About the hike from July 31 to August 1, 2008.
Mountains... Crimea... Trying to remember the last time I was in Crimea leads nowhere. The memory gives the result - more than 20 years and refuses to work further. Only vague memories of our school years, when our physics teacher, an avid tourist, took us on hikes in the Crimea and the Caucasus every holiday. Much water has passed under the bridge since then...
Canvas tents and cotton sleeping bags were replaced by equipment made from lightweight modern materials, heavy lanterns became weightless and compact, instead of pieces of polyethylene with which we covered ourselves and our tents from the rain, waterproof raincoats-ponchos and covers for backpacks appeared. It became simpler and easier to equip yourself for a hike, if only you had the money.
Mountains+Sea=Relaxation.
My wife loves the sea very much, loves to swim and swing on the waves. She has a light body and can float on the water for hours. In general, I also love the sea, of course, but I start to sink if I don’t constantly move my hands, so I don’t have enough time for long swims. Lying on the beach is boring as hell... And when we got around to planning a summer vacation this year and my wife suggested spending a week or two at sea, I started scouring the Internet in search of inspiration on where to go.
I was hooked on the website OutdoorUkraine.com, which offered various hiking routes around the Crimea, after which it was possible to relax for a few days on the beach in some resort town. I thought it would be a good idea to go hiking, visit the mountains, remember my youth, and at the end my wife would enjoy a beach holiday. All said and done, I am writing these lines at the end of the hike, sitting in the morning in the garden on the outskirts of Alushta, where we rented a small house, admiring the view of the mountains from which we descended a few days ago.
Preparation.
Now I’ll tell you how our trip went. First there was correspondence with Kirill, filling out a form, choosing a route (Water and Stones), agreeing on the place and time of the meeting. Tickets to Simferopol were purchased in advance, which confirmed our participation in the trip. Of the equipment, we only had a backpack and two rugs, the rest was a tent, sleeping bags and a second backpack, it was decided to rent, since the organizers of the trip provide this opportunity. The website has a list of equipment that you need to take with you on a hike, very detailed, which I tried to stick to. Now that the hike is over, I can say that the list is very accurate, compiled with skill, and I recommend taking everything that is written there as accurately as possible, although if you are just going to try your hand at a hike, there are some things you can save on, I will mention this throughout my story.
Day one. Meeting.
Our train from Sumy was an hour late, it was raining all the time on the way, and our mood was falling. We called our conductor Andrey, informed us that the train was delayed, the group was waiting for us at the station, and as a result, instead of eleven o’clock, we set off only at half past twelve. At the station we received our rental equipment and our share of food. We rode a trolleybus for about an hour to Sosnovka, where we began our first ascent into the mountains on the Chatyr-Daga plateau. The climb is quite steep, with loose stones, which immediately became a test for legs and shoes that were unaccustomed to the load.
Just before the hike, I wanted to buy good sneakers, but I couldn’t find ones that were suitable in terms of quality and price, but I bought sandals with soles with adjustable straps in three places for 100 hryvnia at a local bazaar. I took regular sneakers as spare shoes. As a result, I went through the entire hike in sandals, it was very comfortable, I changed into sneakers only sometimes in the evenings, when it was a little cool. The only disadvantage of sandals is wet feet if there is dew in the morning and evening. Let's return to the climb - we walked along the so-called Red Trail, the slope of which turned out to be unbearable for two members of the group, therefore, before reaching the plateau, they decided to abandon the hike and go to the beach. And they did the right thing, because later there were steeper climbs.
Those who climbed the plateau were rewarded with a break with sandwiches and light rain. Before the hike, we stocked up on a couple of rain ponchos to cover ourselves with our backpack, now it’s time to use them. Fortunately, the rain stopped quickly, and we set off along the plateau, collected water from the spring and headed to the Emine-Bair-Khosar cave. A tour of the cave is paid, the cost is 60 UAH, plus another 10 UAH if you want to take photographs. It is very cold in the cave - about +5 degrees, but at the entrance you can rent warm jackets (2 UAH). It makes sense to pay for photography if your camera takes pictures well in the dark or if you have a good flash - the cave is quite dark. The excursion lasts 1.5 hours, I personally liked the cave, there are many beautiful stalactites and stalagmites.
After the cave we headed for an overnight stay, which was planned in the Long Grotto. When we got there, it was already completely dark and we had to set up camp in complete darkness. A headlamp plays an irreplaceable role in this matter. Your hands are free and you can pitch a tent and collect firewood in complete darkness. Unfortunately, I didn’t buy such a flashlight; I had a regular hand-held one; I had to hold it in my mouth, pointing it in the right direction, to set up a tent. Having set up camp and cooked porridge for dinner, we spent the night.
Day two - From mountain to mountain.
