About walking on stones in the Tien Shan

This year it so happened that when planning a vacation, I began to choose a commercial trip. I asked different keywords in search engines, including mentioning countries where I wanted to visit. I looked at several invitations to go on trips, but something stopped me from signing up for them. When I realized that Kazakhstan was among such countries, I asked “hikes to Kazakhstan” and immediately went to Kirill Yasko’s website “Outdoor Ukraine”. Everything was described there in sufficient detail and sensibly, including about the hike to the Trans-Ili Alatau, planned for September 12-23, 2016, which I decided to go on.

09/13/2016. Day one. The only rainy one

We leave the hostel in Almaty by taxi to Chimbulak.

It starts to rain. On the way, we fill up the burner with gasoline.

We disembark at the lower cable car station. Before boarding the cabin, we meet a group of tourists from Australia.

We reach the next cable car station. We leave there to start first on the small three-day ring. The rain is getting heavier.

We go up along the path. Then we go along the road. We stop at the memorial to the fallen climbers. There are memorial plaques not only to those who died in the Tien Shan, but also in other places.

We have lunch on the veranda of the unfinished cottage. This made it possible to shelter from the rain without installing an awning.

It turned out that we usually prepare lunch simply: cut up a loaf of sausage and cheese, spread a pack of liquid lard onto the bread, add a few similar snacks, and boil water for tea or coffee. No cooking. The rain is quite cold, so you have to wear gloves when eating.

We stop for the night at 17:00 near the gazebo by the road. Then it turns out that this is our average time for stopping for the night, i.e. it is very dark, and a flashlight is usually used for walking around the camp and orienting oneself in one’s own room, but not at a distance.

The gazebo does not turn out to be a salvation from the rain and does not relieve you from the need to put up an awning, because it is thoroughly wet.

09/14/2016. Day two. Frozen awning

Perhaps the main impression of this day was experienced at the very beginning, while getting up in the morning. I stick my hand out of the tent to open the zipper of the awning from the inside, but I can’t do it. The lightning became covered with frost and froze. It was possible to open it only from the outside, with difficulty getting out of the tent under the awning.

It’s -3 outside, it’s freezing, but the sky is clear, it’s obviously not going to rain today.

Then it turns out that he will be gone for the rest of the days.

On this day we pass the Titova kat pass. 1A, where we have lunch.

Then the descent, which includes a small radial climb to the waterfall - the only one during the entire trip.

Overnight at a low altitude in a spruce forest, which allows you to make a fire.

09/15/2016. Day three. The heaviest backpack

Rocky mountain paths quickly give way to asphalt. This upward road leads to Chimbulak, where we have to distribute food among our backpacks for the rest of the main part of the hike and say goodbye to civilization for a week.

We have time to visit local shops and, despite having a planned lunch, dine at a restaurant and try Kazakh cuisine.

My backpack, after receiving breakfast on days 4-10 of the approach, begins to weigh 26 kg. It's a bit heavy to carry.

After taking the cable car up to the very top station (tickets there are sold only in both directions), the entire further walking path is a descent, in some places very steep. I even had to slide down a little on my backpack. The descent ends with an excellent forest parking spot on the banks of the Gorelnik River.

09/16/2016. Day four. Early night

This day was remembered, perhaps, only for the record early (at 16:00) setting up for the night in a clearing on the bank of the Turistov River.

09.17.2016. Day five. Dmitriev Glacier

We leave most of our things at camp. We take the essentials with us in small backpacks. We make a radial exit to the Dmitriev glacier. Ascent there, descent back.

On the eve of the hike, I asked Kirill if cats were needed, keeping in mind the announcement of this particular exit. But it turned out that they were not needed, and especially on this day. All we had to do was reach the lowest point of the glacier and stand there on the completely non-slip compacted snow.

In general, the main thing that was required on this day was the skills of walking up and down rocks, and even with trekking poles. Personally, I couldn't cope with this task. One of the sticks was slightly bent, and it became impossible to either shorten or lengthen it. But it will serve well for the rest of the campaign.

We also return to the camp at 16:00, but decide not to stay there, but to make a 500-meter dash to the next stop, from where it will be closer to the next important place - Tourists Pass. During this ascent, a strong roar, reminiscent of thunder, is suddenly heard. This is a rockfall occurring on the opposite bank of the river. We're in the safe zone, but impressive.

We arrive at the parking lot on the very bank of the Turistov River at 19:00, which turns out to be the opposite record for setting up for the night. But it’s still light, that is. The rule of not walking in the dark with a flashlight has not been broken.

09/18/2016. Day six. Tourists Pass

We quickly reach the Turistov pass kat. 1A 4000 m. The last climb to the pass is covered in snow and not at all slippery. At the pass we arrange a small photo session.

Then follows a long beautiful snowless descent along traverses. It seems that real mountain beauty began only here.

At some point, a wide road begins, accessible by bicycle and car. At its intersection with the stream we have lunch. This is not the first time we pull up the awning in anticipation of rain, but it never starts to rain.

Kirill announces that we are going well, and we can complete a hike designed for 10 days in 8. We are discussing how to spend the freed 2 days.

We walk for a long time along the Ozernaya River, in some places along a steep traverse, and stop for the night, although far from the water, but in a picturesque clearing. It’s not far from the Big Alma-Ata Lake.

