Natural Park Ergaki (Krasnoyarsk Territory): photos and reviews. Nature Park "Ergaki"

Park "Ergaki" is located in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, within the Ermakovsky and Karatuzsky districts, at the headwaters of the rivers: Big Key, Taigish, Big Kebezh; Upper, Middle and Lower Buiba.

Ergaki is a ridge in the Western Sayan. The name of the ridge is relatively new, as early as the beginning of the 20th century, it was necessary to look for the spelling "Irgaki" on geographical maps.

In the eastern part mountain range the federal highway M-54 was laid. The city of Kyzyl is located 200 kilometers to the south along the highway, Abakan is the same distance to the north, Minusinsk is a little closer (175 km), and Ergaki is separated from Krasnoyarsk by 600 kilometers. The nearest settlements are the villages of Tanzybey (50 kilometers to the north) and Aradan (30 kilometers to the south).

The park is divided into three functional areas, differing modes of protection. 74% of the territory is occupied by the largest of them, it is used for recreational purposes, as well as for the development of ecotourism. This area concentrates the main hiking trails. Access to 24% of the park zone is prohibited without special permission, this is a special protection zone and must remain in its original form, human intervention is undesirable. 2% of the park's land is allocated for the economic zone; it includes several tourist infrastructure facilities (hotels, ski resorts, and others).

The forms of the mountain peaks of the Ergaki Natural Park are bizarre and the names were given to match them, for example: Mirror, Camel, Dragon Tooth, Parabola. So the peaks are a museum stone statues open air. The highest of which are the peak in the Aradansky mountain range (2466 meters) and the Zvezdny peak (2265 meters) in the central part of the Ergaki ridge. The Khudozhnikov Pass is a favorite place for aesthetes and artists; it offers a picturesque panorama of the "heart" of the Ergaki mountain range and the valley of the Left Taygish River.

The most recognizable in the natural park is "Sleeping Saiyan"- a chain of mountain peaks resembling a sleeping giant with arms crossed on his chest. A wonderful view of the "Sleeping Sayan" opens from the highway crossing the "Ergaki". They say that the "Sleeping Sayan" is the permanent guardian of the taiga, the protector of the forest and its inhabitants. According to legend, in the old days there was a real person named Sayan, kind and fair, in love with taiga places and guarding them. Sayan understood the language of animals and birds, surpassed ordinary people in strength, therefore, when he died, the gods transformed the body of the Sayan into stone, allowed them to protect "Ergaki" for the next generations of people.

It also hurts "Hanging Stone"- a huge block weighing 10 tons, threateningly hanging over the abyss at the top of one of the peaks. The park "Ergaki" is overgrown with legends, one of them tells of a young batyr, a long-awaited and therefore spoiled by parental love child who imagines himself worthy of life in heaven. The angry gods turned Batyr into stone, and as a warning to future generations, they left only the hand of the proud man - the stone fingers of the rocks - with which the young man still reaches for the sky.

Ergaki is one of the most popular tourist spots Krasnoyarsk region. Park visitors have the opportunity to relax in one of the complexes with restaurants, Russian baths, ski slopes and lifts. In Ergaki there are recreation centers: ski resort and others.

Most of the park area is braided with a wide route network - fertile ground for hiking. The management of "Ergaki" is ready to provide qualified guides.

Journey along the eco-trail "Ergaki" - The best way get to know the nature of the park closer, enjoying its beauty. This path was developed with the support of WWF in 2005. The trail, the length of which is about 35 kilometers, has been beaten for various categories of travelers and involves visiting the most picturesque corners of the park. You will see pointed peaks, blue glacial lakes, impressive mountain canyons and rivers with waterfalls. The route is designed for 3-5 days. Those who have passed the entire trail from the beginning to the end will see Rainbow Lake, the “Hanging Stone”, the Pass of Artists and Lake Svetloye and others impressive places. On the way you can meet deer, foxes, bears, lynxes or red wolves.

Road "Stone City" represents the mountain range "Kulumys", which lay among the rocks in an ornate labyrinth. The whimsical silhouettes of the stones, many of which reach 30-40 meters in height, resemble the faces of people and the outlines of animals. Here you can see the heroes of local legends, as well as visit the stone "Altar", covered with legends, according to which it has magical properties.

A source of information:

Forward! To the west! On Ergaki, from the smog of fires and crowds of resting bodies, to rocky peaks, crystal streams and the blue of the sky!

With such thoughts we raced with Baikal, to the blessed land of rocks and taiga.
But at that moment, we knew almost nothing about the area except that it was the Sayan Mountains, these were rocks, these were more frequent bear attacks, and that this was a great option to save August.

On the way, without stopping, we passed Krasnoyarsk, almost on the go consulting and sketching a route with a guide and a wonderful, sympathetic person Reliable Nekrasova .

On the descent into the Minusinsk Basin, rain catches up with us and accompanies the rest, not long, of the road to Ergak.

Descent into the Minusinsk Basin

The first look from the road at the peaks lost in the rainy haze..

And we are in visit center, a logical and very convenient place to start your journey through the Ergaki Natural Park.

Free registration, consultation and forward, into the world drowning in clouds and water.

On the day of arrival, the time is well after noon, we decide to get out of the forest zone as quickly as possible, because our style is to spend the night at the top.

Where there are no mosquitoes, where there are beautiful views, and the sun rises in the right vestibule of your tent, and sets over the horizon in the left.

And it doesn’t matter what pours around like a bucket, and the clouds fly through us, because in the morning everything can be different.

We rise along the gentle spur of the ridge, clouds begin from a height of 1500 meters.

We get up for the night on a more or less flat place at an altitude of 1700 meters.

We covered 7.7 km in 3 hours.

The morning begins bleakly, clouds are still flying through our tent, but while I am preparing breakfast, slowly getting out of the sleeping bag, it begins to clear up.

This magic of unfolding always fascinates me. Here, from the clouds flying past, a piece of rock is shown, and immediately hides. Here is a distant slope outlined by a broken silhouette in order to drown in milk at the same moment. Here and there, rocks, valleys, ridges and kurums begin to appear, and not even half an hour passes before us a mountainous country, sleek and covered with taiga, opens up.

But where are the famous rock peaks of the Ergaki Natural Park?

Faster to the crest, who knows how long the window in the weather will last.

We rise to the ridge and begin to move along the watershed to the east, towards the Sleeping Sayan.

We admire and shoot one of the wonders of stone architecture, the Kit rock.

The weather is getting better every hour.

Under one of the peaks we meet a lonely photographer Sergei Schmidt, more than 2 weeks traveling through the park. His eyes are inflamed from the smoke of fires, in his hand is a homemade staff, behind his back is a backpack stuffed with photographic equipment. It all looks impressive, I can not resist the portrait.

We have lunch in the area of ​​a beautiful rocky outlier, a stone nose.

And we go down through the Krasnoyartsev pass to the epicenter of the tourist traffic. On the right is a hanging stone, we don’t go there, it’s not at all interesting to look at what is visible in a million photographs of excellent quality.

We go down the 1A Sleeping Sayan pass and climb the 1A Taigish 2 pass.

The pass is rarely walked, which is what we need. Excellent parking place.

Flat area, magnificent view of Zvezdny Peak and Parabola.

We set up camp, eat, shoot the sunset.

On the second day we pass 12 km.

I get up early, before dawn.

I admire the jagged panorama of the mountains, I meet the sun.

A new day floods the sea of ​​taiga with light, spreading under your feet, around sharp peaks, you breathe easily and freely, and it blows your mind!

We pass through the picturesque mountain lake, Lazurnoe, a popular place for parking.

If I'm not mistaken, it was on it that one of the tragic cases of a bear attack on tourists happened in 2015.

In total, there were several attacks in 2015, they mostly took place at night and, as I understand it, people were not the main target.

