Our next seminar walk was originally conceived as a super climb to Ai Petri. In one daylight (from 6 am to 6 pm) with a group of 20 people, I was going to walk from the Glade of Fairy Tales to the Uchan-su waterfall, climb the plateau along the Taraktash trail, walk to the cable car and ride down on it. A very realistic plan, but not for us... Firstly, we couldn’t go out so early - morning training at 6, and then breakfast. In total, the start was no earlier than 10. Secondly, there was snow at the top and a fairly strong wind was blowing. Most of the group was wearing sneakers and had an extremely “unintelligible” wardrobe. Well, the most important thing is that in order to accomplish such a feat, you must really want it. I didn’t notice such enthusiasm in our ranks and decided to cut the travel program to a modest walk along the Botkin trail.
And he did the right thing. The clouds that day hovered at an altitude of about 650 meters and, having risen above this level, we would have seen nothing but a white haze. We started our journey from the Glade of Fairy Tales. From here we could see Stavri-Kaya - the highest point of our route. The cross on the top of this mountain was barely visible even against the white background of the clouds. The guys asked me ten times if we were really going to climb THERE. Even less confidence was generated by the statement that we would do this in just two hours. And when I set the pace (my favorite snail's pace), the people seemed to have completely lost hope of coming home by nightfall.
To raise morale and distract from all sorts of bad thoughts, I wished the group “Danetka”. Although only a few people actively participated in solving it, it nevertheless revived our company and calmed my conscience a little. The ascent to Stavri-Kaya along the Botkin trail is indeed a bit monotonous. This is a very smooth and “thick” serpentine among the pines. But after we climbed up, the group perked up noticeably. Walking became easier and more interesting. Overhanging stone cornices and traces of recent landslides, streams formed in the most unexpected places, which are so lacking here in the summer - all this did not frighten, but rather attracted and invigorated. One of us got so excited that he went for a swim in one of the newly formed “spring” waterfalls.
Then there was lunch on the rock that towers above Wuchang Su, tea with the smell of smoke and a close circle around the fire.
We decided to go back along the asphalt (serpentine leading from Yalta to Ai-Petri). On the way we turned to the Wuchang Su waterfall - I wanted to see what it looked like from below. I must say that the waterfall this time turned out to be simply magnificent. If in the summer Wuchang Su was just wet streaks on the rock, then now, in March, he was full of strength and truly mesmerizing.
I will not describe our further descent along the highway to Yalta. Asphalt is also asphalt in Africa. My feet are buzzing and my tongue is itching. I mean, we talked.