In June 2011 we went to the main mountain and the main ridge of the Sverdlovsk region - Konzhakovsky stone. Konzhak is a favorite climbing destination for many tourists both from Yekaterinburg and from all over Russia. Especially appreciated, of course, among the residents of the Sverdlovsk region and neighboring districts. After all, not all regions of our vast Motherland are lucky with such a relief! I agree, Konjak is not the Himalayas at all, but this fact does not lower this mountain at all!
The Konzhakovsky stone mountain attracted me for a very long time, just like that on the border of Bashkiria and the Chelyabinsk region. I tried once to climb Konzhak, but I could not reach the top. This was the case in 2010, in the month of November. Then the Konzhakovsky stone met us with knee-deep snowdrifts. We reached about 17-18 km of the marathon track and did not go further. At this altitude, there is not much snow and it is more like ice, ice crust on a kurumnik. There was a terrible blizzard, visibility - 50 meters from the force, it is almost impossible to look against the wind with unprotected eyes, ice crystals hurt the eyes. The time was already towards evening, and we did not dare to go further, we were afraid that it might get dark and we would not be able to get back in such a blizzard. Despite the fact that landmarks are stuck along the marathon track, but often they are not even visible, you have to look and go as if at random.
But this time it was June, and no snowstorms are foreseen for you here. So the ascent should not fail. Tolyan and I arrived in the hero-city of Karpinsk by bus. Since buses to the village of Kytlym rarely go to it, naturally, we did not have time to get there and had to take a taxi directly from the bus station. Having learned that he had to go in the direction of Kytlym, the driver moved to another car, a Zhiguli. Since the road will be unpaved for about 50 km and he did not want to spoil a better car on these bumps. But it doesn't matter, "Zhiguli", so "Zhiguli".
We sat down, drove with him to the turn to Konzhak, about 5 km before the village of Kytlym. Quite a funny and interesting driver, they had a great talk with him about the local places, nature, hunting, fishing. He told us that it happens that you go to Kytlym, and beavers are crossing the road - you stop and let them pass. The first few kilometers of the marathon just attacked us terribly. It was already in the evening, we reached the camp on the bank of the mountain river Konzhakovka and decided to spend the night here.
The Konzhakovka river runs directly from the snowfields of the Konzhakovsky stone. Crystal clear and delicious water. Ideal for cooking, brewing softwood tea, washing your face and other sanitary and hygienic needs.
Merry stump - guardian of the parking lot near the river
It was simply impossible to sleep at night. Mosquitoes got it. Our tent was already old and the zipper did not close, so we had to sleep with the tent open, which was very helpful for the mosquitoes. Having slept poorly, got up in the morning, prepared food and went on.
We got to the famous "Glade of Artists", met the guys from the Chelyabinsk region there, talked a little, and rested. And then they decided to go further to the top. It is, of course, unwise to go to the top with heavy backpacks, so we hid them behind a large cedar. We took with us what we needed, a two-liter flask of water, and went on. The weather was cloudy.
The forest gradually changed and a "park crooked forest" of crooked birches, and small Christmas trees, and dwarf cedar was already appearing
But the old Konzhakovsky stone showed us his snowfields. Those that provide water to numerous streams, which in turn flow into rivers. The beginning of the mountain tundra.
Then we went to an almost straight section with alpine meadows.
Then there were boulders, kurums.
The case was nearing the top.
And finally, the long-awaited peak! We did it!
As they began to descend, the clouds dissipated a little. They couldn't have done it before, when we were at the summit, to enjoy the 360-degree view! Here we also came across two two-pound kettlebells. Just think, there is nothing strange - to meet two weights on the top of a mountain 1569 meters high. After all, this is pretty often everywhere)
We saw a dwarf birch under our feet.
The crooked forest began to appear again.
We went down to the Polyana of Artists, took our things, put up a tent and began to cook dinner (or lunch). The weather was playing out in earnest: if we went to the top a little later, we could observe the panorama of the entire Konzhakovsky massif, but alas, not destiny.
This is how it is - Konzhakovsky stone. Thank you for the attention!
Tells about the Konzhakovsky stone - the highest point in the Northern Urals and one of the highest
peaks of the entire Main Ural Range.
This mountain, 1569 meters high, is composed of intrusive rocks of the Lower-Middle-Paleozoic age - pyroxenites, gabbros and dunites.
This is partly the reason for obtaining beautiful photos for this little essay. Back in the Soviet years, the geologists of the Severouralsk
metallurgical industry and as a refractory material. Today there is a need for this raw material and almost to the top
Konzhakovsky stone, on the Iovskoye plateau, a road was built for the development of this deposit.
Good or bad - I can’t say, but this year it has become much easier to observe the beauties of the Northern Urals from a height of 1200m. Previously
it was necessary to go with a backpack up a rocky and partially forested slope for more than 20 kilometers, and now you can slowly, but
confidently climb there in a car with a slightly above average ground clearance. That is what Ekaterina Vasyagina and I did at the beginning of June.
The road up goes first along the slope of the Serebryansky stone, from the middle of which a good view of the dense taiga and the surrounding mountains opens.
Previously, the taiga of these slopes was even thicker, until numerous tourists provoked several fires, as a result of which in the surrounding
bald patches and bald patches appeared in landscapes. Deforestation also contributes to the thinning of forests, but still from above, from afar, these green
the forests look like a real taiga.
Unfortunately, the builders of the road did not take into account the direction of sunlight during the work, and passing along the southern slope
Serebryansky stone road all summer sunsets and sunrises is in the shade, illuminated by the bright sun only during the day. However, at dusk
you can always find interesting stories even when you are in a disadvantageous position.
On one of the meanders of the road, there is another rock overgrown with pine trees, from which views of the Lobva River valley and another
the famous peak - Kosvinsky stone, a little less than Konzhak - 1519 m.This mountain is famous for the fact that in its depths there is one
from the main headquarters of the Strategic Missile Forces - the Perimeter system, which provides an automatic retaliatory strike in the event of a missile attack. For this, even in
During the Cold War, a large and deep adit was built in Kosvinsky Kamen. The choice of this mountain was due to its
strategic location both in the Urals itself and in relation to the Russian borders, as well as the rocks that make up it,
represented by the same dunites and pyroxenites.
South of the Serebryansky stone, on the other bank of the Lobva, there are several more snow-capped peaks - Kazan stone (1200 m) and
Semichelovechia (1035 m). Previously, the Kazan stone was called Sukhogorsk, after the name of the nearby Sukhogorsk mine,
named in turn because of the "dry mountain", which probably implied "dry" loaches - kurumniks on the tops of the mountains, on which there are no
trees and only tundra vegetation is observed. As well as on Konzhak and on Serebryanka, the taiga rises up the slope only
Despite the height is still much lower than a thousand meters and the air temperature is much higher than plus ten degrees, there was still
there is a lot of snow, and the gnarled birches have turned green so far only with swollen buds. It was so pleasant and unusual to plunge from summer into
spring. And anticipating an even greater climate change in the next couple of hours, with the arrival of darkness, we continued to climb up until
we found a wide flat area along the road, where it was decided to arrange a lodging for the night. We spend the night as usual in the car - there we have
an equipped sleeping place that allows two photographers to live comfortably for an unlimited time. Perhaps it was a little more comfortable
to sleep in a tent, which we took with us, but the tundra chomping with spring streams and rocky placers discouraged all desire
camp outside the car.
