Peak Chersky distance to the border. Climbing Chersky Peak. To the waterfalls of the Podkomarnaya river

Time on Baikal +5 hours to Moscow time.

Accommodation in 3, 4-bed houses at the Khamar-Daban camp site. Heating is wood burning, there is a sauna.

Good physical fitness and winter hiking experience required!

Daily program

Day 1

meet in the morning at the railway station of the city of Slyudyanka. We get acquainted, have breakfast in a local cafe, say: “Good morning Baikal”, and go.

Our route starts right from the city. The trail goes up with a slight slope along the Slyudyanka River and goes deep into the forest thickets. Along the way we will see active marble quarry "Pass". In the tract called "Burnt Glade" we will make a halt for a lunch-snack. From here, a steeper ascent to the Khamar-Daban weather station and further to the Chersky Peak tourist center already begins.

In the evening arrival at the tourist base, accommodation in a warm house, dinner, tea and conversations on the topic: "How I met the New Year."

Distance 20 km.

Day 2

Today we are waiting for an active walking day in the area. We will see snowy peaks, and snow-covered rocks, we will reach frozen waterfalls, take a walk to the Khamar-Daban weather station and the eponymous camp site. There we will take a steam bath in a spicy-scented bath and return to our house refreshed. And again, seagulls, games and conversations until midnight!

The distance is about 8 km.

Day 3

Rest, sleep and gain strength! Let's play snowballs snow figures and enough to roll down the hill on the "cheesecakes". In the evening, with a cup of fragrant tea, we will play various games for rallying, to the sound of "crispy" logs in the fire.

Day 4

Early rise. Breakfast. On this day we will climb Chersky Peak.

Our path goes along a serpentine to a plateau, from which you will have a view of the Khamar-Daban ridge in the east and the Eastern Sayan in the west. From the top you will see Lake Baikal, as well as a unique creation of nature - Lake Heart, nestled at the foot of the mountain.
We take pictures, ourselves, others, together. And down, along the path of ascent, into the house, into the warmth!

The tourist route Slyudyanka - Chersky Peak is one of the most popular on Baikal. This path cannot be called easy. But in terms of the beauty of landscapes and the amount of positive emotions received during the ascent, it has no equal in the region. In addition, in Slyudyanka itself there is something for tourists to see.

We will tell about the main and features of climbing Chersky Peak in our article.

Slyudyanka on the map of the Irkutsk region

Slyudyanka is a small town with a population of about 18 thousand people. It is located on the shore of Lake Baikal, in the southern part. On the map below you can see the exact location of Slyudyanka.

The settlement was officially founded in 1899, in connection with the construction. Although in the middle of the 17th century there was a small prison for the extraction of mica. By the way, the modern name of the city comes from the word "mica".

Slyudyanka is the administrative center of the district of the same name (since 1930). The main branches of the local economy are mining and woodworking, fishing and agriculture. The largest enterprise in Slyudyanka and the entire Slyudyansky district is Open Joint-Stock Company Quarry Pereval, where marbled limestone has been mined since the middle of the last century. Today this plant is the main supplier of raw materials for the cement industry of the Irkutsk region.

Slyudyanka is located in the foothill zone of the mountainous country of Khamar-Daban, consisting of Baikal and Early Caledonian rocks. This explains the huge reserves of mineral resources concentrated in the vicinity of the city. In particular, deposits of mica, marble, lapis lazuli, granite and slate have been explored here. In addition, the bowels of the Slyudyansky district contain at least 300 names of various minerals and gems.

Slyudyanka has also earned itself the reputation of one of the fish capitals of Russia. Catching and smoking of the most delicious endemic of Baikal - omul is very developed here. You can buy this gastronomic "souvenir" both in the central market and in one of the city's fish shops.

But Slyudyanka attracts travelers not only with fish and gems. Fans of mountain peaks are well acquainted with this Baikal city. After all, it is from here, as a rule, that all trips to Chersky Peak begin.

Chersky Peak: description of the mountain peak

First of all, do not confuse Chersky Peak with the mountain of the same name or the so-called Chersky Stone. These are completely different geographical objects. Where is Chersky Peak located?

