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Art. Vydrino — r. Snezhnaya — r. Selenginka stream

Gramotukha — a group of high-mountain lakes — stream. Bear — lake Sobolinoe — r. Snezhnaya — st.

Vydrino. The length of the route is 75 kilometers, duration is 7–8 days. Irina Gofyngo, an experienced tourist, spoke about this. Here is her story about days long gone.

A group of six workers from a locomotive-car repair plant went on a multi-day hike along the Khamar-Daban ridges, dedicating it to the World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow. Serezha Evseev was appointed head. The starting point of the transition is the Vydrino ESR station. The entire first day of travel was in the rain, which at first did not prevent us from truly admiring the special aroma of the taiga, admiring the delicate flowers of strawberries and the huge fans of ferns.

However, by the end of the day, the soaking wet backpacks made their presence felt. The camp was set up at the confluence of the Snezhnaya and Selenginka rivers. The path from the first camp to the upper reaches of the Gramotukha stream was difficult. Three times we crossed streams and climbed steep slopes.

It was especially difficult for beginners. If at the beginning of the day we were able to admire the beauty of numerous waterfalls and snow bridges over streams, then by the end of the day even the appearance of a Bigfoot would leave us indifferent. We settled down to rest already at dusk at an altitude of 1500 meters. And the next morning, having said goodbye to the Gramotukha valley, with its alpine meadows and huge meadows, we continued our ascent.

When we reached the first snowfields, we were happy, saying it would be easier to walk. But, as it turned out, it was in vain: the snowfields below melted and could not withstand the weight of the traveler. We fell so deep that we couldn’t get out without outside help. The rate of ascent immediately dropped sharply.

Finally we came to good snow and followed it to the ridge. As the weather began to deteriorate, we hurried to find a parking spot. Having descended 200 meters along the ridge, we found a suitable site. Great review!

On the right side of the ridge you can see the Baikal Pass, Lake Baikal, the village of Vydrino, on the left — Lake Sobolinoye, the source of the Selenginka. There is no water nearby, but there are a lot of snowfields, and we have a rare opportunity to wash ourselves with snow in the summer… Our eyes never tired of marveling at the wonders and charms of Khamar-Daban. From above we saw two frozen green lakes in the craters, fresh traces of a bear and a wolverine.

We had to sit in the cloud for an hour and a half, waiting for it to melt under the rays of the sun in order to descend into the valley. We climbed to the top on snowfields and descended as if on skis. What delight fills your heart when you rush down the snowfield! This ride under the hot sun became that drop in the cup of our impressions, after which we no longer found words to express our feelings.

And they only said to each other with a happy look: “Great!” We shouted and sang, floundering in the snow, and the guys showed a high class of “slalom on boots.” We set up our next camp near one of the tributaries of the Medvezhiy stream, which falls onto the terrace like a waterfall from an eight-meter height. We liked this place so much that we decided to take a day off to go skiing from the snowfields and sunbathe.

And after the day, we had to sit in tents for three days because it was pouring rain. The bear spilled and turned into a formidable element. Finally the sun appeared. On the nearest peak we installed a pennant presented to us by the Komsomol committee of the plant.

We made our way down the Medvezhye stream to Lake Sobolinoye under the sound of thunder and pouring rain. The path along Lake Sobolinoye to the crossing will forever remain in our memory as a “dwarf nightmare”. The last two days of walking along the forest path after the untrodden taiga seemed to us, despite the rain, the easiest. Behind us remained Khamar-Daban, six conquered peaks, untrodden taiga…

We left a piece of ourselves there to remember: such a complete feeling of happiness can only be experienced once in a lifetime!