Blue Mountains

Perhaps I’ll start from the very beginning - pre-income time. This time includes tourist gatherings at school, and university escapes with couples in the spring to the Crimea, and the constant presence of the thought: “Shouldn’t we go somewhere?” But, at some stage in life, all this is shrouded in the fog of everyday life and monotony: the backpack turns out to be a gift to someone as unnecessary, the tent is completely damp at the dacha, friends prefer a seaside holiday in five-star hotels... And in your heart there remains a nagging longing for the clouds, the wind, the smoke of a fire and freedom...

Fees

Having settled the issues with a week's vacation from work, I began to prepare for the hike. I can assure you that I prepared from scratch. I looked through a bunch of forums and websites dedicated to travel equipment, and visited a number of sports stores. All this was accompanied by the giggling of the girls at work (by the way, the guys were supportive), and the bewilderment of the relatives. I courageously walked around the departments in stores with new collections of T-shirts, dresses and sandals. Instead, I tried on everything I needed for a real adventure. The result was a number of successful (and not so successful) purchases. I hasten to share my subjective observations, maybe they will be useful to someone.

Backpack. Terra Incognita Trial 75 – expeditionary trekking backpack with a capacity of 75 liters. From my point of view, the straps are not very good. They are a bit narrow. And if the backpack is more than 10 - 15 kg, then there is noticeable pressure on the shoulders. If you are not afraid of this, take it, but otherwise it is quite convenient.

Sleeping bag. I took it from a friend. Pinquin. Micra. Lightweight - 950 g. Temperature range: +25°С/+2°С/extreme -5°C. At high humidity and temperature +5°С (we found ourselves in such weather conditions) it did not save us from the cold. If the weather is bad, you can take it. But, I decided to buy something warmer.

Shoes. Choosing and buying shoes turned out to be the most difficult moment for me. I didn’t like the trekking boots – they felt uncomfortable and put pressure on my ankle. I settled on sneakers – La Sportiva Sandstone Woman. Gore-tex membrane and Vibram sole are used. Thanks to the platform, the foot did not slip on the stones, and in difficult weather conditions the water inside did not squelch, although the feet were wet. These are membrane shoes, you need to treat them correctly. I made the mistake of drying it near the fire. One sneaker was slightly deformed inside. It was necessary to dry it with paper or on yourself, but... You learn from mistakes. The spare pair were ECCO sneakers. They suffered the same fate - they dried out. This resulted in crushed fingers and bloody blisters. Take care of your feet.

T-shirts. I had 4 T-shirts in my backpack: 2 thermal + 2 cotton. Thermal T-shirts got wet from sweat just like cotton ones, but they dried out faster. Another advantage is their low weight. Most likely, in future trips I will give up cotton altogether.

Fleece jacket. I bought a regular one, with a zipper, without pockets. There weren’t enough pockets; I constantly wanted to warm my hands there or put some kind of rubbish. The jacket is light blue (the girls will understand me), but... after a couple of days it turned brown. Therefore, it is better to take darker clothes.

Storm jacket. It was supposed to be my main protection from rain and wind, but it became a huge problem. Outventure jacket, waterproof 8000 mm water. Art., vapor permeability 1000 g/m2/24 h (maybe there is a typo on the label?). I didn't pay attention to vapor permeability. But in vain... The jacket was constantly wet - from sweat, rain and moisture. She simply did not dry out, and at the same time she gained a lot of weight. Yes, we found ourselves in quite difficult weather conditions, but for the jacket to dry for 3 days and not dry out... I was at a loss.

Pants (trousers). I took 2 pairs: 1 cotton + 1 synthetic. Cotton came in handy for insulation. But I preferred to wear synthetic ones. Now new technologies allow synthetics to breathe. Dries faster. Lungs.

Shoe covers. I didn’t regret this purchase for a second. They protected from the ubiquitous dirt, from penetrating moisture, from tenacious branches and stinging nettles.

Trekking poles. I didn’t have any. Sasha let me use his. This is a thing! They really improve the pace of movement, reduce the load on the knees, and prevent falls. And now, I have a new item on my list of future purchases.

First aid kit. It was first on my shopping list. A long break from hiking led to the manifestation of internal self-doubt in one’s strength and health. In general, I had medicine for almost all occasions. The only thing missing was… a scalpel. And all this had to be carried... Therefore, guys, without fanaticism - take only what is necessary.

