to “this is very difficult for a city dweller, every gram in the backpack is important. It’s only beautiful in the picture, but in reality it’s hard and monotonous work.” In general, very different people gave us stories and advice, based on which we only made a couple of useful conclusions.
1. It is better to go on your first hike with a large group and an instructor.
2. Don't count on someone to take things we might need (such as knives, flashlights, or medicine).
After we loaded the backpacks, and at the collection point they were loaded with general products, my backpack weighed approximately 23-25 ​​kg, and my wife’s backpack 12-13 kg.

The beginning turned out to be unexpectedly difficult. Most of the route that had to be covered on the first day was downhill, and the angle of climb became greater and greater. We climbed almost vertically along winding paths to the Chatyr-Dag plateau, for some reason I remembered the stories of friends who sang of difficulties and hardships. Willy-nilly, the thought “Oh my, if this is just the beginning, then what’s next?” came into my head. But after the climb it turned out that we had passed the most difficult section of the entire route. It even became somehow sad.

We spent the night that day at some military base, setting up a tent camp in a vacant lot in front of the buildings. Here trekkers could take advantage of out-of-the-bush amenities and hot showers for a small fee for the last time.

The second day gave us a walk along the almost flat surface of the plateau with slight ascents, then a sharp ascent, and then a rather long descent. Maybe someone expected the descent to be easy, as is the case when going down stairs, but in fact, a steep descent is more difficult than a steep ascent. The muscles of the legs are constantly tense, you cannot step on a straight leg, the sole must be placed so as not to slide down the small pebbles, of which there are plenty on all paths. Some managed the descent faster, while others had to wait first in the shade of the trees, looking at the beauty along the way. First there was a steep descent through bald rocky terrain, and then there was a descent through the forest. Most of us got pretty burnt while on the mountain, and everyone found the shade from the treetops a joy. We stopped for the night near Lake Kutuzovskoye, which turned out to be completely dry and overgrown with grass; cows grazed melancholy on it, and they tried to walk around our camp with the same melancholy look. But with them the issue was resolved quite simply with the help of improvised objects and some kind of mother.

At the bottom of the dry lake there was a lot of lemon balm, which makes wonderful tea when cooked over a fire. Our third day was spent going up and down through mountain forests. A couple of times we went out onto hills, which offered a wonderful view of the surrounding landscapes and the sea, along which we moved throughout the following days. We were not shown the sights that were announced for that day, but personally, that route was enough for me. I really enjoyed the long walk along the path that encircled the mountain slope. There is solid ground under you, and 30 cm to the right there is a steep cliff of 700 meters. On this path you cannot count crows, you need to look at your feet, and you can only examine the wonderful view around you by stopping. And look at what is there.

I just remember the huge number of flies. If anyone has a mosquito net, they should definitely take it. These small infections simply stick to all exposed parts of the body. At first you try to get them off your hands and feet, but then you realize that if you get them off your hands, they get in your face. So you quickly get used to them. The following days were no different. Walking, uphill descents, mobile communications appeared. The Jur-Jur waterfall was remembered by hundreds of tourists, who were a very big contrast compared to the deserted mountain paths. I really remember the evening gatherings around the fire and playing mafia. If you look at the route stated on the website, ours did not correspond to it. Perhaps it was simplified due to the characteristics of the participants. But personally, what was important to me was the process itself, and not some stones popular among tourists.

At the end of the route, in the village of Rybachye, we decided to stay a few more days. Initial plans to camp somewhere near the sea with a tent failed, because... either private property or bare rocks. As a result, we had lunch on the rocky shore and went to check in with the locals and take a wonderful hot shower. We weren't the only ones in the group who decided to live by the sea for a while, so we had someone to spend time with and chat with.

I was pleased with the hike and my wife will support me. We had an excellent first experience of walking in Crimea and will definitely continue it.

Alex Yudin