Kyrgyzstan – Trek 1

A cloudless morning dawned with frost covering the tents and shimmering in the grass. Quite a few of the group had felt cold in the night but I had not been bothered by the temperature and had had my best night’s sleep since arriving g in Kyrgyzstan. In the clear morning light the mountains looked stunning.

Heading out at the start of the trek

Heading out at the start of the trek

After breakfast we headed out along the valley with the river on our left. Along the way we passed a number of yurts where families cared for their flocks of sheep and goats, a few head of cattle and horses. These family summer homes are totally self sufficient but still manage to live a simple, nomadic lifestyle. At each one we passed we were given friendly waves, or they came over to shake our hands and willingly allowed us to take their photo. At each one there was an area of stained ground where the sheep and goats are corralled each evening behind a makeshift fence. Dogs guard these homes, barking constantly while we pass but not once did I feel we were threatened.

Beating the wool

Beating the wool

We came across a woman beating the brown sheep’s wool with two metal rods. Her daughter was beside her. They beat the wool fibres to break them down so that they can make it into felt, which provides them with clothing, bedding and carpets to keep them warm on the long cold nights of winter. When we asked if we could take their picture they preened themselves in preparation and posed for us. Not exactly what we wanted.

Dramatic landscape

Dramatic landscape

After a couple of hours we began a short, 250m, steep climb out of the valley, over a ridge into a much larger, wider valley. Immediately as we started to climb you realised you were at over 3000m and the breathing became instantly laboured. This was our first real test at altitude and it was quite a shock for some.

The descent, unlike the ascent, was long and gentle. The clear skies of the early morning had gone and the high mountains had cloud clinging to them, becoming more threatening with time.

Horses run free in the open country

Horses run free in the open country

Distance can be very deceptive in this type of country; it is so vast that distances can be difficult to assess. We were camping in this valley, and although we could see the end of it it was impossible to say how far it was. We weren’t even certain where camp was going to be and Alex would occasionally veer off the path to gain a better view.

Eventually, after a much longer trudge than we expected, we reached camp requiring a river crossing to reach it. The clouds that had been building around the mountain tops had now gathered across the whole sky and thunder rumbled ominously. A storm was on its way and our priority was to get our tents up, and our kit stowed before it came.

Fortunately we were successful, but it was not long after that the rain came and confined us to our tents or the mess tent.

During the evening Alex chatted to me about plans for the next day. He advocated driving to the next camp because the rivers that we would have to cross were running much too high to make them both fordable or safe. Disappointed I had to accept his advice.

It rained all night not stopping until about six in the morning. At least it had meant that the night was warmer, so instead of cold keeping people awake it was the constant noise of the rain on the tents.

In order to get to camp we had to make a circuitous drive of 75km on rough unmade roads. This time I sat in the front of the lorry, affording me a much better view than sitting in the back. This is big country with wide, gently sloping valleys . In the distance, in every direction, are jagged snow capped mountains, now bearing fresh snow from the overnight precipitation. Skyscapes are huge. I have to admit here that this is not really what I was expecting. I was expecting more dramatic scenery in closer proximity to the high peaks. That is not to say that the scenery was not dramatic in its own right, particularly when we could see storms sweeping across the vastness of what was around us us. We occasionally drove into these storms and they were driven on strong winds with snow included in them.

We eventually turned into a particularly wide river valley. The view to the north looked as though the sea might be just beyond the horizon. This is a double landlocked country, so this impression was purely in the mind.

Our lorry temporarily came to grief

Our lorry temporarily came to grief

We needed to go into a side valley from this main one which required us to follow a track over a spur. Sitting in the front it was clear to me that the track was far too eroded for us to comfortably make it. There was a huge channel down the middle, I could see what the driver was trying to do, he was trying to get the wheels to straddle the chasm. Only it was too wide and the earth was far too fragile to hold the weight of the lorry. First we lurched to the right, towards the rising hillside, and to the left towards the descending hillside, before coming to a crunching stop. Those in the cabin might not have known that it was impossible for us to topple over and down the hill. We were wedged and going nowhere. Evacuating the group from the vehicle took some time while the crew set too with shovels to make it easier for the vehicle to be reversed down the track and back onto the valley floor. I was glad that mobile phones did not work here and that the students could not contact home and over dramatise the incident. It was quite exciting though.
Just below where the incident took place was an area of flat grass in the river bed. Clearly we were not going to get to the site we had set out to reach, so we pitched camp on this area and spent the afternoon enjoying some beautiful sunshine interspersed with sweeping thunder storms, some of which swept over us while others passed by without affecting us.
We are here for the next three nights and will be doing radial walks from here.

