Lake Hurla-Köl.

 

 

Lake Hurla-Kol in Karachay-Cherkessia is unique in its age, scientists determine it to be fifteen thousand years old. Hurla-Kel is rightly called the patriarch among the lakes and the museum of nature, since relict plants of the ancient glacial era have been preserved in the water area of the reservoir and around it. The lake is located in an intermountain basin at an altitude of two thousand meters. In summer, it warms up to 18-22 degrees, the maximum depth of the lake is 10 meters. There are many comfortable meadows around, on one of which you can camp for the night. Above the lake is a group of mineral springs Tohtan and Tohtan-Suu.

 

 

Mountain lake Hurla-Kol is the pearl of Karachay-Cherkessia. Amazingly, located not extremely high and not very large in size, Lake Hurla-Kol in Karachay-Cherkessia makes a lasting impression. It is located at an altitude of 2400 above sea level. The lake is called differently: Hurla-Köl (Hurlaköl), Kurla-Köl (Kurlaköl), Kurly-Köl (Kurlyköl) and consonant words. Lake Hurla Köl is located on the northern slope of the Forward Range between the two rivers Hudes and Khurzuk, and the road to it is not easy. There are no fish in the mountain lake Hurla Köl. And in general, there is almost no life, except for coastal algae, frogs, leeches, floating beetles. Transparent as glass, and chilled as ice, the water gives the impression of “dead water” from a fairy tale. According to stories, this lake has healing properties (this is how the “dead water” should act, according to fairy tales.)

 

 

Mountain lake Hurla-Kol is located in a natural basin among the mountains and hills of ancient moraines. The beauty is indescribable! Around the mountain ranges with glaciers and snow. These ridges are cut by deep gorges. Mountain rivers flow in the gorges; forests full of mushrooms and berries grow; animals roam freely: mountain bears feast on raspberries, vipers hiss in tiny swamps, and tours climb the rocks. Not every reserve can boast of such nature. And around the lake Hurla-Kol all this exists without any reserve regime. The mountain road to the lake Hurla-Kol sets in a romantic way. Driving on it and you realize that it is rare that someone in an ordinary car will pass here so easily!

 

 

And also, believe it or not, but in the middle of the night, when you go to the shore of the mountain lake Hurla Köl in thickets above human height, you get a complete feeling that the spirits of Hurla Köl are talking to you, and this understanding with the spirits is remembered. Perhaps the reason is that Hurla Köl is one of the oldest lakes on the planet. It is more than 15 thousand years old, and during this time the spirits inevitably settled here and managed to yearn for communication. The surroundings of Hurla Köl Lake are picturesque! Around pine trees grow; under the feet the soil lined with beautiful mosses; in the forests there are many mushrooms, lingonberries, blueberries, strawberries. However, much damage to these forests caused by continuous logging along the shores of the lake. Currently, only individual pine groves have been preserved here, and previously there were endless pine forests.

 

 

Here is what Y. Efremov writes about Hurla-Kol Lake in his book “Blue Necklace of the Caucasus”:

“Most of the mountain lakes of the Caucasus are very young. Their age is calculated by several tens or hundreds and even less by thousands of years. However, there are lake reservoirs that have existed for tens of thousands of years. This is possible under extremely favorable conditions for the preservation of mountain lakes, that is, under such conditions when the natural processes contributing to their degradation are weakened for one reason or another. Among these lakes is Horlakel. It's unique in its age. There is an assumption that it is at least 10-25,000 years old. This lake is wonderful in another way. It can be deservedly called a museum of nature, since relict plants that grew during the ancient glacial era have been preserved in the water area of the reservoir and its surroundings.

 

 

According to the Georgian scientist N. I. Tumadzhanov, the swamps spread near the lake are a relic of the past stages of landscape development, when on the periphery of the ancient glacial region at the foot of Elbrus and adjacent ridges, marsh formations captured significant areas of the highly raised and then indissected surface of the Bechasyn plateau. Horlakel keeps a lot of secrets.

 

 

To the north lies the Bechasyn Plateau, which is composed of sedimentary rocks (sandstones, clay slates of the lower Jurassic). According to scientists, by the beginning of the Upper Quaternary Time (about 100 thousand years ago), this plateau, located 500-600 m below the current level, was relatively little dissected and in the maximum phases of glaciation was covered by glaciers descending from Mount Elbrus and the northern slope of the Advanced Range. It was at this time that glacial moraines formed in the area of Lake Horlakel. Then, when the glaciers retreated in intermorane decline, this lake was formed.

 

 

Subsequently, there were significant uplifts and strong erosion of the area. The Bechasyn plateau was divided into a number of torn flat-topped areas, in places raised high above the bottoms of modern erosion valleys and preserved on its surface the ancient moraine relief. On one of these high-altitude segments is located Lake Horlakel. An intermorane lake basin with an area of about one square kilometer in the central part is buried under a gentle takeaway cone that divides it into two parts.

The eastern part of the basin, more significant in size, preserved the free water surface (an area of 0.045 square kilometers) of a deep lake, the maximum depth of which is 10 m. It is gradually overgrown with an alloy consisting of sedge-sphagne associations. In the western part of the lake basin, behind the takeaway cone, a relic swamp is developed, consisting of different types of sedge and fluff.

 

 

In summer, the lake warms up to 18-22 ° C. Thermal zones are developed in depth. In the cold season, that is, for seven to eight months; the lake is under a thick layer of ice.

Among the local residents – Karachayev – Khorlakel Lake is known as enchanted. Legend tells how in ancient times a shepherd named Aimush herded sheep near this lake. One day, when it was dark, a huge sheep with golden horns, emitting some phosphoric light, came out of the water and began to play with the sheep. In surprise, the shepherd cried out loud. The wonderful sheep shook and rushed into the waters of the lake, and the whole herd jumped after him. Aimush was sad. For a long time he cried, played his pipe, calling the sheep out of the water. But the herd never returned. “Without a flock, I have nothing to live for!” cried the shepherd, and after his flock rushed into the waters of Horlakel. After that, the shepherds more than once heard the cries of “Gay, gay” coming from the lake, and at night in moonlight they saw rams coming out of the water and grazing on the shore, and then again plunged into the lake abyss.

 

 

“The Karachai believe that whoever catches one of these sheep will be forever happy. Of course, no one caught such a sheep. But grazing thousands of cattle in the vicinity of the lake, local residents are doing what greatly harm the lake, polluting its shores with watering animals. Great damage was caused to this area by continuous deforestation along the shores of the lake. Currently, only individual pine groves have been preserved here.

About mindless economic activity resemble rotten tree trunks lying on the banks of the reservoir and in its water area. Sad picture. As a result of pollution in the lake, there are rapid processes of water flowering and increased development of marsh vegetation. Lake Horlakel needs protection.” (Quotation source)