Ala Archa National Park

On Friday morning (October 4, 2019), I start the day with breakfast at the Dos Guesthouse in Bishkek for the last time in a while. After taking Rango for a walk, we pack up our things in Schrotti's trunk and check out. Before heading to the Ala Archa National Park located south of the city, our Moskvich gets a new rear tire. The old one kept losing air and it turns out it's irreparably worn out. Then we stock up on some groceries and pick up a new sleeping bag for Markus at the Sport Expert store on our way out of the city. It's around four o'clock when we park Schrotti at an altitude of about 2000 meters on a parking lot near the Ala Archa Hotel and prepare our equipment for the hike. A hiking trail leads us through a small forest and a steep slope up into the mountains. Above the Ak-Say River, we hike southeast. As darkness sets in, we find a camping spot near two inconspicuous waterfalls, set up our tents, have a light dinner, and retreat to our sleeping bags early. It gets quite chilly in the mountains.

On Saturday morning, Rango wakes me up shortly before half past seven. Since the evening before, we have been accompanied by a local dog who has probably spent the night near our tents and now wants to play. It's still quite chilly, so I lay down for a while longer while waiting for the first rays of sun and the two four-legged friends frolic around the tents. Around noon, we find ourselves back on the ascent to the picturesque high mountains and reach the Razeka Hut at about half past one, located at an altitude of 3000 meters. Here, we buy some hot water for coffee (I forgot to refill my gasoline bottle) and enjoy some cookies in front of the hut. While I set up my tent, Markus takes a bunk bed in the hut. The last night in the mountains was a bit chilly, and the man is still sleeping on his tent floor without a mattress or sleeping pad. The weather is still splendidly sunny, so we continue the ascent with light backpacks. The hiking becomes increasingly challenging. The path is steep and sometimes hard to find, and the snow cover gets thicker. The high altitude air certainly adds to the difficulty, as we hardly had time to acclimatize. It's about five o'clock when we decide to turn back at an altitude of about 3800 meters. The surrounding peaks, which are over four and a half thousand meters high, are unattainable for today. Nevertheless, the excursion into the snow-covered mountains was definitely worth it. Back at the Razeka Hut, we have a light dinner and by half past seven, we retreat to our sleeping bags to escape the cold. Even Rango crawls under the sleeping bag from time to time during the night to warm up, but then he goes back to his blanket and leaves me to the icy night. I feel used.

After waking up Markus on Sunday morning (October 6, 2019) at around eight o'clock, I warm up in the heated hut with a cup of tea. Meanwhile, Rango has once again helped himself to a poorly secured piece of butter and added it to his own menu. While I pack up my tent, the first rays of sun reach us, which will accompany us throughout the day. Then we start the descent back into the main valley of the national park. In the early afternoon, we restock our food supplies at Schrotti and pause for a coffee on a nearby meadow. We decide to hike up the valley of the Ala-Archa River for a while. Around four o'clock, we look for a camping spot, set up our tents, and I use the last rays of sun to wash myself and some laundry in the icy mountain water. After dinner, we retreat under our tarps against the cold of the night at seven o'clock.

We spend Monday morning having breakfast at our camping spot. Then we continue walking along the crystal clear stream towards the south for the rest of the day. The mountain valley presents itself quite varied in bright sunshine. At times, it is very wide, bordered by gentle hills, and occasionally narrow and rugged. Around three o'clock in the afternoon, we reach an old weather station located at an altitude of 2900 meters. We decide to set up our camp in this picturesque high valley and enjoy the sight of a nearby glacier shining in the afternoon sun. We find some firewood around our campsite, which will keep us warm for a while. After a few clouds move in during the evening, a magnificent starry sky appears with the approaching night. Free from annoying light pollution, our home galaxy is clearly visible, and we also see the occasional shooting star. Very beautiful.