Fabulous and strong Altai: we brought home a huge baggage of impressions!
Continue the story of an amazing summer trip to Altai.
Beginning here:Fabulous and strong Altai: bad people just do not get here
Valley of the Seven Lakes (6 days)
The entire fifth day of the hike was dedicated to drying clothes and shoes. Berts, which we bought specifically for the hike, showed themselves at the height: the shoes were almost dry. Only the berries of our youngest tourist, who was mad with the neighbor's dog already in the base camp, got wet and fell to Akkem. Wet from head to toe, through.
Therefore, when we reached the sun, we washed, dried, washed in the icy water of Akkem and rested. And although the weather was quite sunny in the base camp, clouds were running over Beluha. And when the agreed time of communication came, the guys called on the radio and reported that they had decided to interrupt the climbing attempts and return to the base camp, as it snowed at the top (according to all forecasts for a long time). Our climbers promised to return in a few hours, as a result, the wait dragged on until the evening.
The next day we had a radial excursion to the Valley of the Seven Lakes. This is probably the most beautiful place on our route. The road is quite difficult, steep climb, in places along kurum, the path is narrow, overgrown with dwarf birch on all sides.
Among the dark, overgrown with grass and shrubs of mountains, stands Mount Ak-Oyuk with snow-white glacier Ak-Oyuk. Ak-Oyuk translated from Altai is a white mountain. The glacier is said to have melted heavily in recent years. So is Akkem.
Although the road to the Valley of the Seven Lakes is no more than 10 km, it is still a real test. I felt like a hobbit from Lord of the Rings. From the very top of the valley opened unrealistic fabulous views!
All seven lakes are colorful. The first is “black”, as if it is “dead water”, but in fact it is transparent, and the black color of the lake is given by stones at the bottom. The lake is warm and you can even swim in it.
The second lake is bright turquoise color and very cold, it feeds on the water of a mountain stream.
There is also a light turquoise, yellow (from the sand at its bottom) lake. And a colorful, elegant lake, which seems to have grown on all sides with flowers and buds. The men of our group were not afraid to swim in one of the reservoirs.
On the way back, we bathed in the mountain waterfall several times, we did not want to leave. The most impressive place of Altai for me! I really want to go back!
The way to the three birches
On the way back from seven lakes we went to the weather station, and specified the weather forecast: it turned out that in the coming days will rain. It was decided to close the camp and return home.
The weather began to deteriorate from the very morning: we quickly rolled up the tent, which was not quite dry, packed up our backpacks, and set off. The road from base camp to three birch trees is about 25 km. Getting wet in the rain, sleeping in a wet tent for two days and then dragging a wet tent in wet clothes was so unwelcome that we made a march and covered the route in one day. It wasn't easy. By the end of the route, I had no strength to lift my legs.
And the children again surprised everyone, they "sink" in front of everyone, together with Dad. They had a difficult task - to run to the parking lot and brake the shishishiga so that the driver waited for the whole group, because only in this case we could be in Tungur in the evening!
And they did it!
It’s an indescribable joy and happiness to see my children standing by the side of the Shishigi! Waiting for the others, we had time to rest and make tea on gas burners. And then, already under a torrential downpour, the whole group we drove about 2.5 hours through the impenetrable forest. We were glad that we did not have to overcome this difficult area on foot. And even the fact that from above, through holes in the awning, water often poured over our neck, did not darken the joy. We had a bath and a clean dry bed! It's happiness!
I learned that children need to feel hunger, cold and overcome themselves on the edge of physical capabilities. And at the same time feel harmony with the surrounding world!
After an overnight stay at the base in Tungur (by the way, Tungur in Altai is a tambourine), we got on cars and drove to the border guards, made sure that there were no questions to us, and went to Gorno-Altaisk.
In Gorno-Altaisk we were lucky to visit the huge, interesting and modern National Museum of the Altai Republic named after A.V. Anokhin.
We managed to see the exhibition with Princess Ukok! Princess Ukok is shown to visitors according to Altaic traditions only on the growing moon, in the morning.
Also in the museum you can see a paleontological and archaeological exhibition, a huge collection of minerals, get acquainted with the collection of plants and animals of Altai, with clothes, household items of Altai and Russians who lived in the mountainous Altai.
On the fourth floor of the museum are exhibited works by Altai artists. A significant part of the collection is represented by the works of the first professional artist of Altai, a student of I.I. Shishkin, Grigory Choros-Gurkin.
A very interesting exposition is devoted to the construction of the Chui tract, there is an exhibition of Soviet life and a museum of the Great Patriotic War.
A great impression on me was made by the picture dedicated to veterans of the Great Patriotic War: it depicts three men who fought and returned to the battlefields in peacetime. Their thoughts and feelings can be read by their faces. Unfortunately, I could not find this picture on the Internet, did not photograph it, did not remember the author.
And this picture is one of those moments for which I would like to return to Gorno-Altaisk.
And ahead of us was a move to Barnaul and Novosibirsk, with adventures, car repairs. And it all ended well! We brought home honey, pine nuts and a huge baggage of experiences!
Text and photo: Ekaterina Shuvaeva
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Comments (1)
Андрей М 15.11.2022
Вдохновляет!