Home » Ukraine » Photos from Crimea mountains - a two day trip from Ayudag to Chatirdag. July 1998

I've been in Alushta - small town in the South Crimea Beach - a lot of times during my childhood. My family use to stay in the "Dubna" sanatorium which was build by and belongs to JINR, Dubna.

Photos from Crimea mountains - a two day trip from Ayudag to Chatirdag. July 1998

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2004-01-25 14:05:07

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In the foreground one can see one dwarf pine which will never grow bigger because of wind and harsh winter (like dwarf pines in tundra). By the way there are the places in the upper yayla from which one can see Alushta and Partenite simultaneously (but not Yalta).

(Pic3) But yayla (here the Babugan-Yayla is shown) itself looking not so bright. The sun glow during July is strong like wind which is constantly blowing here (during winter wind is awful and all low spots covered by snow). The grass is sparse on the tops and dense in the low places, bushes are miniature and very hard as in tudra. The whole landscape look like on the Moon - barren, soft, civilisation- and people-less. If extraterrestials will land in some closed valleys of yayla nobody on the beach will ever noticed it without radars or some other monitoring no matter how big will be the ships and numbers of aliens.

(Pic4) Chatirdag (it means "camp tent mountain" in Tatarian language) mountaing was my aim (western top which is on the left). The shape of the mountain really looks like some sort of big tent. The picture was taken from alpine grasses above Alushta (altitude around 1000 meters) from some 15-20 km away. I've spent night in the forest 5-6 km from the mountain. Next morning I've crossed a lot of clearing in the forest covered with lavanda flovers (their oil used in medicine and parfume industry) and seen a few deers but failed to use a photo camera fast enough.

(Pic5) Coming to the Chatirdag I've observed it using binocular and decided to climb up from south west. I've spot some sort of shelf which lead up but I was not sure will it continue to the top or will be blocked by rocks, come to the wall or will interupted by hole. And of course, I could not define the width of the shelf (it was more then enough but in the end I crossed a hole and meet the rocks). Then the forest ended and I started to walk up in the stown area without rocks I got doubt I had took wise decision. Looking from that position going up looks impossible. And decision was difficult to change and the hot was awful without welcome shadow of the forest. By the way one cannot guest it from the photo but it was made with 45o inclination up, not horizontally.

(Pic6) Eventually I have climb up to the western top of Chatirdag (1527 m). There was only one place 10 meters long then I have been afraid of falling down and have wished to have a rope or to climb without backpack. I was astonished by the view from the top to the west (toward Sevastopol). It looks like the sea of forest mountains and hills with waves like in the real sea and ever more wonderful (the real sea is nearby so I could compare).

(Pic7)My travel came to the end but during last stay in the hotel I've encountered very brave sea gull which didn't afraid of me or my farther.
It looks like that bird came to visit us to eat bread and give me a possibility to made a photo on the balcony of the hotel (8th or 12th floor if I recall it right).

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