A hike up Ala Archa Gorge.
Over lunch I tell Natan I’m thinking of hiking up Ala Archa Gorge on Monday, although it’s a little ambitious to consider a potentially long hike before a three-day horse trek.
He’s starting Russian classes then and can’t join, but tells me about a woman he met who leads hiking trips on the weekend just for fun. He shows me the latest WhatsApp message; she’s planned a hike to Kol-Tor lake on Saturday.
I’ve just arrived in Bishkek and haven’t completely caught up on my sleep from the trip around Mangystau, but the opportunity seems too good to pass up. I get Aelita’s number and text her for the details.
She tells me plans have changed. She had sent out the previous option too late in the week and not enough people had signed up to justify the cost of the minivan that would be needed to take us to the trailhead. Instead of the lake she’s planned a trip to a high plateau overlooking the mountain peaks of Ala Archa National Park. It’s about 2/3 of the way to the Golubina glacier, covering around 20 km and about 900 meters of elevation gain. We’ll start around 2100 MASL hiking up to 3040 MASL But before we start, we have to get there first.
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Aelita tells me we’re to meet at 0650. She sends me a link to the location; it’s where the buses depart from Bishkek to the entrance of Ala Archa National Park. There’ll be five of us in total.
There’s few people out and about as I make my way to the rendezvous point, walking through the amuseument park and by the Lenin statue that stands behind the State History Museum.
There are buses already waiting and a man dressed to hike sitting in the park. I ask him if he’s there to meet with Aelita’s group and he says no. I go to wait by the buses.
Aelita texts me to ask if I’m coming. I tell her I am; I’m standing by the buses. She tells me she’s on her way. Another man arrives and greets the man who’s been waiting. Aelita walks up to them; it turns out they are here to hike with Aelita. She tells us there’s one more person who will be arriving, a friend of hers from university.
We board the bus and secure our seats. By the time we leave all the seats are taken.
It’s Victory Day, commemorating the triumph of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany at the end of World War II, and there are police lined up along the parade route the bus is following. I hadn’t realized until I asked Aelita and I kind of wish I had decided to stay in town to watch the parade, though I would have had no way of knowing one was to take place were I not on the bus.
At the main entrance to the national park Aleita pays for my ticket. For some reason it’s not accepting my card and I don’t have small money on me. We use the facilities and then board a bus that takes up the rest of the way to the start of the trails. There, a large number of small restaurants have been set up along the parking lot. Aelita tells me they’re all new (as is the main entrance) and will later point out a huge lodge that’s been built up on a ridge overlooking the valley. They’ve invested a lot in making this a premier tourist attraction and it shows.
We walk up a paved path for a while before we reach the trails. There’s a road leading up to the left below the new lodge. That’s a popular route to a waterfall, but we’re headed up the valley and strike out towards the distant peaks, following the river as it carves its way around the mountains.
Halfway through we stop for snacks. One of the men pulls a blanket out from his backpack and he and his friend unpack full meals. He’s a vegetarian and asks if I’d like to try his meal. It’s a thick noodle dish almost like a lasagna and it’s fantastic. I’m impressed with the spreads that people have brought. I've only have some granola bars and a few peanut butter sandwiches that I save for later.
After resting a bit we pack up all of our things and continue heading up the valley.
Looking at the path I think we’re to continue up the road but at a sign Aelita turns to climb, following a narrow footpath as it winds up the slope. From here we’ll be climbing constantly, taking small steps as the altitude increases. It’d be an easy hike closer to sea level, but nearing 3,000 MASL we all take our time.
Marmots call these mountains home and we’ve passed a few of their burrows. As we climb we see one on the rocks and pause to watch as it preens. A few of us try to get closer to it but it startles at the sound and disappears between the boulders.
Reaching a high meadow Aelita tells us we’re to take a break. I ask her how much longer. She says this is it. There’s a glacier another two hours away, but we’ve set out too late to reach that. She’s done that hike before, around a 12-hour round-trip. She tells me it took them longer as they ran into a snowstorm, the day stretching to 14 hours or so. There’s a cabin nearby you can stay in, but they hadn’t prepared for it. I think it’d be a nice hike to go up and stay there, catching the sunset and stars before taking a good night’s rest before heading back down.
The two friends break out their blanket and immediately lie down. They rest for a bit before unpacking lunch and I share all my granola bars with everyone and eat my sandwiches. One of the friends says he hasn’t had a Snicker’s bar in over ten years, but chooses a granola bar instead, telling me I’ve picked some good ones.
Over lunch they ask me what I think about their generation and what’s to come. They ask me what I think it would take to retire, about how I’ve come to where I am. I answer as truthfully as I can, wondering if it’s helpful or not, thinking about how I can balance my replies knowing that I’m coming from a position of great privledge.
After lunch everyone naps save for Aelita. She stands watch over us along with the mountains.
A Chinese couple appears, hiking quickly up to where we are. She takes out a ribbon and has her partner take photos of her waving it before the mountains. She’s full of energy, a vibrant presence waking us from our slumber. Almost as quickly as they appear they disappear, hiking back down the mountain, on to their next adventure.
Soon we pack up and prepare to follow. Aelita sets up a tripod and takes a few group photos before putting her things away and leading us back down the mountain.
Nearing the end of the path her friend points to a tree that looks like woman. Cool, I say. Creepy, comes the reply. He’s not quite as enamored of it as I am.
We reach a rocky wash that leads to the road back to the start. A few people ride horses up the path. One of the friends tells me horses are not allowed on the path. If that’s so, I wonder where the horses come from .Good question, he says.
Reaching the cable car we stop to use the restroom before heading back to the entrance to catch a bus back to the city. I ask Aelita if I can buy her a coffee or an ice cream. Nooo, she says. I ask how much the hike costs. She says it’s free. The 1,000 some price of the other one was for a car hire, but since we each paid for the bus there’s no cost for this one. She leads hikes for fun.
The local bus is packed and Aelita calls a Yandex to take us back to the city. We hit traffic and it seems to take us forever to get home. We’re dropped off at the GUM shopping mall, about a 30-minute walk to my apartment. It’s been a long day of walking but the delayed return to the city has allowed my legs to rest.
We say our goodbyes and go our separate ways. While waiting for a light one of my fellow hikers appears at my arm. He’s on his way to his third job, making Japanese denim. Thanks to the traffic we hit he’s running super late..
He works as an Arabic teacher and also makes traditional shoes. His studio is near the Russian Cinema, which is right around the corner from where I’m staying. We chat as we walk until we reach Ala-Too Square. I tell him I’m going to take some photos and don’t want to slow him down. We bid each other goodbye once again and I wish him luck.
I pick up laghman from Navat on my way home. I ask if they can prepare it without meat. But there’s meat in it, the hostess counters, looking pained. I give in. Immediatly her face lights up and she heads back to place my order.
I wait outside. I’m starving, and excited for my meal, happy with the day. I had originally intended to do nothing in Bishkek, to hang out in my apartment and catch up on writing, but I’m glad to have done the hike, and I’m looking forward to the horse trek in a few days time. So much for chilling out in Kyrgyzstan! 🇰🇬
