Day 38: The Penultimate Hike

Ben and I have our morning camp routine down pat! Hanging tent flies from trees to dry, preparing scroggin infused porridge, packing bags, bla bla bla. This morning was no different to the rest, and we set off under a cloudy but dry sky. As always, we started with an uphill climb 🤪

Our trail initially wound up the valley, following a rushing river heavy with the now fast-melting remaining snow. As we climbed we passed by some of these patches of melting snow - it’s amazing it’s still around this late into spring (at that point we were only around 17/1800m in altitude). One side effect of this was the river we were following had flooded the track a lot, so it was difficult to follow - we kept having to climb up the sides to avoid the water for extended periods. It also meant we had a few more serious river crossings to undertake!

During this stage of our trek, we came across yet more cool rocks, chunks of obsidian, bits of interesting granite, malachite, and other cool shaped or coloured pieces. Ben, who is now turning his thoughts to more intense forms of Ironman training 😅, insisted on picking up and carrying LOTS of them, adding more and more weight to his already bulging pack. His pack actually jingles as he walks due to the volume of rocks in it 😅 I have offered m a n y times to carry more, often resorting to sneaking equipment/food into my pack to try and lessen his load 😅 but he insists on loading up to try and work his muscles as much as possible. He has a stubborn streak, and won’t be dissuaded! 🤪

After a while we came to a gate that signaled the edge of the Dilijan national park. Although there had been farm animals within the park, there had also been much more forest and differing terrain. Our leaving the park meant we were now back to the plain and grassy farmland hills - and a greater possibility of facing dogs guarding herds of cows. 😮‍💨 It was at this point that the cloud that had been chasing us up the valley finally overtook us and unleashed the first rainstorm of the day on us - my feelings exactly!!! 😤

Pack covers and jackets were whipped out, and we trudged on across the now muddy jeep tracks. Maybe it was the rain and wind, and/or maybe it was our jacket hoods, but neither of us heard the flock of sheep to our right - nor did we hear the dogs barking!!! So we were very startled when beside us some big dogs appeared, barking. The shephard was right there, however, and called them off whilst waving to us enthusiastically. Phew! 😮‍💨

This section of the track seemed to go on for e v e r. It slowly meandered higher and higher through treeless farmland - we passed more herds of cows and teams of horses, and the rain petered out just as we reached the top. Nestled down in the valley below, we could see the little town of Semyonovka. It actually had a paved road (wow), and we could see a bunch of locals wandering around the streets with their umbrellas. Our maps said there was a shelter in the town with drinking water, so that was our target 🎯

When we arrived we found the water fountain was a memorial to WWII. It had a large arch enscribed with what we presumed to be the names of local fallen soldiers. There was an older man there filling up his water bottles, and although we had no shared language we had a little conversation, trying to convey some meaning/understanding to the other.

After setting our bags down at the shelter, Ben went further into town to try and find a store selling basic food. We weren’t desperate by any means, but we were hoping to find something to add to our pasta for dinner (e.g., sausage, onion, etc). Ben returned a while later having found the store to be closed, but that the same older man we’d met earlier had offered to drive him to the next town to the grocery store there. How kind Armenians are with their time and energy! Their hospitality is endless and unmatched! 🙏

During lunch we were joined by a very shy stray dog. I “accidentally” dropped a few bits of our food, which later (when we had gone a safe distance away), they hurriedly gobbled up 🥹 We just can’t believe how many strays there are here, and how starved they are of both food and affection. Every time we meet a stray, I think of Shya and how much his life has changed for the better since he chose to follow us to Bardzravan!! 🥹🙏🩵 We’re actually going to see him again next week and can’t wait! 🤩

Leaving the town we were straight back to the grassy hills and (very) muddy slopes. Upon cresting a hill we saw that our track ahead was gone 🫪 It had been quarried away and was now a pile of stones in a construction yard! Ehhh? 🤔 After having a look around and planning an alternative route, we yolo’d our way down the hillside towards the base of the quarry and carried on along the river. It was here that we were, for the second time today, surprised (scared is a more accurate word!) by a dog when we walked past their well-concealed kennel. A big dog suddenly jumped out and barked at us! I think they were as surprised as we were, tbh! Thankfully that’s all that happened 😮‍💨 These dogs, omg!

Nevertheless, we continued along the big, fast-flowing river for some time. We passed more foals, calves, and even a donkey before the map said we needed to cross the river... The river here was deep (above our waists), very cold, and moving fast. Not ideal to walk across with our packs!

After a significant amount of scouting for a place to cross this river, Ben found a spot that looked alright - it was wider and shallower. We continued up river for a while, however, hoping we might get lucky and come by an actual crossing or even a bridge (even a misshapen bridge would’ve been welcome 🤪). But no such luck was to be had (I mean, we should’ve known…this is Armenia!). We then heard an engine and turning back saw a car pull up to the wider river spot Ben had identified. Four guys got out and two of them (still wearing their shoes and one without even rolling up their pants) waded across the river while the other two stayed behind and had a smoke in wait...

