8/10/14 (text)

Without going into details, due to a debit card snafu I've had to stay an extra day in Mestia. Protip: if you're going abroad, take all your cards and activate them for use (including getting PINs for credit cards) in case you lose one, accidentally cancel the other, and have a credit card that doesn't work at ATMs. Anyway…..

I've been hiking yesterday and the day before, and I'll let the photos speak for themselves, but thought I would first provide some logistical information.

Chalaadi Glacier: First, this one has a lot of tourists since you can go by jeep almost the whole way. If you hike, follow the road/jeep track out of town past the airport. After leaving town, you won't see many blazes, but just stay on that main road and you'll be fine. After about 2 hours, maybe a bit less, you'll reach a sketchy bridge over a River of Doom, which is pretty fun to cross. And actually very secure. You can bounce it a little bit in the middle if you want to scare everyone ****less. Cross that, and things start going pretty much straight uphill along the river, with beautiful views. When preparing for this hike, remember that there is no concept of switchbacks here, so your calves will get destroyed. There are plenty of blazes here so just follow along. After about 45 minutes you'll get into a not-fun rocky area, so bring hiking boots as the ground turns into watermelon sized rocks, only they're sharp and present a dangerous slip/trip/fall hazard, and you could easily twist an ankle. The glacier, though often with many tourists, is pretty cool--the water comes from a hole in the ice and rushes downhill at breakneck speed. It's fun to watch rocks fall off the glacier--which is covered in dirt and aforementioned rocks--but I would strongly recommend against getting too close. There are some spots where maybe you can see a bit of ice through the cover, and I was tempted to go try to touch the actual glacier, but it is not worth it as the rocks can give way at any time and you will not survive that river. Don't be deceived if there are only a few falling--larger ones can go too, and even a few small ones can be enough if you're standing on them. Now that I've got my Edge Awareness preachy moment over with, this is a really fun hike with great views besides. It took me around 5 1/2 hours, not including time spent on the glacier.

Koruldi Lakes/Cross: Again, no concept of switchbacks and my legs were already destroyed from the day before. Spectacular views, if it's not partially or totally cloudy (as it was when I hiked it). To the cross is about 2 hours if you're really moving--I did so and burnt myself up for the next part to the lakes, which I thought would be much gentler. If you want to camp, there's a nice 2-level platform type thing with a roof. Continuing on to the lakes, you leave the trees behind and start climbing through some pretty neat alpine meadows. You'll shortly happen upon a rustic homestead, whose owners will point you to a spring if you know some Russian. It's across from the cabin on the hillside, and there's a small path and a bench right next to it. I didn't want to get lost trying to find it on the way up, but on the way down I had the help of my Ukranian friends and we found it sure enough. It comes from a pipe in the hillside, so you're not taking it from some nasty pool, and actually is very cool and clean--I drank it and it hasn't killed me yet. Or even given me giardia. From random streams, I would not drink--cows range everywhere, and so do their turds. Anyway, the hike thereafter is quite deceptive--you think you've only got a little bit more elevation to go, but as the air thins and the path keeps going steeply uphill, you realize you've still got a lot more to go. Make sure to bring plenty of water--save bottles as you can safely fill up at springs in the town. You'll hike for probably another solid 1.5 (if you're a Hiking Hero) or 2 hours until you hit the lakes. Lonely Planet lied bigtime--these are not "pristine lakes" but large, overglorified puddles in an alpine meadow. They're a little bit interesting, I guess, but don't hike this hike just for that. Hike it for the  views, which are spectacular the whole way up. Even though it was overcast (and even rained a little) when I hiked it, there were still some great views, and on a sunny day it has to be unbelievable. At the top, I met some Tasmanian dude named Simon who was camping near the lakes. If you've got a filter, this may not be a half-bad idea though there is no cover. He was an interesting dude, wanting to "poke around Ushba a bit" (not climb it or anything) but I digress. At the top, I met up with some Ukranians and we hiked back down. As a side note: I've also met a bunch of Ukranians on the trip and they have all been exceptionally helpful and friendly. We talked about a wide variety of topics (Russian invasion, which they disliked, even though they were half-Russian and from Donetsk, and sports) but also got lost. This is very important: on the way down, do not follow the jeep path the whole way. Make sure to note during your ascent to the cross where the trail converges with the jeep path. We were hiking down from the cross and missed this, and the road started taking us further away from Mestia--even beyond the airport which was across the river. I think it eventually empties out somewhere near the upper bridge that is across from the airport in Mestia, but I don't know for sure and it takes a very circuitous route. We eventually went down the mountain following cow paths, which were very steep but did get us to the road on the north side of the river. These cow paths are everywhere, and contrary to the Lonely Planet's terrible suggestion that shortcuts are readily available, it's always best to take the more obviously traveled route--which on this trail is generally well marked with blazes. That is, of course, unless you have an emergency or get lost as we did, and then it might be prudent to take a panic azimuth to the river, proceeding carefully as there are some slight cliffs and drop-offs in places.

Mestia: On my 3rd day, it rained a bunch so I didn't do too much exploring, but the town is fairly underwhelming. The Mikhail Khergiani museum does, again contrary to Lonely Planet, charge for admission (3 GEL w/excursion, 2 w/o, 1 for students). I couldn't go in because I'm flat broke. The bigger newer church was shut even though it was a Sunday afternoon--perhaps go earlier? On the bright side, there is a tower at 11 Lanchvali street that is just open, and you can climb that. There is a ladder to the roof but don't do anything more than stick your head out for pics as there are no railings to stop a fall.

Additional Stuff: Don't expect a lot of help from the tourist info center. The lady working there, while not rude, is clearly bored, and her answers are not very illuminating. Plus the map they give you is utter garbage. Other than that, bring bug spray, because the flies can get intense.