Hiking... I never thought I would want to go hiking in the hot sun with a backpack on my back. Only a year ago I looked at a group of tourists on Chatyr-Dag from the bus window and thought - what an idiot you have to be to drag your feet and shoulders through the dust, without proper water and hygiene, across a scorched plateau in search of who knows what...
But literally a month before the hike I saw a link to Kirill’s website, looked it up, and just got sick of this hike... I got sick and infected several friends and colleagues. I’ll make a reservation right away - none of them could go, in the end I went with my wife, who didn’t really want to go there, but wouldn’t let one go.
Moreover, after looking at the site, reading literally everything that was there, I searched the Internet for similar sites, found a few more, but settled on Kirill. I would like to note that I liked the design, the clarity of the information, the style, practical and extensive advice on choosing equipment, route descriptions and reviews.
About the trip in general - a diary
I’ll say right away, anticipating my possible subsequent passages, that my impressions of the hike were super positive. It's truly a vacation. But rest is not physical - moral rest. On the second day of the hike, I no longer remembered my work, I forgot my office, papers, phone calls and other rubbish that was constant, inevitable, and in some cases even necessary in everyday life. The truth is written on the website - this is a vacation specifically for office workers. Although this does not detract from the pleasure of wallowing after a hike on the beach for several days, which is what my wife and I did.
Once again – hiking in the mountains is great! Feelings of the vast space lying in front of you - a ridge of mountains stretching to the horizon and hiding in the haze, the sea sometimes peeking through - sometimes foggy, sometimes with a sunset melting in it, tiny reservoirs on top, bugs of cars on the Angarsk Pass, the Simferopol highway - only from a height you can see how it meanders through the mountains, and where the long drive on seemingly some kind comes from 20-40 km (!) - all this is unforgettable.
Nevertheless, if I grumble somewhere, this is my personal opinion, which in no way detracts from the positive nature of the hike (just parallel impressions of the same thing) and if Kirill publishes it on his website, I think it will be useful to many.
The first day - meeting everyone, looking after everyone, rearranging things and sorting out food, riding in an old broken-down trolleybus to the starting point of the route, the last store, the first ascents and descents, the first fatigue, sweat, photographs, the first people running ahead and behind, the first rests. We were lucky - we climbed to the lower Chatyrdag plateau when the sun was overcast with light clouds, which saved us from the frying pan. Right there on the plateau we had lunch - sandwiches and leftover food that everyone had left over from the trains. We had a snack, rested a little, and headed up the mountain again. The first moments appeared when it seemed like one more step and you would die, there was little room for the heart and lungs.
Our goal today was the Emine Bair Khosar cave. My wife and I were there a year ago, so there was no particular desire to get there, but we had to go through a checkpoint.
And then my wife suffered her first injury – her knee. After a long climb up, where the load was mainly on breathing and perseverance, the descent began. Naturally, our legs are not accustomed to such dynamics of changes in the nature of loads. A careless movement of a relaxed leg at the wrong time is enough, I experienced it myself later. Something wrong with the joint, pain. This is a serious problem when you have to walk up and down with a backpack on your shoulders. The group ran ahead, we are hobbling behind, but we are moving.
We've arrived. When I stumbled before starting the route, my wife said - we’ll meet friends, even here. And here in front of us is a parking lot for tourist buses near the cave, and a hundred meters from them, the girl guide who took us here from Miskhor last year is picking flowers. Crimea is small.
Our whole crowd rushed to the buffet near the caves - mineral water, beer, live food, chocolate - we all already managed to understand in these few hours that you couldn’t buy this in the mountains even at Crimean prices.
At this stop, I got some ointment from the “fellow hikers” (it was not for nothing that Kirill called us “the pharmacists’ club”), dug out an elastic bandage from his supplies and began to treat his wife’s knee.
Kirill, meanwhile, took away the plastic container from the entire group and began to brutally crush it, reducing its volume, and then packing it into a bag. These are mountain water supply technologies. Leaving the group in the cave, the three of us, Kirill and I, went to the place of our future overnight stay.
