Mountain Man

Hello everyone,

I am back from my camping trip!  It was awesome.  We hiked all day every day around the beautiful Crimean Peninsula mountains then spent a day and a half camped on the Black Sea.  Lots of exercise and lots-o-Russian.  Thankfully, there was a great guy named Igor there that spoke some English which really helped.  Igor, if you are reading this, thanks again.  The trip started at someone's house where we finished packing up our backpacks and organizing 10 days worth of food (probably around 50 pounds with water) then made our way on foot to the train station in my city.  It was raining and a bit cold which was not a good sign for the start of a 10 day camping trip but Igor assured me that he always has great luck with weather - thankfully his luck ran true.   We took the 90 min electreechka  (slow, cheap, low range passenger trains to and from major hubs) to Donetsk.   We arrived in Donetsk in the early evening and chatted outside the Вокзал (train station) until it was time to get on the overnight train to Simferopol.  We were in platzcart (3rd class) and everyone thought it was hilarious that I did not fit in the tiny little bunks.  lol  Many photos were taken with my feet hanging off the end of the bed.  Then, in typical Ukrainian fashion, we proceeded to crowd around one of the small tables and have a nice meal.  I brought a small amount of cognac as a thanks for allowing Amy and I to go on this trip so we all toasted to the start of our adventure. 

There were 9 people in total all with varying backgrounds and ages.  Everyone got along fine and we all had a great time.   We had a priest with an extensive military background, a blacksmith/karate instructor also with strong military background and his wife, a computer programmer, an industry/factory safety coordinator, 2 blacksmith apprentices, and 2 crazy Americans (Amy and I).  At times, it was difficult to communicate with my limited Russian skillz but we made it work out just fine and when we couldn't communicate, we would sit back and absorb the absolutely beautiful scenery (I took over 300 photos).  It was nice to be away from all modern amenities/electronics/stresses and just be out in nature doin our thang.  At times, it was tough:  hiking at night down steep and slippery terrain (I didn't have a flashlight cuz it broke), hiking without any trails through thick forests, hiking with little water to drink (we had to find our water), hiking for over 12 hours (usually only 8 hours), sleeping in below freezing weather (turns out my sleeping bag is not that great and when we woke up our water was frozen), sleeping with 3 people in what seemed to be a 2 man tent and me being extremely tall, Amy got sick and I had to carry some of her stuff in my already heavy bag, etc...  It was well worth it though - many great memories, awesome times, and I got to know some very cool people. 

Towards the end of the trip, we hiked down from the mountains though a small town on the way to the sea (Black Sea = 10 km away).  It was around 10:00 pm, pitch black, cold, tired, and we had been looking unsuccessfully for hours for flat enough terrain to make camp for the night. To my astonishment, the group sent the girls to go up to a random house and knock on the door for directions.  I guess they would be less threatening than the guys.  I was surprised once again by the Ukrainian hospitality we received.  We woke someone up late at night and they were nice enough to spend time with us and explain were we could find a suitable camping place.  It was great and just in time.  I didn't feel like I could hike another inch.  And the next morning, when it was light out and we could actually see, we awoke on a hill next to a beautiful little lake/reservoir nestled between sheer cliffs with the small quiet little village down a short distance from where we camped.  I bathed in the stream then took off with my camera to explore the small town.  I walked around the village greeted only by stray dogs, grazing goats, and the occasional sleepy villager.  After walking for a while, by pure coincidence, I ran into a few other people from our group at the local магазин  (store).  it was 11:00 am and the only store in town still had not opened for the day so the people from my group were waiting patiently outside.  Supplies were purchased and we made our way to a little house that had a garden and some grape vines in order to buy some veggies and wine.  Once again, I was surprised to see that the owner of this house gave us (random strangers) wine and veggies without payment and said it would be fine if we paid latter (guess nobody brought money).  Trust and honor go a long way here.  We then packed our backpacks and made our way to the sea.  On the way we pass dozens of vineyards until we arrived at our campsite surrounded by the black sea on one side and a vineyard with an old Turkish watchtower on the other.  Beautiful.  We proceeded to pitch our tents one last time, barbeque some chicken, cook some borsch, drink some wine, relax on the coast, and swim in the sea sometime after midnight.  The next morning we walked down the coast 6 km to the town of Marskova and explored another small town.  It was one hell of a way to end a fantastic trip. 

I arrived back in my town on Wednesday.  Since then, I have been working on finalizing some of the details of my project to start a volunteer center in my city.  We will find out early November if it will be funded or not.  I really hope it gets funded - it could really help my community.  I spent most of the weekend in Donetsk with Amy and other volunteers.  My cluster mate Kim was in Donetsk to meet with people about starting a computer lab for the blind in her community. Very cool project.  It is exciting to hear about other people's projects and to see what they are up to.  We found an Irish pub in Donetsk and caught up on life then went to a Turkish restaurant for some fantastic food (though I felt a little sick afterwards).  Very pleasant weekend and after sleeping in a tent for ten days, my tiny little bed is that much more comfortable.   Earlier today, I met up with some of the people from the camping trip and someone's wife gave me a Russian lesson.  Very helpful.  I need to devote more of my time on my Russian skillz.  Anywho, I hope everything is going great back in the states.  Miss you all. 

Conor's Noteworthy Noteables:

1.  Ten day camping trip in Crim   -  unforgettable. 

2.  I now have 2 Russian tutors.  Now I just need to find time to use them and study.  lol

3.  Still learning how to work with the ever-present extreme cultural difference. 

4.  My new friend from the camping trip is helping me find faster internet in my apartment!  Awesome.  I might actually be able to skype with people soon.  Cross your fingers. 

5.  Found a couple old coworkers from Fidelity on Facebook.  Shout out to Tanner and John F**^ing Carlquist.  lol  (inside joke).  Tell everyone hi for me. 

6.  Halloween party next week in Karkiv!  Over 100 volunteers!  Private club and hotel.  Awesome~!

It is late and I have to get up early tomorrow.  Peace!

***Like always - click on the photo to see the full version***