The next morning we set off on reconnaissance to the purpose of our trip - to the Iovskoe plateau. Located at an altitude of 1120-1150 m, it represents
a saddle between two gentle peaks - North and South Job. Of the vegetation, only tundra grass, but rare
low bushes of elfin pine. The grass was still brown, as the soil, frozen in winter, still remained under it.
By the way, it is from the Konzhakovsko-Serebryansky massif, according to the maps, that permafrost rocks begin, or as in common parlance,
permafrost. And about the same as on this plateau, the landscape can be observed in the territories much to the north, in Chukotka and in Northern
Yakutia, where I have visited many times.
To the east, the Job Plateau drops abruptly downward, forming the Job's Gap. From this place the Poludnevaya river originates, flowing into the river. Job and
then to Lobva. Along the edge of the Job's Gap, there is a glacial circus, consisting of three steep ravines, inside of which lie deep
snowfields that do not melt until autumn. In the upper part of the largest of them, you can see a transverse crack, which from year to year
is formed in almost the same place. Even on satellite images on the Internet, you can see it, but we cannot explore it closer.
took a chance - the snowfield is quite loose and there is every chance of falling into it entirely, given that its depth at the very beginning of summer is clearly
exceeds human height.
In the upper part of the snowfield, the same dunites that are planned to be mined here were fan-shaped. Physical weathering in
in general, and permafrost processes in particular, destroy and relocate the original rock, transforming it on the surface into a turmeric and
sheeted boulders that slowly but surely slide down to the foot of the mountains over time.
On almost the entire plateau, rough and muddy, but shallow streams and rivulets flowed underfoot. Konzhak himself, the top of which was located behind in
2.5 km, it was still almost completely covered with snow, and access to its top was very difficult. You can climb it or when else
cold and a lot of dense snow, or when the snowfields remain only along the hollows, and in spring it is loose snow, under which invisible
and rather sharp boulders.
On the nearby summit of Northern Job, those who learned about good road bikers on enduriks and quadrics. But
the builders were somehow very indifferent, and let everyone pass by their equipment without any questions. Ride the plateau
indeed, it was possible to walk quickly, but it was possible to walk only slowly and carefully, and the reason for this was not the swollen tundra from the water, but the drilling
pipes and iron cables left here by geologists during exploration work in the middle of the 20th century.
Under the summit of South Job (top left), the construction of a new road to the plateau is taking place, and a small hill is slightly to the right
center, under the clouds, it is a dump at the end of the road. We have already built the main part of this "transport artery", and calm days before the start
there is very little left to develop a quarry.
They searched here before for silver, copper, and even platinum. Perhaps that is why the Serebryansky stone got its name.
Konzhakovsky stone was so named after the local vogul, Konzhakov, who a couple of centuries ago had a yurt at the foot of this mountain and
I was engaged in hunting here.
On the slopes of the Konzhakovsky stone in the first half of the 18th century, there were as many as four copper mines, which sent their raw materials to
processing at the Lyalinsky copper smelter. Now there are practically no traces of these mines, but on the slope of the Serebryansky stone I
gabbro with the so-called copper greenery was repeatedly discovered, which is the direct ore for copper. Its narrow crest
visible at the top center of the frame.
Platinum was searched for in these mountains about two hundred years ago, and they even wanted to mine it, until they invited the famous Swiss
a geologist named Duparc of the University of Geneva. For about a year he was engaged in research on the plateau and eventually made a conclusion about
the inexpediency of mining platinum in this place. However, attempts to find conditional platinum are still ongoing at Kosvinsky.
At first, the snowfield of the Job's Failure seems to be the source of the Poludnevaya River, but in June, many
nameless streams, which are dully roaring under the many-meter thick snow.
Between the rare large blocks on the plateau, there is sometimes a dwarf, or dwarf pine, which here looks more like a shrub. In winter
very strong winds blow here, several meters of snow fall, but frosts can be with a tremendous minus, so you can grow up here
just not higher than the stone behind which they managed to hide.
After enjoying the magnificent views from the Job's plateau, we slowly set off on the way back. Having passed South Job on the way to the Serebryanka,
we stopped to take pictures of the mountain tundra in front of us and the Kosvinsky stone in the background.
Despite the height of just over a thousand meters, some larches still manage to grow here. It's hard for them here, so some of
them, akin to pines, passes into a shrub variety, leaving just above the main thickets only rare tops, lonely branches
which stretch in the direction of the winds blowing here.
Meanwhile, the sun was leaning towards the horizon, along which a small cloud hung. She lowered the contrast of the evening light, but
red-orange colors scattered in this haze and spread along almost the entire horizon, painting the rare snowfields of the Serebryansky Stone
in soft sunset colors.
Some larches, which have grown too high by local standards, die from the harsh climate, and the setting sun will now be many
years to paint their bare branches with the last rays against the background of Mount Trapezium, which has already descended into twilight.
Having moved along the road to the northeastern slope of Trapezium, we could not resist the selfie of our silver pepelaz. Quite surprising
imagine how deep the snowfield had to be cleaned here in winter by people, if even in June its apparent height exceeds five meters.
From such a wall of snow, even on a fairly warm evening, coolness and humidity blew, and streams flowed everywhere under the wheels. In spite of
all the attractiveness of such an object, it was a little uncomfortable to stand under it, and we moved on.
Descending to the southwestern slope of the Serebryansky stone, we found the previously noted rock against the background of the eastern
sky. An amazing silence suddenly covered your head, it was calm, and in the cool air you could hear only the play of the Ural jays.
The forest-tundra had already begun here, larches and pines still appeared rarely, but they were already high enough, apparently on this slope
the winds in winter were less violent. In the distance, to the left and a little further from the Gvardeets mountain, the city of Kytlym appeared, on the 40th kilometer of the road to
which you need to turn right to get to these places. You can also find your way by finding the first right turn after
a small bridge over the Serebryanka 2nd river.
Having arranged another lodging for the night in a wide "pocket" along the road, we decided instead of shooting the dawn at a well-known unfavorable position.
sleep well, and make some exploration tracks during the day. The forest-tundra of the Serebryansky stone turned out to be much richer in
vegetation and subjects for photography than the Job plateau. Although comparing these two completely different objects is not entirely correct. After all
on each site we met, we came across something interesting and beautiful in its own way. The southwestern slope of the Serebryansky stone abounded
rocks of various sizes and shapes sticking out on the slope, and in the background there was a panorama of the Trapezium and the
Sharp Kosva and Tylaysky stone.
For two decades, on approximately such slopes in July, the annual mountain skyrunning marathon "Konzhak" has been held, the participants of which
must run from the foot of the Konzhakovsky stone to its top 42 kilometers with an excess of more than 1200 meters. After the appearance
parallel to the marathon route of the highway, the safety of the race should be increased. But how will the road itself and future mountain
work on this natural corner - time will tell.
The emerging accessibility to such beauties, at first glance, should cause positive emotions - all those who, for whatever reason, do not
could earlier get to the mountain tundra of the Northern Urals, now they got this opportunity. But what will even a small mountainous
enterprise, I know firsthand. After all, it is not difficult to disrupt fragile biocenoses, and their restoration takes decades and
centuries. Moreover, in such a vulnerable North.