Slyudyanka is the closest to this peak locality. The mountain is located seventeen kilometers south of the city. it highest point within the Komarinsky ridge of the Khamar-Daban mountain system. It is named after Ivan Chersky, a famous Russian geographer and explorer of Siberia. The absolute height of Chersky Peak is 2090 meters.

Several natural streams flow down from the slopes of the mountain, in particular the Slyudyanka, Bezymyannaya and Podkomarnaya rivers. At the western foot of the peak, there is the Starokomarskaya road, which is part of the ancient tea route from Kyakhta.

Tourist walking route Slyudyanka - Chersky peak is one of the most popular in the Southern Baikal region, as evidenced by numerous reviews. The popularity of this route is largely due to its accessibility. Thousands of tourists climb the peak every year.

Slyudyanka - Chersky Peak: distance and general description of the route

In general, this tourist route is not particularly difficult and does not require special climbing equipment. However, you should not relax too much. In bad weather it is easy to lose your way and get lost.

The best time to hike along the route Slyudyanka - Chersky Peak is from mid-May to September. The total length of the tourist route is 20 kilometers (one way). Altitude difference - 1620 meters. A group of trained tourists will be able to overcome this climb in one day. However, it is best to split the hike over at least two days in order to move at a moderate pace and have time to enjoy picturesque views, which are opened from the route.

The trail from Slyudyanka to Chersky peak is distinguished by great landscape diversity. Here you will see rocky cliffs and lakes with waterfalls, make numerous crossings through noisy mountain streams.

Stage one: climb from Slyudyanka to the weather station

The route Slyudyanka - Chersky Peak begins at a concrete dam on the right bank of the river of the same name (a few kilometers from the city railway station). At the very beginning, it is the Slyudyanka, which repeatedly crosses the channel. Bridges or wooden masonry were built at the crossing points. There are 14 such crossings in total.

At the beginning of the journey, there are a lot of convenient places for parking, which is very convenient for those tourists who begin their ascent to Chersky Peak in the evening.

Approximately five kilometers from the city, the route passes by snow-white dumps and marble blocks of the Pereval quarry (the noise from the work of mining dump trucks is almost always heard from above). Even further, somewhere in the middle of the path, there is a small recreation center. Here you can relax, drink tea and eat delicious pancakes with condensed milk.

After about 30-40 minutes of walking from the last crossing over Slyudyanka, the path leads to the wide Gorelyaya Polyana. Here the river sharply goes to the left, but the track, quickly gaining altitude, soon enters another clearing - Cossack. This is a rather vast treeless space with fragrant herbs and shrubs. The route bypasses this clearing on the left side and then leads to the Khamar-Daban weather station.

The distance from the city to the weather station is 16 km. At an average pace, this section of the route can be covered in five hours.

Stage two: conquering Chersky Peak

Tourists, as a rule, are advised to camp near the Khamar-Daban weather station. There is a comfortable area for tents, a well and even a sauna. From the weather station it is convenient to make radial exits to Lake Heart, the pass, as well as to the waterfalls on the Podkomarnaya River. Chersky Peak is within easy reach from here - only four kilometers. You can walk this distance in one and a half to two hours.

It is best to conquer the summit the next day, in the morning. The first two kilometers pass along a winding serpentine - the remains of that very ancient "tea road". Then the trail goes to a rather steep slope, generously strewn with rhododendron flowers. At first, climbing it is quite difficult, but then it becomes much easier to go.

Soon the trail reaches the top - it is a large rocky platform with a cross and an information sign. A wonderful panorama of Khamar-Daban opens from the peak, in the north you can see the blue expanse of Lake Baikal. During the tourist season and in good weather, Chersky Peak is usually quite crowded.

If you have already conquered the peak of Chersokgo, do not rush to go down to Slyudyanka. If time permits, you should definitely visit the sights located nearby. First of all, Lake Heart and waterfalls on the Podkomarnaya River.

