Rest on Baikal. Slyudyanka - Chersky Peak: route description, distance, reviews Where is Chersky Peak
The tourist route Slyudyanka - Chersky Peak is one of the most popular on Lake Baikal. This path cannot be called easy. But in terms of the beauty of the landscapes and the amount of positive emotions received during the climb, it has no equal in the region. In addition, in Slyudyanka itself there is something to see for tourists.
We will tell you about the main features of climbing Chersky Peak in our article.
Slyudyanka on the map of the Irkutsk region
Slyudyanka is a small city with a population of about 18 thousand people. It is located on the shore of Lake Baikal, in the southern part. On the map below you can see the exact location of Slyudyanka.
The village was officially founded in 1899, in connection with the construction. Although back in the middle of the 17th century, there was a small mica mining fort here. By the way, the modern name of the city comes from the word “mica”.
Slyudyanka is the administrative center of the district of the same name (since 1930). The main sectors of the local economy are mining and wood processing, fishing and agriculture. The largest enterprise in Slyudyanka and the entire Slyudyansky district is OJSC Quarry Pereval, where marbled limestone has been mined since the middle of the last century. Today, this plant is the main supplier of raw materials for the cement industry of the Irkutsk region.
Slyudyanka is located in the foothill zone of the Khamar-Daban mountainous country, consisting of Baikal and Early Caledonian rocks. This explains the huge reserves of mineral resources concentrated in the vicinity of the city. In particular, deposits of mica, marble, lapis lazuli, granite and slate have been explored here. In addition, the depths of the Slyudyansky region contain at least 300 types of various minerals and gems.
Slyudyanka has also earned itself the reputation of one of the fishing capitals of Russia. The fishing and smoking of the delicious endemic of Lake Baikal - omul - is very developed here. You can purchase this gastronomic “souvenir” both at the central market and in one of the city’s fish shops.
But Slyudyanka attracts travelers not only with fish and gems. Fans of mountain peaks are also well acquainted with this Baikal town. After all, it is from here that, as a rule, all hikes to Chersky Peak begin.
Chersky Peak: description of the mountain peak
First of all, you should not confuse Chersky Peak with the mountain of the same name or the so-called Chersky Stone. These are completely different geographical objects. Where is Chersky Peak located?
Slyudyanka is the nearest settlement to this peak. The mountain is located seventeen kilometers south of the city. This is the highest point within the Komarinsky ridge of the Khamar-Daban mountain system. Named in honor of Ivan Chersky, a famous Russian geographer and explorer of Siberia. The absolute height of Chersky Peak is 2090 meters.
Several natural watercourses flow from the slopes of the mountain, in particular the Slyudyanka, Bezymyannaya and Podkomarnaya rivers. The Starokomarskaya road runs along the western foot of the peak, which is part of the ancient tea route from Kyakhta.
The tourist walking route Slyudyanka - Chersky Peak is one of the most popular in the Southern Baikal region, as evidenced by numerous reviews. The popularity of this route is largely due to its accessibility. Thousands of tourists climb the peak every year.
Slyudyanka - Chersky Peak: distance and general description of the route
In general, this tourist route is not particularly difficult and does not require special climbing equipment. However, you shouldn’t relax too much either. In bad weather it is easy to lose your way and get lost.
The best time to hike along the route Slyudyanka - Chersky Peak is from mid-May to September. The total length of the tourist route is 20 kilometers (one way). The elevation difference is 1620 meters. A group of trained tourists will be able to overcome this climb in one day. However, it is best to split the hike over at least two days in order to move at a moderate pace and have time to enjoy the most picturesque views that open from the route.
The trail from Slyudyanka to Chersky Peak is distinguished by great landscape diversity. Here you will see rocky cliffs and lakes with waterfalls, and make numerous crossings over noisy mountain streams.
Stage one: ascent from Slyudyanka to the weather station
The route Slyudyanka - Chersky Peak begins at a concrete dam on the right bank of the river of the same name (a few kilometers from the city railway station). At the very beginning, it is the Slyudyanka River that repeatedly crosses the riverbed. Bridges or wooden masonry were built at the crossing points. There are 14 such crossings in total.