Having gone down to the camp after a day's walk, we started our car that had been standing here all night, and, turning on the air conditioner, set off along
Mountain range Konzhakovsky Kamen
Konzhak is one of the highest mountains in the Urals, 1569 meters high, located in the southern part of the Northern Urals, next to locality Kytlym. It is named after the vogul hunter Konzhakov, whose yurt once stood at the base of the mountain. In the lower part, the slopes are covered with coniferous forests, and from a height of 1000 meters - mountain tundra and stone placers. Konzhakovsky Kamen includes the Serebryansky ridge in the east and the Konzhakovsky ridge in the west.
The highest point of the Serebryansky ridge is Mount Serebryansky Kamen (1305 m.), Characterized by big amount rocks on the ridge (rocky gear). Konzhakovsky ridge includes peaks: Mount Trapezium (1253 m.), Mount South Iov (1311 m.), Mount North Iov (1263 m.), Mount Konzhakovsky Kamen (1569 m.), Mount Tylayskiy Kamen (1471 m.), Ostraya Kosva (1403 m.).
Prominent places on the Konzhak ridge are the Iovskoe plateau with a height of up to 1200 meters, there is a lake on it, the Iovskoe depression (the eastern slope of the Iovskoe plateau) - rocks that abruptly drop into the valley of the Poludnevaya river, the Tylaysky depression - the steep southwestern slope of the Tylaysky Kamen mountain, Polyana Artists - a clearing in the forest, in the valley of the Konzhakovka River, a popular camp site for tourists.
On the 42 km long marathon track, from the Karpinsk-Kytlym track to the Konzhak peak and back, an international mountain marathon is held annually, gathering up to 2 thousand participants.
First time on Konjak
When planning our next trip, we discovered that we had been on rivers and lakes, on bike trips, but we had never climbed the mountains yet. Alexander, of course, was in the Crimea and the Caucasus, and climbed all the mountains there, but in the Urals, higher than Volchikha, he did not rise. We laid out a map of the Urals and saw two attractive places: the Taganai ridge and Konzhakovsky Kamen. They began to choose, and, like true patriots of the Sverdlovsk region, they chose Konzhak.
We found out all the details of how to get there from a friend, Alexei Kurochkin - this is also a traveler, he leads tourist groups. He was on Konzhak, recently, he took part in a marathon. The arrival was to be multi-stage: by train to Krasnoturyinsk, then by minibus to Karpinsk, and then by a ride towards the village of Kytlym to the Marathon trail.
The road to the foot of Konzhak
The first two stages went smoothly - in Krasnoturyinsk, they bought food at the station, sat in a Gazelka and in 20 minutes were in Karpinsk. There our road passed along the street with the native name Sovetskaya, past the Theological Vvedensky Cathedral (it was under restoration, all in the woods), past the logging base, across the Turia River and further into the forest.
The road was terribly dusty - KAMAZ trucks rushed along the gravel every 5 minutes to the quarry. We tried to vote, but all the drivers showed that they were going to turn off soon. Then we went along the road, so as not to feed the mosquitoes in one place, and somewhere after a few kilometers, a truck finally stopped at our calls. I climbed into the cab, and Alexander rode in the back, with a breeze. The driver said that he had been to Konzhak many times, and a week ago he even worked there on a marathon - he was driving something.
He dropped us off at the turn to Veselovka, wished us luck and left. We moved on. There were no cars for a long time, but the sun was shining brightly, flowers bloomed by the roadside, it was not difficult to walk until it was difficult. A couple of cars drove past us without stopping. By the way, it should be noted that if there are more than two travelers - most likely, no one will give you a lift, you need to rent a car in Karpinsk.
But we were lucky, another passenger car slowed down and they agreed to give us a lift to the place with mysterious name Kakvinskie stoves (earlier they burned charcoal for a metallurgical plant) - this is another 15 kilometers. The people in the car turned out to be lovers of walking in the mountains, they were on Konzhak, and on all the surrounding peaks, and on Denezhkin Kamen, and on Subpolar Urals, and even in Altai, on Mount Belukha. They advised us not to go up the mountain if there is fog. We crossed the bridge over the Kakva River, where several cars with local vacationers were parked. When we were dropped off at the turn to Kakvinskiye Pechei, there was no smell of fog - the sun was shining with might and main.
We walked a couple of kilometers along the road and got on our last ride for today, driven by a very young boy. He was just on his way to Kytlym and promised to take us to the Marathon trail. His speed was decent, and on such a road it was felt extremely - stones were drumming on the bottom, passengers were thrown on bumps, and sometimes an oncoming car suddenly jumped out of clouds of dust. The driver's name was Vitalik, he turned out to be an officer serving in a radar regiment on the slopes of Kosvinsky Kamen, and he told us a lot of interesting things ...
Kosvinsky Stone
Kosvinsky Kamen is another mountain next to Konzhakovsky Kamen. Its height is 1519 meters, and the total difference with Konzhak is fifty meters. It is made of dunite rock, which is fireproof and blocks scanning radio waves. Therefore, of course, in Soviet times, a top-secret communication system "Perimeter" with a command post was equipped here, capable of withstanding the consequences of a nuclear strike.
Kosvinsky Kamen is dug inside like an anthill - there are tunnels of such a size that heavy vehicles can easily move along them. And the object continues to be built - sand, crushed stone, concrete, etc. are brought there all the time. It is convenient to build, because the mountain has preserved horizontal mines after platinum mining. To supply the facility, an additional power transmission line was built a couple of years ago, and a new bridge was laid across the Kakva River. In Kytlym, adjacent to the base, dwelling houses for soldiers and officers, and other infrastructure are being built.
Back in 1993, Bruce G. Blair, a former American observer of the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and now one of the leading US experts on Russian weapons, published this information about the Kosvinsky Stone. Even Putin came to the command post when he was President.
So, for a pleasant conversation, we got to the beginning of the trail to Konzhak. Vitalik showed us his military town in the distance and drove on. The trail did not at all resemble the road leading to the mountains - it led straight through a low forest. The peaks were visible only in the distance. There were two cars in the clearing, 5-6 tanned tired young people were hanging out. To the question "Are you there or from there" they answered "From there, we are sunbathing there since July 1".
They also warned that it is very windy and cool upstairs, that water can be collected at the 9th and 14th kilometers, that it is better to get up at the Polyana of Artists, and that we will not get lost - only 3-4 days have passed after the marathon, all marks are fresh are clearly visible on the trail. The Konzhak marathon is when more than a thousand people run 21 kilometers up a mountain and the same amount back, only 42 kilometers. At first it didn't seem so strange to us, but then ... In general, at 13.20 we went to Konzhak.
Climbing the Konzhakovsky Stone
After 500 meters, the road, rather rocky, began to climb a little. We agreed that we would stop at two o'clock and have lunch. We crossed two rivers, a power line. A whole family with children came across to us, walking back to the road, the youngest was sitting on his father's neck. Two tourists were sitting on the side of the road, resting. So it was clear that Konzhak is a popular place. The trail was indeed marked with red ribbons on trees and bushes, every kilometer there were signs: 2, 3, 4 ... On the fourth kilometer we dined on chebureks and vegetables, rested a little and went on. Moreover, Sasha put on overalls and a jacket, sprinkled his feet from mosquitoes - the insects had already tasted us.