When going to the mountains, do not forget to use a protective cream with a protection factor of 30 or 50. It is also advisable to wear a panama hat with wide edges. This will protect you from sunstroke and burns.

Since the tourist route periodically passes through rocky terrain, it is recommended to take care of comfortable shoes in advance. This will save you from sprains and sprains.

Top attractions in Slyudyanka

Experienced travelers advise: after descending from Chersky Peak, do not rush to leave home. After all, Slyudyanka also has something to surprise tourists with! Ideally, it is worth allocating one full day to explore all the “interesting things” of this city.

We list the most important sights of Slyudyanka:

• Mineralogical Museum of V. A. Zhigalov;
• Shaman cape;
• the beginning of the Circum-Baikal Railway (the most expensive railway in the world);
• marble quarry "Pass";
• springs with silver water;
• the building of the city railway station;
• St. Nicholas wooden church (1906);
• city ​​water tower;
• monument to the Cosmonaut;
• monument to the Bear and the Monkey.

Mineralogical Museum

The unique museum of rocks and minerals in Slyudyanka was created by local historian and enthusiast Valery Zhigalov. He opened the doors for his visitors in 1990. Today it is one of the main tourist sites of the Baikal region. There are about 3500 different minerals in his collections. Famous mineralogists of the planet have repeatedly expressed their admiration for this museum.

The museum in Slyudyanka is open daily from 8:00 to 20:00. It is located at the address: Slyudyanaya street, 36.

Shaman cape

Shamansky Cape is one of the favorite places for recreation for the residents of the city. It is located on the northern outskirts of Slyudyanka and goes deep into the water area of ​​the lake. The total length of the cape is 640 meters, and the width is no more than 30. Geologically, the Shaman Cape is the completion of one of the spurs of Khamar-Daban.

This is one of the most mysterious objects on Baikal. According to legends, in ancient times, shamanic rituals with sacrifices were performed on the cape. The Buryats consider this place sacred, as their shaman is buried in one of the caves. Excavations are often carried out on the Shaman Cape. Archaeologists have discovered here several Bronze Age sites, as well as mysterious drawings left by ancient people on the local rocks.

Architectural and sculptural monuments of the city

The architectural heritage of Slyudyanka is quite diverse. The buildings of the pre-revolutionary period have been preserved here. And in the 40-50s, a number of buildings in the Stalinist Empire style were erected in the city (the city administration, the Gornyak House of Culture, and others).

The building of the railway station is one of the main architectural sights of Slyudyanka. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century from unpolished marble. Architects from Italy worked on the development of the project for the Slyudyansk railway station. Another iconic building of Slyudyanka is an old gothic-style water tower located in the city center.

In Slyudyanka, tourists may also be interested in some of the sculptural compositions. So, at the exit from the city, right by the road, there is a monument to the Cosmonaut. It was installed here immediately after the famous space flight of Yuri Gagarin. But the intersection of Lenin and Gornaya streets is decorated with an unusual sculptural composition. It depicts a scene from Krylov's famous fable "The Mirror and the Monkey".

The Khamar-Daban Ridge is one of the most interesting and picturesque regions of Eastern Siberia! This is a low, but very "generous" mountain range, a storehouse of natural gifts. There are a lot of berries, mushrooms, pine nuts (“khamar” in Buryat means “nut”), it is here that the most interesting raftable rivers are located, mountain peaks accessible for climbing, warm lakes hidden in the depths of taiga forests. The climate here is very humid, Khamar-Daban is often called the Siberian tropics. A walk through the humid, insanely beautiful forest cleanses the lungs, calms the nervous system, and when you climb Chersky Peak, you will not only be able to arrange a workout for your body, but you will also be amazed at the beauty of the panorama that opens from the top!

Be sure to have a sleeping bag, a polyurethane mat, a set of dishes, 2 sets of clothes, trekking and spare shoes. FROM complete list you can find the necessary equipment in the section EQUIPMENT FOR HIKING / MOUNTAIN TOURS.

Dates of the ascent to Chersky Peak in 2018:

Climbing takes place every weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)!