Flashlight, knife, matches. You need a flashlight. It’s better to wear a headlamp so that your hands are free. I had the Petzl Tikkina 2, a headlamp with two LEDs and two lighting modes. The knife was of no use. I bought some cool matches – hunting matches. I am of the opinion that matches are a necessary item in your backpack. Even despite the presence of gas burners and flint. By the way, matches came in handy for us.

Hike

A month before the hike, I looked for weather forecasts on various websites. And seeing the disappointing pictograms “rain”, “thunderstorms”, “cloudy”, I tried to reassure myself - meteorologists are wrong, everything is unpredictable in the mountains. These sad icons did not influence my decision to go. I had only one thought: “At least the trip wasn’t cancelled.” The prospect of getting wet didn't really frighten me.

The conductor Sasha met me at the station and said that we were waiting for two more guys from Moscow. And that’s it... The rest, having studied the weather forecast, most likely changed their minds. A few hours later Maxim and his son Yegor arrived. Our adventure has begun.

Day one: Ivano-Frankivsk – checkpoint “Keveliv” – somewhere in the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve.

Usually the first day is always hectic and organizational. This is the first day in kindergarten, at school, at college, on vacation and even in family life. Our day was no exception. After the backpacks were in the back of the bus (which was supposed to take us to the start of the route) and we were comfortably seated in the chairs, we had to leave this vehicle. The cashier at the bus station did not appreciate the Ukrainian-speaking abilities of the Russian-speaking Sasha and, having mixed up the names “Kvasy” and “Kosiv”, issued tickets in a different direction. We proudly left the bus to the chuckles of the other tour group and mutterings from the driver. A couple of hours on another convenient bus - and we arrived at the beginning of our route - the Keveliv checkpoint.

The road to the overnight stay passed through the forest roads of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. The first thing that catches your eye is the mountain slopes covered with smerek forests (they occupy 40% of the mountain Carpathian forests). What kind of tree is Smereka? It's very simple. Common spruce or Norway spruce (Picea abies) is common in Ukraine. But in the Carpathians and the Carpathian region, spruce is called smereka. The origin of the name is associated with the constant twilight (insufficient amount of light) that prevails in dark coniferous spruce forests. Smereka can reach a height of 40–50 m and mostly live up to 200 years. Observant people noticed that in dry weather the branches of the tree fall down, and in damp weather, before rain, on the contrary, they rise up. The needles grow almost in a spiral, on all sides of the branch, and this distinguishes Smereka from fir. It has the thinnest and most fragile, but at the same time the most prickly needles. By the way, the aura of this tree is very strong. With direct contact, the power of smereka will take away irritation and annoyance. Therefore, I recommend that you come and hug her.

I came to the conclusion that it is the dark green color of the Smereka combined with the blue sky and transparent air that paints the Ukrainian Carpathians a beautiful blue color. And walking along forest roads, and standing on the top of Goverla, and drowning in the grass of the meadows, I repeated as if routinely: “Yes, they are blue!” Having survived the trek along a log through a mountain stream and a steep (as it seemed to me at the time) climb up the slope, our team arrived at our overnight stop. After tasting delicious pasta with stew (cooked by Sasha), we, tired, went to bed. I tossed and turned and could not sleep for a long time, turning over the events of the past day in my head and worrying about climbing Mount Petros, one of the highest peaks of the Montenegrin range.

Day two: somewhere in the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve - level. Keveliv - somewhere in the meadow - Petros town (2020 m) - somewhere in the meadow.

And then came an exciting day for me. Will I be able to cope? After breakfast I had an unexpected meeting. A mountain stream flowed not far from our tents. That's where I went to wash the dishes. Suddenly I heard the crunching of branches and the rustling of leaves. I raised my head and saw that up on the slope, about fifteen meters away, a wild boar was standing and looking at me point-blank. I look away. A thought appeared in my head: “I wonder if I’ll have time to run to the guys?” While I don’t see any point in running, I continue to wash the plate.

In a second, information pops up in your head - fast, strong, can swim, has good hearing and sense of smell, but poor eyesight. I definitely remember about vision. I raise my head again and look. Luckily, I was not the object of his interest, so the boar walked away decorously and leisurely. I, too, calmly and leisurely returned to camp, dreaming that eyes would grow on my back. The guys somehow reacted quite sluggishly to my message - either they haven’t woken up yet, or they often meet these animals. But, on the other hand, I am glad that in the forests you can still meet representatives of the animal world.

