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One million steps for the three of us
Chapter 1. PROKHODNOYS AND OZERNIYS
Chapter 2. THE GREAT WATER
Chapter 3. SNOW AND SUN
‘It is not a plain,
the climate is different here…’
Vladimir Vysotskiy
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(July 2004)
Almaty – the gorge Alma-Arasan – the gorge Prokhodnoe – Space station – Institute named after Shtenberg – Big Almaty lake – pass Ozerniy – valley of the river Chon-Kemin – pass Kok-Airyk – Chon-Sary-Oy – Cholpon-Ata
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How many times I have heard carelessly hurled words: ‘Ah, you’re going to Issyk-Kul. But there and then are only two days of walking’. About the fact that you will have to cross two passes, one of which is covered with snow, about forced crossing of the mountain rivers while it is raining, about ascents and descents on the ground that is slipping from under the feet, about shooting down your head rocks from the middle of nowhere and about other surprises which are peculiar to the mountains these people obviously have never heard. Really, it’s very popular itinerary. The joke of those days: ‘Well, next time will go to Dubai as anyone who takes the trouble to go to Issyk-Kul goes there, it even hurts.’ I’m not going to argue with the fact that it is possible to get to Issyk-Kul in two days. Right, people go there (but accompanied with the instructor and using shorter way), but for us traveling is not sport, it is life. And from life you should not only obtain results but pleasure as well. And so ‘we’re choosing difficult way…’
As the matter of fact we’ve chosen not usual itinerary. It can’t be called straight and short. It took us six days to get from Almaty to Issyk-Kul. But those were such days that we were not bored during any single minute. Each step, each turn was fraught with something new and unknown, pleasant and dangerous, but in any way very interesting and exciting for the kind of adventurers like we were.
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| Our group |
Just a couple of words what we are like. We are the members of Karaganda historico-geographical society ‘Avalon’ (Vitaliy Shuptar, the brothers
Yermolyonok
Sasha and Zhenya, Marina Belyaeva) and also the girl who hasn’t been yet the member of the Society because of her young age (13 y.o.) – Lena Ismaylova.
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