Khibiny. Solo hiking in August
I planned my first trip to the north as follows: a week-long hike through the tundra in the Teriberka area, six days in Khibiny and then a week on the Solovetsky Islands, so to speak, to comprehend what I saw))
I took a bus from Teriberka to Murmansk, which was carrying participants of the Arctic swim. I took a trolleybus 10 from the center of Murmansk and reached the final stop “Geroyev Rybachy Street”, walked 400m to the highway and started stopping.
Sign up for the best hikes in the Kola North:
A van with poachers stopped first, the men asked where they had been, were outraged that I was walking without a gun, and immediately presented me with fishing tackle. Then a rocker in leather gloves stopped, even though he was over 50, the man felt young in his soul and listened to downhole music, they picked up a guy on the way who was going to Petrozavodsk to work, and got to Monchegorsk. The place is unusual, nature has suffered from the local factory, but the situation is already much better than it was in the 2000s. Then a young girl and her mother stopped and were taken to Apatit. There I accidentally met a guy who moved from Donbass to Kirovsk in search of a quiet life. He was tormented for a long time and repeated that he was almost ready to give up everything and come with me for a week, take a break from everything)))
The Khibiny hike took place from August 15 to August 19, 5 days, 71 km. It starts in Kirovsk and ends at the Imandra railway station.
You can download paper maps and an electronic track here:
The Khibiny route is 5 days, 71 km, with emergency exits.
The walking start started from the Tirvas Hotel, with a plan to walk 18 km to the Cuelporr base in the center of Khibiny. There is a dirt road leading from here, the first 3 km is not pleasant to walk along the road, loaded KAMAZ trucks are plying, then there were only a few cars, the road is straight, it's easy, I ran in 4.30 minutes with a backpack of 19 kg. I didn't have the strength, I didn't stop for lunch, by the evening I was tired and immediately headed past the Ministry of Emergency Situations, across the bridge to the campsites marked on the map. I stood not far from the commercial group, the guys offered to treat me to rice and fish, accepted generous gifts from a long journey and starvation, ate a hearty meal and immediately passed out.
The road to the KSS base in Khibiny. Woodyavryok River, August 15th.
I woke up in the morning to the clink of a ladle in a saucepan. The worst way to wake up tourists in the forest))) The sun is shining, the birds are singing, it's just a gorgeous day. After breakfast, I went to the base to talk to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, found out the weather forecast. The weather should deteriorate in the evening and the next day, with rain, clouds, and strong winds in some places. I decided to accelerate in order to pass the western Petrelius Pass before conditions deteriorate.
To the question, what about the bears? He said that at that time there was one permanent living bear in the Khibiny with a den in the area of the beautiful waterfall, but there were also passing by, usually 2-4 individuals for the entire area. He asked if they would see my hunter's signal shot, if they would come to help. The emergency worker laughed, told how many tourists launch it at the end of the hike, just for fun. The bad news, but what can you do.
Check out my Instagram, there are a lot of photos of the north and subscribe!
There is a country road leading to the western Petrelius pass through a pleasant forest, many water sources, and beautiful parking lots. The tundra begins closer to the pass.
The pass is steep to climb, periodically holding on to the stones with your hands, from above you have a cool view of the valley from which you came. There was snow at the top, the descent was more pleasant than the ascent, and I quickly got on the trail. On the left, the Malaya Belaya River, I notice how the weather is deteriorating and choose a beautiful place for the camp.
The Malaya Belaya River, after the pass of N.K. Petrelius zap. Khibiny.
The Malaya Belaya River, after the pass of N.K. Petrelius zap. Khibiny.
At the fork of the river to the right, to the Vostochny Arsentiev pass, I cross one ford without taking off my shoes, jumped on the rocks, my shoes haven't had time to get wet yet. There is a snowfields ahead and a long climb up the kurumnik to the pass. The weather is bad, visibility is sometimes 10 meters, I decided to focus on tours (landmarks made of stones), but they led me west, again taking the landmark on the navigator, I got to the point, literally rested for 5 minutes, hiding behind a stone.
View to the south of the gorge from Arsenina pass zap. Khibiny.
View to the south of the gorge from Arsenina pass zap. Khibiny.
I'm starting to descend, the weather has cleared up a bit, visibility has improved, but then an incredible natural phenomenon occurred.
Suddenly, a strong stream of air bursts out of a nearby gorge, which carries rain along the starboard and port sides upwards. I see these two clouds and I am preparing for this hurricane, taking a stable position. In 10 seconds, the cloud covered several kilometers and almost knocked me down with a gust, wetting me with a horizontal shower up to my panties))) I got a little crazy, sighed and went down the slippery rocks, the rain was already falling softly. I slipped and fell a couple of times, but with no consequences. There's nothing to do here without track sticks.
Near the Goltsovka river, Khibiny.
The next day was beautiful and iridescent, birds were singing, butterflies were flying, oh, these northern contrasts
Near the Goltsovka river, Khibiny.
Near the Goltsovka river, Khibiny.
After reaching the Yumikorr gorge, I was impressed by the narrow passage between the rocks, it's worth going here, the place is beautiful.
Yumikorr gorge, view of Lake Imandra, Khibiny.
On the way down, I looked into the library and went to the Aku-Aku gorge.
Everything is green here, the gorge is 20-30 meters wide, a stream flows through the center, it is stunningly beautiful. It's nice to walk, like walking through the Amazon) In the center of the Gorge is Lake Izumrudnoye with a place for a camp, but it was occupied by a children's tour group, chatted with the guys, had tea
Aku-Aku Gorge, Khibiny.
Aku-Aku Gorge, Lake Izumrudnoye, Khibiny.
I took 3 liters of water with me for 1 dinner and breakfast and decided to climb the hill. After wandering for 10 minutes, I found a more or less level place and set up a tent with a gorgeous view.
On the hill next to the Aku-Aku gorge, a view of the lake. Imandra, Khibiny.
On the hill next to the Aku-Aku gorge, a view of the lake. Imandra, Khibiny.
I got in touch here, so I looked at the timetable, saw that the train to Kirovskaya passes only twice a day, in the afternoon and late at night, got up early and set off. At that time, I still did not understand that it was necessary to watch the trains, they run more often and it is easier to get on them.
I go down through the dense forest, walk to the bridge along the path and realize that the bridge I was hoping for is not there! He was further west along the river, but there was no time anymore, in a minute he kicked off his shoes and waded across the river 20 meters wide and hip-deep.
I almost ran the last kilometer and still managed to catch the train on time. There was only one door in the last carriage that opened, and they didn't even want to enter it. They say there is no ticket, but you can't buy it on the spot.
I had to jump in with a fight and negotiate with the main train. That's how I got to Kirovsk))
