Mountain Altai with my eyes

Mikhail Ivanov writes:

Not the first year we travel with my sister in the Altai Mountains by car and every time we enjoy these trips. We try not to stay too long in one place, that's why we have time to see and find out a lot, but there is something to see! In addition to such well-known and “pop” places as Manzherok and Turquoise Katun, Chemal, Lake Aya, etc., there is also a Real Mountain Altai! (By the way, it occupies the third place in the world in the number of glaciers.) That's about it and my photo report will be. I’m afraid you won’t master “many letters,” and with words you still won’t be able to convey the greatness of those places.

This year, we started our trip with a march-throw: Omsk-Kurai, where we were waited for the night and morning "cast" into the alpine camp at the foot of Mount Aktru.

Evening panorama of the North Chuysky ridge.

View of Mount Aktru (4044.4 m).

As you know, the weather in the mountains changes very quickly. The sun was just shining, but in a moment winter came!

The "road" to the alpine camp begins with the so-called "transshipment". A place where you can still get on your transport, provided that he (motor vehicle) is an SUV.

9 km from transshipment to the alpine camp, and specially trained UAZs and ZILs overcome this path in about two hours.

They use ford, because the bridge was eroded by last year's flood.

Climbing is very fun ...

... and at the same time a sad place.

Monument to Galina Afanasyeva (and all climbers who died in the Altai mountains).

View of the North Chuysky ridge on a good morning.

"Pterodactyl nest")))

In almost every locality, you can see the monuments dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. Residents of the Altai Mountains are very proud of their fellow countrymen, participants in the war.

The village of Kulady.

The image of a mother waiting from the war for her son.

One day they decided to get (for the "notch") to the Mongolian border. The benefit of the road and the weather were excellent!

Sarliks.

"Roerich" landscapes.

Camels.

"Red Gate", located in the area of the village of Aktash. They are named so because of their color, due to the presence of cinnabar (the mineral from which mercury is mined).

To date, the State Unitary Enterprise "Aktash Mining and Metallurgical Enterprise" is the only enterprise in Russia producing metal mercury.

Through the "Red Gate" lies the road to the villages of Ulagan, Balyktuyul and the Katu-Yaryk pass to the southern tip of Lake Teletskoye.

"Chui-Oozi" - the confluence of Chui and Katun. This is a sacred place where it is forbidden even to shift stones.

Karakol valley. The territory of the reserve "Uch-Enmek." Here at the base of the Ezlik we spent five planned days. Antler baths, deer meat and maximum detachment from the hustle and bustle.

Forbidden “Uch-Enmek” looks severely in bad weather.

National dwellings are ails. Many indigenous people "wander" in the spring in ayles from their comfortable homes.

By the number of various artifacts, the Karakol Valley is the first in the Altai Mountains, but, unfortunately, all the mounds here were plundered by the Huns.