According to your preliminary request, we can supplement this route with rafting on the Irkut river of 2nd category of complexity or Irkut of 3rd category of complexity

NOTE! Tour Rules!

Tour program:

1 day

Group gathering at the railway station or airport in Irkutsk in the morning (time and place are indicated in the itinerary sheet).

Transfer Irkutsk - Slyudyanka.

Safety briefing.

We start moving along the Slyudanka River, gradually gaining altitude. We will have to pass several picturesque bridges across the river, a marble quarry, fern thickets, we will have the opportunity to taste pancakes with various fillings in a lonely taiga cafe.

After a steep ascent, we come to a weather station located on the watershed of the Podkomarnaya and Slyudyanka rivers. Accommodation at the Khamar-Daban camp site.

Meals: lunch, dinner.

2 day

A serpentine begins from the weather station, overcoming which we reach the crest of the ridge. Already from here you can enjoy an impressive view of the nearby mountain peaks. Now we see our goal - Chersky Peak, which is a little over 2000 m high (2090). The amazing Lake Heart, hidden among the mountain giants, impresses and pleases the eye.

Climbing the peak, we will be rewarded with a stunning view of Lake Baikal and the peaks of the Khamar-Daban mountain country, a daring feeling of a conqueror of mountain peaks, pleasant fatigue in the muscles and, of course, a delicious snack!

Descent. Don't forget to take unique photos with the Baikal mountains in the background! If you have the strength, desire and time, you can visit the waterfalls of the Podkomarnaya River on the way back.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Accommodation: tented camp / hostel.

3 day

Quietly and slowly along the path return to Slyudyanka. Take your time! Try to remember the smells of a pure taiga forest, the sounds of the Siberian taiga. It is a pity, but it is impossible to capture them on a camera or video camera!

Transfer Slyudyanka-Irkutsk.

Meals: breakfast, lunch.

Cost: 6000 / 8000 r / person.

Included in cost:

• All types of transfers in accordance with the program;
• Meals according to the program - three meals a day (except meals in a cafe at the request of tourists). Tourists cook on their own! Cook services are paid separately at the request of the group : 2000 day!;

Tourist preparation: no special training is required, physical readiness for overnight stays in tents;

• Security: the route is registered with the Ministry of Emergency Situations;
• The group is accompanied by an experienced qualified instructor.
• Rental of general camping equipment: 2, 3, 4-person tents, awning, campfire equipment, gas equipment;

The price does not include:

• rent of a sleeping bag, backpack, rug
• vaccination/insurance against encephalitis

Tour class selection:

New Year is a favorite holiday of many. To celebrate it successfully means to live a whole year as if it were a holiday. And the best solution for this would be to go on tours to Lake Baikal in winter.

Sparkling snow, absolutely transparent ice, purest air - all this will make the New Year unforgettable. All that is needed for this is to go on a tour to Lake Baikal from Moscow in winter. Why to Baikal? In winter, it has an attractive price, excellent conditions, and soon you will be able to enjoy the unforgettable beauty of winter Baikal. A flight from Moscow will save flight time and extend your vacation for a whole day!

How is the New Year holiday on Lake Baikal going?

For the New Year, all cities located near Lake Baikal are preparing: they put up Christmas trees, come up with holidays and offer special conditions for staying in hotels. You can plunge into this festive atmosphere if you plan winter tours to Baikal in advance. A reliable tour operator company organizing tours to this wonderful land will be able to help you with this. Pay attention to those companies that offer different tour programs.

There are three of them: excursion, individual and active. Choosing the first one, you will be able to visit all the most famous sights, as well as get unforgettable impressions about them. Tours to Baikal in the winter of 2020 are represented by all popular classes: economy, comfort and luxury. Choose from them the best for you to enjoy the trip to the fullest.

Individual winter tours to Lake Baikal from Moscow in winter will allow you to get maximum pleasure without the company of random fellow travelers. The tour operator will help you pay for the flight and check into your hotel room. This is one of the most popular tours, you can see all the beauties of Baikal, see all the most unusual animals, as well as the rarest seals living on the shore and in the reserve.

