Hi friends!
I haven't posted here in a while, although there have been some good trips... Sometimes it's just hard to focus on the positive. Sometimes it is embarrassing to write about my own journey, if there is a war in my country. For example, yesterday evening there was another shelling of Kharkiv from the Russian side. The rockets hit the dormitory, which was completely destroyed. At the moment, there are 12 dead and 20 wounded. These are civilians. Some of them were hard of hearing, that is, they could not hear the message about the air alarm. Such a horror... Our hypocritical neighbors are destroying the most Russian-speaking city of Ukraine...
But I suggest returning to... the mountains)
Amazingly, this several-day trip took place exactly one month ago! Perhaps in your life there were such journeys where difficulties occurred, but later the memory forgets some bad or difficult moments and retains the positive. We went without a car and had to carry all our things with us (well, like normal tourists! But that's a bit not for me).
We didn't have a clear plan, but one of the main points was supposed to be Lopata mountain, which I already wrote about. It so happened that Lopata was the end of the journey, and today I will tell you about the beginning.
We arrived in the town of Skole in the evening by train and there were no other options but to spend the night on the banks of the Opir River. This is an old favorite place. However, now it has become more civilized, there are benches and, accordingly, more people on the shore. So, behind us is a wild forest, and ahead is a river and a cute little town on the other side. The days were quite warm then, and the evenings and nights were wildly cold (by my standards).
Due to a small amount of precipitation, the rivers in the Carpathians became shallow. I have never seen such a low water level here.
In the morning, Sashko and I went to the town center to find out some information about the bus. We should have reached the village of Kamyanka (it is 7-10 km from here). I happily immersed myself in the incomparable atmosphere of a small mountain town. Authentic wooden houses, carved verandas and a sea of flowers pleased my eyes and the soul.
This small wooden church was built in 1597! This is a wonderful example of Boykiv folk architecture (boyky is Ukrainian ethnic group, inhabitants of the mountains).
The door of the low two-story belfry was open. I went inside. There was a very interesting smell of old wood, and ancient icons hung on the walls. A ladder led to the second tier and it was also opened. I don't know if it's possible, but I went there to see the bells.
The town is surrounded by mountains on all sides.
The first written mention of Skole dates back to 1397.
The past and the present are organically combined here. But I am a supporter of competently restored old houses)
And here repairs are underway, the roof covering is being changed. Our attention was drawn to the fact that various furniture and things were not taken from the attic. A shelf with books, some kind of barrel, other wooden pieces... If only the owner had thought to make huge windows there!
Due to the shallowing of the river, you can easily see many beautiful stones that are usually under water. Textures of eternity!!!
We learned from locals that the only bus leaves very early in the morning, and there is no exact information about the others... It's mountains, baby! I wanted to take a taxi, but the boys stubbornly wanted to walk through the forest (we knew that there was such a road, which was relatively close and pleasant, because it was mostly in the shade. Once we walked there at night and got lost).
Despite the complete relaxation and laziness, we finally got together and followed the signs along the edge of the forest along the river... We could hear its noise and the sounds of the city, but gradually everything receded. We plunged into a dark coniferous mountain forest. This trip was a revelation for me. It's like a journey inside yourself...
By the way, I offer you a psychological test. Close your eyes and imagine what kind of landscape you associate yourself with. But without thinking! "I am..." (to be continued here).
As for me personally, I am a forest. No matter what kind of trees, but quite dark and filled with hills and ravines.
Well, let's move on...
And this is not a very pleasant meeting. We saw a lot of borage on the glade. This plant sometimes reaches 4-5 meters. Its juice, when interacting with sunlight, becomes very poisonous and causes large burns on the skin!!! It is difficult to fight with the plant and it invaded my native Carpathians.
 |  |
We slowly gained altitude and the weed plant disappeared. In the distance we saw some kind of light and a magical masonry across the stream. Spruce trees grew straight like columns, the water roared, the sky was visible. How beautiful it is! On the side, we saw a small deck for a tent and a place for a fire. "It would be cool to spend the night here!" - said my friend.
We also saw a small mound here, and next to it a table saying that excavations were carried out here and a pagan temple was found. This is not surprising, because the place is energetically strong.
To be honest, I imagined that we would be constantly walking along the river without much climbing. But the path went sharply upwards, and the forest became even wilder. Not even a single plant grew among the spruces. Red-brown trunks with an incredible smell.
Because of the heavy backpack, I fell out of reality a little:)
But these photos give me (and you) these magical memories.
Our Sashko broke ahead a long time ago, and I and another friend divided our things into parts and returned for them... It was a wise move, because otherwise I wouldn't do it. When we crossed the pass and the forest became clearer, it was a great happiness!!! We didn't know exactly where we would end up on this trail, but somewhere in the area of the waterfall.
 |  |
Overgrowth of large burdocks and the sound of the river announced that we were there! Hooray! Just in time, because the sun is already low... Our Sashko was frankly bored and even cold, but the main thing is that we are together! We did not reach the dream parking lot, but there was a good place here too!
I went to say hello to the Kamianka waterfall, which I already missed. I was tired but happy and went to set up the tent and light the fire. The evening was again cool and very wet...
Many more adventures awaited us ahead. To be continued.
Thanks for your visit and support!
