The trip left the most pleasant impressions. The species component will not leave anyone indifferent. The unique Lama Lake with quiet blue water and white creeping clouds, stunning scenery, canyon-like valleys of rivers cutting through the Putorana plateau, and the rocky highlands themselves with tundra vegetation and an insane number of waterfalls so unlike each other - local landscapes take for the soul. The desire to make beautiful shots was satisfied 100%.
In terms of difficulty, the hike corresponds to the 1st category of hiking. The weight of public equipment, taking into account not the most modest and light layout (the organizer does not bother with dried and freeze-dried products), came out at 10-11 kg per person. There are many fords through stormy rivers, and in July, during the melting of snow, and in August, during prolonged rains, they can be very deep. 80% of the route we walked in bogs, regularly rolling them to full height, half of the hike we made our way through swamps (during rains turning into an obstacle course), the other half we jumped on slippery river boulders and boulders of different sizes and degrees of mobility. 3 days went wet under incessant rain in a thick fog, 8 days strenuously protected from mosquitoes and midges (in warm, windless weather, a legion of blood-sucking insects flies, a mosquito net is mandatory, a mosquito suit or reftamide balloon for hot weather is desirable), 2 days enjoyed clear and relatively hot, windy weather, 5 days walked with watery eyes in a thick smoky fog of forest fires that came from a neighboring region. 2/3 of the route visibility around did not exceed 300-500 m, often reduced to 50-100m. The species were severely restricted because of this. The only thing that didn't happen was frost and snow, and thanks for that. Nevertheless, not the simplest weather conditions and long transitions (radials for 8-11 hours of non-stop movement on kurumniki and talus slopes) I was mentally prepared, so they didn't come as a surprise. I have not experienced any difficulties, subjectively, with good physical training, the route does not seem difficult. Although the average tourist will definitely have a different opinion. Well, I got what I wanted.
My adventures began at the very beginning of the trip, when after arrival it turned out that the s7 airline had lost my transfer luggage. All the equipment had to be hastily bought in fishing shops in Norilsk (the city is still a hole). The casting of our group, in agreement with all the participants (there were 3 other people besides me), was postponed for a day! There were also minor technical issues related to the organization of the hike, but thanks to our guide - mountaineering instructor from Yekaterinburg Evgeny Baltybaev - they were all successfully solved. The guide turned out to be an experienced escort and a wonderful person. He coped well with the management of the route, the organization of camp life and harmoniously joined our small team of 4 participants. Many thanks to the guide.
Total:
1. For the entertainment of the route - 8/10 (reduced rating due to poor visibility in the weather).
2. Compliance with the program - 7/10. The route depends heavily on the weather. We did not go down the Bunisyak Valley, we did not go to Mount Elden. They returned, as they came, under the Hoisi Valley. The program needs to be improved in terms of realism. Empty beautiful words need to be removed, and tell more about the real landscape conditions.
3. Meals - 7/10. Delicious, varied, enough in volume, the claim is only to the weight of the food. There is room for improvement.
4. Accommodation - 6/10 - I wrote about the quality of tents in a review about the organizer.
5. To the coordinator of the Big country Yulia Tyurina - 10/10. There are no complaints about the work.
6. Guide Evgeny Baltybaev - 10/10.
7. Local organizer Tatiana Golovina - 4/10
8. The overall rating of the tour is 8.5/10.
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