If you, like me, prefer active holidays, then active winter tours to Lake Baikal in 2020 are for you. Mountain trails, sledding and sleigh rides give completely different emotions than a walk through famous places. And the New Year, met on these slopes, will forever be remembered by you as the most wonderful celebration.

Don't know where to go New Year's Eve? Do not hesitate, Baikal is an ideal place for an enchanting celebration! Book a tour and see for yourself!

It all started with the fact that I spied a list of her wishes in Katya's diary in the spring. And in this list there was such an item: "Find out what Khamar-Daban is." Well, OK. Let's go. You will know. And I planned a trip to Khamar-Daban for August.

Some of my friends who signed up for this trip in the spring, in July - early August, merged for various reasons: work, study, lack of money. There were four of us left: me, Katya, Peter and Diana.
But while I was on Ergaki, some stranger named Prokhor, about whom I knew absolutely nothing, and who did not have a single photo on the Vkontakte page, asked me to go hiking. I was afraid to take on a hike a person about whom there is ZERO information. I don't like such surprises. A couple of days later, this person hiding his identity on the Internet wrote that he had already taken a train ticket. Oops!
This Prokhor was Diana's friend. I asked Diana what kind of person this was. She replied: "The guy is normal, he went hiking with me a couple of times." Well, OK. I trusted Diana. OK. Let him come with us. And there will be five of us.
This Prokhor is such a busy person that he could not even call for a package of groceries. The grocery bag was picked up by his parents.
On the train, he was in another carriage. So until the last moment I did not know what he looked like and what kind of person he was. I first saw him in Slyudyanka at the railway station.
But, everything seems to have turned out well. Prokhor turned out to be quite a decent, decent guy who has hiking experience, has hiking clothes and enough physical health for a mountain hike. And he also has a funny feature: he sincerely and very emotionally admires the beauty of nature.

I planned to go to Chersky Peak (height 2090 m), which is located near the village of Slyudyanka. This is a very popular route, followed by hundreds (maybe thousands) of tourists, both locals and visitors. I have not been to Chersky Peak. But, I decided to visit this place "for show". I did not expect any "wow" effect from Chersky peak. There is nothing so special. In my subjective opinion, Ergaki is much more interesting.

This route is passed in 3 days: 1. transition from Slyudyanka to the base camp, 2. radial exit to Chersky Peak, Lake Heart and waterfalls, 3. return to Slyudyanka. BUT locals Slyudyanki can even run there on weekends. This is about the same as the Borus mountain range in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. However, I planned a week-long hike. For the sake of three days, it’s somehow not serious to travel a day by train there and a day back. And I began to think about how to lengthen the route. On the Internet, I found information that a route called "Baikal around the world" is possible there. It is just about 5-6 days, which fits well into a week-long trip, taking into account two more days on the train.
There is the first part of the Baikal circumnavigation of the world - it is a very popular route with a well-trodden path to Chersky Peak, along which dozens of people pass every day. And the second half is a more difficult section to pass, which is 2 times longer than the first section. And there already the path passes not through the valleys, but along the ridges of the mountains. This section is complicated by the fact that there is no water on the crests of the mountains. To spend the night there, you need to go down somewhere from the mountains to the valley. And as far as I understood from the descriptions on the Internet, in the valleys there is a continuous forest and windbreak, and the path along the stream is only the last few kilometers near the shore of Lake Baikal. In general, this section of the route caused a lot of doubts. This is not Ergaki for you, where you can walk for 2 weeks, visit many different places, and everywhere there are trails and water.
The route was supposed to end in Orekhovaya Padya on the shores of Lake Baikal. And from there I planned to leave for Slyudyanka by electric train.

A few days before the trip, I read the news on the Internet that in the southern part of the Irkutsk region at the end of July there were heavy rains, the rivers rose strongly, and the flood washed away all the bridges. High risk of mudflows from the mountains. And the Ministry of Emergency Situations closed the route to Chersky Peak for visitors!
I already wanted to change the itinerary. But, just in case, I called the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Slyudyanka. There I was told by phone that all the bridges had already been restored and the route was again available for visiting.