The careless attitude of vacationers to the storage and disposal of food has taught bears to perceive campsites and people as a source of food, and in search of food, animals come to camps, climb into tents, injuring people along the way.

And without going down to the lake of the same name, we climb the pass of the Norilsk Tourist Club.

The pass offers a wonderful view of the double lake Eight, lying below,

and all surrounding peaks.

We admire a little, resting, and go down to the lake,

The jumper, which seemed small from above, not deep, in fact, turns out to be quite wide, with slippery, but damn beautiful yellow plates.

It's getting late in the evening, but we decide to try to cross another 1B Mezhozerny pass, and stop for the night near Severnoye Lake, at the highest local waterfall, with the logical name Bogatyr. But the strength is not the same, and the pass turns out to be long and steep, so we prudently turn around and set up a tent in a magnificent place on the edge of a sloping stone forehead, with a wonderful view of the surrounding peaks.

But there is no time to photograph the newly made camp,

the sun is rapidly running over the pass of the Norilsk Tourist Club, so leaving Tanya behind the main one, I run away in his wake, climb the pass and spend about two hours alone with the mountains and the sun.

And pictures speak better than any words...

The last peak is burning down, the world is plunging into the night, and it's time for me to go down.

Here is our camp, overlooking the sleeping rocks.

While I was walking, up in the valley it becomes crowded, next to us a group gets up for the night. We are getting acquainted, the ringleader, two females and a child, nice people, I propose tomorrow to join us in a radial trip to the Bogatyr and Gratsiya waterfalls, which we agree on.

We covered 12 kilometers in a day.

Day 4 of our easy hike along Ergaki becomes the day of the radial exit.

The morning sun pleases with good weather and beautiful light falling from behind the turn of the gorge onto the rocks.

We rise to the pass 1B Mezhozerny.

Ascent from our camp: a steep path, overgrown with lush and slippery vegetation along the edges.

The descent is more difficult and longer than the ascent, with small stone ledges, loose slopes and smooth inclined slabs. Can be dangerous in wet weather.

We are glad that we decided not to walk on it last night tired and with large backpacks.

We go down to Severnoye Lake, from which a stream flows, cascading down, this is the highest waterfall in the region - Bogatyr, and then to the very base of the waterfall.

And we find ourselves in impenetrable thickets of blueberries.

A large berry, the size of a phalanx of the little finger, catches the eye with a death grip and does not allow to go further.

Not less than 30 minutes, with difficulty we overcome a 200-meter clearing.

At the entrance to the neighboring circus, the Gracia waterfall flows, and sparkling jets of water fall into a hard-to-reach well on the side.

Climbing down to the waterfall, we climb along large boulders to Lake Glubokoe.

The sun bakes mercilessly, so we find no reason not to take a dip in this refreshing font.

We cross the n / a pass to the valley of Lake Severnoye and, without going down, we leave for the camp.

We spend the evening in pleasant conversation, over herbal tea.

It's nice to talk to people sometimes.

15 km covered in a day.

Day 5, begins with how the day before yesterday ended, getting up earlier, a couple of hours before sunrise, I climb the NKT pass, someone will think why? after all, I was there at sunset, but I would reasonably object sunset and dawn - two completely different entities, and it's stupid to sit downstairs, surrounded by mountains, when you can go upstairs and shoot something interesting.

While I'm waiting for dawn, I watch the track along which rare cars drive, it was from that place that we photographed “peaks lost in the rainy haze” (see photo 2)

The sun rises everyday

and I hurry down

we have a long way to go to Dragon's Tooth Peak.

We are getting ready, saying goodbye to our neighbors and down into the forest zone, we stray a little, having lost the path, in the place where the rocks are adjacent to the first low spruce trees, but after walking a little in azimuth we come out to a good trodden stitch and bring down along it to the wonderful Taigishonok waterfall.

Again, there is no reason not to swim, and along the way to take a photo for one of the months of the outdoor calendar created by Tanya.

We splash around in the icy water for about an hour, sunbathe on dry smooth stones, and take pictures. Of course, in the costumes of Adam and Eve.

After swimming, we descend to the Left Taigish River, to a place called Strelka. The place is popular, and heavily polluted, which is why we prefer to camp outside of popular places, since we have everything in order not to leave any traces behind.

A couple of kilometers upstream of the Left Taigish and, taking the slope head on, we exit in azimuth to Lake Teploe.

The place is amazingly beautiful and cozy. Surrounded by cedars and mountains.

We have lunch and start climbing the Dragon's Tooth along the path.

The trail immediately takes it steeply up and jumps over rocks and screes until the very exit to the ridge. The hard climb ends in a tundra dotted with stone outcrops, with beautiful stone remnants along the mountain ridge and stunning views.

We decide not to climb all the way up, but to camp 200-300 meters below the top, we can hardly find a flat place.

First of all, I provide the camp with water, for this I have to descend 200 meters lower, and without stopping, just leaving the water, I go upstairs, trying to reach the summit by sunset.

Tanya freebies and stays in the camp.

The peak seen from the camp, as one would expect, turns out to be not a peak at all.

Long enough I make my way through the stone labyrinths, until I reach the top, looking up the platform, ending in a cornice into the abyss.

I spend about half an hour at the top, admiring the surrounding peaks.

With sunset, I set out on my return journey.

I slowly go down, photographing beautiful flowers nestling in incomprehensible places, in the crevices of rocks above the steep slopes.

The sunset this evening is beautiful and gentle, at such moments you want to sit on a warm stone heated during the day and think about something big and good, about the laws of life, love, the meaning of life, or not think at all, but just smile, reflecting mountains in the eyes .

In the dark I go down to the tent, where tea, hot food and my beloved woman are waiting for me.

The day was definitely a success.

10 kilometers covered in a day.

I throw back the canopy of the tent, and lo and behold!

It is precisely for such moments that we carry backpacks upstairs, carry water with us, sleep on inclined surfaces.

To ensure that you enjoy the most beautiful moments of the day.

We descend from the Dragon Peak mountain not along the ascent path, but along the kulurau leading to the foot of the peak in the area of ​​​​Lake Tsvetnoe.

The descent is easier and more comfortable than the ascent yesterday, and is more frequently used. But when moving in a group, it is possible to lower the stone.

We go around Mount Antey along the border of the forest, jumping over huge kurums.

And we go to the “densely populated” lake of Artists.

With a classic view of the Parabola Mountains and Zvezdny Peak.

Not feeling much desire to stay among idle resting camps for a long time, we leave through the beautiful tract Stone Town to pass 1A Kursantov (west).

From the pass to the South, a completely unusual picture opens up, gently sloping peaks overgrown with forests, and no rocky landforms for you. This is where the amazing country of Ergak ends.

We descend into the valley of the Tushkanchik River, planning to spend the night at the Marble waterfall,

but the sight of crowds of vacationers wandering to meet us and the abundance of camps around the lake and the waterfall make us reconsider plans, push ourselves and walk a few more kilometers to the Jerboa pass, on top of which, at the rock with memorial sign we get up for the night.

We spend the last evening in hospitable Ergaki slowly and with pleasure, basking in the setting sun, eating leftover food.

The last sunset of the trip along Ergaki

Traveled in a day: about 10 km.

In fact, this is where the hike through the Ergaki Natural Park ends.

On the 7th day, we slowly walk along a well-marked path to the visitor center 7 km, say goodbye to a beautiful mountainous country, and leave for the wonderful city of Krasnoyarsk.

Ergaki Nature Park is a mountainous region in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, which stretches from north to south for 80 kilometers. There is everything here for those who love mountains - and taiga, and sheer cliffs, and the purest mountain lakes, very picturesque. Since 2005 it was Ergaki that received the status of a natural park and became protected by the state. In the list of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Ergaki legally takes his position.

How to get to Ergaki Park.