After half a kilometer, the road went down, and there were no signs of mountains. Alexander already doubted whether we were going there. But now the path led upward again and in the gap above the trees we suddenly saw in the height a hefty bluish Konzhakovsky Stone, as it is now clear - one of its foothills. We happily moved on. And it was getting harder and harder to walk: the time was the hottest, there was no shadow on the road, the backpacks were getting heavy. And my sneakers also turned out to have a rather thin sole, so it was very sensitive to step on stones, it turned out to be such a hard foot massage. Hence the conclusion - in such trips you need to wear shoes with thick soles, preferably ankle boots.
We puffed, puffed, suddenly the road bifurcated - one part straight and upward, the other to the left, there was a shed and a large table. An inconspicuous sign said that Konzhak to the left, and straight ahead - Serebryansky Stone. We turned, and the road became shady, but steeper and steeper. Up to 6 km. we barely dragged ourselves along, made a halt in a clearing, sat on logs, drank water. Just in case, I wrapped an elastic bandage around my broken leg. We moved on, suddenly there was a smell of burning, and to the right of the path stretched a scorched forest with burnt underbrush. The kicks were still smoking in places. We looked up - and there was just a column of smoke - the forest was burning 700-800 meters higher up the slope. We wondered how we would return if everything flared up, but nevertheless we decided to go forward - we were not going to the fire, but past.
After a while, the road ended. There was a cherry "Zhigulenok" in the clearing and no one was around. And a narrow path went into the forest - in places earthen, in places rocky. And the forest itself has changed a lot: then on the sides there were impenetrable jungles of small skinny trees, and now the spruces became large and there was more space. We walked for quite a long time, but there was still no sign "7th km". Suddenly the 8th appeared at once. Apparently, the previous one just fell.
We were already pretty tired and thirsty. Then some noise was heard ahead, they thought - the wind, it turned out - the mountain river Konzhakovka. She ran merrily along the stone channel, across it was thrown a bridge of three pine logs, fastened with iron brackets. We were delighted with the river as if it were our own. We crossed the bridge, threw off our backpacks, undressed and went swimming in cold water. And we also drank it - wonderfully tasty. Then we took pictures, looked around the parking lot - there are home-made benches on the bank and benches, and there is a table and a place for tents. We have increased strength. I didn't want to leave the mountain stream, but I had to move on.
The path, running a little along the coast, turned into the forest. It was all covered with intertwined roots, mostly spruce. A bird with a large beak, variegated, about the size of a jackdaw, with a little white tail, accompanied us all the time, sitting down on the road ahead. She let us go 2-3 meters and ran off or flew a little further forward. On the path she was busily pecking something off the ground, looking in our direction. Perhaps, on different sections of the road, they were different birds of the same breed, I don't know. But it was more fun to go with them.
After a kilometer from the river we came to a large clearing with benches and a table. At the very entrance to the clearing we saw a small spring. This was the checkpoint at the ninth kilometer. We didn’t stay there for a long time, we just looked at two dusty jeeps parked in the bushes. The marked path to Konzhak led to the right, and to the left a bumpy road to Kytlym left, along which the SUVs got here.
It was 5 kilometers to the long-awaited parking lot on the Polyana of Artists, and my shoulders were already groaning from the backpacks, my office worker's osteochondrosis was making itself felt - it was as if a nail had been hammered into the right shoulder blade. From the glade, the path turned smoothly to the left and up, small streams sometimes flowed along it. Everything was covered with stones, which made walking very difficult.
Alexander walked 40-50 meters ahead of me. Suddenly there was a barking and a menacing growl. I hurried to catch up with Sasha and see what was the matter. I see some kind of furry ball at his feet - it turned out that the dog is, apparently, a cross between a spaniel, judging by the muzzle. She bared her teeth fiercely and pretended to rush and tear her to pieces. Then a bearded man got up from the bushes and began to drag the dog by the collar, saying: "Fu, Jim, fu!" Finally sat him down in the grass and greeted us. The man, despite his rather long beard, had a slightly childish face, very kind blue eyes and a quiet voice. He said that we were not far from the Polyana of Artists, that a couple of groups of tourists had already settled there, who would go up the mountain tomorrow. We told him about the fire that we had seen, and he was worried if the hut was on fire. On this we parted.
Further along the path, very large, thick pines began to be encountered, two meters in diameter at the bottom. They stood on elongated roots, as if on tiptoe, the earth was washed out from under them. There were also fallen trees, the gigantic roots of which stuck out in all directions with outlandish patterns for 3-4 meters. In several places, the trail was crossed by large streams with clear water - somewhere between 12 and 13 kilometers. We got drunk enough. A little further on the way we came across a monument on which was the name of the deceased, the dates of his birth and death, and the inscription: "Better this way than from vodka or a cold." It turned out that this man, who had just turned 50 years old, took part in the Konjak marathon on July 2 in 2005, and died on the run. Well, perhaps, for this person, such an end is really not the worst. It's amazing how others run up alive along such a road.
Glade of artists
After 13 kilometers, we heard a murmur below to the right of the trail, and almost simultaneously we saw a rocky mountain slope behind the gorge. This was the Konzhakovka river, already known to us, and the first approaches to the Konzhak summit. Then voices rang out, tents appeared ... We finally reached the Glade of Artists. All the places suitable for parking were already taken, cheerful people were sunbathing, cooking over a fire, chatting. Alexander said to everyone "Fizkult-hello!" and we sank exhausted to the edge of the gorge. For some time they sat like that, looking at the mountains that surrounded a small valley on both sides. And Polyana somehow, at first glance, did not justify its romantic name - it was too crowded, noisy. It was necessary to go down a steep slope of 15 meters to the water, the river below did not even move, the water was almost stagnant, midges and motes that had fallen from above. This was our first impression.
Alexander went to look for a free place for a tent and quickly found it - an elongated clearing, fenced off from the main bushes. On one side of it there was already a blue tent, the owners of which were not visible, two campfires were blackened. We quickly set up our temporary house, collected some firewood, made a fire and boiled water - it was already seven in the evening, it was time for supper. Although from the heat and fatigue I only wanted to drink. While we were having tea, we looked around better. Our camp was in a hollow between two mountain slopes, and all vegetation ended above us about a hundred meters. Further - bare stones. The hollow itself is overgrown with low, stocky pines and cedars, the same birches and spruces in the form of shrubs. Mountain ash and some other bushes grew near our tent. From somewhere smelled of sweet pine resin - a magical scent. So the place was anywhere.
Since we were going to the top of Konzhak in the morning, we decided to go to bed early. Sasha's right shoulder hurt from the backpack, my feet were buzzing. But as soon as we dozed off, our neighbors returned, began to talk, cook soup on the burner, and have supper. An hour later, they finally settled down too. But even on the second attempt, the dream did not come to us. Somewhere closer to one in the morning, footsteps and cheerful male voices were heard near our tent. Two tourists mentally parted, having "sat" well before that. One said: "That's it, I've come." The second replied: "Exactly? Well, then good night" and his steps began to recede. The rest stood, sighed, and moved to our entrance. Alexander leaned out to meet him and asked unfriendly: "What do you need?" He answered with the question "Who are you?" Sasha explained that this was his house, the man said - no, mine.
