#5 – Just one step ahead… From Chatkal to Sary-Chelek

The trail has started, I was out of the police station and just had a great night’s sleep at Osman’s house, even a hot shower which is very very rare in this part of Kyrgyzstan.

Osman asked me in the morning if I wanted to go and check out some lakes with him, “of course” I said, and we drove and checked out some lakes in the area.

Up the mountain and to the north

Near each lake there was a family. Each family had a herd of horses and each family had its own operation of homemade “Kumis”, a fermented mare’s milk drink which is widely considered the national drink of Kyrgyzstan.

How do I describe this drink appropriately: it is very potent, not heavy on alcohol but the smell and the taste are very strong and it’s definitely an acquired taste.

But I have to say after six different glasses with six different families the taste does get better.

I said thank you and goodbye to Osman, who left me on the main road and headed out.

Man, it feels great to be back on trail.

I walked on the road for a little bit then went off road and started walking through the fields of the Chatkal valley.

I started walking east along the Chatkal valley, Walking for about a day and a half alongside fields of young green grain and beautiful purple flowers surrounded by amazing white capped mountain ranges on both sides and underneath me the roaring Chatkal River which I met last as it stopped me from reaching the Uzbek border.

Originally I planned on climbing the Chatkal mountain ranges to the south, but after a conversation with Osman and the realization that trails in the 40-year-old Soviet map do not necessarily mean trails on the ground, I followed Osman’s advice and crossed the mountain range by going up the Aflatoon river. Climbing up to around 3700 m on the first big climb of this trip.

What a long couple of tough days.

The Climb

So last night I found a perfect place to sleep at the beginning of the climb, after leaving the wide valley and entering the mountains for real. Close enough to the stream to have easy access to water but far enough above it to escape the cold and humidity that descends into the valley, with a rock big enough to hide me and my equipment from the wind that blows down from the mountains. A good and long sleep. I waited until the sun rose above the huge rock wall in the east of the valley, packed up and started walking.

The ascent was difficult, long and exhausting. 2200 meters of relatively moderate ascent along a trail that starts and disappears and starts again, very few tracks or horse shit to figure out if I’m going the right way or not. Luckily I saw horse riding shepherds on their way back to the village who pointed me in the right direction. Walking along the stream, on the side of the mountain, walking on loose stones and scree, and water crossings. So many water crossings, the first few times I tried to find solutions, make detours to find a point where I could jump over stones and cross dry. And just when I thought I made it, I realized there was no way, and no choice but to go in the water over and over as I was climbing up higher and higher, and these glacial streams were getting colder and colder.

The ascent was difficult and long.

But also exhilarating and incredible. Climbing deeper and deeper into the wild mountains, surrounded by an amazing view of huge snowy peaks and beautiful rock formations topped with the desert of snow. Walking to reach the pass.

The Descent 

The descent started badly: from the pass straight into loose rocks that accumulated from avalanches through the years and no clear way down, going maybe 300 m down descending onto a ridge. I made my way very slowly and carefully, trying not to slip too badly until I reached a snowy shoulder and found a trail continuing down the valley from there. As soon as I found the path I felt like I had received a gift, a narrow but clear path, going down in switchbacks clearly and quickly. I put on some decent music and almost ran down.

And then stopped.

My plan was to continue down the valley. There should have been a trail going down, but there was none. I figured I just missed the turn of the trail I was previously on, so I found my way down slowly through the brush and the loose rocks searching for my trail that should be somewhere around. I searched in the brush on the right side of the valley, I searched in the scree on the left side of the valley, and nothing. I descended further and further down hoping to find something but there was nothing.

By the time I realized there was no hope of finding a trail I was too far gone. Climbing up would have been hell and I decided to push on and deal with the situation as it came.

I highly recommend avoiding these types of bushwhacking. 

It was one of the hardest days of my life!