09/19/2016. Day seven. Big Alma-Ata Lake

First along the roads, then we cut through a beautiful spruce forest and go down to the lake. We arrange a snack on its shore without swimming. The weather is clear, the space station structures are clearly visible, to which further ascent awaits.

From these buildings there is an asphalt road to the upper houses, which, as it turns out, also belong to the space station.

As we climb, we periodically look down at the shrinking lake. At some point, a border post becomes visible far below, which we bypassed off the roads. The border guards are shouting something to us from there. But this is clearly not a signal for detention, especially since the border between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is two visa-free countries, and we continue to move.

I decide that if there is a path, it is better to follow it than to climb directly at a sharp angle. The speeds turn out to be the same with other participants who decided to climb. But to the upper houses of the space station we all climb along the asphalt.

These houses turn out to be a pass. After them there is a long beautiful descent to the Prokhodnaya River. At the first opportunity I replenish my water supplies, which ran out during the ascent, where there was no water for a long time.

The descent ends in a pine forest on the other side, where there is a convenient bridge. There we quickly find a beautiful clearing, where we spend the night with a fire.

09.20.2016. Day eight. Completion including last 500m

We continue our descent through the forest. As it descends, in addition to spruces, pine trees appear. We cross the Prokhodnaya back to the right bank along another bridge.

By 12:00 we go down to the Alma-Arasan hot springs. There is a booth installed, inside of which there is a pipe, from which a stream of warm hydrogen sulfide water flows. We wash ourselves under this water and have lunch. Kirill announces that there are “500 meters of hiking” left, after which we will leave in the ordered cars for the city.

But these 500 m in a straight line turned out to be the most technically difficult. We had to climb up and down very steep slopes. Wires and ropes were laid in the most dangerous places. In one place we also hung our own rope. But using such devices is difficult when you have trekking poles in your hands.

When we finally got out to the parking area, it turned out that the two elderly Alma-Ata women we had seen at the hydrogen sulfide booth had already been there for a long time. They took advantage of the path across the other side of Prohodnaya and two convenient bridges. But there was also a climbing area with public ropes. So for those who don’t like to climb, I can suggest one way to overcome this section - to wade along Prohodnaya in appropriate shoes. The current there is moderate, the slope is small, most likely it is possible.

09.21.2016. Reserve day. Charyn Canyon

To this day we postponed the trip to the Charyn Canyon planned for September 23, 2016. Here's what Wikipedia says about it: “The Charyn Canyon is a 154 km long canyon along the Charyn River in Kazakhstan. The canyon is located 195 km east of Almaty, near the border with China. Charyn Canyon is a natural monument made of sedimentary rocks that are about 12 million years old. The height of the steep mountains of the canyon reaches 150-300 m. The most interesting place for tourists is the so-called Valley of Castles, which is about 2 km long and 20-80 m wide.”

This is the valley we went to.

The journey took about 4 hours one way. The highway runs mainly through the steppe. The last 10 km is along a country road, which, however, is also used by large excursion buses with Japanese tourists.

First we walk along the 2 km road itself, climbing first one and then another pillar mountain, taking a lot of photographs. At the very bottom, in a gazebo on the banks of the Charyn River, we have lunch.

After lunch we decide to go back not along the road, but along the top of the mountain range. We climb there along the gorge. At the end the gorge becomes almost vertical and good climbing skills are required to overcome this section. Unfortunately, there is no public rope there, but it would not hurt. In general, I do not recommend repeating this climb. It is better to go up the road to the parking lot, and from there go up to the same ridge.

22-23.09.2016. Reserve days. Molodezhny Peak

Molodezhny Peak, 4150 m high, was chosen by Kirill for the two free days based on a report on the Internet as a peak, although quite high, but not requiring special equipment for climbing.

It is located in the area of ​​Big Alma-Ata Lake. You need to drive to the starting point by car along the same road along which we left from the Alma-Arasan springs.

The climb to the foot of the peak is very standard and does not require a separate description. Not immediately at the foot, but we find water flowing in the form of a small spring stream from the neighboring mountain.

Having briefly examined the mountain, I understand that there will be no scary places there.

We discuss for a long time when we need to get up, so as not to be late, preferably to return to Almaty before 21:00. As a result, we get up at 5:30 and leave at 7:00.

We quickly climb to the top, which is a snowy flat clearing 150-200 m long and 30-50 m wide. We have a snack on it.

Bright sun. There is no wind. We leave a note about ourselves in a book placed in a special box. From the book it follows that someone often goes up there. In the last month alone we are fourth or fifth.

The descent turns out to be very fast thanks to the loose powder, on which you not only step, but also slide a little. As a result, from the camp at an altitude of 3450 m, we overcome the ascent and descent of 700 m in 4.5 hours, of which about half an hour was spent having a snack at the top.

Molodezhny Peak is a rare opportunity for a less prepared person to see a lot of mountain landscapes from above. Recommended for repetition.

* * *

When I was getting ready for a hike, I read that September is the driest month in the Tien Shan. This was confirmed - it only rained on the first day.

The temperature difference is quite sharp. Walking around during the day in shorts and a T-shirt, I didn’t regret putting a down jacket in my backpack at the last moment. It was very useful at all evening stops.

Molodezhny Peak, apparently, should be linked to the main route.