A hike is far from a walk through a clearing

Report on the trip “Canyons of Crimea” Crimea, July 2013.

I want to share my small tourist experience of participating in the hike. The story will be interesting to everyone who is going to go hiking for the first time, and especially to girls who could never even imagine that they would someday dare and go on such a “walk.”

I am an absolutely city girl, not too used to active recreation, but I have always been interested in any type of tourism. The hike became a test of strength and endurance for me.

I would like to note right away that, as it became clear to me only now, a hike is far from a walk through a clearing, especially when you go to the mountains. You need to walk 5-10 km a day. Descents and ascents await you at every kilometer. Weather conditions can fail, as, in fact, happened to our group.

More details from here.

There were no signs of trouble, the sun was shining brightly and cheerfully. We stocked up on sunscreen and glasses, a shawl to protect our shoulders from the sun, and already imagined how we would cool off in the icy mountain streams after a hard, hot trek.

But none of the above was useful, since it rained heavily almost all days. On the second day, the whole group was soaked to the skin - their clothes were soaked, no matter how wet they were, their sneakers were wet until the end of the hike. But it was not hot almost all the time)))) And the problem of freshening up (washing) was not as acute as it usually is when hiking.

In general, it was still a lot of fun :)) The water is pouring down from above, everything is flowing and floating under your feet, the mud is flooding your sneakers, the slopes are very slippery, your Panama hat is dripping, the sky doesn’t even think of clearing, and only optimism and a good mood can support morale at such a moment. Now I’m definitely convinced that it’s better not to waste money and buy the best raincoat to stay at least a little dry, the main thing is to protect your backpack.

As a result of such a day trip, we were all terribly wet and frozen. Therefore, when we arrived at the parking lot, we began to somehow dry ourselves (it was still raining) and warm ourselves by the fire

I would also like to say about the physical activity of hiking in the mountains. Of course, this is far from simple. Walking with a high hip lift and balancing on the descent, crawling up and down rocks, and sometimes over a cliff, is difficult, but possible. Although the organizers write on their websites that anyone can go without special physical training, this is not entirely true. It would be nice to be involved in at least some physical activity. My preparation includes several years of step aerobics, walking and cycling around the city and outside the city whenever possible)) So, if you don’t go further than the store or work, then the hike will be unrealistically difficult. Hiking in the mountains will be hard labor.

Several days have passed since the end of the hike. We can talk about the general impression.

While you are young and full of strength and energy, it’s time to experiment. I had this opportunity - to get to know Crimea from the other side, test my strength, and discover something new. Now I treat many household things much more simply, and at least heavy rain definitely won’t scare me, and the lack of a hairstyle as such is not a big problem)))

The conditions of the hike strongly contrast with my everyday life, and I am very glad that I went on the hike - although I didn’t have such a feeling during the hike))))), I saw the beautiful places of the Crimean Mountains, and met good people.

In a word, I recommend it to everyone! At a minimum, you will know what a hike is, and at a maximum, you will find your charm in the hiking life and want to repeat it.