Karavshin – (an overcast) day two: clambering up to Jalgychy – and “surfing” back.

Salam elim!

On the Karavshin trek across the Pamir-Alay mountain system, summer weather is normally glorious. Mornings bring guaranteed blue skies, by midday a few insignificant little clouds might swell up (or possibly rather more significant ones); and toward evening there might be a fine drizzle. At night the clouds dissolve, and whoever’s lucky enough to have insomnia (though, after long marches, plus all the up-and-down tramping, insomnia is a rarity around here), or unlucky enough to need a nighttime call of nature, gets to gaze at an infinitely brilliant starry sky, and at the satellites scurrying back and forth across the heavens around this planet of ours.

Like I say, that’s how things are normally. We, alas, weren’t so lucky…

For some reason, by the end of day one and for almost all of day two of our trekking trip, a thoroughly atypical scoundrel of a cyclone rolled in over the mountain ranges, drew a dense gray blanket of cloud across the sky, and doused everything (and everyone) in a spiteful rain that drummed dismally on our tents – drumming that woke us all up on the morning of day two. But what could we do? Not much besides waiting for nature’s gloom to turn a little more transparent and then head out along the trail ->

Funnily enough, things could have gotten even worse, but a twist of fate saved us – and added a little cheer to our otherwise miserable morning…

In all that fog and rain, our guide from the Ak-Sai Travel got her trails mixed up, and very nearly led us into the wrong gorge. Well, these things happen. Anyway a dog at a kosh (~shepherd’s’ shelter) we passed started barking so madly and loudly at us that it woke up its owner, who swiftly emerged out of the shelter and explained with gestures where we shouldn’t be heading and where we should. A deep bow of gratitude and respect to him! Otherwise we might well have gotten very lost out here in landscapes that only locals, grazing sheep, and guard dogs know well. // No photos or video of this bizarre, fateful situation; more’s the pity.

Onward!…

The heavens were occasionally merciful to us, though! Now and then something decidedly blue would show itself and reveal a bright sun to dry us off and warm us up…

And we – well, at least some of us – were even abundantly delighted by this improvement in the weather! ->

We looked ahead and up with boundless optimism – and there it was up there in view: our destination for this day – the Jalgychy Pass (3,780m)! We were so looking forward to the views we were anticipating from up there…

But we’re no Karlssons: we came equipped with neither propellers nor any other teleporting rapid-transit technologies. So we plodded along on our own two feet. And the weather – the rotter – swung right back to its morning cloud-and-rain theme…

But what could we do? No way out of it – so on we tramped, higher and higher…

We finally made it to the pass. Here – check out these oh-my-gorgeous views all around! ->

Impressive, right?

We were downhearted and glum, but out came a camera and the effect was instant-smiles! ->

After a brief rest, and with some regret at having come all the way up here, we barreled back down the valley ->

At first there was a lot of scree. Those who know how “surfed” it, though it was rough on the legs. Those who don’t just plodded along. Then bigger rocks started jutting out of the ground – no surfing over those:

Sometimes it wasn’t all rain and fog; sometimes there were breaks of blue sky, and the views opening up all around weren’t bad either:

All in all – real nice out here!

We’d descended a fair way – with thick green vegetation already growing all around:

And on we tramp, tramp, tramp… Today’s leg was fairly short (a mere 8km), but it was over a not-always-even surface (up top). Down here though it was much easier.

And the views kept being served up… but in a somewhat uncomfortable and thoroughly non-contemplative fog:

Almost there… Over there is where we were spending the night:

That’s it for today!

And here’s the sort of weather we got at the camp:

But in the morning… well, that’s for the next post. Meanwhile, the alco-donkey – hurray! – had rolled up! Cin cin!

The best hi-res photos from Karavshin are here.