At the beginning of the route there are quite a few convenient places for parking, which is very convenient for those tourists who begin their ascent to Chersky Peak in the evening.
About five kilometers from the city, the route passes by the snow-white dumps and marble blocks of the Pereval quarry (you can almost always hear the noise from the operation of mining dump trucks from above). Even further, somewhere in the middle of the path, there is a small recreation center. Here you can relax, drink tea and eat delicious pancakes with condensed milk.
After about 30-40 minutes of walking from the last crossing over Slyudyanka, the trail leads to the wide Gorelya Polyana. Here the river goes sharply to the left, but the route, quickly gaining altitude, soon comes out into another clearing - Cossack. This is a fairly vast treeless space with fragrant herbs and shrubs. The route goes around this clearing on the left edge and then leads to the Khamar-Daban weather station.
The distance from the city to the weather station is 16 km. At an average pace, this section of the route can be covered in five hours.
Stage two: conquering Chersky Peak
Tourists, as a rule, are advised to set up camp near the Khamar-Daban weather station. There is a convenient site for tents, a well and even a bathhouse. From the weather station it is convenient to make radial trips to Lake Heart, the pass, and also to the waterfalls on the Podkomarnaya River. Chersky Peak is just a stone's throw from here - only four kilometers. You can walk this distance in one and a half to two hours.
It is best to conquer the peak the next day, in the morning. The first two kilometers pass along a winding serpentine road - the remnants of that very ancient “tea route”. Further, the trail emerges onto a rather steep slope, generously strewn with rhododendron flowers. At first it is quite difficult to climb it, but then it becomes much easier to walk.
Soon the trail reaches the top - this is a large rocky area with a cross and an information sign. From the peak a wonderful panorama of Khamar-Daban opens; in the north you can see the blue expanse of Lake Baikal. During the tourist season and in good weather, Chersky Peak is usually quite crowded.
If you have already conquered Chersokgo peak, do not rush to descend to Slyudyanka. If time permits, you should definitely visit the attractions located nearby. First of all, Lake Heart and waterfalls on the Podkomarnaya River.
When going to the mountains, do not forget to use a protective cream with a protection factor of 30 or 50. It is also advisable to wear a panama hat with wide edges. This will protect you from sunstroke and burns.
Since the tourist route periodically passes through rocky terrain, it is recommended to take care of comfortable shoes in advance. This will protect you from dislocations and sprains.
Slyudyanka city: main attractions
Experienced travelers advise: after descending from Chersky Peak, do not rush to go home. After all, Slyudyanka also has something to surprise tourists with! Ideally, you should set aside one full day to explore all the “interests” of this city.
We list the most important sights of Slyudyanka:
- Mineralogical Museum of V. A. Zhigalov;
- Shamansky Cape;
- the beginning of the Circum-Baikal Railway (the most expensive railway in the world);
- marble quarry "Pereval";
- springs with silver water;
- city railway station building;
- St. Nicholas wooden church (1906);
- city water tower;
- monument to the Cosmonaut;
- Monument to the Bear and Monkey.
Mineralogical Museum
The unique museum of rocks and minerals in Slyudyanka was created by local historian and enthusiast Valery Zhigalov. It opened its doors to its visitors in 1990. Today it is one of the main tourist sites in the Baikal region. His collections include about 3,500 different minerals. Famous mineralogists of the planet have repeatedly expressed their admiration for this museum.
The museum in Slyudyanka is open daily from 8:00 to 20:00. It is located at: Slyudyanaya street, 36.
Shamansky Cape
Shamansky Cape is one of the favorite vacation spots for city residents. It is located on the northern outskirts of Slyudyanka and protrudes deeply into the lake. The total length of the cape is 640 meters, and the width is no more than 30. Geologically, the Shamansky Cape is the end of one of the spurs of Khamar-Daban.
This is one of the most mysterious objects on Lake Baikal. According to legends, in ancient times shamanic rituals with sacrifices were held on the cape. The Buryats consider this place sacred, since their shaman is buried in one of the caves. Excavations are often carried out at Shamansky Cape. Archaeologists have discovered several Bronze Age sites here, as well as mysterious drawings left by ancient people on the local rocks.