Our further path passed through the forest of the Keveliv tract. Shady beech, hornbeam and sycamore were added to the majestic gloom. It was here that we met the forest lily - the only type of lily that grows wild in Ukraine. This plant is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. Before you reach out and pick this wonderful flower, stop and think: “Why?” When we finally left the forest, gray wooden buildings opened up to our eyes - high-mountain cowsheds. From spring to autumn, livestock grazes in the subalpine meadows. Seeing the high mountain stalls, you can sense and feel the living spirit of long-standing Carpathian traditions. Emerald ribbons of Carpathian meadows permeate the mountain system from plains to peaks. Most of the flora consists of endemic species, that is, species that grow only in the Eastern Carpathians. This is Carpathian rhododendron - a shrub with clear pink small flowers (from which delicious jam is made in Romania), Carpathian euphorbia, Carpathian sorrel, etc. Walking through the meadows, we contemplated this variety of herbs and flowers, savored the crystal clear air filled with their aromas.

Mount Petros was gradually approaching, and with it a crazy change in weather was approaching... In just 10-15 minutes, the sky changed color: from bright blue to dark blue. The southwest wind brought low clouds that covered the peaks. We find ourselves in a cloud. Although it is difficult to call this continuous white haze a cloud. The fog spreads like a veil. It's getting cool and the wind is picking up. I follow the guys, who after five meters disappear into the whiteout. I remember Stephen King's story "The Fog". In the story, the city was covered by a strong fog, along with which extremely unfriendly creatures came there... We are slowly but surely moving along the path to the top of Petros. Sasha is worried: “Stick to each other, you might get lost.” Gusts of wind and rain are increasing. On the narrow paths we see many mountain flowers: Carpathian rhododendron, mountain arnica, white dream.

But now there’s no time for beauty - I’m looking intently at my feet. The final section of the route runs along a steep mountain slope. Suddenly we stop - we've arrived! This was our first height taken! Its surface consists of stony, rocky areas. At the top of Petros there are the ruins of a chapel and a cross, damaged by the elements. The peak of the summit is marked by a pyramid (tour) of stones about 1.5 meters high, built by tourists. Unfortunately, the surrounding panorama was obscured by fog. There was no point in staying long at the top, so we started descending from Petros. It is very cool and requires mobilization of strength and attention. Our movement was hampered by strong squally winds and rain. My feet constantly slip on the wet ground and stones, and become weak from fatigue. We look only down, choosing a stone on which to place our foot so as not to slip.

After a long descent and movement in the fog, Sasha led us to a clearing, where the shepherds gave us a house for the night (kolyba). The hut was terrible: cramped, there were gaps in the walls as big as two fingers, and water was dripping from the roof. For an additional chocolate bar (a popular currency), they brought us an armful of firewood. Since the potbelly stove in the house was faulty, the smoke corroded our eyes, and the firewood quickly burned out and did not provide the long-awaited warmth. Moisture hung in the air, and the wet, dirty clothes were not destined to dry for several more days. But we didn’t know this then...

And only late in the evening, drinking tea and eating sweets, the guys were able to congratulate me on my birthday...

Days three – four: somewhere in the clearing – eco-point “Peremychka”.

The morning did not bring any changes in the weather: there was a shroud of fog all around, it was drizzling, and mud crunched under our feet. The mud on the hike became something special for me: it was always with me. The main soils in the Carpathians are brown. They got their name for their characteristic yellow-fawn or brown color, which is due to clay formation and an increased amount of iron compounds. This is where shoe covers come in handy. They took the brunt of the mud blow. But, nevertheless, I had to clean both shoe covers and pants every day. The guys, in my opinion, didn’t bother much (or did they walk carefully?).

Closer to noon, we take the half-dried things from the shepherds and begin to move towards Go-verla. We knead the dirt with our feet, we get wet in the rain. The gusts of wind intensify - as if they are preparing to knock you off your feet. The clouds drop even lower. Sasha decides to wait out the storm at the “Peremychka” eco-point.