In short, they popped a little and Sasha climbed back, and a drunken comrade crashed into the bushes near our tent (briar, by the way). And so it began ... At first he just groaned and groaned. Then he felt bad, then he hiccupped, croaked, moaned, hiccupped again ... Then he shouted in a terrible voice. Then he breathed loudly, as in porn films - it was a man who warmed his hands with his breath. We could not sleep for a long time - we laughed at the weirdo, then we tried to drive him away, then we listened to see if he was getting up, he could well have fallen intoxicated on our tent. I gave up and fell asleep first. So you understand, we did not manage to get up as early as planned in the morning.
Therefore, we started climbing Konzhak at almost 11 o'clock. It's good that I managed to convince Alexander to leave one backpack with unnecessary things at the bottom. We hid it, and took with us another backpack with water, food and warm clothes. They decided to carry it in turn. The trail was marked all the way to the top. Where there were no more trees, sticks with red ribbons stuck out, so that we could see the path from afar.
Climbing Konzhak
At first, the road ran through a forest that looked like a garden - miniature trees, as if trimmed, round bushes, bright green grass and large, tall flowers of the most intense shades - deep purple, yellow, pink, white, pure blue. I have never seen half of these plants. Then, along the edges of the trail, long tongues of scree became visible - the first messengers from the peaks. We took pictures on these picturesque boulders. Then I still had no idea how many of them I would have to see and go through today.
After about 30 minutes the forest ended, we went out into an open space. It was hot, especially for me, I was the first to carry the backpack. Plots, completely littered with boulders, began to come across more and more often. They had to be overcome, jumping from stone to stone, like a mountain goat. It was not easy to keep the balance with the backpack, Alexander was leading me by the hand. Some stones also swayed, trying to slip out from under their feet. The heat was slightly diluted by the fresh breeze from the mountains.
We reached a vast clearing at an altitude - it was something like a pass with an alpine meadow. Her eyes rippled with the variegation of the grass carpet with small bright flowers, and smelled of honey. Never before have I met forget-me-nots of such an intense blue color. And all this from above was covered with a blue sky, framed by gray-green mountain slopes. At the very beginning of the meadow there was a small stone sign-column "To the anniversary of the metallurgical industry." And on one of the rocks on the left slope there was a white grave monument to another tourist who ended his days in Konzhak.
We easily and pleasantly crossed the pass through the meadow, the wind was blowing quite hard here, so I put on a windbreaker. Our little valley disappeared from sight along with the peaks behind. But in front of us was an amazing view of the plateau, two more mountains nearby, mountains in the distance - everywhere. A small lake gleamed on the plateau to the right, behind it there was a steep cliff, here they call it "failure". And the path marked with red ribbons began to climb the slope littered with stones, turning more and more to the left, then we were finally able to determine which of the peaks was Konzhak. Although from below she herself was not yet visible.
How to describe the ascent to Konzhak by jumping on boulders to me, the owner of a broken, badly bending leg. I drank a lot of adrenaline, although I can't say that this is something extremely difficult either. I told myself - even children rise here, and this is a wonderful thing for losing weight ... But all the same, the thought flashed - where is it taking me? Here Alexander - he felt great, even with a backpack, even without - jumping on the cobblestones, taking pictures, turning his head 180 degrees.
The higher we climbed, the more magnificent the picture opened up to us, and the more small I felt myself. From the middle of the slope it became clear that in two more places, far on the mountains, a forest was burning - columns of smoke were rising there. And then on the right along the slope, we noticed snow. Alexander was immediately delighted, shouted "Karamba!" and commanded to turn there. We jumped to the cold white snow, I photographed Sasha, merrily poking around in a snowdrift in the middle of July, and we turned back onto the path, if you can call it that. When there were 2 kilometers left to the top of Konzhak, we sat down to rest by a tiny stream, where we could get some water and drink. We blew out two mugs, breathed, once again looked at the panorama, and again went to the top. At the very top of the mountain there was another high-altitude lawn. The wind was already blowing quite cool and quite strong.
Vertex...
About a hundred meters from the end of the path, we heard a loud crack, as if a helicopter was taking off. We could not understand what it was until we saw that it was flags fluttering in the wind above. On the last steps we met several people walking back. At the very top, under the cover of a stone wall, five tourists were boiling tea over a fire, inviting us to warm up. We sat for a while in a lull, throwing off our backpack, and then went out to the wind-blown summit to take pictures.
The windblown knocked out tears from his eyes, it seemed that now you would fly down. The sleeves of my windbreaker fluttered like a parachute jump. Hands were freezing. Alexander climbed up to the flags, shouted something there, waved his hands - in short, he expressed violent delight. From a height, we could see the huge Kosvinsky Stone standing next to it, and the village of Kytlym, and dozens of peaks to the very horizon, lost in a bluish haze, only then I realized how big the Ural is, and that it is really a mountainous country. In the other direction, the terrain was smoother, it was clear that the forest was divided by glades into squares, the riverbeds were guessed in the distance, between the mountains something glittered - maybe also a river or a reservoir.
I suffered a lot, photographing Alexander: firstly, after the ascent my legs were shaking a little, and secondly, the wind interfered - it just blew away, covered my eyes with tears ... Then Alexander himself took pictures of the surrounding panoramas, climbed to the second peak, to the left of the first. But since it was already about two o'clock, we decided to have lunch. Chebureks, I must say, at an altitude of 1500 meters become terribly tasty. And pancakes with cottage cheese too. Having washed it down with tea, we were still admiring the vastness, the blue haze at the horizon, rested ... until we noticed that a bad dark cloud in half the sky was rapidly moving in our direction. I imagined descent from the mountain in the rain and told Sasha - isn't it time for us to go. He agreed that jumping on wet stones is not good, and we went back.
We advanced about 50 meters and - oh, a miracle! - met a nocturnal visitor of the bushes. He looked miserable and battered, he could hardly trudge uphill. And do not drink, gentlemen-comrades. We told him a few words about our nighttime impressions - he was very surprised, did not remember anything. He said that he could not find his tent for a long time. But he apologized and promised not to get drunk anymore.
Still, going down was not as hard as going up, but my feet and knees were more tired - after all, we jumped on stones, we had to spring. You had to be more careful - after all, if the stone swings, it is more difficult to maintain balance than when you go up. And my sneakers, moreover, came to an end, the sole in front of them completely came off and strove to catch on to something. Then I also pierced the heel (well, at least not mine, but a sneaker). Alexander offered to go down the other way, straight, but I objected that we did not know if we were passing that slope, and we wanted to go to the lake. Sasha liked the idea about the lake, we left the trail anyway to shorten the path to the reservoir.
Pretty soon we reached the plateau, already under a soft drizzle. It turned out that the grass there does not grow on the ground, but on top of the moss. The legs fell into it almost to the middle of the calf, and below it there were still uneven stones, so by the time we reached the lake we were rather tired. Rather, one could call it a puddle, in the very deep place barely knee-deep, about 25 by 15 meters in size, but the water is clean, transparent and tastes like a mountain river. We photographed the lake, iron pipes thrown by geologists on its shores, and a dumped tower.
