IMPORTANT NOTE: You should not attempt this route if you don't have good mountaineering training. Although the altitude isn't high, a long section of the route goes along a narrow ridge where a fall into the abyss is possible on either side. Also, this section is full of steep ascents and descents that constantly alternate, which also requires good physical fitness. Of course, for trained people, like alpinists, climbers, etc., this won't be too critical, but if you only go to the mountains for picnics and walks, it's better to refrain from this route.
I also had a bit of a mishap; I misjudged the time. I reached the last peak on this ridge at sunset. I initially thought I'd have time to descend, but I lost the trail in the twilight. I decided not to risk it and stopped my descent to wait until morning. The only problem was, I was travelling light, just for the day, so I only had two t-shirts, a light jacket, a sit pad, an already empty thermos, and a quarter bottle of water. So, no food, no warm clothes, no sleeping bag, no tent. The firewood I gathered nearby only lasted until one in the morning.
What followed was an epic struggle with the cold. I had been somewhat interested in the warming breathing technique of Tummo, the version offered by Minvaleev, but only in passing; I had no real need for it at the time, just read about it and promptly forgot. But here, so to speak, in field conditions, it all came back to me, and interestingly enough, the technique actually works. One problem: I had to breathe like that constantly, but I kept getting drowsy.
Anyway, I barely held on and after five in the morning, I continued my descent, thinking my troubles were over. And, apparently, so I wouldn't relax too much, the powers-that-be threw in a downpour during the descent. I reached the village soaked to the bone. That's how it went. But thankfully, it all passed without any consequences for my health – no cold, no runny nose, just general fatigue, and even that was gone after a couple of days.
So, here is the route itself. For clarity, I'm attaching a scheme from Google Maps.
This time I decided to start the ascent from the third bridge, but I still ended up on the same trail that goes from the fourth, so I could have saved myself the wandering. Especially since the trail from the fourth bridge is more worn.
Here are photos I took while ascending the spur to reach the ridge.
Along the way, a waterfall became visible, the one I once hiked to, calling it "The Lost Waterfall," but it's probably just unnamed. You can see that hike here.
This is a photo of the spur I'm ascending.
At this point, I reached the ridge that branches off from the one separating the Takob Gorge from the Begar and Odzhuk gorges.
That's where I need to go.
These are photos taken along the ridge up to the rocky break.
Here I reached the place where the rocks begin. Unfortunately, the photos didn't turn out very well; the weather started to turn bad, or maybe my hands were just shaky. :)
No way around.
There's a notch in the wall here. I thought, I'll just peek behind it and there'll be a trail. Turned out, no, it's a precipice.
The only way is there, via that pillar.
And from the pillar leads this little path, a staircase to heaven. :)
This is what it looks like looking back. You can actually see that notch here, the one I thought had a trail behind it.
I sat down here to rest and took a couple of photos, left and right.
Time to move on, along this so-called "trail."
Well, anyway, everything is left behind eventually. I climbed up to another ledge and took photos from it.
The final stretch to the double-headed peak, one of the peaks on the ridge that is clearly visible from the Odzhuk Gorge, and this is apparently the highest point of my route today.
Here's the summit, greeting me with a cheerful little meadow with tulips.
Photos from this summit in different directions.
And here is the second summit of this double-headed peak.
Climbed up here too.
Photos from this summit.
Ahead of us lies Mount Natasha, or the Fang. These names are all unofficial, but this is the last peak on this ridge. And there, by the way, is the famous Fang. I tried to zoom in, but it didn't turn out very well.
But it's still a long way to that final peak, again through narrow sections, but here there was room to maneuver, and I even managed to bypass a couple of spots.
There are these formidable guardians standing on the ridge.
The penultimate hill greets us with this impregnable bastion.
But this bastion also fell.
From this hill, the man-made lake in the Begar Gorge became visible.
The last saddle.
I descended into this saddle.
The final push to the last peak – I don't know its exact name... probably, it is the Mount Fang after all...
Here, by the way, is that Fang up close, well, as close as I could get.
And finally, it happened. I reached the final peak of the ridge, right at sunset. But at that moment, it didn't bother me at all; I was so happy that this rollercoaster ride was finally over...
Photos from this peak. It was starting to get dark, and many photos turned out poorly, so this is all there is.
Now, only down, I thought then.
But, as I wrote above, the descent didn't go well. It got dark quickly, and I ended up staying on the mountain. This is a photo from the next day. It was early morning, and cloudy, so no good photos came out. Well, here's what there is.
And then the rain came, not from the north as usual, but from the west. As I said, I didn't manage to descend in time, and the last part of the journey was under a torrential downpour.
Despite the difficulties that arose, overall, I really enjoyed the hike. I got some fresh air, got a good workout, even tested myself a bit, and most importantly, I accomplished the goals I set. I wish the same for everyone – to achieve what you set out to do, regardless of circumstances.
All the best to you and happy hiking.