That's where we're heading. We're lucky. The house was dry and empty. There is a stove. Back in the spring it was covered with iron sheets. The red-hot iron gave the travelers the desired warmth. Alas... These sheets disappeared to no one knows where. The heat of our fire evaporated into the chimney. Therefore, everyone tried to stay close to the light, because at a distance of one meter from the stove there was a shiver. After a while there was a knock on the door. So, thanks to the bad weather, we met wonderful people - Inna and Yaroslav, cyclists from Kyiv. These people, on their own initiative, clean the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains from garbage, which they take out with their own cars. Do you know many such people..? I was lucky.

The squally wind intensified. The door was tied to a hook, but it kept slamming. The shutters closed under the force of the wind - for almost two days we sat in the house by candlelight and lanterns. At night the elements were in full force. It was scary to even think what was there, behind the door.

The third and fourth days of the hike ended the same way - to the accompaniment of my teeth not touching each other... In the morning, steam poured out of my mouth. All the wet things hung in the house practically did not dry out overnight. The same guys from the bus stood a hundred meters away from us. They also got into trouble with the weather. They had a small weather station. The thermometer showed +5°C in the first half of the day. Summer…

We warmed ourselves with tea. I have never drank so much of this drink in my life. The tea made from raspberry, blueberry and thyme leaves, which Inna picked from bushes growing nearby, was especially tasty. So, our little stay eventually turned into two overnight stays. Oddly enough, these two days flew by quite quickly - talking, washing the pot, heating the stove, cooking food, delivering water and more talking...

Day five: eco-point “Peremychka” – Goverla – Breskul – Pozhizhevskaya – Turkul – Tur-kulskaya meadow – village. Hoverla

Morning. I woke up thinking: “Maybe I’ll be lucky today...?” I don’t remember who first opened the door to our shelter. But what we saw in the doorway caused a collective sigh of relief. Fortune finally decided to take our side - clouds rushed past the house at great speed. Only small patches of fog remained. For the first time in two days I saw the surrounding panorama: the freshness of the morning mountains, the distant village of Yasinya, the sky above. Let's get ready quickly. Finally we are on the route. From the chapel near the eco-point “Peremychka” we begin moving along the trail along the western spur of Goverla. Quite quickly we go to its foot and go up to the house of the “Goverla” eco-point, where we arrange a halt.

When climbing an open slope, a strong wind blows, so we warm ourselves. We walk along a rocky path. I look down - quickly, like ants, some people are catching up with us. It turned out that the tourists were from Slovenia and were of retirement age. Yes... I wish I could run through the mountains like that at their age. The last 500 meters before the summit are the steepest. And here is the long-awaited Height! On it stands a trident, a cross indicating the top of the mountain and an obelisk indicating the highest point of the border between Poland and Czechoslovakia that once passed here.

The compensation for the past days was the most beautiful panorama that opened before us. From the top of Hoverla you can see almost all of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The Montenegrin ridge, the highest in Ukraine, stretches to the southeast. In the southwest, the peaks of the Marmoros Mountains, along which the border with Romania passes, are blue. A small ridge stretches to the northwest, connecting Hoverla with Petros.

We stayed on Hoverla for about twenty minutes. We rested, took pictures of the surroundings and memorial signs and... down. The southern descent onto the ridge turned out to be much more difficult than the western ascent. The first 800 m of descent from the summit is along a very steep, rocky slope. After the descent, the ascent to Mount Breskul (1950 m) begins. The next push - and we are on the Pozhezhevskaya mountain (1822 m). By the way, on the lintel, on the slopes of this mountain, we saw a small snowfield.

The ridge paths are marked with concrete boundary posts. On the column on one side there is the Latin letter “P”, on the opposite side - “S”. The letters indicate the territories that belonged to Poland and Slovakia, respectively. Basically, the trails go along the meadows, sometimes interspersed with mountain pine or juniper; yellow flowers of the European bush are often found.

And again Her Majesty the Weather shows who's boss. Clouds are approaching from the direction of Petros. Tendrils of fog take over the ridge. We have to abandon plans to visit the lake. Not the best. We are moving along the bridge between the peaks Dantsezh and Pozhezhevskaya. Next, we take a rocky path to the town of Turkul and go around it on the right along the southwestern slope. There are rocky placers all around, covered with yellow and orange lichens.

Today is the last full day of the hike. It’s a pity... We didn’t have time to complete half the route. We need to go down - closer to civilization, to the village of Goverla. I really want to drink - there is no water on the way. We went down some paths known only to Sasha: through pine forests, along thick grass, through clearings overgrown with unripe blueberries...