Architectural and sculptural monuments of the city
The architectural heritage of Slyudyanka is quite diverse. Buildings from the pre-revolutionary period have been preserved here. And in the 40-50s, a number of buildings were erected in the city in the Stalinist Empire style (city administration, the Gornyak cultural center, and others).
The railway station building is one of the main architectural attractions of Slyudyanka. It was built at the beginning of the twentieth century from unpolished marble. Architects from Italy worked on the development of the Slyudyansky station project. Another iconic building of Slyudyanka is an ancient water tower in the Gothic style, located in the city center.
In Slyudyanka, tourists may also be interested in some sculptural compositions. So, at the exit from the city, right next to the road, there is a monument to the Cosmonaut. It was installed here immediately after Yuri Gagarin's famous space flight. But the intersection of Lenin and Gornaya streets is decorated with an unusual sculptural composition. It depicts a scene from Krylov’s famous fable “The Mirror and the Monkey.”
Once upon a time, when I was still a child, my parents and I went to Baikal. For some reason, this trip remained in my memory, and I often had dreams about Baikal and dreamed of an unforgettable journey, vacation, and Lake Baikal seemed to be calling me after years and kilometers. School, studying at college and university... All this took quite a lot of time. But as soon as the opportunity arose, I immediately planned to go to this wonderful place. Now I’m again thinking about finding out how much a vacation on Lake Baikal will cost in 2019. In the meantime, I’ll tell you about my first independent trip.
As a source of inspiration, I chose a tour with a very beautiful name “New Year in Baikal style”. I knew for sure that my holiday on Lake Baikal should be active. Of course, it was important for me to know how much a vacation on Lake Baikal costs. As it turned out, not too expensive. I even got a discount for booking the tour early, which was especially nice.
In another reality...
About six months after paying, I finally got to Lake Baikal, the vacation spot where the group was accommodated was incredibly cozy. I liked our estate from afar. A wonderful place surrounded by coniferous trees and with a beautiful canvas of pure white snow greeted me so warmly and cordially that it felt like I was at home. A completely logical question arose: why do we need these Egypt, Turkey and other foreign countries? Here it is, happiness: vacation on Lake Baikal.
Coming to Baikal and not seeing everything this amazing lake offers seemed like a crime to me. That’s why I went to study everything that was on the estate.
Leaving the room, I saw areas for Internet access, a library, a gym and, my favorite, a game of tennis that lifted my mood to the skies! I spent the entire time until lunch playing at the tennis table. For food, we were offered simple, but at the same time, delicious food, prepared only from natural products. In general, whatever you say, the dinner was quite a success.
Walk around the area.
Since I had little time to relax on Lake Baikal, I decided to break away from my sports research and went for a walk around the outskirts of this quiet, magnificent and unique region.
First I walked to the lake itself. Beauty... How much happiness is in every sip of this healing air... And the ice! The purest, providing the opportunity to experience a huge portion of adrenaline while walking along it. You won’t believe it – it took your breath away, but there are also cars driving along it. I especially liked watching the mesmerizing stone patterns of the Baikal bottom, which can be seen on the shallows in the bay. You can see it perfectly, because the ice is absolutely transparent! In general, I didn’t go anywhere else that day - I had to go back for dinner.
On the second day, my Baikal vacation continued actively. An excursion to a mountainous country called Tunkinskaya Valley awaited us. First we visited the amazing village of Arshan, located at the foot of the mountain peaks. Thermal mineral springs and fabulous landscapes awaited us here. After lunch we went to the hot springs of Baikal with the interesting name Pearl. Divided into two parts, they emitted a nice steam with a feeling of warmth from a long distance. Two guys were swimming in one part, and a couple of girls were swimming in the other. After changing in the locker room, I ran across the ice and plunged into the spring. Warmth, bliss and relaxation throughout the body instantly spread inside. I stayed here for about two hours and went to change clothes. And soon the whole group returned to the estate.