It is necessary to mention the surface on which you have to move - this is the ground, from which stones of different sizes and shapes stick out here and there, and periodically there are holes in the ground. It’s generally scary to move around in the dark. I even came up with a name for this coating - “dragon skin” (inspired by books)
I had to go quite a distance to get water, and when I saw the source, I even took a photo for history. It’s like a hole in the ground – one meter by one meter, eighty centimeters deep. And there is some water there, and in the water there are different crocofinches swimming. Kirill, however, said that he had eaten these several times and everything was fine, but after tap water it was somehow unexpected. Although, on the other hand, the porridge will be with meat and the tea will be more satisfying.
Thus - there is as much water as you carry - we only got about forty liters in the existing container. This should have been enough for thirteen “people” to buy porridge, tea, wash the dishes, make porridge and tea in the morning, wash the dishes, wash and brush their teeth. Since there were no skills, Kirill taught in the evening how to wash dishes in such conditions. Both grass and toilet paper came in handy here. New jokes were born - “What kind of table are you with toilet paper?” But this also led to a positive result - in the absence of sufficient water for everyone, the group gathered an hour faster in the morning. In the evening we had our first dinner, unexpectedly it turned out that it was our Annushka’s birthday (!), beer bought in the caves came in handy, then there were songs and a starry sky - as promised.
And in the morning - think about it!!! – I had to pour out a liter of beer that I hadn’t drunk in the evening. Just pour it on the ground - since no one wanted to carry a kilogram of warm beer.
Thus began our second day.
Then there were many events, I will note the brightest moments, for me at least.
Second day morning - we just got out, walked for about twenty to thirty minutes and my wife again needs medical attention. While walking on the aforementioned “dragon skin,” Sashka tore off a piece of skin on the bottom of her big toe on a stone. Immediately after the injury, the finger looked pretty scary. Peroxide began, bandages, antiseptics, advice. Thanks to Marina from St. Petersburg, she was our permanent dressing nurse. The group stopped, we treated Sashka, Kirill washed Sashka’s sandal from the blood, and then walked around, took pictures of us and told, probably to cheer up the victim’s mood, scary stories about severed fingers and lips torn with an ice pick.
We are on Hangar-Burun. There is a stunning view from above, the Yalta-Simferopol highway is noisy below, and the Angarsk Pass is visible. The view is simply incredible, the air, the smell, the feeling. Super.
Descent, sun, soil underfoot, stones, scree of different grades and not a single tree. The descent is not at all easy. There was a constant gap in the pace of movement between parts of the group. Most of the group went ahead, we were lying in the apparent shadow under some bush.
Beech forest. It is interesting to compare the beeches growing on the edge of the forest - thick, branchy like oaks, and the beeches from the thicket - tall, slender. Shadow and further descent.
Lunch and siesta in a sequoia grove. Stunningly beautiful trees. There is a spring nearby. Some are sleeping, some are walking, the girls went to wash their hair with water from a spring heated in the sun. Those who were lucky got the remains of the morning water - heated in the sun to the utmost. Well, cold water gives you energy...
The descent to the Angarsk Pass - minibuses driving past to the sea - many looked after them with suspicious melancholy. At the pass, two more Dutch participants joined us and we moved to the parking lot, which was already close. Overnight and long-awaited rest.
Day three. The remains of the Funa fortification are another island of civilization in the form of a stall with a small assortment of goods. Climbing Demerdzhi. We cursed the horses. These useful creatures littered the road so much that sometimes we almost ran into their unappetizing piles on the way up.
Demerdzhi has stunning views and nature. And height. Altitude close to you. The distant land below and the birds that fly lower than you stand. This became the cause of panic, inhuman horror, the victims of which, unexpectedly even to themselves, were two participants in our hike - Nastya from St. Petersburg and my Sashka. This was a serious test for their nervous system.
This is difficult, even impossible, to understand for a person who has a neutral or even admiring attitude towards the view that opens even from the ferris wheel or the roof of a high-rise building. But the beautiful mountain landscape, combined with a steep path, along which we had to literally climb on four feet and balance on uncomfortable rocks, almost became the reason for part of our group to leave the route.
Demerdzhi has almost run out of water. Never before have we been so happy, especially our girls, about Coca-Cola, which ended up with the thrifty Dutch. We relieved them of the extra two kilograms. Just think - warm carbonated water - and how much joy!
We discovered how you can sit in the shade in the scorching sun. - You take the foam (thermal insulation mat), sit on the edge, cover your back and head with the rest - for those who wear rugs rolled into a roll, the rug itself holds on to you, as it tends to roll back and clings to your head.