Setting out for the Kok-Kiya Gorge

Setting out for the Kok-Kiya Gorge

The title of this whole trek is Unknown Kyrgyzstan. It might well be Hidden Kyrgyzstan. Today it was going to reveal a secret beauty. The morning dawned bright and sunny with just a few clouds clinging to the mountain tops. By the time we set out for our walk to view the Kok-Kiya Gorge the clouds were already gathering to the north and heading in our general direction. We immediately climbed up from our river bed camp on to a plateau of rolling hills with occasional rocky outcrops. To the east, beyond the lush green plateau rose the jagged peaks that form the border with China.

A colourful carpe

A colourful carpe

The whole area was covered in an array of flowers, purple being the predominant colour but not exclusively so. There were some beautiful yellow poppy like flowers, amazingly complex thistles, what appeared to be wild onions, dandelions and a more aggressive looking dandelion with spiked leaves.

The clouds from the north had now built up sufficiently for us to be hit by flurries of rain laced with sharp hail stones, driven on a keen wind. There was a coolness in the air, particularly noticeable when we stopped for a short break. I always imagined it would have been warmer than this.

Kok-Kiya Gorge - Wow!

Kok-Kiya Gorge – Wow!

We eventually reached a cliff edge in this smooth landscape as we peered down into a wonderful limestone gorge and the Kok-Kiya River flowing 500m below us. It was stunning with many pinnacles of rock rising majestically from the sides of the gorge. We walked along the top edge of the gorge for some time, never failing to marvel at its splendour, eventually deciding on a rocky outcrop for lunch. The light in the gorge varied and when the sun hit the Rock the features stood out more clearly.

After lunch we returned to camp, arriving by mid afternoon, to rest up for the remainder of the day, in our tents when the keen breeze picked up with a shower or on the grass between showers when the temperature was significantly higher.

The next morning dawned bright but still with a few clouds around the higher summits. However, I instinctively knew that it would be more settled today, that we would not have any rain and that the views of the upper Kok-Kiya gorge would be amazing.

We set off as we did yesterday but then veered off climbing steadily on to the plateau. We were gaining height quicker than we did yesterday, the extra height meaning that there were fewer flowers at our feet.

Even better views of the Kok-Kiya Gorge

Even better views of the Kok-Kiya Gorge

Reaching the edge of the gorge we were greeted with some amazing views of sculptured limestone interspersed with carpet-like grassy slopes.

To the south was an even more prominent viewpoint so we headed round to it. When we got there it was a little exposed in places so, having checked it out, I gave everyone the option of not going to the extreme point.

Below, the Kok-Kiya River snaked its way majestically around the floor of the gorge, flanked by pristine green pasture on either side. From here we were heading back to camp, about ninety minutes away, but I would rather have explored more, possibly dropping into the gorge to get a very different perspective.

Enjoying the spectacle

Enjoying the spectacle

I couldn’t help think that not many people have seen the views I was seeing, certainly not from the UK. I also knew that had this been in the UK there would have been roads leading to it with car parks, gift shops and cafes. It would have been utterly spoiled. What we were seeing was as good as it could possibly be.

The afternoon was spent bathing in the river, washing clothes and relaxing in gloriously warm sunshine. This was punctuated by three soldiers riding into camp, having ordered those that were washing to return to camp. They were friendly enough and wanted to see our permits and passports, a fairly laborious affair but all done with good humour. By the time they had finished the sun had gone behind cloud and a stiff, cool breeze had blown up. Chris asked if he could take their photograph on their horses but they said ‘Niet’. He managed to get some surreptitious photos of them from over my shoulder as they left.

Fiery sky

Fiery sky

As quickly as it came the cool breeze ceased, the sun shone and temperatures rose so that it was warm well into the evening. The setting sun, with such big skies, was a real spectacle and brought the cameras out.

Tomorrow we move on and the story of the next few days will appear in Trek 2.

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