You need to get to the Ergaki Natural Park from the city of Abakan along the m-54 "Yenisei" highway, the distance of the route from Abakan to the point is about 200 km. (you can go by bus from Abakan or Krasnoyarsk). The road is periodically repaired, however, in general, the condition of the roadway is quite satisfactory, the traffic is not large, the surrounding landscape does not put pressure on the nerves with its monotony. The mountain ranges begin suddenly and the fact that you will soon get to the place can be understood by seeing a half-tunnel with a wall of rock on one side and white columns on the other, protecting the traveler from the cliff.

Before the tunnel will be good Observation deck overlooking the mountain range, where you can stop, stretch your bones and take a few pictures.

Climate of Ergaki Natural Park.

You can relax in Ergaki Park at any time of the year. Nature is picturesque, and the air here is always clean and at first intoxicates a city person.

From the end of September until mid-May, you can ski on the slopes, both equipped and wild (of course, at your own peril and risk). In winter, the temperature can easily drop to -40, so choose equipment that is not the same as for European slopes. "This is Siberia, baby."

Summer in Ergaki can be divided into two periods - the first and second half of the summer. The first half is more rainy and cool, the snow in the mountains has not completely melted, the mountain lakes have not yet shed their ice shell. But in the second half the weather is more conducive to walking and conquering the mountains, especially in the first half of August.

Tourists visit Ergaki Park in any month of summer, because at the beginning, when nature is just waking up, simple walks give incomparable pleasure, flowers and plants gain strength and juice. And in August the weather is not stable. You go out into the mountains - it's drizzling, it's cool, after half an hour you take off your raincoat and take off your parka - the sun is hot. An hour later, you put on a ski jacket, because an icy wind blows in your back, descending from behind the pass and overtaking a cloud-fog.

I remember we came to the lake, it was hot. People bathe, we arranged a halt in order to give rest to the legs and strengthen the body. Lepota. Literally 10 minutes later we were sitting in ski jackets, it started to rain, we had to put on raincoats. Everyone hid, and we decided to arrange a climb up the mountain. Before us, people climbed there for about thirty minutes, we flew in about ten minutes under a downpour and hail.

Where to sleep in Ergaki Park.

All comfortable bases are located near the highway and in order to visit some interesting place you will have to wind 8-15 km daily, and you simply cannot reach some places from them in one day.

In order to fully feel the romance of the mountains and feel all the charm of Ergaki Park, we advise you to go on a multi-day tour - with a tent, a heavy backpack on your back and faithful comrades nearby. And definitely in the summer! You can follow the route of your choice and stop for the night where you want, and continue your journey in the morning.

In the Ergaki Park there is a campground, it is not on the highway, but in the mountains, although not in the very center. You can spend the night there and walk along the route during the day. If you do not have a tent, the campground will provide you with a tent, if you do not have any other tourist equipment, the camp will provide it. If you do not want to drag your multi-kilogram equipment to the camp, designed for several days of stay in the mountains, then your equipment can be delivered to the tent camp on a horse. Every whim for your money. A dining room and a bathhouse are also located on the territory of the camp. If you decide to live in a tent camp, then be sure to take part in the cultural mass program - morning exercises in the mountains, competitions, evening gatherings around the fire with a guitar.

Where to get an instructor-guide in Ergaki Park

An instructor who knows Ergaki Park like the back of his hand can be found either at the Visitor Center, located on the track on the edge of Ergaki Park, in a tent camp, at the bases, or by announcement. The instructor will help you organize the hike you want, based on your training and, accordingly, your desires.

When leaving for the mountains, do not be lazy, go to the Visitor Center, check in at the watch, indicate the route and the period for which you are leaving for the mountains. You understand that anything can happen in the mountain taiga, and if you do not mark your return in the route log after the specified period, then they will start looking for you and will definitely find you.

There you can and should also purchase a map of Ergaki Park, if you do not have one.

Bears and other danger in Ergaki.

Bears in Ergaki Park are by no means a myth. IN Lately cases of collision with them have become more frequent, and these cases do not always end well. The main reason for their attack is the stupidity of people. People camp for the night, prepare food, leave it near the tent. Of course, the clubfoot comes to the smell. Never leave food near the camp!! And don't leave food in the forest.

There are ticks in Ergaki Park, but they are all in the lowlands. There are none in the mountains.

As for traveling with dogs in Ergaki…

Officially, entry to Ergaki with dogs is prohibited, but sometimes they are taken with them on the route. Think carefully about whether you should take your dog with you. The trails are not easy, the dog will get very tired, or will not be able to overcome the route at all. We also wanted to take our own, but still left it warm and comfortable. It's a pity.

Some mountain peaks of Ergaki Park.

Sleeping Saiyan

The main attraction of Ergaki Park is a chain of rocks, which is very reminiscent of a person sleeping on his back. Surprisingly, the face, long hair, arms folded on the chest, and legs are visible from all sides. This unique creation of nature is called the Sleeping Sayan. Naturally, there are many legends about him. According to Russians, this is the hero Svyatogor, who guards these places. To look at the Sleeping Sayan, you do not need to follow a multi-day route.

Parabola

Mount Parabola consists of two connected peaks of different sizes and heights, the contour of these peaks has the correct parabolic shape. It is also called the Brothers, because it seems that two brothers are holding hands. Mount Parabola is also a visiting card of Ergaki.

hanging stone

According to legend, the Sleeping Saiyan will wake up when the Hanging Stone falls into the Rainbow Lake and splashes the giant. Rock "Hanging Stone" is also a landmark of Ergakov. An illusion is created that it is about to fall, because it hangs on the very edge of the cliff and it is not clear how it holds, but many times groups of tourists of 30-40 people tried to push the stone, all to no avail! The mass of the stone is about 40 tons.

Star Peak and Ptitsa Peak

The highest peak is Ergakov, its height is 2265 meters. Zvezdny Peak looks like a sea liner. Another famous peak is Bird, you don't even have to look closely to see an eagle spreading its wings.

Dragon Tooth Peak

dragon tooth

A chic rock that looks like a dragon's tooth or another godzilla. From this peak, some extreme people make jumps in suits with membranes like a flying squirrel (Wingsuit).

Lakes in Ergaki Park.

There are a lot of beautiful lakes in Ergaki, usually of glacial origin. The most famous are Light, Rainbow, Karovoe, Mountain Spirits, Marble, Lake of Artists. Lake Svetloye is also called Bolshoy, it is surrounded by a dense spruce-cedar forest. In the surface of the lake, as in a mirror, the peaks of Zvezdny and Ptitsa are reflected. Bear Lake is calm and quiet, and in Marble Lake there is pure glacial water. Nearby is a waterfall in several cascades. Lake of Mountain Spirits - emerald color, in the form of a triangle with rounded edges.

There are no problems with water in Ergaki Park at all. A bunch of rivers, lakes, springs. Almost all water is fashionable to drink, it is clean and tasty.

However, there are lakes that live on rain, they do not even have a name. You just walk among the boulders, and in front of you is a chic small lake from which boulders protrude.

What to bring with you from clothes and equipment to visit Ergaki Park.

First of all, shoes. Since the weather in Ergaki Park is unpredictable, you should always expect the worst - namely, rain. Some of the trails, especially at the beginning of the path, are swampy. Accordingly, shoes such as sneakers and sneakers are eliminated. I had berets, they got wet after the next downpour and the assault on the summit in the downpour. In order to keep them dry as fashionably longer, I had to constantly look for drier paths, jump over stones. This is all good at the beginning of the route, at the end, when there is no more strength, all these actions are not easy. The wife was wearing rubber boots, like most of the people we met. That's who I envied. Feet dry, go where you want. So wear either rubber boots or trekking shoes that can hold the water pressure of the environment.

A raincoat is a must. You have to put it on and take it off very often.