We go to the tourist site Dzhurla. The rest of the water was used to wet the head of a girl from Kyiv, Lena, who had overheated that day and, as we thought, was overtired. We walk, delighting ourselves with the thought that there is a lake ahead, where we can swim. The group stretched out again, we walked on our own, at the speed of the slowest, we didn’t see the rest of the participants, including Kirill. Fatigue. But this is only half a day.
We reached Dzhurla, fell and lay there. The good news is that today we are not going any further. We will swim in the lake and relax. Even if the lake is green and has sharp gravel at the bottom. Lenka went swimming directly in her clothes, since she did not have the strength to change clothes. Then she fell and lay there exhausted. We had lunch. Let's rest. Lenka was given 50 grams of vodka and told to sleep. I passed out. And we talked for a long time with our Dutch about the fact that all Russians are alcoholics, drink antifreeze, cologne, windshield wiper and even gasoline. It seems they believed it. They looked at us strangely. Then they said it was a joke, they laughed, but somehow hesitantly. Lenka was mistaken for a young alcoholic. The hit of the day was the word “windshield wiper” - while we were frantically remembering how to say it in English - Annushka from St. Petersburg edifyingly raised her finger and, looking intently into the eyes of the Dutch, said loudly and with an accent “WIPER WIPER!!!” Got it, it's not going anywhere.
Day four. The morning began with funny things. The group standing next door began a wake-up call, which consisted of a loud cry from one of them: “GOOD MORNING, CRIMINAL MOUNTAINS!!!!!” According to the plan, this cry was supposed to raise their camp, which for the most part was located even without tents, but it was only us who jumped from it, having already been awake for an hour and a half. Then something really interesting began - we realized that they started doing something from yoga, or somewhere close to that. But it looked very funny. The crowd stands with empty mugs, stretches their hand up, then “stirs” in this cup, squats, breathes, etc. There are shouts in our camp - guys, pour some herbs, share the miracle supply, etc.
Then I splashed some solarium on the fire (which I found yesterday in the parking lot; it wasn’t used, but it was a pity to leave it). Kirill was sitting near the fire... In general, we were almost left without a guide.
The crowded tourist camp confirmed the old truth - where there are a lot of people, there is a smell of food and sewage. Both of them were through the roof. Most of us left Jurla with pleasure.
Jur-Jur waterfall. Beautiful, but a lot of people. Our tourists, who had previously cried for civilization, began to quietly hate people. The cries of fat women to their husbands were especially touching: “I’m tired! How long can you go!” To which they immediately offered to carry someone’s backpack. Even the imperturbable Kirill could not restrain himself at the sight of the guy who was walking with a camera and trekking poles - he made a comment - “Dude, where did you lose your skis? “Although who would say it - the skier himself with a backpack.
Swimming in the waterfalls upstream is great. The water is icy, you go in, your legs ache, you think - that’s it, it’s impossible to go any further. After you have been under the waterfall, it seems that the water is warm, life is beautiful, and you are generally in the shower – the feeling of cold is completely blocked.
Today is the longest trek. In total, we walked for nine hours during the day. By evening we were already like zombies. But we reached the parking lot. Today we had delicious tea. We went to bed late and decided how to go tomorrow - along a more difficult and waterless route, but more spectacular, or along an easier one and with the opportunity to replenish water supplies, but not with such large-scale views. We even communicated in raised voices somewhere. Kirill proposed a compromise option, and they agreed on it.
Day five.
The morning started with strong winds and some cooling. They started packing up the camp, and my tent almost flew away. We didn't have breakfast, let's go out. We reached a fork - most of the group with a guide went up to the Karabi plateau, the rest settled down to guard their backpacks and get some sleep. An hour and a half later we continued our journey. No special incidents occurred that day. We were pleased with the place we spent the night - a lake in which we could more or less swim. This was the first time I saw homemade dried cabbage that came with soup.
Today is "royal night". They threatened the Dutch that, according to the old Russian tradition, we would smear them with toothpaste at night. They smiled, but closed the tents. We played mafia. This is something - a game when two participants understand only English, and some of the participants do not understand English at all. Bilingual comments, linguistic misunderstandings, and so on - you just need to see it. Songs accompanied by a guitar, we even made tea again, despite the lack of drinking water and firewood.