There are wooden cowsheds in the Turkul meadow. Here we got some water and asked a Hutsul girl: “How far is it to the village of Goverla?” “Oh, far, far away,” came the answer. This “far, far away” seemed to last forever. This was our last descent. 12 km of serpentine forest roads (without taking into account the mountain coefficient). The roads are impassable in places (puddles), broken (most likely by logging equipment), and bumpy. We cut off some loop-shaped sections. The movement of the guys on the path to civilization was slowed down by my crushed toes and calluses (dry your shoes properly!). In a word, the remaining time before sunset was devoted to rearranging the lower limbs. And so, we heard the long-awaited sound of the Brebeneskul River, which indicated that we had finally descended from the ridge.

At the confluence of the Brebeneskula and Goverla rivers, we came out on a more or less decent road and literally after 2 km we approached the village of Goverla, located along the river of the same name. With the permission of the forester, the tents were set up in the dark, in a clearing with daisies. This was the last night of our adventure.

Day six: p. Goverla – Ivano-Frankivsk

This morning we were late for the regular bus. But we were lucky - we talked a local guy passing by into giving us a lift to Rakhov. The babbling was not gratuitous. Then the bus “Rakhiv – Ivano-Frankivsk”. And that’s all... Maxim and Egor went to Lvov to further get acquainted with our country. Sasha ran to get ready for the next hike. And I still had time to wander around Ivano-Frankivsk. If I can express my impression of the city in one word – cozy. There are no noisy streets, the rhythm is leisurely and measured, even pedestrians seem to be in a leisurely hurry. Nice old architecture.

The station again. Train "Ivano-Frankivsk - Kyiv". But I can’t believe I’m leaving home. I feel somewhat retarded, I understand that I left a piece of my heart there... in the Blue Mountains. I remember V. Vysotsky: “We return to the bustle of cities and traffic flows - there is simply nowhere to go! And we descend from the conquered peaks, leaving our hearts in the mountains.”

We.

Random people. Chance meeting. But every accident has its own pattern and sequence. The pattern led to the fact that four people from different cities became a group of like-minded people for a short time.

Sasha. Kharkov. Our Guide. If you want to get a dose of interesting information in addition to physical activity from a hike, go to him. Zoology, geography, botany will become your companions throughout the entire route. Sasha’s love for nature is not just a presentation of material, but also actions. We carried the trash with us. His cries of “Careful, there’s a slug under your feet!” saved more than one... slug. The slugs of the Carpathians should be grateful to Sasha. He noticed every bug, flower, and bird and generously shared his observations with us. Reliable, strong, responsible.

Maxim and Egor. Moscow. Dad and son. Intellectuals and smart people. I felt proud of my country when, in the back seat of the bus, Max (who visited the west of Ukraine for the first time) whispered admiringly: “Beauty... Super... Wow...”. Reliable. Didn't abandon me, lagging behind. I was amazed by one of his training methods - going up and down the stairs at 18!!! floor more than 10 times!!! This is willpower! An apple from an apple tree. Egor's subtle humor made me laugh heartily more than once. A young man (13 years old) found an effective way to lighten the weight of his backpack. You just need to constantly chew the cookies entrusted to him. If you eat more, your backpack will become lighter.

Valentina (me). Kyiv. For me, one of the main lessons was the cultivation of patience. The reason is simple - two days of imprisonment in bad weather on the bridge between Petros and Goverla. There was a feeling of losing precious hiking time, regret for the unclimbed half of the route. But later a firm confidence appeared: “Life does not end. I’ll just come back here again.” Thoughts appeared regarding my physical fitness. She was just fine (the soreness didn’t bother her, she was strong enough to carry a backpack), but her stamina let us down. Therefore, now I am engaged in physical training of my endurance - I need to prepare to conquer new heights.

I will not sing odes of praise to friendship or future joint campaigns. Parapsychologists claim that information energy always strives for that radiation that is similar to it. This is exactly what happened to us. Our hobbies intersected - zoology and geography, programming and computer design, oriental philosophy and the truth of life. And it doesn’t matter where you are from - from Moscow, Kyiv or Kharkov, what is important is your attitude towards the world around you, towards the people around you, towards the difficulties that you have faced. And if the opportunity arises, I will be happy to meet these guys again on the hiking trails...

Valentina Torokhtiy, Kyiv