There was no longer any strength to go to the failure, and the cloud was approaching. I wanted to have time to put up a tent before the heavy rain. We walked to the path up the hill, through viscous moss and small bushes, our legs got tired, as if walking through a swamp. We rested on a large boulder and ate an apple. We saw tourists walking up the path, one of them carrying in his arms ... a large red dog. We were a little amazed at this fact. When we finally came back to the marked path, the people with whom we were at the top were resting. They told them we were by the lake.
There is still not so much, and we, having crossed the pass back, went out into the forest-garden, reached the place where things were hidden. We were glad that they did not get wet, because the rain periodically dripped, and dived into our clearing. The place for the tent was free. The evening passed quietly and peacefully: we had supper, lounged in a tent, rested. Then we talked with the returned neighbors. It turned out that they had been here for almost a week, they left the tent with their belongings, and they themselves went to different peaks every day.
They live in the city of Lesnoy, both of them are already over 60. We have been to Konzhak many times, they advised us a short way to climb it. They said that our fellow countrymen - militiamen from Yekaterinburg promised to visit today. They hid their backpacks in the forest before going out to Serebryanskaya, marked a point on the GPS-navigator, were going to pick up their things and come. But judging by the fact that they did not appear until the morning, the navigator is an unreliable thing, and the batteries may run out. As it turned out later, they searched the slope all night in search of their backpacks, and in them food and a tent and everything else.
When we were about to sleep, a guy with a ginger dog approached the tent - the one who carried it in his arms. She says she was not scared on the mountain, only very tired. The dog really looked tired. And the guy came for a reason, he thought that his yesterday's drinking companion lived in our tent, and wanted to invite him again to "sit". Alexander and I advised him not to do this, and told the night epic. The guy agreed that it was not worth repeating this and went to his room.
It rained lightly at night, but by morning everything was dry. Since we were about to leave, I got up early. The sky was blue again, the air was warm - it's just a shame to return in such weather. And then from behind the pass the clouds appeared again. I hurried to build a fire and boil tea. I collected my things. Alexander appeared from the tent.
While I was brewing tea, cutting sandwiches, and he was doing exercises, the clouds crawled over the mountain, caught on to it and began to flow down the slope towards us. I haven’t seen clouds so close, except from an airplane. Until the last moment we didn’t put the tent away, everyone was waiting for it to rain or not. Did not go. Around the sky cleared, and only a cloud, caught on the mountain, all hung in one place. The sun came out, and we again thought about staying another day. But the groups of tourists walking past us in a continuous stream reminded us that today is Saturday, and tomorrow we may not leave for Yekaterinburg.
From the mountain, or another 21 kilometers
So we still set off on our way back at about 10 am. And they immediately ran into my acquaintance - he and a friend were walking lightly to Konzhak. We happily exchanged plans and impressions, and agreed to call in the city. Further, walking along the familiar path down, we counted the groups that came across. It turned out 14 companies from 2 to 20 people. So if you don't like noise and crowds, you should go to Konzhak on weekdays.
On the way back, we photographed everything interesting again. Only by the time we reached the Konzhakovka River, I was ripe to replace my broken sneakers with rubber slippers. Surprisingly, walking on the stones in them was much more comfortable and not hot. On the shore, we saw a camp of 6-7 large tents, completely empty. Even the food was left on the table. Apparently, a whole class of schoolchildren set up a base here, we saw them at the spring. Having rinsed our hands and feet again in the river, we continued our journey.
We passed the place where the forest was burning - now there was no more smoke. Further along the road we met a hefty car carrying some barrels and a tourist with backpacks. Alexander suggested that the barrels were used for extinguishing fires. We have already seen such barrels in the clearing. Even lower there was a car with a trailer in the back, where a worker was dozing. We sat down for lunch by the stream and noticed that 5-6 cars were parked behind the car in the bushes, and another one drove up with tourists. After having a bite, we went further, and by two o'clock, as planned, we went to the road to Kytlym. They began to catch a ride, but it didn't work. Few cars passed, almost all of them full, either military or postal, which were not supposed to give a lift to passengers. Clouds of gadflies swirled around, the sun was so hot that oh-oh-oh!
We stayed on the road until six in the evening. We saw how people were going to go to Konzhak on ATVs, how they left on foot ... Finally a passenger bus passed to Kytlym, promised to take us on the way back in 40 minutes. though not comfortably, we reached Karpinsk. Alexander just did not like that the driver smoked in the cockpit, but it was not very comfortable for me to sit - my legs were numb, and I was shaking violently. But the chauffeur tried to entertain us with stories from his life.
Karpinsky Hotel
We left at the Turia River on the outskirts of Karpinsk. We wanted to spend the night on the beach in a tent, because they were late for the train at seven o'clock anyway. But they were disappointed - everywhere the banks were swampy, old logs were floating in the water, clouds of angry mosquitoes curled in the grass. I had to urgently evacuate. We crossed the uncomfortable river over the bridge and entered Karpinsk. We asked a local woman where you can swim and arrived at a small lake. There were already boys splashing around, and a couple were sunbathing.
We put up a tent, Sasha collected some firewood somewhere, I went to get water. While Alexander was making a fire pit, I rinsed myself in not too clean water. Something told me that it would not be possible to spend the night here calmly, the reservoir looked too popular among the population. As soon as we sat down to supper, the company taxied as an insole of drunk "vacationers", who spoke exclusively with obscenities. Seeing that there will be no peace and quiet here, we packed our things and left the unpleasant neighborhood.
At first they thought of staying in the courtyard of the cathedral, but its fence turned out to be unfinished. Then we found out where the hotel is in Karpinsk and went there. On the way, we were also given a local newspaper with a telephone number of apartments for rent. The hotel turned out to be more expensive, there was a separate charge for the shower, and it smelled of bleach. So we took a local taxi, driven by our fellow countryman, who moved here two years ago, and arrived at the apartment. We liked it - it's clean, comfortable, quiet, everything is there (shower!) And only 200 rubles per person. We drank tea, washed up and collapsed into bed. We slept until ten in the morning. At half past eleven, the hostess was called, thanked, said goodbye and went to the bus stop to Krasnoturyinsk.
It felt good to feel clean and refreshed. We bought delicious food for the trip, especially Borodino bread distinguished itself. At 12 we were already at the station, but then it turned out that there were tickets only for seats. From seven in the evening to eight in the morning, sitting is cool, we thought, and went to the bus station.
There, at first, we were also disappointed - the ticket office said that there were no tickets for a suitable bus at 14.05. We were already going to go first to Serov, and from there we would go home somehow, but Alexander never gives up, he went up to the driver, talked with him, and they put us on the bus in some reserve seats. Six hours in fairly comfortable conditions did not seem tiresome to us. On the way there was a stop at a cafe for 30 minutes - we had dinner and warmed up, and at 8 pm we were already in Yekaterinburg.
What conclusions did we draw from our first mountain hike in the Urals
Such a journey can only be done by stubborn, physically prepared people. In the most difficult moments, we said that we would never go to the mountains again, but after a day or two, when our legs and shoulders stopped hurting, we realized that we did not mind going back and seeing what we had not yet seen. And on Konzhak there is still a lot of interesting things. After all, there are even waterfalls on the Serebryansky Stone.
You need to prepare for such a trip carefully: read about the route, find and study maps, choose a time to be good weather(in the mountains there are often fogs, rains, hail).