Day six.
There was something sad and at the same time joyful at the beginning of this day. The last day when our random group walks together. Last day of tedious backpack exercises. The backpacks, however, became lighter towards the end of the trip. Kirill took the general equipment that some participants in the hike carried - Anatoly (the Rambo man as he was nicknamed on the hike) gave away the cauldron - which made the backpack decrease by 40 cm in height! Let's film and go!
We've arrived! Rybachye. They couldn’t leave for a long time, they spent half a day drinking beer and talking, and had lunch in a crowd in a cafe. We understand that this is not the first time for the cafe workers - as they warned them to be careful in the toilet there, otherwise some will reach civilization and pour water on everything they can.
About the hike in general - notes on hygiene
As I thought before the hike, it would be six days of sweat and dirt. Everything turned out to be not so terrible at all. I took a bunch of wet wipes with me - I thought I would wash myself. As a result, I brought most of it back. It came in handy - half a pack of large wet wipes, a pack of small ones. I took deodorant but didn’t use it and didn’t even remember. What’s surprising is that there are 15 sweaty “tourists” coming, I thought the train would reach Simferopol - nothing like that. Maybe because they ate food that doesn’t stink in their sweat? . A couple of cotton handkerchiefs were very relevant - wiping sweat from the face and head is much more convenient than paper napkins - they don’t tear, absorb better and don’t cling to the stubble on the face. By the way, I took an electric razor and used it once. According to the guide, his face is sunbathing and unshaven. Checked - tans. No soap was used. Well, toothpaste is understandable, although sometimes I was too lazy to brush my teeth.
I’ll repeat once again - despite all this, we didn’t smell like a herd of sweaty bison, despite the fact that we literally bathed in sweat. You can rinse off “from a bottle” near the springs; in two places there were lakes; you could also take a dip in Dzhur-Dzhur. In short, I did not die, although at home I am very sensitive to such issues. .
About the hike in general – about nutrition and more
I’ll say right away that the most delicious thing on a hike is pasta with stewed meat, canned fish soup and tea.
There were many discoveries for us here - the brightest, probably, was porridge with milk powder with raisins and chocolate! Let me note that the food that some participants indicated in the questionnaires as absolutely and categorically unacceptable - it was cabbage, nuts, raisins - was still present. We got out of the situation by eating raisins as a snack, and not mixed with porridge, avoiding nuts, and replacing cabbage soup with other foods for those who cannot tolerate cabbage.
The main thing is to treat food not as a pleasure (as we are used to at home) - but as food, a source of strength and energy. Porridge with milk powder and raisins is not a delicacy at all, but it gives you strength.
Tea with mint is very good. We would have drunk more, but the lack of tea, water and firewood held us back.
In the end, it became clear that whoever took a supply of tea and cigarettes would be able to get anything for them by the fifth day of the hike.
About the conductor
I apologize, but now I’ll talk about the conductor. Although the site has now formulated theses about the infallibility of the conductor.
I’ll say right away that on the site I imagined Kirill to be somewhat different. Impressions changed from the first times we communicated over soap, then over the phone. Laconic, not particularly sociable - that’s how I would characterize him. At first I thought that such emails were related to saving traffic and the inconvenience of writing letters from a PDA - I thought he was sitting somewhere in the mountains and writing as best he could. This was partly true - Kirill really maintains contact with the world from the mountains - at rest stops, but Kirill is still somewhat different.
Probably, I somewhat incorrectly imagined the role of a guide (or instructor?), I thought he would be more like a pioneer leader. I will say - those who want great self-care, think before you go. For example, I myself am not very sociable - the guide would have shown where the water was and where to go, so I didn’t feel much discomfort. This is not a 5 star resort, and not a kindergarten.
But. There are still a few “buts”. These are mountains, and it seems to me that you need to maintain the “squadron speed of the slowest ship”, have a reliable leader of the group and have the group in sight. When part of the group is around a bend or even more than one, you don’t know what’s wrong with them, but this is their first time here, they don’t know anything. There were places where you could easily break something for yourself and remain lying there until the group grabbed you - in half an hour, maybe more? This was the cause of conflicts in the group.
