The Tian Shan, Chinese for “Celestial Mountains”, is a massive mountain system that straddles the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and China. It is a very popular destination for mountaineers, thanks to its glaciers and rugged peaks, but there’s also a lot on offer to amateur hikers like ourselves. We went on a 5-day trek in the valleys south of the city of Karakol, armed with an old Soviet Army topographic map that’s been newly reprinted for hikers.

The predominant type of hikers in this area are Russian mountaineers traveling in large groups, called “expeditsiya”. This form of travel was very popular in Soviet times, and the tradition continues to thrive now. Armed to their teeth with the best possible equipment, and with dead-serious expressions more appropriate for executioners than vacationers, these platoons of men (sometimes joined by a few tough women) march across valleys and up the mountains, conquering and moving on, in the sun and in the rain. It’s quite impressive to watch, and very amusing to try to squeeze a smile out of them during conversation. I found that after an initial resistance to socializing these men are actually quite eager to talk and share information. And information we needed like never before: the mountains haven’t changed, but the trails have, quite a bit. The map hadn’t been updated and we lost our way at least twice a day as a consequence.

Never mind the hours lost searching for the trail — the scenery was simply mind-blowing: spruce forests, lush green valleys and an alpine lake fed by a glacier. We crossed two high-altitude passes at 3800m and spent the last night at a camp called Altyn Arashan, or “Golden Spa”. It is not called that for nothing — the Arashan valley is dotted with hot springs, and at Altyn Arashan they’ve been surrounded by concrete pools, then covered with wooden sheds and are rented to trekkers with aching muscles arriving from the mountains above. It was a perfect ending for an amazing trip.

August 5, 2011