"Baikal-Sugrob-mega-party"
There were two days of drive ahead! We visited the ski resort in Baikalsk, where we were able to have a lot of fun!
I went skiing for the first time. On the first day I never managed to move down the mountain; all the time was spent on training and preparation. We had a simply wonderful instructor who inspired me to perform a feat on the second day. I didn’t just slide down the mountain, but got a lot of impressions and positive emotions from it. Mount Sobolinaya has steep slopes, clean air and crazy drive. Simply unforgettable! We were delighted with this part of the tour and came up with a very appropriate name for this vacation “Baikal-snowdrift-mega-party”!
It's a pity that it all ends someday...
On the last day, I saw Lake Baikal in all its splendor from the window of the excursion train. The Circum-Baikal Express took us along the golden buckle to the village of Listvyanka, where we were accommodated in a fairly good hotel. Our vacation in Listvyanka was very short, but active! In addition to visiting a unique museum dedicated to Lake Baikal, I had the opportunity to ride a snowmobile on the smooth and incredibly transparent ice of Lake Baikal. The holiday was a success! It was great! I spent 6 days on Baikal, and my journey was exciting, active and very positive. And taking into account the fact that I had a vacation on Lake Baikal in winter, the prices turned out to be quite reasonable (unlike the summer season). After this, the preparations and flight home began.
Having arrived home, I felt an inexorable desire to return back - to that fairy tale, to that dream. The only pity is that the winter holiday has come to an end. But I firmly believe: next time I will definitely come back. By the way, a holiday on Baikal 2019 is an ideal solution for celebrating the New Year and Christmas. For those who are considering various options for a celebration, I will boldly say - do not hesitate: Lake Baikal, vacation, photos, prices - all this will forever remain pleasant memories in your heart, especially since the Baikal vacation 2019 involves discounts and the most convenient conditions for flights to this wonderful land.
Route June 2017: Irkutsk - Slyudyanka - Chersky Peak - Heart Lake - Waterfalls - Irkutsk.
The month of June is sultry, the temperature on the thermometer is +36, which is considered abnormal weather for Eastern Siberia. Summer turned out to be hot!
With three days off ahead, my friend and I decided to go hiking to Chersky Peak - this is the highest point (2090 m) of the Komarinsky ridge in Khamar-Daban. The peak was named by Russian geographers in honor of Ivan Dementievich Chersky, a famous explorer of Siberia. This is one of the most popular and most accessible routes in the Southern Baikal region. Thousands of tourists visit the peak every year. The ascent route is safe and does not require special climbing equipment. In the vicinity of Chersky Peak there is a mountain lake “Heart”, as well as many waterfalls.
The route was planned so that it included: off-road driving, climbing Chersky Peak, visiting the mountain lake "Heart", viewing waterfalls. Calculated for two days, one day in reserve.
We drove from the city of Irkutsk to the city of Slyudyanka along a good asphalt road. At the end of the city of Slyudyanka there is a station of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, where tourists usually leave their cars and continue on foot.
From the Ministry of Emergency Situations station we decided to go further by car until the last time we could go. We had to make our way through rivers, steep ascents and descents, and blocks of stones. In total, we drove 6-7 km along a difficult road, slightly damaging the car - the bumper came off, the engine protection was lost). On the way, I came across a difficult section of the road with large boulders, which I couldn’t overcome with my unprepared car. We left the car in the clearing and moved on with our backpacks.
On the route from the Ministry of Emergency Situations station to the Chersky Peak mountain in the forest there is a small private land with a bathhouse, a guest house, and a cafe. The prices are quite reasonable!
The path to the Chersky Peak mountain is well trodden, there are many bridges across the river, there are places for overnight stays and containers for garbage collection. There is practically no problem with drinking water along the entire route. In the valley, the route runs along a mountain river; at the top of the Khamar Daban weather station there is a well with drinking water. But on a short stretch of 3 km to the weather station there is nowhere to get water, since the path goes away from the river, so here it is better to take care of the water supply in advance.
The valley of the Slyudyanka River is very picturesque: varied vegetation - thickets of ferns, boulders overgrown with bergenia, cedars, mountain ash, currants, honeysuckle. In some places the road passes under the crowns of relict poplars. On both sides of the valley, spiky peaks covered with forest, with numerous rocky outcrops, are visible every now and then.