Plus, Kirill almost never answers questions regarding the route directly and completely during the route. The lack of information was sometimes infuriating.
Therefore, if you are confident in yourself and your nerves, you do not need a counselor, but a guide - go. If in doubt, don't. Indeed, no one really babysits anyone.
Why should you go/not go?
There are great views and trails, but virtually no water. You carry everything you have on yourself.
Again, it’s worth a look - but these are endless ups and downs - if you wonder why go up if you then need to go down and vice versa - it’s not worth going.
Be realistic about your strengths. The website says “it’s enough to be able to walk.” This is not entirely true. The concept of “being able to walk” is different in the city and in the mountains. We ourselves understood already on the first or second day: where you can go faster - go slower, where you can climb “two steps” - walk one at a time, you can help yourself with your hands - help, try to keep up, correct things and other things that require stopping - at rest stops, since they will not wait for you, and catching up is always more difficult than walking in the rhythm of the group. Walking along a crumbling path under your feet in the sun is not the same as running along an escalator in the subway. Carrying a backpack is not like carrying a bag from the supermarket to the car. Walking for half an hour each way to get water means you can’t get water from the tap. And climb along the path on all fours, observing the vast space to the left or right - do not stand on the eighteenth floor balcony and smoke.
If you go only because you are tempted by the apparent cheapness and slight interest in something new, you shouldn’t either. Six days for $150 is not that cheap. Do the math. For two 150+150=300 ($50 per day). For this money, even in Crimea you can rent a fairly comfortable double room with three meals a day. Plus add the cost of equipment if you don't have any. Tent, backpacks, rain jackets, etc. Therefore, if the main argument is money, then this is not an argument.
Group and group relationships
From my own experience, I can say that if a group participating in something is more than four or five people, micro-groups with their own interests will form. They can be stable, they can periodically change their composition - but let's just say that at any given moment in time there will be several such micro-groups in the group.
Based on our hike, one could say that we had a group of Dutch people, due to the fact that they are a family and plus a language. A group of “sloven saboteurs” (there is a clearer obscene word - on the race.. begins) - that was us. A group of terminators-athletes - the conductor itself, and a couple more people. This division is conditional, since the division acquired different shades and composition of participants, but it was constant.
There were no particular conflicts, but there were some moments. The brightest:
1) after Demerdzhi - when we, a group of saboteurs who wanted primarily to relax and not run around with backpacks for a while, were left with practically no water on Demerdzhi. The reason was that in the morning our guide told the girls not to take a lot of water - there would be a spring along the way, and then either forgot about it, or forgot about the stragglers. This was the last straw after two days of running behind the faster part of the group, which was not waiting for those lagging behind, plus the fear of heights that manifested itself in two of our participants took its toll. There was a massive desire to kill the conductor. Which naturally affected the relationship in the group - a “sabotage core” formed, which did not want to listen to the guide, teased him in every possible way, was sarcastic and rude, after which Kirill completely closed off.
That same night we gathered to discuss our conduct and that of our guide in our sabotage circle and decided to “be good”, not touch Kirill, and not form new centers of influence in the group. The group should still be united around the guide, and not around someone else, and since there are many of us, we risk turning the campaign into a war. It is decided - peace. In the morning, however, we had to remind our saboteurs of the agreement a couple of times, showing our fist so that Kirill could not see. It seems to have worked out. The credit for resolving the conflict belongs to Nastya, who raised the issue of our relationship with Kirill, which on Dzhurla threatened a serious conflict - we even had tents standing separately from the camp.
2) Discuss the question of what time to get up in the morning. Naturally, there were sleepers. But some overpowered themselves more or less, and some said, at least, that they simply could not get up at such a time, and if they were woken up, there would be insults and assault. It was discussed in a raised voice.
3) Penultimate overnight stay and choice of route for the next day. Some of the group wanted to go with a more difficult option, some with an easier option, which was due to the physical condition of the participants. The situation also became tense, some said that they only went on this trip to check in at all the points, without this there would be a “failure”, the rest said that they came to rest, and not to strain themselves.
So, as you can see, the main conflicts were caused by the very different levels of physical fitness of the participants. Although if this had not happened, I am sure there would have been other reasons.
Regarding beer - which “divides into two camps - those who drink and those who do not drink,” this was not noticeably the case. Although Kirill did not drink. Maybe this was the division.
