As part of a systematic study of the Caucasus Mountains, I planned a 3rd category difficulty hike in Racha for August 2013.
Racha, or more precisely Racha-Lechkhumi, is a historical mountainous region of Georgia in the upper reaches of the Rioni River, with its center in the city with the melodic name of Ambrolauri.
Region on a map from Wikipedia:
General map of the Racha region (from www.travelgeorgia.ru):
While it's possible to find descriptions of travels to low-mountain Racha, its mountainous region was last visited only during Soviet times, and information was extremely limited. Of course, detailed satellite imagery, some from Yandex, Google, and bing.commaps, was of great help.
So, this material is practically exclusive. While the mountains of Svaneti have been widely visited in recent years, Racha is a newly discovered treasure trove of mountain treasures. And I'd say it's no worse than Svaneti! Although in many ways, it's completely different...
The hike took place in the area (see map above) of the villages of Shovi, Chiora, and Gebi, along two distinct ridges. First, a "loop" through the astonishing and unique shale-layered ridge south of the Main Ridge, and then a linear section in the glacial zone of the Main Ridge, near the Russian border.
Before talking about the mountains, I’ll tell you what’s interesting in Racha, what we visited directly.
This is a very beautiful road through Tkibuli and picturesque reservoirs on the way to the town of Oni. Along the way is the town of Ambrolauri, near which Khvanchkara wine is made. The grapes for this wine grow only in one specific area, making it extremely rare.
The city of Oni itself is surrounded by the greenery of the surrounding low, wooded mountains.
Of course, the Shovi resort deserves a mention. The road there from Oni is bumpy, but people come for the healing mountain air and the wonderful mineral water, which is incredibly beneficial. We drank it—it was delicious, packed with iron :-).
But that's far from all the interesting things Racha has to offer. If I had the time, I'd spend at least two weeks exploring it (not counting the mountains).
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After a previous hike in the Svaneti mountains, I'm meeting a new group in Tbilisi. A short walk through this wonderful city:
Beyond the Kura (Mtkvari) River, you can see the Metekhi Temple, the Tabori Monastery, and the Narikala Fortress:
On the streets of the Old Town. Kitty 🙂
The main Cathedral of Georgia.
Evening. In the distance, on Mount Mtatsminda, the television tower sparkles with thousands of lights.
The long road to Racha is behind us. The city has given way to remote, wooded mountains. The air is so good!
We climb up the Geske Valley and reach alpine meadows above the forest zone.
The cleanest river Geske.
The meadows gradually give way to scree, snowfields, and cliffs. A cross-section reveals that this mountain range is composed of layered rocks:
Beyond the waterfall in the distance is the first pass of the hike.
Everyday life of mountain tourists 🙂
From the first night, the mountains of the Main Caucasus Range opened up, including the Chanchakhi peak (over 4,500 m). Beyond it lay North Ossetia:
Coming soon. Part of the second stage of the trek will be among these glaciers.
Typical landscape of Racha.
Layered rocks on the way up to the Chkhauri northern pass.
Part of the group initially approached the pass for reconnaissance. The weather wasn't great, but the views of the Chkhauri Valley were beautiful!
To the right is a huge cliff of layered rocks. And to the right of the central prong is the second pass of the hike.
These are the kind of mountains that Racha is remembered for - often pointed, made of layered rock, and incredibly picturesque.
Post-sunset clouds.
A morning view from the Chkhauri Pass, looking north. Strange, striped, layered rock peaks rise above a sea of clouds.
I have never seen anything like this anywhere in the Caucasus!
At the foot of these mountains there is a small glacier, we need to go there.
This peak was particularly captivating. Rock collapses had been occurring layer by layer for centuries, and now glass-smooth sections (the size of a football field!) alternate with thin ledges. The rusty color adds a touch of color.
Another panorama with a view of the rock massif in the upper reaches of the Chkhauri valley:
By the way, there's a pass on the left, grade 2B. But I wouldn't dare go there :-). And the cliffs are simply breathtaking!
The view from the other side of the valley. Definitely no comment—the beauty is stunning. I'll definitely come back. Just camping here is amazing. It's a shame we only got to experience this beauty for a few hours between pass after pass.
A stream from under the Geske Pass.
Source: travel.ru
