Smerekovyy stone. Part One.

I think all tourists intending to visit Transcarpathia and searching through the Internet interesting information about the region, faced with a landmark called "Smerekovyy stone". There is this piece of information at tourist sites, and at mountaineering and local lore, and even at public, where it is mentioned as a security object. What kind of stone this is, whether it is reachable if you travel by car, whether the way is easy for untrained people, as well as many other things you learn from this article.

Actually, there is the village of Osyy which is not far from the Transcarpathian regional center, the town of Irshava, a few miles from which there is a regional landscape park "Enchanted Land" (ua: Zacharovanyy kray). This park consists of two "objects". The first one is the Memo nature "Black mud" (a unique mount sphagnum bog from which the river Irshavka flows). The second - a geological reserve of national importance "Enchanted Valley" (ua: Zacharovana Dolyna), more popularly known as "Smerekovyy stone". The reserve covers an area of 150 hectares. The unique canyon is protected on its territory, where the original rock formations up to 100 meters were formed of the secondary quartzite by water-air erosion. Some of them have popular names. The most frequently used in the information sources are: "The Holy Face Rock", "The Stone Pine", "A Stone Camel", "The ruins of an ancient castle", etc. These names differ from the conductor to the conductor, from the guide to the guide. The Reserve "Enchanted Valley" is situated on the slopes of the mount Buzhora. The territory of the reserve is covered with uneven-aged beech forest and with spruce trees a little. There is a cave where the mineral springs flowing out on the bank of the stream "Smerekovy" (alt: Yalovyy). The following animals: deer, roe deer, wild boar, wild cat, marten, stone marten, badger, squirrel, weasel, falcon, owl, tawny owl, jay, woodpeckers, crows are found in the territory of the reserve.

There is a vast of marked routes to "Smerekovyy stone". As for me, our group of travel agents and regional specialists, accompanied by two guides climbed one of the easiest routes. We reached the center of the village by jeep, left it on the sidelines, changed our clothes and headed down the mountain road. According to the guides’ words "even the ladies on high heels can reach the stone". But, as the road demonstrated, it was a joke for the encouragement of travelers.

We walked to the object at the end of the dry autumn and therefore all the forests around are brought before the eyes in pronounced purple and different other colors.

The first big glade on the route is in the photo below. It is two kilometers from the beginning of the route. The old mark left by the creek "Smerekovyy", but there windbreak blocked all the way. Therefore, we go down the slope to the nearest ridge. There is an old well at 15 meters from the place from which I photo. Now it has worn out and the water is stale. Grazing cattle drinks, but it is not recommended fro people.



And this is the view in the opposite direction. One of the tourists shoots panoramas of the village Osyy, which can be seen on the horizon. There is power line a little further. This line has its history. It was built as one of the supply chains for Pestryalovska radar. According to our guides’ words, it is broken. Nevertheless, when we got under the wire, the characteristic "tingling" for high currents could be heard above, and there were traces of landscaped vistas under the wires. The half of our group was surprised by the fact of the current in the wires; they were also convinced that the old thread did not work. Once born a joke: "Baloha builds his own secret electrical line".



One of our guides, Andrew Svitlinets, known in certain circles, historian and ethnographer, found a fly-agaric, and fell in to photo it in the most genuine and natural posture.



It is difficult to be lost on the route. Along the main road, which fades into a forest road and then in a wide forest path, all the trees are cut with “love symbolism”, inscriptions of DMB type, and the names of admiring nature tourists.



This is the second glade on the route. It is two and a half kilometers from the car. A few dozens of birches, bent last winter due to heavy snowfall are shown on the photo. I am not sure that they recover. It is a sad scene.



I must say, there are many bizarre species of flora on the route. Look, what beautiful birches are across.



There are traces of heavy snowfall and wind-throw in the dense beech forest too. There are a few inverted rooted trees in every 100 meters.



This beech is as "Devil’s Pitchfork". Photo, of course, does not convey that coloring, which is in reality.



And this is the first sight - "Polina woman" (Russian: snotty woman). It is at 5 kilometers from where we left the transport. It is often used for jokes with tourists. The guides lead the group to that rock formation, take off backpacks, a sigh of relief, and say "All right, we finally arrive! Here, it is "Smerekovyy stone". The most of the group begins a nervous tic. "How" they say "and for this we walked so much?". Guides are smiling and calm especially impressionable persons - a real "Smerekovyy stone" will be within 200 meters. And then a ritual is performed: everyone who is in these places for the first time, coming to "Polina woman”, kisses her and leaves any pretty penny "to go back" in the hole (the picture is in the middle below).

Actually, from where the tradition came and why it was "Polina". Well, firstly, a small rock with tufaceous "streaks" is too similar to "the rock in snots". Secondly, there is such a family social game, more like a gimmick in the Carpathian villages. When the adults of the family are going to drink some vodka and wine with guests, children start to moan necessarily why they also do not taken in guests. Then the head of the family, in tribute to the tradition, mentions that on arrival to all those who in the house for the first time, will have to kiss their "snotty and smelly grandma". Most of the children immediately lost interest in the visit. The same situation is with the "Enchanted Valley". Everyone, who is for the first time, kisses the "woman" and leaves a penny. Pennies are regularly raked by the rural kids.



Immediately behind the "Polina woman" the landscape varies greatly. There are just placer boulders and stones everywhere. All are covered by a thick layer of moss.



And this is actually a fringe in front of the glade, where most tourists stop. A huge rock is visible out of the trees. There is a sign indicating that we are in the "Enchanted region” on the right in the forest. Tourists throw backpacks and exclaim in admiration by the height and power of "Smerekovyy stone". And here the guides strike again. It turns out that a huge rock in the sight of the group is a rock formation called "Zub" (en. Tooth), and "Smerekovyy stone" which is above the slope, forms with "Zub" a single array.



We are encamping on short rest before the "Zub". Our guide Andrew shows places where climbing hooks and loops are fixed. In the background, our second guide - Oleksandr Osiyskyy, Deputy Director of Irshava regional center of tourism and local history.



Continuation: Smerekovyy stone. Part two.

29.11.2011. 16:23

This article hasn't been commented yet.