A special travel pad will allow you to sit on any surface, which is very convenient. He has no weight, does not take up space, dangles on the priest and gives freedom for landing the fifth point.

Gloves. The simplest gloves for working in the country will keep your hands warm when it's cold.

Change of shoes and socks. Always have a change with you. Dry, healthy feet are the key to a successful route.

Everyone should choose the rest of the equipment for themselves, the main thing to remember is that it’s not worth dragging extra pounds into the mountains, but if you suddenly need something and it won’t be there, it will be tight.

And remember when you walk in the mountains and meet other people, say hello to them. It's accepted here. And it is very pleasant to wade through boulders and windbreaks for long hours, to accidentally meet people who do not look at you like wolves in urban conditions, but greet you kindly. A simple “Hello” improves mood, gives strength, and somewhere in the depths of the soul the thought arises that not all people have become assholes and humanity still has a chance.

Route thread: Abakan - Usinsky tract - Tushkanchik river - Svetloe lake - Tushkanchik pass (n / c) - Nizhnee Buibinskoe lake - Khudozhnikov-2 pass (1A *) - Lower Parabola pass (n / c) - Bird pass (1A) - Svetloe lake - Zvezdny pass (2A) - Pikantny pass (1B) - Vidovka pass (n/k) - Svetloe lake - Jerboa waterfall (radial) - Zolotarnoye lake - Zeleny pass (1A) - Bezrybnye lake (radial) - Zapadny Gemini pass (1B) - Climbing the peak of the Dragon's Tooth (2176 m) - Zharki pass - Vostochny pass (1A) - Bolshoye Buibinskoye lake - Upper Buiba river - Lugovoy stream - Svetloe lake - Tushkanchik river - Usinsky tract - Abakan.

Key points along the route (Google Earth): download

Preparing for a trip to Ergaki

Ergaki are famous for their beauty not only in Siberia, but throughout the country. Alpine relief, deep trough valleys, tarn lakes, numerous waterfalls... All this makes the trip to Ergaki a wonderful place for connoisseurs of pristine nature. It is also important that you can get to Lake Svetloye or Lake Rainbow (the starting points of most routes in Ergaki) in just 3-4 hours of trekking from the Abakan-Kyzyl road. Most of the peaks of the main Ergakov ridge exceed 2000 meters, the highest point is Zvezdny Peak (2265 m). Most of the passes have elevations exceeding 1500 m and are located in the bald belt. About 15 passes were qualified, including 4 passes 2A, 6 passes 1B kt.

In the summer of 1996, German Nikolayevich Babushkin gathered a group for a hike in Lake Baikal. But due to a number of circumstances, the trip to Baikal had to be postponed to the next year, and I was transferred to the caring hands of Vladimir Georgievich Fiofilov, who was gathering a group on Borus. However, Rimma Ivanova appeared at one of the evenings of the Zelenogorsk tourist club "Firn" and offered us another option - a trip to Ergaki, where she herself was going with her children in mid-June. That's what they decided on. Collections have begun.

The final composition of the group:

• Vladimir "Grandfather" Fiophilov - IV-ka mountain, 43 years old, leader
• Nelli Simonova - III-ka mountain, 48 years old, supply manager
• Natalya Ryabykh - III-ka mountain, 30 years old, doctor
• Dmitry Kovinov (that is, me) - no experience, 15 years old, photographer
• Sergey Rubanenko - no experience, 14 years old, remaster

A food ration was assigned. I was assigned to purchase, pack and carry throughout the trip

• three cans of stew
• a kilo of dried potatoes
• 2 kg sugar
• 1.5 kg dried smoked sausage
• three packs of jelly
• 1 kg raisins
• 1.5 kg loin
• 1 kg biscuits
• breadcrumbs from 2 loaves of bread
• 5 cans of canned fish
• 1.5 kg semolina

The result was 12.5 kg. Approximately the same, but of course other products, were the rest. Thus, our layout for this trip to Ergaki was 850 grams per person per day.

From public equipment I carried: a two-handed saw, a coil of 11 mm rope, and from personal equipment, in addition to the usual: chest harness, carabiner and tops. Plus, since my mom is a medic, I was tasked with putting together a first aid kit. The following medicines got into it: stomach pills, painkillers, pills for infectious diseases, dressings, 200 grams of medical alcohol, antiseptics and an elastic tourniquet.

It must be said that before the trip to Ergaki, I was a real "teapot". I had no experience of big hikes, and most importantly at that time, almost no hiking equipment! I had to buy a backpack, a sleeping bag and an anti-encephalitic suit that was outlandish for me.

Road to Ergaki

So, the beginning of the trip (boarding the bus on the route Zelenogorsk - Zaozernaya) was scheduled for "five thirty on Monday." On Sunday, as a conscientious tourist, I packed a backpack (it turned out to be 37 kilograms !!!), tried to walk with it along the road near the house. Then he seemed to me not just heavy, but very heavy. Fortunately, before this trip, I walked six times with a weight of 15-20 kilograms uphill near the house (I put bricks in my backpack).

In general, on the appointed day, getting up at 4:20 in the morning, I conscientiously had breakfast and harnessed my dad to take me to the bus. Having approached the place, I found, or rather I did not find a soul from our group. In complete bewilderment, after waiting for the bus to depart, I went to the "Grandfather". A sleepy, but already clean-shaven man with bewildered expression on his face answered the doorbell. In response to his bewilderment, I began to explain to him that our bus had already left, to which I received a quite clear answer: “Dima, the train from Zaozerka is at seven in the evening !!!” Turning around, I went home and went to bed for another two hours. When my mother came home from work, she was very surprised why I was still at home. Then, without incident, we got to Zaozerka, and then to Uyar station.

New surprises began in Uyar: it turned out that the previously ordered tickets for seats on the train ended up in different cars. After a short conversation between Natasha and the cashier, everything was settled.

The train went normally, and they arrived in Abakan at 11:15 am the next day. We were lucky, and already at 12 o'clock we were sitting on the Abakan-Kyzyl bus. It should be noted that on the bus, most likely, only we were Russians, the rest were Tuvans. The bus was good - Ikarus, and we hit the road. On the way, I slept a little, but after 3 hours the MOUNTAINS began to appear. Here the whole dream was taken away as if by hand. Our bus, as it turned out, was good only in appearance.

In the village of Ermakovskoye, the bus made a big stop at a roadside cafe, where we, like almost all passengers, had a hearty lunch. Almost immediately after Ermakovsky, the road went uphill. Our Ikarus, like a donkey, was forced to stop every hour so as not to overheat. Having climbed probably to the highest point of the road, the belts on the engine were torn and another hour-long stop followed. But despite these troubles, the impression of the mountains, visible mainly to the left of the direction of movement, was huge. I looked at some kind of “head of the Saiyan”, at a “bird”, “starry” and could not even imagine that in three or four days I myself would make my way among these peaks ...

Up the Jerboa River

Well, at five o'clock in the evening, the Jerboa River, which we have been waiting for so long, finally appeared. Not having time to get off the bus, we saw our friend, Rimma Ivanovna, who was already waiting for us. We greeted each other and went on our way. But they did not go even a hundred meters as they approached the camp. There were a lot of people from young to old: both children and adults. Some sat and talked, others joked, others fussed around the camp. After sitting in their camp, we moved up the Jerboa. I must say that at first the mood was not very good because of what we were told. Namely: "Two weeks before our arrival, just at the time of the beginning of the campaign of Rimma Ivanovna's group, it began to rain, and out of the 15 days they spent in Ergaki, it rained for 12 days." The path we were on was muddy and wet. The backpack seemed terribly heavy to me. We walked with stops every 15-20 minutes. And having passed some kind of "ant hill" we met three guys. They turned out to be members of Rimma Ivanovna's group.