The Chatkal mountain range collects a lot of snow during the winter. Clouds come from the valleys of Uzbekistan to the West but are blocked by the bigger mountain ranges to the east and release a lot of humidity in this area.So even in lower elevations the valleys are packed with snow even in the middle of the summer. I had no choice but to walk on the snow for a long time, feeling the security of the heavy and thick ice underneath me until I suddenly reached an opening in the ice and saw the river flowing beneath that really scared me. I continued with a lot of caution trying to stay off the snow as much as I could even though I could move a lot faster in the middle of the valley walking on the snow and sometimes had no choice but to do that. I kept going down looking at my map and knowing that if I just got through these last few kilometers I coulc reach Sary-Chelek River and find some trail and maybe some civilization.

The walk was slow. I moved as fast as I could while staying as safe as I could, avoiding trail snow and high brush over loose rocks. I found myself following tiny paths created by the wild boars who live in the region and even marmots paths.

I really wanted to reach the lake by the end of the day but my pace was too slow and as I watched the sun go down behind the mountains and it was getting dark I knew I had to find some spot to put my tent. I searched and searched but sleeping on snow was not something I wanted to do and the rest of the area was a very steep slope. At the end I found a spot between two big snow fields with a lot of wind coming down the valley. I put my tent up, found some firewood, made a nice fire and rested for the night.

The next day continued more or less as the last one ended: climbing through snow and sometimes mud. Climbing up steep slopes to continue my way and accomplishing only a very slow descent. But eventually I made it! I got out of the river and saw the valley opening up in front of me. The blue lake ahead and a wide flat beautiful valley where I could walk without having to calculate each and every step. What a relief!

I even met a group of people riding horses who worked in the reservation who offered me a ride on the horse. I gave my hiking poles to one of the guys and rode his horse for the last 3 kilometers to the lake. I was so excited to meet someone and know that I’m on the right path again.

In Kyrgyzstan things are different. You can’t trust the maps. You can’t be sure the path in front of you will remain and the path that was here last year will still be here next year. In Kyrgyzstan you need to be quick on your feet, be willing to improvise, change your mind, go back or push forward. Always look forward to your next step and make sure to look around and enjoy the view because that will stay incredible no matter how hard the road is and it makes everything else worth it.

I left the guys in their little cabin and kept walking to the edge of the lake.The water was clear and blue and beautiful, and I couldn’t help myself and took my backpack off and jumped into the water with all of my clothes on, giving everything a much needed wash. I walked back to the cabin and as I was about to continue I was stopped by the men sitting there. The people of Kyrgyzstan are special. Their kindness, hospitality, will and desire to share everything they have with guests they meet along the way is like nothing I’ve met anywhere in the world.

As you walk past people on the trail you start hearing them call, “Chai Budish, Chai Budish”,  “Chai Pium” drink tea, drink tea, and as you sit down grateful for some warm tea which they love drinking throughout the entire day, and drink out of bowls instead of cups. You see them bring out  bread and the jam and then honey and butter. Then they put food on the fire and start cooking. Everything they can do for you they will do. This experience has repeated itself over and over and over while walking especially in the very sparsely populated regions of this country. Not once in a while, but almost every single encounter will lead to the local people wanting to do and give and share with you.I am unbelievably grateful for this opportunity to walk among these people and experience their attitudes and their lifestyles.

We hung out, drank some tea, some vodka, ate some food and after gaining their respect at an arm wrestling competition with a huge Kyris guy, I played a few songs on the ukulele. Having an instrument with you and knowing how to play is an incredible way to meet people and create connections. Especially where you don’t know the language.

I said goodbye. They pointed me in the right direction, and I continued on my way knowing that from here at least for a while I’m going to have a comfortable path. A few mountain passes on a beautiful day of walking found me heading down to the village of Arkit where I found Babira’s guest house which I visited 4 years earlier. Sabira is wonderful and I definitely recommend her guest house to anyone thinking of heading in that direction. I rested well, celebrated my 28th birthday in the village with some good food and some beer and prepared myself for the next leg of the journey.

Tips:

1. Always think at least one step ahead. Hiking is simple, all you have to do is make one step, just one step, and if you can plan just one step ahead, you should be fine. Know where to put your feet if you can see the ground that’s good. If not, use hiking poles to feel where your foot should land. As long as you can make one safe step, you’re good. Then just one more, and another one and a few thousand more, but that’s in the future. For now, just worry about the next step.

2. Hike with an instrument especially if you don’t know the language.

3. Stop at Babira’s guest house in Akrit when in the neighborhood.