We left Krasnoyarsk by train on August 10 at 11 o'clock. I was surprised to find that the entire Russian Railways system had already switched to the local time. The train timetable shows local time everywhere, which is very convenient. You no longer need to live Moscow time on a train in the center of Russia. And count in your mind to find out when there will be a long stop of the train. In parentheses, in small print, the difference with Moscow is indicated (Moscow time + 4, Moscow time + 5).

At the railway station in Krasnoyarsk, insanity associated with the fight against terrorism is still going on. The Universiade is over, but insanity remains. It is impossible to get to the train through the pedestrian bridge bypassing the station. The bridge is for exit only. At the entrance to the station, you need to put backpacks on an installation that shines through them with X-rays, and lay out all metal objects and electronic equipment from your pockets in order to get through the frames.
The complete absurdity of this whole spectacle with guarding and closing the aisles lies in the fact that at all other stops you can freely get on the train without any anti-terrorist control.

Of the positive changes in the Russian Railways system, I noted the following:
1. sockets appeared in the cars!!! There are two outlets under each table. Now you can freely charge smartphones and tablets on the train. Finally, the management of Russian Railways noticed that passengers had a lot of electronic devices to be charged.
2. The conductors now have special pocket computers, which immediately display a list of passengers with passport data. E-ticket may not be shown. It is enough to show your passport at the entrance to the car.

At the first long stop on the platform next to the train, I saw familiar people: Valya, Olga, Andrey. They also travel on the same train. They have a big group. And they gathered at Munka-Sardyk. They also travel by train to Slyudyanka.

We arrived in Slyudyanka on the morning of August 11th. We met Prokhor on the platform and went across the bridge over the tracks.

Next to us was a group that was going to Munka-Sardyk. They were already met by the driver of the ordered minibus. And some guy in a hat stuck up to us: "Where do you need to go ?!"
I answer: "We don't need to go anywhere. We have already arrived. And then we go on foot to Chersky Peak." But, the man in the hat did not let up: "Maybe you can get a lift to the beginning of the trail for 100 rubles per person?" , "No, don't." But, the uncle continued to go with us and tried to impose his transport services on us. I already wanted to send it to 3 letters. I restrained myself and politely explained that we would get there ourselves. When the uncle realized that he didn’t earn anything that morning, he already began to snipe out of resentment: “Oh, you are already lost. Ha ha. Yes, you don’t know where to go. Ha ha.” And he smirks.

Our walking path started from the central square in Slyudyanka. I bought from my smartphone sitting on a bench return tickets by train to Krasnoyarsk. There was also a poster in the square with a description of the route to Chersky Peak. We can say that this route has become one of the main attractions of this city.

The distance from the railway station to the base camp is approximately 21-22 km. Most of the route is on a dirt road. This road runs along the Slyudyanka River and crosses it many times. At each intersection of the road and the river, a wooden bridge has been installed for pedestrians. In total, there are more than 10 such bridges along the entire route. Everywhere there are signs that will not let you get lost. There are kilometer signs that show how many kilometers are left to the base camp.

The Slyudyanka River in some places falls under the stones and disappears.

There is a marble quarry next to the road. Once upon a time, explosive work was carried out here. And next to the quarry there is a large pile of white marble stones.

All these bridges and signs are made for the reason that in the base camp next to the weather station there is a commercial recreation center with wooden houses. Therefore, the path to the camp is so trodden and easy. Therefore, all the bridges were restored so quickly. Many tourists go light, without sleeping bags and tents.

The weather was cloudy. And when we were already 2/3 of the way, it started to rain. Walking in the rain is disgusting. Clothes get wet. Fatigue builds up faster. I already want to put up tents and spend the night.