Equipment and things to take with you
It’s clear that you need a tent, a backpack, a sleeping bag and a mat. I want to share some observations about the rest.
For water you need two-liter plastic bottles. Very convenient and versatile container. Also, although Kirill in his correspondence advised against buying a drinking system, I would take it on my next trip - it’s convenient because it allows you to drink in small doses and right on the go, and you can drink from a bottle often and to your heart’s content. And in order to remove the bottle from your backpack, in most cases you need to stop - a waste of time and effort. Also (elements of the idea were spied on by the Dutch) - I think it’s rational - two liters in a drinking system, which allows you to distribute the weight of water evenly (though this requires a drinking system that is attached inside the backpack, directly near the back, and two liters in two liter “bicycle” containers, each of which is attached to the straps of the backpack in front - optimally distributes the weight of water, if, of course, that much of it is needed.
The LED headlamp is really cool. I didn’t get the chance to buy one for myself; I had two ordinary flashlights - with a light bulb and with diodes. But then I appreciated it. When there is no light, moving around the parking lot with such a flashlight is as convenient as possible. It is also indispensable for washing dishes, collecting firewood and searching for objects in the dark.
Guitar. If you play it, be sure to take it with you. I play the guitar a little myself and was happy when I saw that there was a guitar in the group. But there are several conditions. The first thing you need to do is play it. Secondly, it is important that the group has many common songs, otherwise the situation turns out to be “mine doesn’t understand yours.” Third, it is important that the one who plays knows a lot of songs with words from memory. In the dark, this is important, because you won’t be able to look at the piece of paper, and if you turn on a flashlight, a cloud of midges will gather on it. Fourthly, remember that the guitar only plays in the evenings, and you need to wear it constantly. The guitar is a delicate thing, and also quite inconvenient and heavy - especially when you are pushing through dense bushes. But if she exists and plays, that’s great.
First aid kit. Do not listen to the guide who advises you to leave the first aid kit in the storage room as an extra burden. When you get injured or get sick, you, or your comrades, will treat you, not a guide. What and how to treat will depend on what you take with you. At least, bandages (regular and elastic), diclofenac in large quantities were very useful to us, and we didn’t even have enough peroxide. There were also no effective medicines for the throat - something many suffered from after drinking cold spring water. It is important to have a good patch that does not come off on sore feet. Better cut, on reels. It holds up well, and you can put small individually wrapped callus plasters underneath it. It’s a good idea to take knee pads with you (such as an elastic bandage, sold in pharmacies) - an irreplaceable thing when descending.
Thermal insulation. Rugs to sleep on - understandable. Two pieces of thin thermal insulation (which is placed under laminate or linoleum) were very useful to me - they can be used for sitting, for keeping food (things) hot/cold, and also for laying on your knees when you put a hot bowl of porridge on them. Be sure to take seats (with a belt mount) - they have been tested, they are very good.
Trekking poles. I saw this miracle for the first time at Kirill’s. A very useful thing, especially when descending or jumping over rocks. I'll definitely buy it next time. Specifically, it unloads the legs and provides additional support points. Let me note that three out of four Dutchmen also had sticks.
Shoes. I took sneakers and sandals with me. The first day I walked in sandals, then I changed my shoes to sneakers - the sandals filled with dust, pebbles, and rubbed my feet. In addition, my wife, wearing open-toed sandals, tore her big toe on a sharp rock sticking out. I think the most comfortable shoes are - like summer boots - with a hard sole, through which you don’t feel the stones, and your feet are covered, but it’s not too hot. Plus you need to have some kind of sandals, preferably made of a material that dries quickly.
Case for the camera. It is advisable to take one so that it can be attached to the outside of the backpack. Most backpacks have plastic rings on the straps to which you can attach the case using its own shoulder strap. I noticed this from Kirill - if this strap is long enough, you can throw the camera behind your head, where it rests comfortably and safely between the back of your head and the flap of your backpack. True, this somewhat worsens the ventilation of the back of your head, and the case becomes completely saturated with sweat. .
THANK YOU!
And so – thank you for the mountains, forest, views and impressions. For stones and water. For porridge and tea. Here's to a great vacation. Fine. I would go again. There will be an opportunity - definitely.
Alexey Tarakanov, Fastov.