Navigate Home

or back to JeteOguz

or on to KochKor

Trekking from Jete Oguz to Altyn Arashan

We met these guys from Omsk at S.. Camp and encountered them again at nearly 4000 meters where the one without a shirt was romping in the snow (see the Bubbleshare pics). We exchanged emails and they sent this photo.

We just emerged from a 6 day trek into the mountains with Ainura as our guide. Her name means moonlight and she was a treat to be with for several days in the wilderness though we had our clashes over the slow pace of the trek. Food preparation took 10 daylight hours a day while we trekked for only 4. Still we fell into the rythm and while not stretched, we accomplished the objective, 2 3800 meter passes, camping by lake Ala Kol at the base of a glacier at 3500 meters, and generally an invigorating experience with the occasional panorama of 5000 meter peaks. We got very near 4000 meters ourselves on two occasions. Sleeping in a small tent, getting rained on, no joke in such mountains, great experience.

Sometimes the food preparation was worth it

Although we weren't forced to walk for long periods each day the trek still posed challenges of Alpine hiking at 3000-4000 meter altitudes. There were dangerous streams to cross, with standing waves over washed-out bridges, and rainstorms including one day of rain when we happened to have camped at S.. camp with its bizarre wood carvings, a base for KG alpinists in summer and winter when they do ice climbing up the frozen waterfalls near there. The camp had a hut where we stoked a fire and sat out the drizzle thru breakfast and lunch till 2 pm and we could wait no more but had to climb the mountain to Ala Kul lake, a welcome site in the miserable downpour. But our porters had reached there first and erected our tent, so it was still a cushy life we led, rain on the tentflaps protecting us from all but a little mud, and warm in tent when I returned there from a lull in the rain teeth chattering after dashing out to grab out ponchos before the next rainsquall. At sundown, our view of the lake through the tent flaps revealed a sun patch on the glacier (we took a photo) and by morning the skies had cleared and we dried out in the morning sunshine and entertained ourselves watching marmots while awaiting our entourage to prepare our breakfast and move on up to Ala Kol Pass, where I would break my finger coming down the other side.

More trek pics, commentary later ...

Arriving at Altyn Arashan after 5 days hiking

Navigate Home

or back to JeteOguz

or on to KochKor