I offered to spend the night in a clearing, which was at the beginning of the Burnt Pad. But, Peter did not like the place. "Yes nuuuu, somehow it's not very convenient. Let's move on."
I'm already tired. Katya is even more tired. But Diana, Peter and Prokhor are confidently moving forward. They are hard to catch up.
We reached a place called Kazachya Polyana. There is a large flat swampy area. Nearby there are clearings without a swamp. BUT! There is no clean water source. There is a stream that flows out of the swamp. The water is yellow. Ugh! The river is very far away.
Move on. And the rain is getting stronger.
Finally we reached the weather station. The camp site is located right behind the weather station. And after 100 meters there are free glades for non-commercial tourists.

We set up our tents in the rain. They threw things inside.
A glade with parking lots, a camp site and a weather station are located on a hill. There are no rivers or streams here. The only source of water is a well at the weather station. A real classic well: a wooden box with a lid, a bucket on a chain, a wooden cylinder is fixed on two racks, on which the chain is wound, and a handle for rotating the cylinder. Anyone can take water.

I went for water, cooked soup on the burner, distributed soup to everyone (brought it to each tent). At this time, Peter boiled water and poured it into 2 thermoses. I
smashed thermoses into tents. We dined sitting in tents.
The rain ended in the morning when I had already cooked porridge on the burner. I also carried the porridge to the tents and handed it out.
The sky cleared and the sun came out. And we began to pull things out and dry them. And gather in a radial exit.

I had with me a description of the route, printed on paper. According to this description, we went for a walk to the radial exit. The first 2-3 kilometers we walked along the old road.
A note needs to be made here. More than 100 years ago, long before the construction of the railway, there was a road along Khamar-Daban, along which goods from Mongolia and China were carried on horseback. This road passes near Chersky Peak along mountain ranges. When the Trans-Siberian Railway appeared, the old road lost its transport significance and was abandoned. And then this road began to be used by hikers.

Then from the road we went up the ridge and climbed some unnamed peak, and from it we traversed to Chersky Peak.
Moisture got into my camera lens, and the glass fogged up inside the lens. I tried to warm the lens with my body, pressing the camera to my stomach. Gradually, the condensate evaporated. But, for the entire time of climbing to the peak, it was not possible to take a single high-quality photo.

At the top of Chersky Peak there is a triangulator, a commemorative plaque and a bench. From the peak one should be able to see Tunkinsky Goltsy in the southwest, Baikal in the north and the rest of Khamar-Daban in the east and south. However, due to dense clouds, visibility was not very good.

The sunny weather did not last long. When we climbed the peak, everything was covered with clouds again, and it began to rain. We managed to take a few pictures from the top and began to descend to the Heart Lake along the path. The descent was quite steep. They went down for a long time.

On the shore we had a snack and began to climb the Visitor Pass. Next, according to the plan, we had waterfalls. The pass was a typical Ergak uncomplicated 1a. The difficulty is comparable to the Skazka pass.

When we descended from the pass and walked along the Visitor's Creek, we came across a camp with a supply of almost dry firewood. Peter and Prokhor wanted to kindle a fire. Prokhor had some kind of tourist or hunting long-burning matches with him. Long-burning - this means that they have a coating of some kind of chemical composition behind the match head, which burns not for 2-3 seconds like the head of an ordinary match, but for 10-15 seconds.
But, practice has shown that 15 seconds of burning is not enough to set fire to even thin branches in wet weather. Prokhor gradually used up more than 20 matches. But, nothing worked. And finally, already at about the 30th match, we managed to kindle a fire using a plastic bottle and some other plastic garbage.

We warmed ourselves by the fire and dried our clothes on the fire. While we were warming up, the clouds dispersed and the weather began to be sunny. Hooray! We began to descend along the river to watch the waterfalls.

There are 4 cascades of waterfalls: a waterfall on the Visitor's Creek, 2 cascades on the Kamenka River and a cascade of waterfalls on the Podkomarnaya River.
We walked along the trail and visited 3 cascades of waterfalls.

After the last waterfall, you had to go down to the river to get on the trail. And I preferred to go to the right along the kurumnik so as not to lose altitude. We walked along the kurumnik and rounded the mountainside. In a straight line, we had 1300 meters to the camp. A little. But, ahead was a dense forest with a windbreak. And behind the forest is a steep climb of 300 meters. And the path somewhere below in this forest goes along the Podkomarnaya River.

