About Mount Ararat, Wikipedia reports: “Ararat is an extinct volcano in the Armenian Highlands. Mount Ararat is located in Turkey on the banks of the Araks River, near the border with Armenia. It has two volcanic cones: Great Ararat (altitude 5137 m) and Small Ararat (3914 m). The top of the first is covered with snow.
Myroslav Mukha from Kobelya, who visited the region in early September, tells more about this peak.
SPORT has always fascinated Myroslav: he runs, took part in half marathons and marathons (21 and 42 km, respectively), an extreme race with obstacles “Race of the Nation”.
A special hobby is mountaineering. In school he started in the Crimea, then Georgia, last year – Mont Blanc – the highest mountain in Western Europe.
There were plans for 2020 as well. In particular, try your hand at triathlon (running, swimming, and cycling), continue to explore the mountains. But plans have thwarted corona virus quarantine measures.
And the soul did not want to put up with it, wanted new experiences. So Myroslav was looking for options on the Internet to make his dream come true. The decision came spontaneously: the agency, which organizes various tours, invited to Ararat.- I’ve heard about this mountain before.
It’s very interesting. Technically, it’s not very complicated. However, there was no choice (only Turkey received tourists), so he registered immediately. When business friends from Poltava found out (we are members of the Poltava Youth Business Club), they did the same.
-How did you prepare for a hike in the mountains?
– I did not prepare at all. Before that, he spontaneously “rode a bicycle” with his colleague-entrepreneur, with whom he studied at the School of Business, Yuri Strokov, who is engaged in martial arts, has a sports category.
They planned to drive 40-60 kilometres, in fact they drove 100. They could go on because they felt minimal fatigue, but it was too late.
– I remember that the climb to Mont Blanc was difficult for you. Didn’t the fear stop experiencing the same feelings again?
– Do not believe it, but I remember last year’s events with pleasure. It was really hard, I didn’t feel well. But if it were simple, I probably wouldn’t mention it. I realized that something similar could happen this time as well. And, indeed, at an altitude of 3200 meters I felt sick, and I thought: “Miroslav, the mountains – it’s not yours. Choose something else. “But when I climbed higher, I got better.
– What were your first impressions of getting to know Turkey?
– I have been to Turkey before; I went on vacation with my parents. But this was the first time in this part of the country. It was immediately obvious that the facade of the buildings is unattractive and the interiors are very beautiful. We have the opposite: we care more about landscaping, the aesthetic appearance of buildings. I stayed at a hotel at the foot of Ararat. The situation, as in Ukraine: antiseptics, some in masks. Although virtually everyone on the streets is wearing masks, penalties for violating quarantine requirements have been tightened in Turkey.
– Tell us about the group.
– If geographically, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kyiv were represented. Physical training: there were beginners and professionals who traveled half the world. There were women in the group, but not the ones sitting in the coffee shop and deciding, “Let’s go to the mountains.” No. One of the participants crossed the Bosporus; the other is engaged in triathlon. Women, admittedly, are more resilient, purposeful.
– How did the group cope with the main task?
– In a word – successfully. And if you are interested in details, it was like this: they climbed to a height of 2060 meters by bus, loaded their backpacks on horses (it was a pity to look at them: exhausted, thin) and went to the first base of the camp – 3250 meters. It became harder to breathe. When they reached the goal four hours later, they were pleasantly surprised. The Turks set the table for us: fresh soup, porridge, sweets, watermelon. Nearby – tents with mattresses.It seemed that everything was for dinner and rest. But it did not work. My head hurt, my eyes watered, I didn’t feel well. Cold water helped for a while. So the night passed, and the thought reappeared that the mountains were probably not mine.The next day they continued to undergo acclimatization: they climbed 4,300 meters, rested a bit and went down to sleep 3,200 meters. My head hurt a lot. On the fourth day, the route was longer: from 3,200 to 4,500 meters. At night they descended to 4200 meters. I was glad that there were no breathing problems.
– And so you approached the final stage?
– The rise was in the middle of the first night. Breakfast, if you can call it that. Collection (flashlight, warm clothes – down jacket, gloves, hat, provisions) (water, thermos with tea, bars “Snickers”.) By the way, the weather conditions were favourable: no heat or wind. On the day of the climb is just perfect. Despite the storm and lightning the day before, they climbed to the top of Ararat in a friendly, coordinated, non-stop manner. They were on the road for about six hours. Of course, they were a little tired. All attention was focused on the legs, was not difficult. I would say the second level on a five-point system. At some point saw the snow. It was essentially the finish.
A photo was taken in memory of this event.
– Did everyone in your group climb Ararat?
– No. One man was not allowed to do so. He was waiting for us at an altitude of 3200 meters.- Did you come down from the mountain and go home at once?- We arrived in the city of Van, where we got acquainted with the sights, swam in the lake and went to the airport.
– What are your future plans?
– I finally made sure that I became friends with the mountains. It is difficult to say what the next peak will be. Maybe Everest, Nepal, maybe the mountains in Argentina… It all depends on the quarantine situation and financial capabilities.
– We wish you to discover new mountains for yourself and for our readers.
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