We decided to spend the night at a place with a funny name "ant hill". It was my first night in a tent, and even more so in the mountains. The boys told us about the difficulties of the hike, and looked very serious and important, apparently taking us for "dummies" who do not understand anything about real hikes. In the evening they cooked dinner and sawed firewood. It was very interesting to look at the rather well-coordinated work of everyone in the camp, and I thought that I would soon know exactly what to do without outside help. On this day we walked only 4 km, but that seemed enough to me. Clean run about 1.5 hours.

Nice sunny morning. We go all the same up along the left bank of the river. About an hour later, we are blocked by a stream that flows into Jerboa. It turns out that this stream flows from Lake Svetloe. Without crossing it, we go further along the coast, quickly gaining altitude. Mountains are shown on the left. You can clearly see "Bird" and "Star" - the most famous peaks of the Ergaki ridge. We go out to a huge field, completely covered with frying and wild garlic. Let's get some for lunch. We turn left, and after 10 minutes we find ourselves on Lake Svetloe.

Meadows with wild garlic and frying near Lake Svetloe

Bazlag on Lake Svetloe

Lake Svetloe is one of the most convenient places for base camp with a circular route. From here it is easy to get to Lake Maloye Buibinskoe, get into the valley of the Taigish River through the Lake of Mountain Spirits, or along a good path in just a couple of hours to be on Lake Zolotarnoe. It is here that we decide to set up our base camp, which will become the starting point of our three rings and one radial exit. There is warm water, a lot of space for tents, there is a lot of forest around and there are not many problems with firewood. In addition, very close to the road, and in which case, light, you can run to the road in 2 hours.

We leave right after lunch. We take with us food for 3 days, the rest in the "cast". Now we are 10 people: there are five of us and Rima with four boys. We go around Lake Svetloe on the left, not far from the shore we cross a stream along the logs, which originates here. We continue on a good path. We pass several small "rotten" lakes, and exit to the Medvezhiy key. We cross it on a thrown log, you won’t go through the ford without insurance. Alpizba stands on the right bank. We go inside - no one. Then again along the path to the Tushkanchik River. We pass into the ford, and take the path straight to the Tushkanchik pass (n / c), located to the right of the top of the Tushkanchik mountain itself, an ancient volcano with a destroyed crater.

At the hut of the Minusinsk people (they say it burned down in a couple of years)

Jerboa pass (n/c, 1700 m) - really n/c (none!) - forest, grass, in some places even a horse trail. In a word, drag. The saddle is very wide. During a smoke break, they ran closer to the top. There, from the bottom of the crater, along the inner slopes, technically difficult ascents can be made using rock climbing techniques. Then we go down to the lake Small Buibinskoye. We arrive at the place of overnight stay only at 21:30. We set up tents right on huge boulders, as this is the only dry and almost flat place in the area. In addition, in the event of a downpour, there is nothing to be afraid that water will go under the tent.

"Hanging Stone" and the Pass of Artists

In the morning we went to the "Hanging Stone" - a huge boulder on the top of the mountain, lying on the ground with only a small part, and forming a huge canopy. The name is due to the fact that this stone lies on the edge of a large cliff, so it seems to be hanging. Many tried to push him, but no one succeeded, this pebble is too heavy.

On the ridge near the "Hanging Stone"
Below - Lake Nizhnee Buibinskoe

"Hanging Stone" - the calling card of the Ergakovs!
Below - Lake Small Buibinskoe (Rainbow)

At 16:00 we go to the Khudozhnikov pass (1B). The ascent from the camp on Lake Maloye Buibinskoe to the pass flight took only 1.5 hours. The ascent to the pass from the Nizhnyaya Buiba river valley is very easy and takes no more than 30 minutes. On the pass we rest and admire the mountains. The pass is named so for a reason. Below is the most beautiful trough valley of the Left Taigish River. On the right you can see, resembling the blade of a bayonet shovel, Zvezdny Peak (2265 m), and a little to the left and in the distance - Dragon Tooth Peak (2176 m).

Behind the highest peaks of the Ergaki ridge: Dragon's Tooth, Starry, Bird.

The descent is quite difficult, as it passes through a loose layer of "live" stones, we descend immediately from the saddle - quite difficult. Some people recommend the following variant of descent into the Taigish River valley: not descending directly from the saddle, but climb a little in the direction of Molodezhny peak (on the left - if you look into the Taigish River valley) to huge vertical boulders called "fingers". There are three of them in total, you can go down between the first and second fingers, counting from the saddle. Even from the pass, I noticed that the foot of the pass was strewn with stones. Then I thought that it was good that we would not have to drag ourselves through the mud, we would jump from stone to stone. But what was my amazement when, as I approached the stones, I began to understand their real dimensions more and more clearly. The passage of the stone platform, which, as I thought, standing on the pass, would take about five minutes, actually took half an hour.

Having overcome the stones, some of which were the size of a 3 or even a five-story house, two hours after the start of the descent, we found ourselves on a small, dry, elevated place, 500 meters short of Lake Khudozhnikov. We set up camp.

Pass of Artists from the parking lot "Dream"

The evening was wonderful. Looking back, I realized how great the scale of things created by nature. Huge boulders in front, giant mountain ranges to the left and right, a lake and a stream behind. All this creates a feeling of something unearthly, not something that a person who has lived all his life in the cramped back streets of the city gets used to.

The sun began its path to the horizon and the camp became quiet and quiet. And in such a huge place, constrained on all sides, there was such a silent, unusual silence for a person, which was interrupted only by one very melodic ringing of a stream running nearby, which began its long journey to the Yenisei here. You involuntarily think: “Isn’t this perfect place for human life? A place where there is no fuss, no quarrels, no fleeting desires. A place where you would like to truly relax, a place where you would like to be in the moment of the highest happiness!

But let's get back to mundane matters... While the porridge was being cooked, we made a sortie into the hut, with a strange name for a person who found himself here immediately after visiting some restaurant or supermarket called "Dream". The dream turned out to be nothing more than a small depression in a huge boulder and boarded up on one side. It was rather dark inside, but we could still see a large notebook lying on a wooden table. They brought it to the camp and only there they saw that it was nothing more than a "book of visitors". It was covered with many different wishes that different travelers left in it. We left a note too.

After dinner, we sat by the fire for a long time, "grassing" jokes on a variety of topics.

Parking lot "Dream"

16:15 – Departure from the camp
17:45 - the beginning of the ascent to the pass
18:00 - 20:15 - descent from the pass
20:45 - camp at the lake of Artists.

Valley of Mountain Spirits - Bird Pass - Svetloe Lake

After breakfast, the usual gatherings began, which consist in the fact that everyone runs around the camp and looks for their things scattered before. Since then there were still a lot of us (10 people!), The preparations were delayed. But at 11 o'clock we rushed to storm the Parabola. The Parabola Pass is a depression between two peaks created by nature according to the canons of geometry.

Having passed along the kurumnik, we clung to the Eastern Brother and then, along a small shelf located on its western side, climbed to Parabola. The path was not dangerous, but in some places the ledge was rather narrow and steep, so that in order not to fall, one sometimes had to grab onto the roots and branches of trees growing on the ledge. Climbing the Parabola pass, I was literally stunned!

Everything told about some Valley of Mountain Spirits and the lake of the same name turned out to be just a description of paradise from a person who has only two words in his vocabulary ... Valley of Mountain Spirits is perhaps the most a nice place on the ground of all that I have seen before. It is a valley surrounded on three sides by majestic steep cliffs and a lake between them. The very shape of the lake resembles a footprint of a barefoot giant who created these unique mountains. The most interesting thing is that from the height of the Parabola Pass, the dimensions of this lake really seem to be equal to the size of a human foot.

Upon returning from the top, right on the pass, we had a light picnic. The menu consisted of water that we brought with us, diluted this water with Invite (which is “just add water”), bread (at that time we still had more or less non-stale bread), lard, boiled pork and canned fish. After a snack, we set off on our way.

