Along the border between Europe and Asia, down the clearest river of the Ural to the European coldest place

Northern Ural is not only the area , where strange and mistic things  like well-known Dyatlov Pass incident were going on. It is also a perfect destination  for Green vacations , adventure travels , biodiversity and geohistory exploring...
How to get to the heart of the Northern Ural mountains , to reach the highest mountain Telpos Iz  and then to visit the coldest inhabited place in Europe will be told below.

How to get to the highest mount in  the Northern Ural and make it adventurous

double-headed top of the Telpos-iz ridge

Telpos - iz mountain ridge is situated near banks of the Shchuger river in the area of its headwaters.

 According to territorial subdivisions,  pre- Polar Ural meets  Northern Ural here.  Shchuger river area presently is a part of the Yugyd Va National Park, founded  in 1994.

    Telpos - iz mount is known from the times immemorial, as the great trade route  run past this locality, connecting Europe and Siberia.

   The name of the mountain means '' wind nest" in the Komi language.  P. Sorokin (1910)  reproduced the following legend : " The Komi people believed that nobody could climb to its top. One Samoyed ventured, and was lost there, because the God Shua lives there, who loathes noise and does not allow people to break into his home."

   The best way to get to this cult place is rafting down the Shchuger river from its headwaters. This raft trip is one of water routs available in the Yugyd Va National Park.

   We experienced this trip in Summer 2011  and were greatly impressed.  Due to time limitations and spoilt weather we couldn't climb the legendary mountain.  So, we will try it again in the forthcoming Summer 2013 season.

  ( photo  above showing main top of Telpos- Iz   taken from the site of confluence Shchuger river and its tributary  Torgovaya)

Headwaters of Shchuger river

  Shchuger headwaters are between the mountain ridges in a deep valley and the course of the river is relatively wide and calm.

   On the extent of about 100 km, the river is flowing in the northern direction, right along the Natural Europe/Asia border.  Picturesque mountain landscape is everywhere around.

There are lower terraces on the banks of the river, where it is quite comfortable to make a stop and pitch a camp.

 Having reached its  right-side tributary  Torgovaya ( Khatamaljya) the river abruptly turns to the west. Then, having bent the Shakhtarov mount from the north , Shchuger approaches tightly to the Telpos Iz range

 So, it is possible to go climbing  Telpos- Iz mount  in the area of Durnoy- Yol  creek.

Nothern Ural mountains look different depending on the time of day. Compare the similar landscape view shot at sunset and in the morning.

Soon, after the confluence with Telpos river , the course of Shchuger goes away from the Telpos Iz ridge.

 Then, Paleozoic rocks exposures begin to occur  on the river banks

On the photo above  Limestone Boulder of Lower Carboniferous Age.

         Cliffs of Carboniferous rocks  form so called Upper, Middle and Lower Gates -  Natural creatures of the unique beauty.

Cliffs of Carboniferous Limestone in the Upper Gates

Middle Gates composed of the rocks of Upper Carboniferous Age.

Lower Gates

Russian writer Arsenyev ,1885 gave the following description  of the Lower Gates beautiful scenery: "...starting from the narrowest place, each next limestone stratum of the gates is more sideward than the preceding one and as a result the gates seem to be made of natural coulisses. The strata are bare, smooth and dazzling white, but where adjacent to each other, in the limited space of crevices and cracks, running down are the green strips of sward and shrubs, decorating the white walls with natural garlands... The sombre sheer rocks are studded with murky cracks and brooks running out of them.

     Through the narrow aperture of the gates, like a stone frame, the smooth broad plain of the  river can be seen on the other side. Over the stretch in front of the gates, the river widens into a magnificent wide mirror-like basin, fringed with enormous coniferous forest."

       The mouth of Shchuger river is 14 miles down the river from the Lower Gates.

Anyone wishing  to join our boat trip down the Shchuger river in the forthcoming Summer Season 2013 feel free to contact.
As an option , a few days vacations  can be provided in the ancient village Ust- Shchuger with staying in the village houses.
Ust- Shchuger village known as the coldest inhabited place in Europe  is situated near the mouth of the Shchuger river  and is the terminus of floating rout down the Shchuger river.