A few words about the experiment with nutrition. My friend Sergei took a pack of emergency food bag with him on his hike, and planned to live the whole day on water and three “plates” from this miracle bag. At the end of the story I will write how it ended))
On the first day of the hike, we reached the Cossack clearing, which is located near the Khamar-Daban weather station. Having pitched the tent, we stopped for the night. It was pouring rain with thunderstorms all night, and in my mind I imagined how tomorrow we would climb Chersky Peak on wet and slippery stones. I was so tired that I didn’t notice that I fell asleep. We got up at 6.00 in the morning, the weather was clear, after breakfast and leaving our things in the tent, we set off to conquer the mountain. After 1 km from the clearing we reached the operating weather station “Hamar-Daban”, where you can arrange overnight accommodation for a fee. There is a well with drinking water on its territory. Near the weather station there is a recreation center with all the amenities for tourists.
At the site near the weather station, a base camp is usually set up, from which they go out along radial routes: to Chersky Peak, to Lake Heart, to waterfalls on the river. Podkomarnaya and its tributaries, to the Devil's Gate pass, to Chekanovsky peak.
The ascent to Chersky Peak from the weather station begins along the serpentine Starokomarskaya road. This road, built at the end of the 18th century, crosses the entire Khamar-Daban from north to south, and for more than a hundred years served as one of the caravan routes from Russia to Mongolia and China. After the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the caravan route became unnecessary.
The higher we climbed the mountain, the lower the vegetation became; at an altitude of 1500m it turned into the “Siberian Alps”.
Gradually gaining altitude, the road reaches the bald zone, where the cedar forest is replaced by small-growing vegetation: dwarf willow and dwarf cedar, as well as extensive alpine meadows.
Having overcome a difficult bridge separating the char from Chersky Peak, we climbed to its peak. Chersky Peak is the highest point of this part of Khamar-Daban. Its height is 2090 m above sea level. From the top a majestic panorama of mountain ranges opens up; in the distance you can see the snow-covered three-thousand-meter peaks of the Tunkin Alps, and you can see the southern tip of Lake Baikal.
The Chersky Ridge is named after Ivan Dementievich Chersky (born May 3, 1845 - died June 25, 1892). Chersky was a geographer, a famous explorer of Siberia, a geomorphologist, a geologist and a paleontologist. He was engaged in geological research on the shores of Lake Baikal
At the southern foot of Chersky Peak, at an altitude of about 1720 meters above sea level, there is Lake “Heart”, which is clearly visible from the top. We slowly walked down to the lake, where we settled down for lunch.
Having rested, swam in the lake, we gained strength and went further along the trail to the Visitor Pass, from which we had to descend into the valley of the waterfalls. To be continued
Chersky Peak, Khabar-Daman ridge, 2090 meters high, one of the most popular tourist peaks in the Irkutsk region.One of the stages of the Russian Cup in skyrunning (high-altitude running) takes place there; the road takes more than 20 km, and the elevation rise is 1600 meters. Besides, it's incredibly beautiful there. Here are some photos from my one-day hike.
I was walking alone and for the first time, so I downloaded the track to my Garmin navigator in advance.
The road starts from the small town of Slyudyanka. From here to Irkutsk it is about 110 km, there are minibuses and electric trains, and a taxi with a good man Kostya took me for 1800 rubles. I start my journey from the RUDO management area. 
The road is excellent, its differences from our Urals are sand and stones, almost no dirt, although it has recently rained. 
The road crosses the Slyudanka River many times, through which volunteers from the Great Baikal Trail built bridges
Slyudanka is mountainous, swift, clean 
I didn’t have any poles, but my friend, former Irkutsk resident, climber Sasha Yakovenko advised me to contact local skyrunner Sasha Gutentog, who kindly lent me her poles, for which I thank her very much. 
