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After a few days in Karakol, spent mostly in the Karakol Coffee shop, we had been for a couple of trips out - to the Seven Bulls, Broken Heart and a mountainous drive. We decided to leave for the mountains for a few days so with our hiking map we set off for Altyn Arashan, hot springs that are close to Lake Ala Kol.
I'd googled the drive, and the photos online made the road look like a fairly easy track for us and Yoshimi to drive along. In the morning a bus load of Swiss retirees were also on their way up to Altyn Arashan in a military 6 wheel vehicle… so we hurriedly checked out and tried to follow them up, but they had already left… It wasn't too bad - we had to ask directions from an elderly lady who explained (in Russian) we were taking the wrong turn and had to go back and follow the track to the next turn off! Once over a rickety bridge the road turned into a track and into what looked remarkably like a river bed… with a raging mountain river flowing beside it! We pumped up the tyres a little bit with the compressor (in the cold the tyre pressure was dropping).
The ride was, needless to say, very bumpy, but not problematic… until we came up to a vehicle trying to go the other way. Some subtle manoeuvring and we were passed, but the passenger stopped us. This was Valentine, the owner of the hot springs complex at the top of the valley… He eyed Yoshimi and said pointedly that she was "not perfect for zees mountain roads"… Hmmmm… but other than that he was very nice and told us about the accommodation and food.
We were not the only ones heading up to the hot springs. A couple of Japanese hikers were walking up, and an entire Russian sports team were already there! After a couple of hours of driving up hill on the river boulders we came to a hairpin bend section that took us steeply uphill and then the track became more muddy with a couple of deep pools - good thing we got the breathers on the axle!
As we came over the brow of the hill we saw an expanse of mud and deep tracks and wheel ruts. Fintan decided that we could make it around the side and drove slowly down the hill trying not to slide. The slow driving did not help us though and we were quickly stuck. He reversed back a bit and tried to get up the hill, but with no momentum and a heavy car with all-terrain tyres full of mud there was a lot of spinning and not much movement...
A local herder who'd been watching us get stuck from astride his trusty steed trotted over and pointed to back up the hill, where apparently a more suitable track lay. Useful…
So we pulled out the winch control and the recovery bag. At first we couldn't get the winch motor to start - PANIC! Fintan asked me to get the other controller… I didn't think we had another one, but then he remembered the cut-off switch Devon 4x4 installed in the drivers consol. Ah ha! That's better! So we pulled out the winch rope, attached the recovery strap to a tree and Fintan steered his way around. We then used the winch and strap around a large boulder. I stood watching the boulder, expecting it to be pulled down the hill instead of pulling Fintan and Yoshimi up the hill! He made it! What skill! I was very impressed, although he was pretty hard on himself for getting stuck in the first place.
So back up the hill to the suggested track from the man on a horse… does this sound like a good idea? Driving directions from a guy on a horse?? Well, it started off quite badly with us hitting a rock, then got worse as we slide sideways as we drove up the hill (it was steep, muddy and the rocks were slippery too). I was in front running to check out the track before Fintan got to it, and after another couple of bangs to the underside I stopped him ahead of a very muddy patch.
He thought he could get through it… I wasn't so sure. So we turned back down the hill, with a few more bangs on the way down! The junction between the steep muddy section and the flat muddy section, there was some relatively firm ground. We decided to have tea and assess our options. Eventually we decided that we would set up camp in this firm, grassy sections. Eventhough we may be able to get up to Altyn Arashan, it would probably rain again and we'd have to get back through the mud on the way down… We both felt it just wasn't worth pummelling Yoshimi to get another 2km.
We walked up to the hot springs and enjoyed a lovely warm soak, before heading to our little patch of grass and setting up a camp site. Because of the rain (and potentially snow) we figured we'd pull out the canvas canopy and set up our tarpaulin over this, tying it with ratchet straps, string, zip ties and bungee cords. This gave us a pretty big area to put the tent under, as well as the table and chairs if needs be.
Once we had the tent up, I started dinner and Fintan started building a fire. Good thing too - it was cold! After dinner we opened the Georgian red wine, and Fintan polished off the remains of the Jameson. By the time we went to bed, the stars were out; there wasn't a cloud in the sky - making it even colder! And it felt worse inside the tent! We woke up the next day to icicles on the tarpaulin!
I was feeling really sick. The day before I'd had stomach cramps, and during the night had to get up 4 times… Blurghhh! Sick on my birthday! Boo! But Fintan made me tea and a nice fire from the embers of the night before. He then spent all day either collecting wood or prodding his fire! Pyromania! He was collecting everything he could that would burn! Ha ha!
In the evening I was still feeling ill, and we had a much earlier and smaller dinner. In the darkness a voice called out… someone was cycling up to the hot springs in the cold and the dark! Poor guy. I was wearing 2 shirts, a jumper, a thin jacket and my double layer happy jacket. Fintan has taken to wearing 3 jumpers.
The next morning he visited us and told us how excited he was to see us - he is hoping his next trip will be the same as ours! We talked about the car and the route we'd taken and agreed to have dinner together later. We went back up to the hot springs for another dose of warmth, and in the guesthouse had tea… They had a couple of interesting maps on the walls. One of which was from the USSR days showing the territory and soil profiles for the different terrains. We thought of Mike Richards!
That evening as we sat having dinner the rain and then the snow set in, Fintan had found a shell shaped piece of wood to cover the fire and protect it from the rain. Huge snowflakes fell and soon the tarpaulin was heavy with snow. Our friend had to walk back to the guesthouse, so we lent him one of our happy jackets (those big warm high-vis jackets from work). He was resisting, but then as soon as he put it on he was cooing "Ooo! This is nice!" - He must've been freezing!
The morning of the 22nd, we woke up to a winter wonderland! Snow everywhere - except for on our tent, thank goodness! Unfortunately, the fire didn't make it through the night… but we'd decided that we weren't really prepared for this kind of weather. Our sleeping bags are only effective down to 2 degrees, and it was clearly below freezing. Lucas, our cycling friend, was also heading back to Karakol so we put his bike on the roof and gave him a lift too. The drive down was much quicker than the drive up. It really was beautiful up there, but just too cold to stay up there any longer.
So we didn't make it to Ala Kol, although we weren't the only ones put off by the prospect of a 4 hour hike in rain, hail, snow to see the lake if the cloud permitted, and then trek back to the hot springs. We did use virtually every piece of gadgetry that we have, and all the jumpers and coats, hats, scarves and gloves that we've been dragging around!
- comments
mum exciting! we're back in san francisco.
Trace Nail biting stuff!! I'm reading this on my sunny Bondi balcony but had a shudder go through me thinking about how cold you must have bee, brrrr!! x