You should not buy tickets back in advance: by the appointed time, you may not have time to go down from Konzhak due to the weather, or you may not be able to get to Krasnoturyinsk on time if you do not have your own or pre-ordered transport. By the way, the road to Kytlym has a cellular connection. "Motive", for example, takes.
Well, if you are still going to Konzhak, that's good. After all, the impressions of real mountains, pure water, wild forests and wonderful air - truly unforgettable!
A little about the sad ...
I am glad that I was lucky enough to visit Mount Konzhakovsky Kamen at a time when thousands of flowers bloomed there in the alpine meadows ... But after the start of mining and the construction of a road to the pass, herds of barbarians rushed there on jeeps and ATVs, who simply plowed unique alpine meadows along with their rare plants. Instead of walking, admiring the beauty and breathing clean air, they leave ugly ruts and heaps of garbage everywhere ... The position of our authorities is depressing - to give permission for mining, and do nothing to preserve the amazing place - Konzhakovsky Stone and its pass ... I am afraid that those who are going to go to Konzhak will no longer see it in the form that it was before ...
How to get to Konzhakovsky Stone
You can get to Konzhak from Yekaterinburg as follows. If you have a personal vehicle, then everything is simple. Along the Serov tract through Tagil, Serov, Krasnoturinsk, Karpinsk, and then a dirt road to Kytlym. A total of about 480 km. Before reaching Kytlym, after the river Vtoraya Serebryanka, there will be a road to the right uphill. It leads to the mine on the mountain. And a little ahead of the tourist center "Serebryansky Kamen", and next to the river Pervaya Serebryanka.
But it is better to drive further, to a place called Katysher Luga (on the map of the Katysher level), there is a tourist center "Konzhakovsky Kamen", and the Konzhakovka and Katysher rivers. Here you can leave your car and, like a real tourist, go up the mountain on foot. The trail is well-trodden and marked. So you will feel all the charm of climbing the mountain, with a backpack walking for about 7 hours. From the road Karpinsk - Kytlym along the path to the glade of artists 14 km, and another 7 to the top.
You can spend the night in a clearing, a river flows nearby, and the next day to the mountain and down, or again to the clearing. A normal person is quite real. On weekends, the clearing is all packed with tents, and on the mountain there are crowds of people, it is better to go on weekdays. If you are frail and sick, you can go straight up the mountain along the first road to the mine, and after leaving your car, walk to the very top. You won't be able to get to the very top, the road is blocked there. And leaving your car on the side of the road unattended is dangerous.
If there is no car, then you will have to take a bus from Yekaterinburg about 7-8 hours to Krasnoturyinsk or Karpinsk. There are many flights. But from Karpinsk in the direction of Kytlym, buses do not go every day. Check the schedule the day before. Or a taxi, if there are a lot of you. If you went to Konzhak alone, you can walk to the end of Karpinsk and vote on the road there. Autotourists will pick you up, but it is not known when. There is also an option by train from Yekaterinburg to Serov, and then there is a minibus or a bus.
Lake of Geologists
Serebryansky Stone
The top of Konzhak
Mountain country
Kosvinsky Stone
On weekends, people are added
One of highest peaks Ural mountains and the highest point of the Sverdlovsk region - Konzhakovsky stone (1569 m). The conditional border of the Middle and Northern Urals runs along the Konzhak massif. At the same time, Konzhak is a peak of the Stone Belt, unique in terms of accessibility. Firstly, due to the fact that the foot of the mountain range can be reached by car. Secondly, due to the fact that it is impossible to get lost on the way up the mountain. From the foot to the very top, red flags and marks with a distance indicate a route with a length of 21 km. There and back, you get a marathon distance. Every year in July, since 1996, it has hosted the Konzhak international mountain marathon. It ranks first in the rating of Russian marathons and is the most massive in Russia, gathering more than a thousand participants from all over the world. So the path is trodden and Konzhak is within the power of everyone.
The road to Kytlym is a village at the foot of Konzhak. Ahead is the second highest mountain in the area, widely known in narrow circles of Kos'va.
One of the peaks on the road to Kytlym, there are many of them around the village. That is why he received this name - translated from the Mansiysk Kytlym means "cauldron".
In places the clouds try to crawl between the peaks ...
Or just descend from Kosva
The village offers excellent mountain views. In some places, they are spoiled by the presence of a person. Especially if there are a lot of them, they are green and up to something.
Then Spetsstroy of Russia comes to their aid ...
And the landscape acquires characteristic features that correspond to the idea of green men about beauty.
However, let's not talk about the terrible. Having reached Kytlym, we started preparing for the conquest of Konzhak in a special car. Since it had not started since spring, it was necessary to put a battery on it, check the candles and the oil level, and fill up with gasoline. Then the GAZ-66 started up)
Preparing to start.
After a couple of hours. Halfway to the top.
We leave a car with a driver about 7 kilometers from the summit. Further on foot. View from the clearing of artists - a favorite place to halt when climbing.
Somewhere in a kilometer. We climbed this slope, covered with a dwarf forest.
Even higher and we are above the clouds. Kosva is visible.
Upon reaching the plateau, we are greeted by a memorial sign dedicated to the 300th anniversary of metallurgy in the Urals.
Looking back. Yovskoe plateau. A couple of kilometers along it and again up the hill. In the center you can see a vden from the flags indicating the marathon track.
Ahead is the summit of South Yov.
And this is Northern Job. The stones on the slopes are covered with patterns of green moss.
And again a steep climb up the hill. View towards Krasnoturinsk and Karpinsk.
At this height, passing clouds leave a blanket of snow on the stones. Mostly on the one hand ...
The vegetation is also covered with snow, very beautiful, as if freezing.
Marathon flags at this height take on a completely unusual look)
Sunset overlooking Severouralsk
Sunset overlooking South Yov
Konzhakovsky Kamen is the highest mountain in the Sverdlovsk region. Height - 1569 meters. Belongs to the Northern Urals. Every year thousands of tourists from all over the Urals (and not only) come here. The landscapes here are truly magnificent! Tourists usually call the mountain briefly and simply - Konzhak.
The origin of the name Konzhakovsky Stone
Together with the Konzhakovka River (a tributary of the Lobva River), the mountain is mentioned in the sources of the 18th century. Head of the Severouralsk expedition of the Russian geographic society E.K. Hoffman, who visited the summit on July 3, 1853, wrote that the mountain was named after the vogul Konzhakov, "who had his own yurt at its foot and was engaged in hunting on it."
Description of Mount Konzhakovsky Stone
Konzhakovsky Stone is a large mountain range, consisting of several peaks: Konzhakovsky Kamen (1569 m), Trapezium (1253 m), South Job (Duparkov Kamen) (1311 m), North Job (1263 m), Tylaysky Kamen (1471 m), Ostray Kosva (1403 m) , Serebryansky Kamen (1305 m) and others.
The slopes are covered with burgers of various sizes. The main rocks are pyroxenites, dunites and gabbros. Here, high-altitude zoning is well traced: forests give way to forest-tundra, and then to mountain tundra. Many cedars grow in the forests on the slopes. By the way, in some places on the Konzhakovsky Stone there are magnetic anomalies that can knock down tourists who are guided by a compass.
The weather on Konzhakovsky Kamen, as in any other mountains, is changeable. Good, sunny weather is not easy to catch here. It rains almost every day. It was not for nothing that a comic omen appeared: if Konzhak is visible, it will rain, if it is not visible, then it is already coming.