The day began with heavy fog, and in the morning the grass was all wet with dew. Around 10 o'clock the fog cleared and the sun came out. Half of the group decided to visit the Marble Cave, which, according to stories, is even more beautiful than Emine-Bair-Khosar. My wife and I didn’t go, we decided to just spend the morning in nature. A group of novice speleologists approached the grotto and began to practice climbing and descending with equipment. We watched for a bit, then began to break up camp. When our team returned from the Marble Cave, we were ready to move on further.
The further route lay along the lower plateau of Chatyr-Dag, through the Yew Gorge, after which a long and very slippery descent awaited us to the Angarsk Pass, where we were supposed to meet another new member of the group. A lot of fun meters of this descent were covered not on feet, but on the fifth point:)
After the pass we climbed the Elkh-Kaya ridge. It is very convenient to use poles on steep ascents and descents. I didn’t buy trekking ones - they are quite expensive - I took old ski ones from home, removing the rings from them. Other group members picked up sticks from the area. We spent the second night at Mount Pakhkal-Kaya, in a very picturesque pine meadow. The next morning we did not miss the opportunity and climbed to the top of this mountain, observing amazing views of the mountains and the sea.
Day three - Northern Demerdzhi.
The morning began with a climb up the northern slope of Demerdzhi, along a narrow path on a steep mountain slope. Having risen, we were rewarded with the most picturesque views of mountain meadows, through which our path ran to the descent to the Dzhur-Dzhur waterfall. Along the way we picked strawberries, stopped, and took pictures. The descent to the waterfall is steep; in some places there are stone rubble and fallen trees; all this must be overcome.
That day we did not reach the waterfall itself, having decided to spend the night higher, about half an hour's walk. There are a lot of people at the waterfall, but we wanted to be alone with nature. There was a lot of mountain river water at this site, and the most desperate took baths in niches that formed small waterfalls. The water is icy, but it's nice to refresh yourself after a day's trek. In the evening we cook dinner, have fun conversations around the fire, the southern starry sky... This parking is paid - 12 hryvnia per person.
Day four - Jur-Jur waterfall.
In the morning we went down to the Jur-Jur waterfall, it was full of tourists, there was noise, everyone was taking pictures, swimming in the fountain was prohibited, there was a guard. The waterfall is certainly beautiful, but there are too many people and it spoils the whole impression. From the waterfall, three people, led by a guide, made a short foray into the village of Generalskoye to correct a mistake that the organizers of the trip made - they forgot to provide the group with a sugar substitute. Drinking unsweetened tea and eating unsweetened porridge for three days is not so pleasant:) Saccharin was purchased and our further path ran through the forest to the Dzhurla waterfall, not far from which we spent the night.
This site is apparently closer to civilization, trash is more common, there is little firewood, but there are a lot of pine cones that burn well. The waterfall itself is not striking in its beauty; the water is clean and drinkable. Not far from the waterfall there is a hill from which beautiful views of the mountains and coast open up and you can take beautiful photos. At night you can hear foxes fighting.
Day five - Valley of Ghosts.
After breakfast, we headed to Phantom Valley th - a very beautiful and unusual place, a stunning pile of strangely shaped stones. At the very top we took a break with a snack, then climbed on the stones to our heart's content. Then we had a long, difficult, rocky, but very picturesque descent to Funa, the place of our last overnight stay. At the end of the descent, a spring of youth and a lady were waiting for us, charging a fee for visiting the Valley - 6 UAH per adult and 3 per child.
The parking place was chosen not far from the spring - a clearing with a good slope and slightly littered with manure. Right next to it is a place where tourists are brought from the sea to ride horses. There are a lot of horses, even more tourists, cows walk wherever they want, you can’t find a clean clearing. The clearing was cleared, firewood was found, a horse wanders around the camp at night, snorting and snoring, in the morning the cows rattle their bells, it’s fun:))
Day six - To Alushta.
The next morning we have breakfast, pay the conductor and move towards the highway, where a trolleybus picks us up for Alushta. Then who goes where, who in a tent to the sea, who like us rents a house. Later, after driving a little along the coast, we saw several campsites and simply wild tourist camps right next to the sea. For example, in a fishing camp right on the beach, 25 UAH per day per tent. So if you have a tent, spending the night on the beach is not difficult.
Resume.
Despite the fact that our route was greatly shortened compared to what is on the website, we had more than enough physical activity. Impressions too. We were lucky with the weather - it was not hot, it rained only once, and sometimes it was very cool at night. According to the guide, it is very picturesque in Crimea in May, when everything begins to bloom and fresh greenery appears. In general, the feelings are only positive, the organization of the hike is good, I advise everyone to visit the mountains of Crimea, breathe this air, look at this starry sky, drink mountain water and, at the end of the hike, swim in the sea...
Greetings from Alushta. 06.08.2008
Anton Gvozdikov, Sumy.
