We all managed to get a surprisingly
good night’s sleep and it wasn't as difficult as expected to get up at 7am the
next day. Jesus had left a cute message on the door the night before saying “Tomorrow
in the morning at 8.00 am we are going to the mountains join us!” – and who
were we to turn down such an offer?
By 8.10 we were out the hostel, the
four of us, Jesus and another guy from Kiev called Oleg, who happened to have
worked and fallen out with Achim. Everywhere we go, people seem to know Achim –
even Mink, Alexia’s friend who we’d met up with in Kiev, knew him.
The sun was shining beautifully and
there was already warmth in the air. We stopped off to get food supplies for
the trip before walking through town to where the mountains began. From the
outset, the ascent was steep and I immediately regretted bringing my thick
winter coat. There was nothing I could do about my fur-lined boots, which had
no grip either; they were the only shoes I had with me. For the first time in
months I was outside in just my vest top, feeling the warm sun on my skin. At
10.30, when we stopped for brunch at a picturesque stream, sitting on rocks
overlooking the town, it really did feel like a summer holiday, and we felt
happier than we’d felt in a long time. We ate bread, crisps and vegan cheese
which Jesus offered us, along with loose-leaf tea using boiled water from the
stream. It was idyllic.
An hour later we began our ascent to
the first peak, from which point we would decide whether to continue or turn
back. Already we were a long way up and although the vertigo was terrifying, it
was worth it for the views. At the very end of the crag was a wooden cross –
too much temptation for Sean, who without second thought stripped down to his
boxers and began to pose as Jesus. Meanwhile, Oleg was taking his life in his
hand (and mine with it) climbing onto the outermost ridges and trying to
convince me it was safe to do the same.
When Jesus suggested we went to the
top, which was miles above us, we thought he was exaggerating so agreed without
much thought. We stopped at various peaks to take photos (Oleg at one stage
getting over-enthusiastic and jumping in to direct an entire photo shoot of
Alexia and me) and we were all enjoying ourselves. Three hours later, though,
it became apparent that Jesus had been deadly serious, and that he actually expected
us to go all the way to the top. We were already beginning to tire by this
stage from heat and exertion, and the peak was definitely more than “five
minutes away” as we were constantly being promised. It was approaching three
o’clock by now and the summit didn’t seem to be getting any closer, whereas
dusk was fast approaching.
Finally at 3.30 we reached the top. We
just had time to catch our breath and take some photos before beginning the
long descent, which was even more treacherous than the way up, the route being
steep and not a proper path. Oleg took over my bag again and Jesus helped me on
the trickiest bits where it was particularly steep and my fashion boots couldn't cope. The ascent had taken us over six hours and it seemed like we
would never find the way back in time before pitch darkness. Soon we were
lighting our way with cigarette lighters and mobile phones, being careful not
to trip over rocks and roots, and warning each other as we came across them. It
became like a team-building exercise, everyone helping each other; at the end
of the day, none of us wanted to die in a Ukrainian forest.
Somehow, at 6.30 we finally reached
the road. We’d made it! It had been an ordeal in the end but at least we could
have a sense of achievement at what we’d done. Jesus and Oleg wanted to grab some
food at the supermarket, but after we had seen the meagre selection we decided
to go to the nearby café. When this turned out to be over-priced, we left and
went in search of a cash point as none of us had enough money to pay for food
and the hostel. It wasn’t long before we were arguing and so Alexia and I
decided to leave Sean and Ben to do their thing whilst we went back and waited
for them at the hostel.
It was nearly 9pm by the time they
reappeared and by this stage we were all starving hungry and exhausted. We
dragged ourselves into town only to discover that most of the cafes were
already closing. We were beginning to lose hope when we came across another
branch of Apelsin, which we dived into with relief. Having been there already,
we were able to order straight away and over dinner we began to feel slightly
more normal and were able to get into our usual routine of debating whatever
random topic came to mind, this time the morality of the meat and animal
products industry. Thankfully, no one took too much offense this time, for
once, and we were able to order the bill and leave without anything kicking
off.
Once back at the hostel we chatted to
some Americans for a while but didn't stay up long, knowing we would have
another early start the next day to be able to see a couple of things before
leaving for the train station. We were exhausted but so glad we’d made the trip
that day.
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