Khibiny. Autumn trek

Khibiny. Autumn trek

I've long wanted to visit the Kola Peninsula in autumn; judging by the photos, it's incredibly beautiful at this time. If you're lucky, you'll catch the 2-3 weeks of red and gold colors; if not, the snow will cover all the foliage and stay until winter.

We flew to Murmansk by plane and took a transfer to the Khibiny, it cost about 10,000 rubles. The route starts from Kukisvuмchorr, near the Kukis lift. At the very beginning of the way, the construction of the new Kirovsky mine began. We walked along 50-meter embankments and got to the construction road, where the workers warned us that the security guards drive around and can fine us, as it is a private territory of the facility. We didn't want to turn back and waste time, so we decided to take a risk and rush through the area, everything went well and we reached the n\k Vortkeuayv pass.

Next time there's no point in going through the mine, it's better to go around by going up along the Kukis lifts and along the ridge to the end of the mine.

A loving couple of dogs caught up with us and accompanied us for 3 days. They regularly received some extra food from Diana

and cheered us up. At the pass, the snow started falling, the wind was about 12-14 m/s. It was slippery in some places, but not critical. Then a smooth and pleasant descent begins, with a stream on the left. At 7 p.m. we started setting up camp in the clearing and preparing dinner. The wind was getting stronger, it was possible to cook only in the vestibule, we lit two multi-fuel Primus Omnifuel on Kalosha gasoline, chatted and I went to sleep. In the night, someone's eyes were shining about two hundred meters away, although the dogs were nearby. It was not possible to identify, but the object was absolutely motionless and decided that glass or stone was shining.

We were walking with two tents, I was in a one-person Helsport Rindstind, the guys were in a three-person Big Agnes Copper spur Expedition 3. It was the coldest night of the trek, the temperature was about -6C, but the wind was strong, about 17 m/s. Despite the half-tent, it was a bit drafty inside the cm gap, I put on a jacket over my fleece and fell asleep in a sweet sleep in the SIvera Iriy sleeping bag for -2.

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I got out of the tent at 8 a.m., there was snow all around, the tent was covered with snow, the wind was still very strong, but beauty awaits ahead, we got ready and set off. The lower from the pass, the more vegetation and the autumn fairy tale began. Wow, autumn in the Khibiny, it's something. Smiling, enjoying, taking photos of the contrast of snowy peaks and colorful colors. We cross the Tuljok River wading, have to change into Crocs, but the water level in September is below the knee.

Overnight at the most beautiful lake in the Khibiny - Academic. Surrounded by vertical walls on three sides, like a circus. An incredibly atmospheric place both in cloudy and sunny weather, definitely worth a visit, or better yet, an overnight stay.

Climbing the northern slope, cliffs on the right and left, in poor visibility it's better to go down through the n\k South Rischorr Pass. We reach the plateau, strong wind about 17 m/s, snow-covered, walking on concrete. The plateau is about 200-300 m wide, curved, no landmarks on the snow, I look at the navigator every 3 minutes to avoid the cliffs. Sometimes the wind knocks you down, that's the main danger of getting close to the edge, you can fall due to a gust of wind and roll down the snow to the cliff. But if you stay in the center of the plateau, there are no problems at all. Sunny, cold, beautiful, clouds of bizarre shapes, like alien saucers, perfect elongated oval shapes. It's impossible to take photos due to weather conditions. We approach the descent to the South Rischorr Pass from above. At first, it seems like a bad idea, as the slope is covered with firn and gently goes down, there is a possibility to slip and roll down. I went on a reconnaissance, saw some sticking stones on the left, and that's how we went down.

At the Beautiful waterfall, we met hikers, the place is beautiful, like a postcard. We spent about an hour here admiring the beauty and then went to the KSS base, our dog got beaten up by local dogs and additionally got hit by a stick from the Emergencies Ministry, whimpered and disappeared into the bushes, poor thing.

The Emergencies Ministry gave an accurate forecast for the next few days, described the situation at the base. The sauna works, you can book it for 1,400 rubles for 2 hours. The hotel is already closed, as there are too few people, it's not profitable. Usually it works until September 10-15. We crossed the bridge and set up camp by one of the lakes. The campsites here are popular, so it's impossible to find firewood, we collected a small bundle just to burn the trash. From that day, the temperature at night became warmer, 0 - +5 degrees, I looked out of the tent twice hoping to see the northern lights, but every night the clouds covered the sky.

The next day, crossing the n\k South Chorgorr Pass. All streams dried up on the ascent, only a small lake remained, so it's better to take water in advance from the streams in the forest area. The ascent to the pass is not difficult, it starts snowing at the top, the only danger is that you can fall between the rocks and hurt your foot, so I choose where to step every time. It's windy on the pass, cloudy, an eagle is soaring, it's beautiful and unsettling at the same time. The descent is more difficult, the stones are big, you have to jump from one to another, you need to be careful and distribute the weight with trekking poles.

The lake at the bottom of the pass is partially covered with ice, we broke all that we could, got inner satisfaction, like from an anti-stress bubble wrap, and went further along the flat tundra, the trail is convenient, the descent is long and very smooth, it's a pleasure to walk, the speed of movement is high.

Lower down, there are crooked birch forests, then a dense forest.

We crossed the Goltsovka on logs, they spring, the height is about a meter above the water, the current is strong. We unfastened the backpack straps so that in case of a fall it would not drag us to the bottom and slowly crossed.

We are heading north, there are wilder places and it's easier to find firewood. The forest is beautiful and pleasant. There are no problems with firewood, and further on there are campsites with a ready-made каркас for a bathhouse. We set up camp, натянули the awning, I took the Helinox zero chair with me on the hike for the first time and was blown away by the level of comfort))) It's an incomparable feeling to sit in a comfortable chair with a back after many years on logs and wherever. Although I'm not demanding of this kind of comfort, i.e. I don't have an inner need at all, and I took it only because the guys are going with them, but it's worth it. Naturally, in not the most difficult hikes and with lightweight chairs, mine weighs 610 grams and is very compact.

It's been raining all morning, I don't want to go out, so we chill and start closer to lunchtime. The trail through the forest is well-trodden, beautiful, and pleasant. An hour later we turn left from Goltsovka, towards Akua-Akua Gorge, the trail goes up and we come to a tundra hill, from which the incredibly beautiful gorge begins. By 7:00 pm we reach Emerald Lake and set up for the night. From here we went on radial trips to the top and to the waterfall. Some people swam) The water in the lake is 3C, personally I never swim on a hike, in my head it's an unjustified risk of catching a cold in hiking conditions. There's no firewood here, everything's already been picked to twigs, so I brought firewood for cooking.

In the afternoon we start for the next campsite 'star' and stop at the fork of the trails, it's easier to find firewood here. We make a fire, relax, before going to bed we arrange a movie night. At night I monitor the sky, but as before, everything is covered with clouds. In the morning we pack our backpacks, leave them in the bushes and go to the pass/gorge Yumiekorr. On the way we met the updated library, the shelves are on the north side of the gorge, near the stone, so that it doesn't get carried away by avalanches in winter. The ascent is simple, especially without backpacks, at the top we admired the views. We called about the transfer in the evening. The satellite phone works well on the pass and didn't work in the forest area below.

On the way back, we quickly flew along the trail and left the Khibiny mountain range, from there a country trail led us to the Nefeline Sands railway station. We waited for the train and got to Kirovsk, where a transfer met us to Murmansk.

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