Tag: Visit Alay

Akotor Pass Trek, Day 3: The Pay Off Pass

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After a brief afternoon rain spell yesterday, we are pleased to wake up to a sunny morning that’s not too chilly. After breakfast we pack up and set off uphill knowing that we have a long day that begins with Akotor Pass at 11,500 feet. The incline as we head up the valley gets our heart rate going right away. We are all in a good mood as today will complete Phase 1 of our trekking in southern Kyrgyzstan. The mountains in front of us are impressive in scale. I love how they subtly change shape and complexion as we walk slowly closer. (more…)

Akotor Pass Trek, Day 2: Rain, Rain, Go Away!

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Light starts to filter into the door of our yurt around 5:00 am. Shortly after that, I can hear Aiperi and her older girls up and about already getting a start on all of the chores that need to be done around the yurt camp. By the time that we finally get up, the two oldest girls have already left to take the cows out to pasture. Amy is pitching in and helping make fresh cream from milk that was freshly drawn just this morning. It’s a cool little machine that needs someone to hand crank it, and Aiperi and the girls usually spend about 45 minutes doing this every morning. (more…)

Akotor Pass Trek, Day 1: Out of the Frying Pan and into the Mountains

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After a few days off of trekking in Kyrgyzstan, it’s finally time to get back on the trail today. We’ve traveled from Karakol along the southern shore of Issyk-Kol back to Bishkek where we met up with our favorite hiking buddies, Rob and Amy, from Durango. We first met Rob and Amy in Africa a few years back after summiting Mount Kilimanjaro. We struck up a friendship and have since trekked with them in Ladakh, India. Last summer, they joined us for a few days of hiking near the end of our Colorado Trail adventure, in addition to resupplying us with water and Swedish fish, meeting us at the finish line with a cold local brew and hosting us at their home as we recovered from the trail before heading back home. This year they are joining us for a 13 days of trekking in the Pamir and Alay Mountains of southern Kyrgyzstan. We are really excited to be back on the trail with our hiking buddies again. (more…)