Dilijan

After the night on the outskirts of Lorut village, while preparing breakfast, I am visited by Lewon at the tent. So I start the rainy Friday morning (November 2, 2018) with an invitation for coffee. Half an hour later, I head to Lewon and Svetlana's nearby house with Dicken. I take Rango back to the tent because of two farm dogs and then sit in a small cottage. The room seems to serve as a kitchen and is very warm thanks to a wood stove. I chat with my host and enjoy bread with matsoni and apricot jam. I can buy some homemade cheese from them and then, after taking a selfie in their actual house, I make my way back to the tent. There, a small disappointment awaits me. In the midst of the chaos with Rango, I forgot to secure the food for the upcoming mountain tour. Of course, Dicken took the opportunity. On his own initiative, he supplemented his breakfast (1.5 kg chicken wings) with a bread, a piece of butter, and a good sausage during my coffee break. So I have to go to the local market again to replenish our food supplies. Then I pack our stuff and set off into the mountains. We go down to the Marts river and then up on the other side into the mountains. Some locals give me hope that I can reach Dilijan on the same day, supposedly only 15 km away. But according to my map, it is more like 25 km as the crow flies. We will see. The one and a half kilos of cheese I bought, also for Rango, weigh heavily during the ascent, and Dicken carries his pot filled with sausage and buttered bread around. Quite a provocation. On the way, we meet some mobile network technicians and immediately Rango is thrown some kind of dürüm, you can't look fast enough. So I struggle up the hills, quite annoyed with my companion, and set up the tent at an altitude of about 2300 m after almost 15 km. While setting up the tent, my fingers go numb and I struggle to thread the last eyelet onto the poles. For washing, I treat myself to some warm water in the tent, while it starts to drizzle and snow outside again. The tent fabric freezes quickly and makes creepy noises in the light wind. The term freezing cold most likely comes from camping. The Dicken's stomach is audibly rumbling, and I'm a bit afraid he might vomit in the tent. After all, he swallowed the sausage along with a medium-sized cardboard label and strings. As it turns out later in the evening, instead of getting up, he peed on his blanket. I briefly consider throwing him out of the tent but refrain from doing so due to the freezing cold.

On Saturday morning, it is still cold. The sun is not in sight, so I first make myself a tea and then shamelessly use the gasoline stove as a heater. It turns out to be surprisingly effective. My clothes almost dry, it's quite pleasant in the tent, and I can easily knock off the layer of ice from the outer skin. Then I pack up and continue our little mountain tour in the morning. We climb up to about 2700 m and mostly have to trudge through snowy paths (if I can find them) and meadows. Walking in the snow is exhausting, but the view of the mountains compensates once again for all the efforts. At around 2600 m, we leave the cloud cover below us and walk in the sun for a while - delightful. At the highest point of our tour, we can look south above the cloud cover. Only a few snow-covered peaks emerge from the clouds and literally shine in the sun. Then we descend and once again enter the clouds. We walk through an already abandoned collection of alpine huts and at an altitude of about 2000 m, we catch a first glimpse of Dilijan. Around three o'clock, I stop in the city for some cookies. After 18 km and about 1000 meters of ascent, I really need the break. Then I look for accommodation because I have to do laundry after Rango's nocturnal incontinence. I find what I'm looking for at the Art Guesthouse and book for two nights. I organize a dinner, take a warm shower, and spend the rest of the day lying down.

On Sunday morning, November 4, 2018, we make our way to the Dilijan Nature Park located to the northwest. There, I visit two medieval monastery complexes located deep in the forest, and then walk with Rango to the center of Dilijan. At the southern bank of the Aghstev river, we pass by the modern UWC Dilijan College and a war memorial. Then we take a stroll around the city and return to the guesthouse after about 18 km. Time for tea and cookies. I spend the rest of the afternoon taking care of my shoes and folding laundry. After dinner, I fall asleep while uploading pictures.

During Monday morning, November 5, 2018, I decide to extend my stay by one day. The last 100 km have left traces, I need a day off. So I spend most of the sunny Monday indoors. Only in the afternoon, I take a smaller trip with Dicken to Dilijan for shopping and refueling.