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Every day on TV screens we are invited to visit the Canary Islands, Thailand, Cyprus, Malta and other exotic places. But I want to get to know my small homeland better — Buryatia. Fortunately, I’m not the only one. Therefore, every summer, after packing our backpacks, we go on a trip.

We have already passed Khamar-Daban, the Eastern Sayan, the Barguzinsky ridge, and Privitimye. It is noteworthy that on hiking trails you can always meet romantics with backpacks and, as usual, a well-worn guitar. For many, it is a lifelong addiction. This summer we found ourselves in the central part of the Baikal ridge on a difficult and very interesting hike.

Yozhik is a mountain pass, its height is 2,345 meters above sea level, difficulty category is 1 “B”. We have been on the route for several days now. We are going in a group of twelve people. Left behind are the roar of the Baikal surf, the charming “hot” beach at Cape Kotelnikovsky, and the picturesque gorge of the Molokon River with the amazingly beautiful Glass Ribbon waterfall, from which it is impossible to take your eyes off in amazement.

Imagine a stream falling from a great height, not touching the rock wall along its entire length of 120 meters! The effect of a crystal pillar frozen in the air gave rise to the name “Glass Ribbon”… Today I woke up at five in the morning. Carefully he got out of his sleeping bag, got dressed and got out of the tent.

He lit a fire, brought water, and hung the cauldrons over the fire. The usual work that everyone has to do on a hike several times a day. After breakfast we leave for the pass. Passing a large lake, we cross a stream over rocks.

In the depths of the huge circus there was a pass that we had dreamed about for so long. But it took a lot of time before we came close to it. And here is the pass in front of us: steep snowfields, small rocky scree, and rock slabs. Visibility is good.

I continue to study the upcoming path through binoculars. Gradually, a decision about the direction of movement takes shape. Volodya Shalagin and Viktor Nimaev go on reconnaissance to finally choose the route of ascent. Soon the whole group follows in their footsteps.

We climb the snowfield, knocking out steps with the toe of the “vibram”, keeping the direction towards the nearest ridge of smooth slabs. Then we climb up the slabs and emerge onto a narrow rocky shelf. Going higher becomes risky. Using the rope, we go to the next ledge.

Somehow we position ourselves on the wet shelf, and Viktor Nimaev goes forward to hang the next rope. But one rope is missing, and Volodya Shalagin gives out a second one. Now there are enough fixed railings to reach the pass ridge. More than three hours have passed since the start of the ascent.

Everyone was tired, some had wet feet, some had cold hands. But realizing that there was only one last throw left, they perked up and perked up. The last part of the path was laid along the edge of the snowfield. The key place is a snowy plumb cut by a bottomless crack.

Hands themselves tighten their grip on the rope. Feeling the proximity of the target, Gennady Kozlovsky rushed forward. We gather together on a small rocky platform. The tour is visible on the right.

The clock shows 15:00. The climb to the pass took exactly four hours. First of all, we inspected the tour and took out the pencil case in which the control note was placed. When they unwrapped the package, there were two notes.

They were abandoned two years ago by tourist groups from Chita and Baley. While I am writing a control note, the attendants are preparing a “snack”. Tatyana Petrova gives us raisins and chocolate as encouragement. Another event of this day.

Our ascent coincided with the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the formation of the Republic of Buryatia. Irina Gofyngo made a commemorative pennant for this occasion. We put the control note in a waterproof box and placed it in the tour, and fixed the pennant on the alpenstock above the tour. This was done to a unanimous “hurray” by Vladimir Nevsky, a veteran of the tourist movement, known to many from the television program “Tourist Club Khamar-Daban”, and Bulat Nimaev, who was starting his tourist biography, who had recently turned 12 years old.

Everyone took a photo together for memory. It’s time to leave. But first I take another look at the surrounding rocks. Suddenly I clearly see on a nearby rock outcrop a pile of stones that resemble a bristling hedgehog with a pointed muzzle.

Apparently, these picturesque remains gave the name to the pass. Following tourist etiquette, upon returning home the next day I wrote letters to the leaders of the Chita and Balei groups. I was sincerely delighted when, two weeks later, I held in my hands the answer from Mikhail Chiryshev. What did my unknown friend write about?

He thanked him with all his heart for the letter, and it was clear from everything that he had pleasant memories of that journey. But I was still interested in the question: why do the Chita people supposedly consider this pass “Sunny”? Now, two years later, Mikhail, recalling this, admits: “… We approached the pass from the side of the Dlinny stream at the end of the day, it was cloudy, a thick fog hung over the pass.”

They immediately began to prepare for the descent. But, probably, some haste and difficult weather conditions did not allow us to clearly attach ourselves to the location. There was no note on the tour. To be honest, we were confused: was this the right pass or the wrong one?

Therefore, they assumed that this was Solnechny Pass, and indicated so in the note. There was no time to sit and wait for the weather, and the Galkin Pass was waiting for us ahead.” After this short digression, we will continue our route. From the Hedgehog Pass we descended into the green valley of the Kurkuly-Lenskaya River.

Streams flowing here from the mountains feed the great Siberian river Lena. After the snow and ice, after the chaos of stones, the abundant greenery and amazing flower meadows were especially vividly perceived. We can say that we have gone from winter to summer. By this time, half the journey had been completed; the same amount remained.

We had to overcome numerous fords, pathless areas, and new passes — Lugovoi and Wind Rose. A lot of time has passed since those days, but the memory keeps memories. It’s safe to say that we remembered each of the passes we passed, but, without a doubt, the Hedgehog Pass left the brightest, most memorable impression. In general, the Baikal ridge enchants with eternal snow and glaciers, emerald mountain lakes, hot healing springs, stone sculptures sculpted by the sun, wind and water.

To see all the sights, you need to make more than one trip deep into the ridge. Have a nice trip!