Mountains, lakes and wild horses!!!

by Carol Pinto (Canada)

A leap into the unknown Kyrgyzstan

No trip to Kyrgyzstan is complete without a trek through Aksu gorge, I was told. And so, we, a group of 6 young men and women, decided to embark upon this adventure, with nothing more than a backpack, a light jacket and a bottle of water. As someone who had never climbed a mountain (or even a hill) at this point, this hike was, by far, the greatest test of my physical endurance. Just 30 minutes in, we were coughing and wheezing, and ready to give up!! I have never felt my lungs strain against my chest that bad, never heard my heart beat that fast. My body and my mind screamed bloody murder! There was a constant screaming in my head, telling me this was insane, this should stop, and that I can't do this any longer. The cold air felt like a dagger as it pierced my chest. The rocks and the boulders we had to climb were massive and it was unimaginable that such a feat was even possible. Every now and then we would stop, and as we stopped, we would take in the sight of beautiful wild horses, grazing, sunbathing and galloping down the hill. Brown horses against the backdrop of green mountains. Oh, my heart! This gave me the strength. We treaded on, but the voices in my head grew louder. The chatter – telling me that it was time to turn around, was persistent. I was almost ready to give up, when suddenly, the noise was silenced. Suddenly, it all vanished. Because suddenly, before my very eyes, lay paradise! We came upon the most unbelievable alpine lake I have ever set my eyes on - lake Suttu-Bulak. Never have I seen such hues of green. Lakes were supposed to be blue, I thought. But this was the most gorgeous shade of green I had ever laid my eyes on. A stunning lake surrounded by mountains covered in my favorite tree – the conifer. Or as I like to call it – the Christmas tree! Thousands and thousands of trees surrounding this slice of untouched beauty. The silence, the serenity, the absolute magic of God’s creation. It's true, what they say, the greatest view comes after the hardest climb! The funny thing is, the moment we were done, not one of us could remember how it felt climbing up. The pain and the trauma were completely erased from our minds. The only memory I have, is of the beauty of that moment! We sat there, all spread out, listening to the sound of a waterfall, lost deep in our thoughts. Lost in our own world of magic. A short while later, rejuvenated, blissful and absolutely content, we were certain that our adventure was through, and we headed back down; only to find ourselves in the face of a full-blown hailstorm! My first ever hail, and I witness it while we're out in the wilderness! Brilliant! Covered in nothing but a thin jacket, we stood there, 6 young men and women, huddled under a tree, shaking with the failing ice, the roaring thunder and striking lightning! Someone remembered that we shouldn’t stand under a tree in lightning, and so we had to get off from under our protection and run back to safety. We ran back to the safety of our yurt (a traditional Kyrgyz tent) - drenched, broken and frozen... and yet higher than we've ever been. Someone once told me that trekking is like childbirth. The moment you’re done, you forget the pain and you absolutely can’t wait to do it all over again! This moment was my first childbirth. This moment gave me the strength to go on and, 2 months later, conquer Mt. Kilimanjaro! My doctor had told me that with lungs that function at just 63% capacity, if I attempted to climb a mountain, I would die. I refused to believe him. I went. I climbed. I lived. I truly believe that there is magic in every step of every way. It is up to us to go forth and seek it!