Well, that must be how it is done. We walked over, said hello, and then motioned to the other side. They pointed out the best way to cross the river, just as their friends had - a sort of zig zag that must have kept to the most shallow points. Thank you for turning up when you did, kind Armenians! The world does at times tend to give you what you need, when you need it… 🙏

So, for what felt like the 10th river crossing of the day, we again took off our shoes and started wading. The men would whistle and then point to us if they thought we were going off course. w
When we made it to the other side, we turned and yelled SPASIBO (thank you in Russian - we still can’t say it in Armenian 😭) back at them and they waved!

We were now into the final stretch of the hike for today - a gentle uphill beside yet another river (about 6km from our planned campsite, which was then only a stones throw (11km) away from Sevan Lake and the end of our hike 😳). Once again we had to climb up the sides of the valley to avoid the flooded plains below! Eventually, however, the track dried out a lot and the landscape widened until it was just a flat plain in-between somewhat snowy hills. It was a gorgeous part of the walk, and although it felt long, it was also peaceful and easy-going. The sun had come out, making the grass glisten and the patches of snow seem whiter than ever. Ben and I enjoyed chatting about the various plans we have coming up with my family in Manchester and then in London with Ben’s family (we’re going to the Harry Potter studios 😈 I haven’t been since 2016, so I’m excited to see what’s been added and improved / changed!! 🤩).

At one point we walked past some ruined buildings and even a half-collapsed concrete bridge. We commented on how weird it is that so much of Armenia seems like it used to be more built up with higher levels of infrastructure than it has now. It’s a reminder, I guess, that societal living conditions can drastically change for any number of reasons. With the world being and feeling so tumultuous and evil at the moment, it also seems a relevant reminder that we can’t take for granted what we currently have in NZ. Especially not when some politicians and businessmen are pushing forward bills that undermine the rights and voices of the public as well as the environment. Eurgh! 😡 Our current government makes us sick!! Literally. Vote them out!!

Anyway, that’s my one imploring plug 😅

As we crossed through this basin, eventually we could see our path winding its way up the far end. Enjoying the sun, we walked quite slowly, looking at the different coloured beetles and insects (some with epic red wings, golden lady bugs with white spots, and the black and white beetles we see so often) and the cool fluttering birds around.

We then saw a black shape come over the hill ahead of us. Was it a cow? No, it looked dog shaped…it was definitely behaving like a dog, though it wasn’t barking. Then a white one appeared. Definitely dogs, but even from a distance we could tell they were friendly. Up behind them then came a human walking with a stick and wearing a pack. Clearly a hiker with some strays.

The dogs bounded towards us - Ben was more than happy to oblige and cuddle them! The human eventually arrived, and we said hello - he was a young man dressed in immaculately pristine hiking clothes and a relatively small but top-notch looking pack. Definitely an ultralight hiker! Basically Ben’s opposite 🤣🤣🤣 We chatted and learned that this was their first day of doing the TCT. They’d started this morning in Sevan and were walking up to the border at Lake Arpi and then all the way down to the bottom of Georgia. Wow!! We explained a little about what he could expect in the next few weeks at different places. He then talked about Sevan town, which he explained was not very nice. Hmmm, I think we’ll be the judge of that - we feel certain we’ve been to places in Armenia that would easily make Sevan look like the Canary Islands 🤣🤣🤣 He’ll find out!!!!

After he (and the dogs) left, we stopped for a quick snack before embarking on the final leg of the day. We were yet to climb up to 2280m where we were told there was some flat ground for a tent. So, feeling keen for a proper meal, and seeing the weather closing in behind us, we boosted the last 3km to our tent spot. Seeing as it was up so high, we weren’t surprised to find it has amazing views all around! Behind us we could see the snowy hills we had walked between this afternoon (and the storm clouds), and ahead we could see the track for tomorrow winding around steep rocky slopes - and then even higher still! To the south we could see some of the Gegham Mountains still massively covered in deep snow - a good 1000m higher than we stood! And down far below we thought we could see the outskirts of Sevan town.

We actually pitched our tent in the nick of time! Just as we’d got it all up and sorted, heavy rain began pelting us and we dived into our tent! Only after that had passed (about 20 mins later) could we make a start on dinner. For our final camping meal we’d carried up some pasta and a jar of sauce! To this we added the last of our salami, tomato, cheese, spices, and Ben went around the field to find some thyme. It. Was. Glorious. It was so delicious, it did not taste like a camp meal at all! How blessed we felt sitting at the top of a mountain, sucking up spaghetti pasta whilst overlooking the Geghams!!

With it being our last night, we also made a big pot of tea, because as beautiful as our spot was, it was a little more exposed than we’d have liked, and it was already cold (there was a big pile of snow a few meters away). So as we drank hot tea, cupping our hands around the warmth of the pot, we talked about the hike and some of the highlights. We also mentioned that while it has been an incredible experience, we are both feeling okay to finish. We’re mostly looking forward to seeing Shya again! Shya is actually freshly no-nuts ball-less, as of today. He’s also had some x-rays and blood tests done - it seems like everything went well and that he is a relatively healthy boy (aside from a bit of low iron, most likely from living on the street for so long 🥺). We hope he is feeling okay after having his balls removed - we can’t wait to give him a big snuggle!

It has now started raining heavily again. We hope it doesn’t get too cold overnight! We haven’t camped this high before. It should be alright, as long as the cloud remains! The forecast for tomorrow morning is good (cloudy with some sun), so, if that is accurate, that will be a great way to finish off this hike. One day to go!!! Sevan Monastery, here we come! 🫡

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