I decided to go down into this forest and find a path. Went down. We wandered a bit through the dense forest and came out on the trail.
They walked along the path. And I lost this path. Here somewhere I jumped off the path and that's it. I decided not to go back and not look for a path, but to reach the nearest cleft on the mountainside and climb this cleft. We went to the bed of a dry stream. It was convenient to go along this channel, there were almost no obstacles. When we reached the steep slope of the mountain, there the stream bed passed into a couloir, along which a mudflow descended at the end of July during a strong flood. The mudflow broke the trees and plowed the whole corridor on its way. In a few days, the mudflow stabilized, and the ground did not move anywhere. On this ground with protruding stones it was possible to climb up like stairs. And I offered to climb this village. At first it was easy to get up. But, the last 20 meters of the ascent, the mudflow became too loose and I already climbed to the very top through the bushes.

We went to the road we had been walking in the morning. And already in 10 minutes we reached our tents. We managed to get back before dark.

It must be said here that I like to climb in any windbreak, on rocks, on kurumnik and on bushes, when the group goes light, i.e. no heavy backpacks. I don't do it on purpose. It just works out that way. At some point, I inadvertently lose the normal path. And instead of going back and looking for a path, I usually try to go straight towards the intended goal.
When the group is walking with heavy and bulky backpacks, I try to avoid any bushes, rocks and windbreaks. And walk only on normal paths. Because The backpack greatly reduces maneuverability in difficult terrain.
When we were already at the camp, it began to rain again. And we again hid in tents. Again, cooking on the burner, distributing hot food from tent to tent and hot water in thermoses. This time, at least all the clothes were dry.

After the radial exit, according to the plan, it was necessary to walk 6-7 km with backpacks and go to Chertovo Lake near the Four Pass. But, I began to have doubts. Firstly, it rained too often, and we quickly used up gas. Secondly, it was necessary to go too far (about 30 km) from the Four Pass along the ridges of the mountains. If it were 5-10 km along the ridges of the mountains, then this is not scary, but 30 km is two days to walk 15 km through a difficult landscape. In wet weather. And somewhere it was necessary to go down from the mountains to the river in order to spend the night in a clearing with a source of water.
In general, I could not stand the doubts and decided not to go around the Baikal around the world, but to go down the good path back to Slyudyanka. Yes, it's not interesting. But, it's reliable. On this trail, we are guaranteed to reach civilization in 1 day.
Maybe the rainy weather had such an effect on my psyche.
I offered to take the electric train from Slyudyanka to the village. Vydrino. And go to Taltsinsky Peak.

We descended back much faster than we climbed the first day. We quickly ran along the familiar path. They went out on the road. In the middle of the day the weather began to improve. For a snack, we stopped in a familiar gazebo, where we had a snack on the first day of the hike. In the gazebo, I picked up a gas cylinder left by someone, in which there was still about 30-40% of the fuel. There were also some abandoned food. But we did not take food. We had enough food.

When there were about 4 km left to the railway station, I got the Internet on my smartphone, and I looked at the train schedule. And we were in for an interesting surprise. It turns out that only 2 electric trains run from Slyudyanka to Vydrino: at 5:12 (this is a very early morning, you need to get up at night) and at 14:14 (and this will arrive in the evening, too late). There were also passenger trains at convenient times. But, the price of 700-800 rubles for 70 kilometers did not suit us much. The fare on the electric train cost 118 rubles.
We decided to go in the morning at 5:12. I calculated that we need to leave the camp at 4:00 in order to catch the train. And in order to get ready, pack all things and put down the tents, you need to wake up at 3:00.
And in order to have time to sleep, it was necessary to go to bed early, around 20:00-21:00.

We occupied a clearing next to the road not far from the city. There was plenty of firewood and level ground for tents.
Finally, we were pleased with the weather. We cooked dinner on a campfire and for the first time on this trip we ate outside all together sitting by the fire.

In the next part, I will talk about how we got to the Taltsinsky peak and made an epic ascent.

To be continued.