The quarry dump, once the city-forming enterprise of Slyudanka, dazzles in the sun. 
another bridge. I lost count, there are at least 7-8 of them 
the higher, the faster the river 
10 km covered, here is a small base, you can eat, spend the night and go to the bathhouse 
Old women are being prepared in the kitchen 
hot sweet tea with lemon and hot pancakes instantly restore strength 
harsh Siberian tourists 
After another few km there is a sign to the second base. Usually tourists reach it, spend the night and climb to the peak in the morning. But I don't have that much time. 
Light snack. Altitude 1000 meters, 14 km covered, travel time 3 hours. The speed is lower than expected.
During this time, female skyrunners reach the top (the time for male winners is even less - 2 hours for 20 km!)
There is a beard on the spruce trees 
I walk through magical valleys, a comfortable path, beauty, an unusually pleasant smell of pine needles and herbs in the air. Even the leaves don't move. 
. I often overtake tourists who travel overnight and therefore carry huge backpacks. 
Near the path there was this grass, unfamiliar to me, everywhere. upd This is "incense" 
but Chemeritsa was often found in grandfather’s high-mountain mowing in the Southern Urals 
Someone's horse is grazing!! 
raindrops on branches 
roots form fabulous steps 
I go out to the Khamar-Daban radio station. 
she's just like in the movies and books 
The guys at the weather station are wonderful, I will write a separate, big post about them. By the way, the horse turned out to be from a weather station. It carries food. 
I was treated to canned fish soup and tea. Just at that time it started to rain, I waited it out and moved on. 
I climb up the mountain serpentine, the wet path soars under the peeking sun 
at the fork there is a sacred tree, on it are various offerings to shamanic spirits. This was adopted by tourists from the Buryats.) 
I climb the pass, then the clouds roll in and then disappear 
family of tourists 
the sign seems to warn 
a sharp ridge, there is even insurance on it. It's a little scary because of the fog. How do people run marathons here? 
The peak is very close, about 100 meters away 
As soon as I reached the top, the clouds immediately cleared 
and I was able to see the famous lake "Heart" so named because of its characteristic shape 
there is still a piece of snow on the northern slope 
and here is the path along which I came. Without fog it's not scary at all) 
I walked 25 km, my time with photography, food and stops was a whopping 7 hours and 20 minutes!
I thought it would be less) 
clouds at such a height flow up, down, sideways, fold and crumble in amazing shapes
Everything happens at great speed, just the sun and transparent distances, and after 3 minutes you are again in milk soup 
A young man ran up the mountain, his name was Evgeniy, he was training for the skyrunner race on August 25th.
I treated him to Coca-Cola, used by skyrunners and triathletes to quickly restore strength.
We ran the way back together, chatted (Evgeniy is an engineer from Angarsk), and then he gave me a lift to Irkutsk.
Hello, Zhenya!! 
test photo with a courageous face) 
Valley below. Avalanches occur here in winter 
Return trip. Do you see how the ridge clearly separates the fog? 
facial expressions photo. Chipmunk, there are a lot of them there, they climb the trees like squirrels. 
In short, not just Baikal) I sincerely recommend it to those who will be in the Irkutsk region to go to Chersky Peak.
In the previous post I told how we got to the height of the weather station. Now I’ll tell you what happened after. So what happened:
Morning.. What is it like?
Sometimes you wake up because rays shining through the window shine into your eyes. Such a morning, as a rule, is always good, because the Sun itself will be with you, and not a soulless alarm clock like a factory race, waking up workers for their shift. Mornings like this only happen on weekends. The joy of waking up is complemented by leisurely pull-ups and a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
There are gloomy mornings when you have to get up for work. The body wants to sleep, but you have to force yourself to do something. Most of my life I have mornings like this.
There are bad mornings, post-alcohol. The only thing that makes me happy is the pickle-cucumber dawn. Many people know about such a morning and that’s enough about it.
And sometimes mornings are like this.. It’s cold.. how cold.. and damp.. Is it getting light? It's getting light! How much time has passed? How long did I sleep (or did I sleep at all)? It seems like an eternity has passed. I lie there for a long time, not daring to move. Need to warm up. I light dry fuel inside the tent - this somehow raises the temperature, but not for long. I fall asleep.. I wake up.. It’s still cold. I pay attention to a strange sound, as if someone was pouring sand on the tent. The sound was there before, but I didn’t pay attention. It doesn't sound like rain anymore. A terrible assumption comes to mind that it could be snow (but how, it’s the middle of summer?!). In the next tent, people also began to move. For a long time they didn’t dare to go out, but then someone finally leaned out. That's right - it's snowing lightly.
