The first day back on trail is always an adjustment. After a while of being sedentary I need to get back to a hiking mindset. The Back needs to remember how to carry the pack; the Legs need to get back into rhythm; the Feet need to get used to the uneven ground and loose rocks underneath. I notice my breath getting heavy while climbing and how everything is...
It took ten hours, five rides, 1000 some, one argument with a driver who got unfriendly and a bus ride brought us back to Compass Hostel in Bishkek. my home away from home. we woke up in the morning at the yurt camp near Tash-Rabat, Sultana who ran the yurt camp surprised us and sent her kids with a tray holding coffee and breakfast for us, didn’t ask for...
August 19, 2022 Trying to find information about the mountain trails in Kyrgyzstan can be frustrating, very frustrating. It seems that people here know only what they need to know. If you don’t go up to the mountains you don’t know about them. Nomads and villagers living in the mountains are the best source of information but are hard to find and harder...
August 9, 2022 My parents went back to Israel and I headed back to the trail, but first I had to stop in Jalalabad. I hitched my way from Osh to Jalalabad, the third biggest city in Kyrgyzstan. It’s part of the Fergana valley and lies on one of the main branches of the old silk road. From here on I’m continuing my hike, but not alone. In Jalalabad I met...
August 2nd 2022 So after about a month on trail, after getting arrested, seeing a bear, hiking crazy trails and non-existing paths I left the trail, hitchhiking south from the tiny village of Kyzil-Unkor towards the big city of Osh. Taking a break from this road I’m creating and following, preparing to end this solo part of my trip and waiting to meet my next...
July 22, 2022 To Kara-Kul I arrived by boat. I walked to the village of Toktobek on the east side of Toktogul where the reservoir gets narrow and hitchhiked with Damir, who just visited his family in the village and was heading across to the big town of Kara-Kul, where he worked as a taxi driver. We parked his little motorboat and climbed up the massive Toktogul dam...
July 16th 2022 Three days ago I left Arkit. I got there on July 9th. I spent July 10th, my birthday, resting, eating, drinking, meeting people and enjoying my time. On July 11th I took a zero day (Thru Hiking term for days you don’t gain distance), and on July 12th I got sick 🙁 I stayed at Babira’s guest house who took really good care of me. I met some...
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...
July 4th, 10am This is as far west as I’m going to get, 26 kilometers from the Uzbekistan border. 4th of July and I’m having my own celebration. The trail is beginning. Bushwhacking through thorns and brush through flowers and bees stepping over the bear poop and continuing on to the East, crossing one stream and getting my feet wet in walking across the...
June 30, 2022 I’m finally leaving Bishkek. I got to the edge of town and started walking and waving to cars passing by. Eventually I hitched a ride with a nice guy going west, then another one and another one and a few more, hitchhiking my way slowly up and over the Ala-Too mountain range, then back down to where the road splits to the city of Osh or west to...