After walking quite a bit, it started to rain. The first rain since our stay in Ergaki. Having pulled on capes, we huddled together near a sheer cliff. After sitting for about 20 minutes, we felt that the rain had ended and moved on. After walking quite a bit, we came to a snowfield. Throwing away our backpacks at lightning speed, we indulged in carefree fun: we began to ride on this snowfield on seats, and someone just on the priest. Then it seemed that this is the best attraction in the world! Snow in the middle of summer. Wow!!!

After a little rest after the races on the snowfield, we moved up to Pass Bird(1A, 2097 m). The ascent was not difficult at all, apart from the danger of falling off in two or three places and getting hit on the head by a stone that your friend had inadvertently moved, who, by chance, turned out to be above you. Climbing the pass and having a little rest, we decide to climb the "Bird's Shoulder". The ascent was very easy, and at five o'clock in the evening we were at an altitude of about 2150 meters!!!

On the "shoulder" of Ptitsa peak. Behind - Zerkalny Peak, Molodyozhny Peak and Sleeping Sayan

After enjoying the height and the views of the Sayan Mountains that open in all directions, we moved down to the camp on Lake Svetloye, from which we left the day before yesterday in the afternoon. From the top, it seemed that it was very close to him. Less than an hour later, a fierce downpour fell upon us. Taking out our capes, we hid under them like turtles in a shell and sat quietly and waited for the downpour to end. Sat there for half an hour...

Although it was not long before our base camp, the most difficult, as it turned out, was yet to come. Moving almost constantly only down, we risked finding ourselves on wet ground. From fatigue, the legs buzzed, attention weakened, and the group members continually landed on the “fifth point”. Dirty, wet, slippery...

But slowly and surely we were approaching the lake, which I renamed the Lake of Hope. So I wanted to quickly dry and relax. Having passed a small swamp in the eastern part of the lake, at eight o'clock in the evening we reached our base camp on Lake Svetloye.

Even without changing into dry clothes, everyone fussed. "Grandfather" and I went for a drop. Seryoga and Natalya began to build a fire from wet branches. It was hard, but I had to work. Quite quickly and harmoniously, we achieved that in an hour and a half the fire was burning, the tents were standing, the food was cooking ...

It was our farewell party. Rimma Ivanovna and the guys were going home the next day. The adults drank some goodbye. This day was perhaps one of the three most difficult days of this trip.

11:10 - Departure from the camp
11:50 - Parabola. Climbing East Brother Peak ()
13:55 – start of the descent to the Valley of Mountain Spirits
14:40 - 14:50 - fun at the snowfield
16:20 – pass, ascents to the “shoulder” of Ptitsa peak
17:50 - start of the descent
20:05 - camp on Lake Svetloe.

Day at Svetly

The most boring day ever. It rained almost non-stop all day. They lay in a tent. They played cards, wrote diaries, studied maps of the area. Seryozhka saw Rimma Ivanovna and the boys down to the road.

Super day: trans. Star - lane. Spicy - trans. Vidovka

Day of Ivan Kupala. In the morning I carefully get out of the tent - if only no one doused it! But everything was dry! After breakfast, we were on our way. The day was planned to be the most difficult (approximately so it turned out!). Our planned route for today did not look bad - three passes per day, while one of them was a specific "two a". So, with great zeal, after yesterday's camping in tents, we moved up. After walking for 40 minutes, we decided to rest and drink. That's where it all started! I don’t remember who started first, but after a minute we were all equally wet from head to toe!

Having dried up, we start from the foot of the pass right in the forehead. From the side of the ascent, the slope is very simple and without incident we climbed to the pass. An amazing panorama of the Brothers, the Lake of Spirits and the valley of the Taigish River opened from it. Everything was nice until I looked straight down, directly where we were going to go down.

Here, unexpectedly for myself, I felt a very strong desire to eat. Imperceptibly, in a couple of minutes, I consumed my entire daily ration, which, according to the plan, should have been enough for three or four hours. The descent from the pass, in principle, was not so difficult. And it was possible to do even without ropes, but we played it safe. The descent in the most difficult part of the pass took us 2.5 hours and three pitches.

Zvezdny Peak (on the left), Zvezdny Pass (the closest couloir to Zvezdny Peak) and Ptitsa Peak. View from Lake of Mountain Spirits

Having rested and calmed down (this is me to myself), we continued the descent. We descended to the Lake of Spirits, walked along its shore and at the northeastern tip made a halt for lunch. Noodles, sausage, crackers and ice cream for dessert. Personally, I didn’t really like it, but just in case, the recipe is: “a can of condensed milk is taken and mixed with fresh (if there is no fresh, then the old one will do) snow.”

While some comrades, for a sweet soul, ate this mountain dessert, I preferred to wait until the snow melted and, mixed with condensed milk, became just cold milk. It took about an hour for lunch. We traversed a side spur and came to a platform from which a very scenic view. Not wanting to lose height, we began to move in a traverse towards the Pikantny pass.

So, without descending into the valley, we continued on our way. But it turned out that we could not avoid the descent, as we reached the sheer cliffs. Having descended to the bottom of the valley, completely laid with huge boulders, we moved up. The path was quite exhausting, as we had to constantly jump from one boulder to another. It’s good that we only have two backpacks for five, and we carry them in turn.

The path was quite exhausting, but then a pass appeared in the distance, and having gathered all our strength, we made a forced march. And what was our surprise when, instead of the desired pass, we found ourselves only at the terminal moraine of the already disappeared glacier. The moraine created a dam and several small lakes appeared at once in the resulting basin.

Now we clearly saw our target, it was even 200 meters higher! Serega, having broken during a smoke break, rushed to the assault. We went without haste. I will say right away that it took us another 1.5 hours to climb, to the pass from the moraine.

Bypassing the lake on the left, we went straight to the pass, which looked rather menacing. But, going up to the foot, we saw snow (after all, it was the northern slope). I began to climb right in the footsteps of Seryoga. Serega, without thinking about the group, just ran to the pass. Therefore, I had to literally knock out the steps with the toe of my boot. Getting up quite easily, we saw Seryoga there, who immediately received a decent thrashing from Uncle Vova for separating from the group.

Since time was running out, we rested for only five minutes and started descending towards the third pass of today - the Vidovka pass. Here, either from fatigue or vice versa, from joy that we succeeded in the most difficult part of the route, everyone cheered up: for about 20 minutes we walked and laughed without stopping, sang and told all sorts of funny stories right on the go ... However, as soon as the descent ended and the ascent began, good mood as never before. The ascent was not so easy. We are pretty tired today!

Slowly but surely we climbed up. Right behind was the beautiful lake Zolotarnoye. At 20:15 we reached the pass. Although it was still far from darkness, the camp on Svetloye was even further away, which became our real home.

Having rested at the rock "Elephant" - a remnant on the Vidovka pass - we began the descent, as usual Comrade Natasha became cheerful again. The descent was quite difficult and consisted of dense bushes. The speed of walking dropped very much, and only by 11 o'clock we reached the camp and quickly, before it got dark, we began to make a fire and put up tents. That day we sat by the fire for a very long time, until two in the morning. True, at about midnight, Seryoga went to bed, and Comrade Natasha and I stayed by the fire. She told me a couple of legends about the Sayans.

It was one of the three most difficult days. Although we walked only 13 kilometers on the map, the feeling was all fifty!

9:30 am – Departure from the camp
11:45 - Star Pass (2A, 1950 m.)
12:15 - 14:35 - descent from the pass
15:30 - 16:40 - lunch at the Lake of Mountain Spirits
18:20 - moraine under Pikantny pass
19:50 - 20:15 Pikantny pass (1B, 1850 m.)
21:45 - Vidovka pass (1A, 1700 m.)
23:00 – camp near Svetloe lake

Radial ride to Jerboa waterfall

Of course, after such a load, as on the previous day, the human body needs rest, and we (more precisely, our commander) decided to arrange a day. The sun shone all day and the weather was wonderful, but that was the only day I regretted going on a 16 day hike. It would take a week...

