Hiking the Tian Shan Mountains

I began my hike in the Tian Shan Mountains on a relatively warm day. It was early June when I did this hike, but the temperatures were still in the mid 50sF (13C). The trail began in a muddy village and was surprisingly easy. There were few steep parts and for half the day it was mostly flat. The photo below was later in the day when the trail began to climb a little more.

Following the River

The first half of the day the trail followed right along this river. The water flow was pretty swift and gave lots of beautiful views along the hike. In the photo above you can see a strangely shaped rock that looks like a shark fin. The photos below are some more shots along the lower parts of the trail.

Higher Into the Mountains

As the trail climbed higher the terrain became more rocky and difficult. I wasn’t surprised to see these guys riding a horse, but was definitely surprised to see this large truck coming down the hill. At one point the terrain was so rocky the truck had to drive at a pace that was slower than walking. I later found out the trucks are only about twice as fast as walking on your own two feet!

Wildlife in the Tian Shan

Although all sorts of animals live in these mountains ranging from snow leopards to bears, I only came across several species of birds. All three of these birds I had never seen before. I haven’t been able to identify the birds above, but I was able to figure out the one below on the spot. Since I used to be in the US Marines, I’ve seen Harrier aircraft hovering above the ground plenty of times. I knew the jet was named after a bird, but wasn’t sure why until I saw this bird stop flying and hover over the valley searching for prey.

Spring in the Valley

As I got higher into the mountains

I began to see lots of snow in the distance. I wasn’t sure if I’d be hiking in snow at the end of the day because I could see so much on the mountains, but when I got to my destination in the valley it was still all green and very warm out. I stayed at a mountain lodge here that had no electricity and got its water from the river. There are actually several hot springs here, but they all have buildings built over them and require a key to get inside. I didn’t take any photos of the inside, but the hot spring baths were actually quite nice and the water was a perfect temperature.

Waking Up to Winter

This is what I woke up to

early in the morning when it was time to hike back down off the mountain. I thought we might get snow, but never thought we’d get this much! The entire valley was covered and looked almost unrecognizable compared to the day before.

The first photo above had been taken before I went inside for good the previous evening. With the sun not setting until around 9pm, I thought the mountains looked dramatic in the twilight sky. The next morning I found the mountains covered in snow and fog and they looked even more amazing. Below are some photos from my escape back to civilization. I had hiked into the Tian Shans in spring, and my hike out was in winter!

Back to Civilization

It didn’t take but an hour for the snow to begin to disappear and be replaced by mud. There wasn’t an abrupt change, but rather the terrain went from completely snow covered to patches and eventually all green again. Along the way I came across this large herd of sheep along the trail. A car or two passed me as well, and one of the local drivers was even nice enough to offer me a ride. I declined since I wanted to enjoy the scenery on the way out. I finished back where I started at this very muddy village just as it began to rain.