Without leaving the tents, we begin a briefing on what to do next. All things are wet, there is no question of continuing to move. Dmitry, who was the most “parquet” of our company, immediately offered to go to the weather station and ask for an overnight stay. I am of the opinion that we need to wait - it will soon be noon and it should get warmer, and then we will see.
It seemed that they had decided to wait, but Dmitry was somewhat unsatisfied with this and went to the weather station. He returned half an hour later and said that at the weather station you can rent a house with bunks, the number of places is limited and blah blah blah. The idea that damp and cold can be replaced with dry and warm prevailed. For some time I was ashamed of the weakness shown, but as time has shown, this was probably the right decision - the bad weather charged for the whole day.
That's how we ended up here:
We had real bunks and a potbelly stove at our service:
It rained all day. Meanwhile, we dried ourselves, warmed ourselves, ate and rested:
After all the hardships endured, this picture is especially touching:
This buckwheat porridge with stew and a shot of cognac spirit remains in my memory as one of the most delicious dishes. And if someone is not happy about this, if someone is more comfortable sitting in a hotel somewhere at a resort or following a guide like a flock following a shepherd, then I can only sympathize with such people.
Meanwhile on the street...
Looking at these pictures, you understand that paradise is somewhere very close:
In the evening, in the gazebo, we met Alexey, who was leading a young couple from Sweden to Chersky Peak (this is how they spent their honeymoon). We turned out to be quite funny (I mean the Swedes), but somehow they were afraid of us. We either offered them alcohol, or smoked omul, or jumped around like crazy. But we must give them credit for even daring to travel so far to Russia. We saw Alexey and the Swedes every evening during our stay at the station and wandering along the ridges, but also on the last day, when we were already leaving for Irkutsk.
The next day the weather seemed to clear up. We decided to leave our things at the weather station and go to the peak lightly - we took only one backpack, putting warm clothes and light food into it.
At first, the serpentine road went uphill through the forest. They walked like this for quite a long time and at some point, in the window that appeared, they saw a weather station:
We walked along the ridge all the time:
We passed by Lake “Heart”, but did not go down to it:
Happy people:
Already at the very peak it seemed that you could reach the clouds; the sky seemed larger and heavier than ever:
Chersky Peak (2090 m):
Baikal is visible in the distance. It's cloudy here, but the sun is shining there:
It is cold and windy at the peak. But, definitely, all our efforts were not in vain. No camera can capture the panorama we saw... Let's go down.
Having walked half the way to the weather station, we turned onto the route to waterfalls, of which there are a great many:
At some time 0x736e616b6534 ran ahead, so that he was not seen until the evening. We just got lost and got lost. At first we walked along the path, and then it suddenly disappeared somewhere, which is not surprising, because... Sometimes I had to walk on the following stones:
If we continued to walk further along the river, we should have come to the foot of the mountain where there was a weather station. I was sure that this path should have existed - the mountain is not steep and it was quite logical for the path to go around to the weather station, but there was no path. I didn't want to go back. Leaving all the people to bask on the rocks, he went on reconnaissance and wandered quite far. There was no path as such, but I would probably have climbed the rocks to the desired path, but I was afraid to lead my inexperienced colleagues this way. I had to go back and make a huge detour.
We were very tired. At some point, I simply didn’t have the strength to walk and had to stop and chew sugar to quickly replenish my energy. We arrived at the station after sunset. Sneaky 0x736e616b6534 I was already sitting with Alexei and having dinner.
The days spent in the Khamar-Daban mountains were remembered primarily for the extraordinary beauty of nature and the trials that we had to overcome. Will I go again if I know about the difficulties ahead? I'll go! I'll run!!
The next day we descended back to Lake Baikal. But more on that later.
Finally all the photos