But after dinner, my stomach suddenly got very sick (the only ailment for the whole trip). On this day, we cooked jelly from any "pasture" (rhubarb, etc.). perhaps because of this rather tasty jelly, my stomach got sick ... I didn’t take any pills, although they were, but just lay on the rug in the shade, curled up into a ball.

On this day, guests visited our camp: a woman and a guy about eighteen years old. I was immediately struck by their manner of communication with each other. They were talking almost like yard guys. But Comrade Nelya knew this woman. At first we talked a little about everything, but then, having learned that we were going to the waterfall, the woman calmed down a little. Here she began her long, and sometimes even terrible story. She spoke for a long time, but the meaning of what was said was this:

All climbers know the legend about the black climber. The black climber is some kind of person who seems to have died, as I understand it, something like a zombie who walks through the mountains at night and can easily pass even the most difficult sections.

So, this very black climber walks in the mountains and sometimes looks into the tents of tourists. There is a legend that says that if a climber or any tourist in the mountains saw a black climber, this means his imminent death.

She told for quite a long time, and even my hair stood on end, although I tried not to believe in her stories ... Now, when I am writing this diary, I no longer remember how this woman moved on to another, even more terrible topic. Undoubtedly, having the talent of a skillful storyteller, she began her story with the fact that a boy in their group fell ill. According to her, the boy is an experienced hiker, and that nothing like this has ever happened to him. She told us that just not far from the Jerboa waterfall, which we were going to, or rather, right by the lake from which the waterfall originates, there is some sort of hut - not some kind of cave in which some then a sorcerer (according to her - a hermit). It turned out that shortly before the illness of this boy (who had terrible headaches), he was at this lake. No one dared even come close to the hermit's dwelling, and this guy supposedly even went there. And according to her story, when he returned to the camp, he became very ill.

Ordering us firmly and firmly not to even come close to the hermit's dwelling, she, after saying goodbye to us, went with her companion to her camp, which was located, like ours, on the banks of the Svetloye, but about a hundred meters to the west. In parting, she said that tomorrow she and two guys would take the sick guy to the Minusinsk hospital. After she left, my heart felt a little better. Too bad I didn't like her...

But the stomach still hurt, and our group was still going to the waterfall, which was only 4-5 kilometers away. But the desire to miss a valuable shot overcame the pain in my stomach, and barely getting up, lightly, I went along with everyone to the waterfall.

Having reached the waterfall without much adventure, I still endured the pain. The waterfall was really beautiful. The height reached 12 meters. The weather was sunny, and we decided to swim in the icy stream of the waterfall. Having undressed to swimming trunks, Seryoga and I climbed up to where the water was falling. But in the middle of the height, in one of the steps of the waterfall, we saw a rather deep pocket formed from the fall of the water. After a little thought, I still plucked up the courage and plunged about up to my neck into icy water ...

In the first second, my heart almost stopped. But after a while, breathing began to quicken. Without sitting in the water and 3-5 seconds, I jumped out on dry stones. The effect was amazing! All the pain in my stomach went away instantly! Warmed up a little, and already with more courage, I again plunged into an ice bath. Again, breathing quickened to 2-3 breaths per second, but it was great. A few minutes later, all of us, with the exception of Seryoga, took contrast baths. After waiting a bit, Seryoga also decided. After five minutes of procedures, we settled down on the barn to dry.

Once dry, we headed back to camp. On the way back, we already stopped for an hour in an alp hut, where Grandfather's acquaintances from the Minusinsk Alp Club were. As I understand it, this time there were good guys in their camp. Their leader told us that they are going to Ptitsa and Zvezdny one of these days!

Having treated ourselves to free sweets and tea, we continued on our way. In half an hour we were in the camp on Svetly, which had already become our home.

16:00 - exit to the waterfall
17:45 - 18:15 - waterfall
20:00 - camp (with a 40-minute stop at the hut)

Lake Zolotarnoye - Zeleny pass

Having had lunch in the morning (that is, having breakfast), we were preparing for the third, final and largest ring with a planned five overnight stays (later it turned out that six would be needed). As soon as we began to collect things, the guys from the neighboring camp passed by our camp in an easterly direction. They, like us, went to the Golden Lake. But since we were not yet ready, they went on without us.

At 11 o'clock we were finally ready and went after them. Having rounded the ridge and Mount Vidovka, we came to the lake. After 1.5 hours we came to the lake on which the guys were already standing. Some of them drank condensed milk from cans - a sight that was unbearable for me then because we did not have so much tasty food. I went to the lake. There, having rolled up my trousers, we sat with Seryoga on the stones.

Having rested, at 13:30 we left the lake in the direction of the Vostochny pass, and our “competitors” were going to conquer the Pikantny pass we had passed two days earlier, but from the opposite, more difficult side.

As soon as we approached the foot of the pass, I suddenly (for the second time) had a stomach ache. I quickly “went down the seal”, but the pain never went away. I said nothing and silently climbed to the pass. It was pretty hard. And so the pass is viscous, arable, and even the stomach hurts! But somehow I still climbed to the pass, on which there was a huge boulder-remnant, in the shade of which we settled down for a halt.

After finishing a 1.5 liter bottle of water for five people, eating a piece of cheese and sausage and eating it with five (one for each) sweets, I suddenly noticed that my stomach did not hurt, and finally I could carefully study the surroundings. And they were really beautiful: far ahead was a lake that looked like two man-made pools. One of which was twice the size of the other. This whole lake was called Bezrybnoye, on which, they say, good fish are found!

At half past five we started to go down. This pass (Green) was one of the easiest of those that we climbed during this trip, only 1A. Going down to the very foot, we saw an amazing picture on the left: like giant towers, there were three majestic peaks. Between which narrow gaps were barely visible - passes. A little lower and to the left was very beautiful waterfall which, unfortunately, we never did.

At first we wanted to set up camp right next to the stream, which, like an unbroken horse, jumped over the stones. But noticing a small dry mound with a forest a hundred meters below, we moved there.

While dinner was cooking, I decided to temper myself a little, as the day turned out to be very hot. I went down from the hillock, on which we set up camp to the stream at its foot, no more than a meter wide and knee-deep. Having undressed to swimming trunks, I completely plunged into this icy stream. At first, I was almost struck by a cold blow, but after suffering a little, I got out of the water and settled on a stone under the evening, but still scorching sun. I repeated this operation three times, after which I returned to the camp.

After dinner, everyone went about their business. "Grandfather" with Comrade Natasha, as usual, cut themselves into "balda". Its meaning lies in the fact that the players have in front of them a square of 8x8 cells with one word inscribed horizontally there. Then, in turn, each player writes a letter there so that a new, as long as possible, word is obtained. For each word, points are given at the rate of one letter of the word - one point. Having tried to play "balda" with the aces, I soon realized that there was nothing for me here. That evening, Aunt Nelya and I sat around the fire over various camping stories and legends.

11:10 - left the camp
13:50 – start climbing the pass
15:00 - 16:20 - per. Green (1A)
17:00 - camp

Radial boat to Lake Bezrybnye

On this day, "because of the beauty of these places." But having spent in the mountains now more than a week it was unusual for us to sit all day in tents, especially in such good weather. After breakfast, at 12 o'clock, we went to Lake Bezrybnoye. The path was quite easy and in a little less than an hour we were on the stone shore of the lake. As usual, I quickly took off my socks, rolled up my trousers and put my feet in the water. This simple procedure surprisingly well relaxes tired leg muscles.

After sitting on the rocks for a while (and “grandfather” and Comrade Natasha even swam), we began to prepare a small dinner. It was quiet and we noticed that two ducks were swimming on the calm surface of the lake. Taking out binoculars, we watched these wild and fearless animals for half an hour. They swam so close that we could even see them with the naked eye. It was immediately clear that these birds had not yet heard the shots of guns and human voices.

Having rested, we decided to walk to the isthmus between the two halves of the lake. Larch trees grew on the isthmus and I chopped off a piece of resin from the tree. At first it was rather bitter, but then it became nothing. The only thing is that the jaws get very tired of sulfur.

We returned to the camp and fell asleep as usual.

12:00 - leaving the camp
12:50 - 17:00 - rest on the lake Bezrybnoe
17:45 – camp

Twins West Pass

After breakfast, at 9:50 we leave the camp in a northerly direction. Before us is an unusual wall of three huge peaks, reminiscent of the towers of a medieval castle. We are going to the middle pass - Western Twins (1B). The ascent is simple, and after an hour of walking, at 10:50 we are near the pass tour. We take another note, leave our own.

At 11:05 we begin our descent along a narrow, rather steep couloir. Here, perhaps, you can’t do without a rope, although you can pass in a thrust. The rope can only come in handy in two sections, 8 and 5 meters. We climbed them with a rappel with a top belay, the belayer free climbed these sections. In just 45 minutes we were having lunch under the pass. After a 2-hour lunch, we decide to move on, but after five minutes we come across a place suitable for spending the night, and decide not to go anywhere else, and at 14:00 we set up a tent on the left bank of the Ledyanoy stream near a small lake.

On the left - East Twins Pass (2A), in the center - West Twins (1B), on the right - Vysotsky Pass (2A).

9:50 - leaving the camp
10:50 - 11:05 - pass
14:00 - camp

Time off at Ledyanoe Lake

For 40 minutes of walking without backpacks, we went to Ledyanoe Lake. It's a pity that the visibility was poor, and in the afternoon there was a tedious drizzle, and the rest of the day we sat in tents. Fifteen years later, Mikhail Popov perfectly conveyed the fantastic beauty of this lake in his photographs!

Climbing the Peak of Dragon's Tooth

We decide to climb the Dragon's Tooth (2176 m, 1A). We leave the camp at 10:35 and go down the Ice Creek. At 11:20 we get up in front of the "second glass", leave our backpacks under the stones and at 11:45, taking a snack and water with us, we begin to climb.

The ascent to the summit consisted of three sections of different character. The first one is with large boulders mixed with trees, and is quite steep. The second is more gentle, overgrown only with moss and wild rosemary. And the third is almost without vegetation cover, rather steep and rocky. An excellent peak to see the entire Ergaki ridge, and to climb it you don’t need anything but your legs and head. The ascent in total took less than 2 hours, and by 13:30 the group was at the top. The peak, with its southeastern slope, abruptly breaks into the lake, forming just a huge 400-meter cliff, which even has a negative slope in its upper part!

From left to right: Natasha, Sergey, Neli Vyacheslavovna and me.
Behind - Zvezdny Peak and Ptitsa Peak!

10:35 - leaving the camp
13:30 - 15:05 - pass
18:00 - camp

Bundle Zharki pass - Vostochny pass

We got up early, because the pass we saw yesterday in all its "glory" was to be terribly long. And so it turned out. Leaving the camp at 9:50, we went straight ahead. It is quite difficult to walk, as there are many trees, the slope is rather steep in places. We walked at this pace: 30 minutes of rise - 10 minutes of rest. Little by little, at 11:50 we approached the pass tour. In the removed note we read: “A group of tourists from …. ... climbed the Zharki pass ... ".

Indeed, during the ascent, we were somewhat carried away by traversing, and went a little to the right than necessary. This was confirmed by the fact that Bezrybnye lakes were visible from the pass. By traverse of the ridge we crossed to the saddle Vostochny pass(1A), thereby making a saddle ligament. At 13:15 we started the descent, which turned out to be somewhat harder than the ascent, mainly due to the unusually hot weather, in the shade it was at least 30 degrees.

On the border of the forest, we went out to a very beautiful lake and decided to have a big dinner. The time was 14:35. The water in the lake turned out to be unusually warm, which is why the rest lasted until 17:00. What follows is a rather difficult section. There is a lot of tall grass, stones are not visible at all, and fir trees do not really contribute to fast movement. But we must pay tribute to the leader, who led us exactly to the lake. The time was 18:25. We walked a little along the lake, and spent the night on a rather long cape overgrown with forest, which we often visit, as there are a lot of fire pits and, sorry for the word, garbage.

9:50 - leaving the camp
11:50 - 13:15 - pass
18:25 – camp

Lake Buibinskoe - Lake Svetloe

One of the hardest days of the trip. In the morning we swam a little, the water is quite warm, and left only at 12:40. We immediately went along a good path right along the lake. We quickly reached the southern end of the lake. We went into a fishing hut, standing right next to the water. There was no one there, but there were crackers, salt and bread. It is immediately obvious that this place is quite often visited.

Then we just walked along a very cool horse trail along the Upper Buiba River, since there was not a cloud in the sky for the last 3 days, the trail was more like an asphalt path. But, having walked along such a path for about two hours, they began to notice that the paths began to diverge, and therefore deteriorate. We walked for another half an hour, and turned sharply to the right, straight into the forest. It turned out that they turned off successfully, and after 30 minutes they reached the Lugovoy stream. At 3:50 p.m. we got up for lunch. They ate saury, bread, sweets, halva, apricots, prunes. So much due last day hike, do not bring food back. At 16:45 we went further, immediately crossed into a ford, and further along the same horse path up along the right bank of the Lugovoy stream.

Approximately two hours later we came to the hut, quite large and strong. There was no one inside, but it is clear that shepherds live here. Go ahead. At about 20:15 we came to the confluence of two streams. They didn’t immediately cross, but went along the same right bank. After 100 meters, we still cross this stream, since it is simply not possible to go. Mosquitoes appeared from somewhere, so many that I had to get the repellent lying around as unnecessary at the bottom of the backpack. After walking for another 30 minutes, we realized that we had gone more to the left than necessary. With penultimate strength, we sharply climb the hill, which is very close, and we understand that we didn’t go along the right stream in vain. We descend directly into the water meadows behind Lake Svetloe. At 21:30 we finally reached the base camp. They quickly ran for a drop (it turned out that chipmunks or mice gnawed through plastic bags and pretty much pulled out halva and gingerbread).

12:40 - Departure from the camp on Lake Buibinskoe
21:30 – camp on Lake Svetloe

Exit to the Usinsky tract and return home

During the day they collected things, dried, washed. After lunch we had a festive dinner. Celebrated my birthday. I turned 16. Suddenly, such a strong hailstorm broke out, which I have never seen before. Some hailstones reached 1.5 cm in diameter! Some of ours were not left without bruises on their heads, since even a hoba did not save them from hailstones.

The hail lasted about 20 minutes. During this time, the pot in which the soup was a little less than half was filled to the brim with the purest mountain hail. Everything changed instantly. Nothing could be known. A layer of hail covered literally everything with a layer NOT LESS THAN 15 CM! After the end of the hail, the mountains simply rumbled, overflowing streams boiled, in some places small mudflows descended.

After that, they tried to start a fire for a long time. It was possible after 30 minutes, and even then only because they accidentally found dry twigs under a stone.

Having cast the last glance at the "Ptitsa" and "Zvezdny", at 18:45 we headed back. At first, I had to walk literally on the water, since the snow melted instantly, the earth did not have time to absorb such a huge amount. At 21:45 we arrived at the asphalt road, the first flat surface in the last 15 days.

The next day, at 12 o'clock, we got on the bus, and in the evening - on the train, and in the morning of the next day we were at home.

18:45 - leaving the camp
21:45 - Usinsky tract