In winter, a lot of snow falls on the mountains. In some places it does not melt all summer.
In the 1720s and 40s, on the slopes of the Konzhakovsky Kamen, there were four mines with the general name Konzhakovsky. The mined copper ore was sent to the Lyalinsky copper smelter.
The ascent to the top of Konzhakovsky Kamen is long and rather difficult. Untrained people then have pains in their legs for several days. It seems that now, already the top. But, having risen, more and more new rises are opening. The highest point of Konzhak with a height of 1569 meters is located on the top of small rocks.
There is a metal tripod with Russian flag, under it lie various pennants, a weight with a broken handle weighing 24 kg and other artifacts. Previously, there was also a sewer hatch, which surprised tourists.
Participants of the "Uraloved" project on the top of Konzhak
From the top and slopes of Konzhak, stunning panoramas open up. If you are lucky with the weather, you will remember them for a long time! Wherever you look, there are mountains around. The rocky teeth of the Serebryansky Kamen and the cone of the Kosvinsky Kamen are especially beautiful. By the way, in the depths Kosvinsky Stone the military has built a mysterious bunker. According to some information, there is the center of combat control of the Strategic Missile Forces of the Perimeter system, from where Russia can launch a nuclear strike on the world. Its location here is associated with the special properties of the rocks that make up the Kosvinsky Kamen.
Despite its uniqueness and symbolism (still the highest point of the region), Konzhakovsky Stone does not have the status of a natural monument.
At the top of the Konzhakovsky Stone. View towards Kosvinsky Stone
The path to the top of Konzhak runs partly along the edge Job's plateau... It is a large, partly swampy meadow at an altitude of 1100-1200 meters, surrounded by rocky slopes.
Geologists have done a good job here in the past. A lot of iron trash (pipes, trolleys, drill parts, remnants of mechanisms, etc.), pits and a small shallow lake (Lake Geologov, height 1125 m) remained from them. It is better not to be here in a thunderstorm - the pieces of iron lying around here attract lightning well.
Lake Geologists
Being on Konjak, it is worth reaching Job's failure (Job's abyss)... The plateau here drops off sharply to the east.
The GPS coordinates of the Job's Gap: N 59º 38.104´ E 059º 10.358´.
Job's Gap is one of the few surviving glacial circuses in the Northern Urals. The depth of the sinkhole is 300 meters, the average steepness of the slopes is 35 degrees. Multi-colored rocks emerge on the surface (some of them, due to their light shade, create the illusion that the sun is shining on them). In some places, the walls of the hole are completely smooth, as if polished.
Below, in the canyon, the Poludnevaya river flows. Even in summer, there is snow and ice in places. Streams flowing into the hole form small waterfalls. Despite the formidable name, it is quite possible to descend to the bottom of the hole. The slopes are not so steep. Much more dangerous in winter, when, gape or not noticing the failure in bad weather, you can ski down. Then tragedy can happen. They say that such cases have already happened.
Soon this beauty will be forever destroyed, a quarry will appear here. In 2018, the Dunity Srednego Urala enterprise began opencast mining of dunite. The reserves of the Iovskoye deposit are estimated at 20 million tons of dunite. This should be enough for 30 years.
Traces of the former presence of geologists on the Job plateau
The miners believe that a quarry on the Iovskoe plateau is only beneficial for tourists. Well, they don't give a damn about nature.
“Tourists will be able to receive medical assistance in case of injury. In addition to the development of the deposit, there will also be a road to the quarry. And the road means development prospects. Now Konzhak is visited by a handful of people, an insignificant number of tourists. When the road appears, even people with disabilities will admire the mountain, "Dunitov director Nikolai Kuzmin told Vecherny Vedomosti.
Every year on the first Saturday of July, Konjak is very crowded. Since 1996, the Konzhak mountain marathon has been held here. It attracts participants from all over the Urals, Russia and even from other countries.
For many, Konjak is a source of inspiration. Songs are composed about him, pictures are painted here. It is not for nothing that the favorite parking place of tourists is called Polyana artists.
The surroundings of the Konzhakovsky Stone are also interesting. Wherever you look - there are mountains around, on which you can walk and walk.
Expedition E.K. Hoffmann on Konzhakovsky Stone
In the summer of 1853, the Konzhakovsky Stone was visited by the expedition of the famous geologist E.K. Hoffman, who worked on the creation of a geological map of the Urals. A report on this was published in the "Mining Journal", vol. 5, 1865
“Since none of the guides knew further than the road to Konzhakovsky stone, and since the peaks of the mountains seen had a different shape than what they had appeared from Bogoslovsk, we decided to climb some hill in order to make an overview from the top, and thus navigate ...
The entire ridge and a small summit of the Konzhakovsky stone still lay in the west from us. The Konzhakov stone is a whole series of mountains stretching from SO to NW. The highest hill lies in the middle, rising above the neighboring hills, which adjoin it with jagged edges with SO and NW ...
The whole path lay through whole fields of talus, which tired us very much ... Since we had to reach the main hill very late, and since it lies above the border of trees that could serve us as fuel, we decided 5 or 6 versts from this peak pitch a tent, directly at the northern border of the forest ...
At 12 ½ o'clock we reached the most important peak and erected a cross on it, which was cut down by one of the guides at the border of the forest and brought here ... Except for a few wild deer, immediately hiding at our approach, we did not see any living creature here, except perhaps annoying flies that followed us may be from a halt. "
Alexander Burak. Konzhakovsky Stone. 1956 g.
How to get to Konzhakovsky Stone (Konzhak)?
To get to the highest point of the Sverdlovsk region - Konzhakovsky Kamen, you need to drive from Yekaterinburg along the Serov highway, turn in front of Serov to Severouralsk, then turn to Karpinsk (see the map below). Passing through the city of Karpinsk, you find yourself on the road to Kytlym. In the past, there was a bad dirt road here, and an asphalt road was recently built. About 50 km from Karpinsk there is a recreation center "Konzhakovsky stone", where you can leave your car and go further on foot along the "marathon". Distance from Yekaterinburg - 445 km.
You can get here by public transport: by bus from Yekaterinburg to Karpinsk, then to the bus Karpinsk - Kytlym (but it rarely runs, not every day).
Usually they climb the Konzhakovsky Stone along the so-called "marathon" - along the route of the "Konzhak" mountain marathon. It starts from the Karpinsk - Kytlym road, 5 km before the village of Kytlym.
GPS coordinates of the start of the "marathon": N 59º 31.974 'E 059º 15.987'. All along it is marked, there are also plates with a record of kilometers.
From the beginning of the "marathon" to the Polyana of Artists on the bank of the Konzhakovka River - 14 km (where it is most convenient to set up a camp and climb further light), and to the top - 21 km. The distance to the top, slowly, takes seven hours. Almost all the way - up the hill, and after the Glade of Artists also along the curtain walls.
GPS coordinates of the top of Konzhakovsky Stone: N 59º 37.921´ E 059º 08.089´ (or 59.632017º, 59.134817º).
Since 2017, only a few have been walking to Konzhakovsky and Serebryansky Stones. Now the majority prefer to drive their cars to Konzhak along the technological road built by Kuzmin for the destruction of the Job plateau in order to extract dunites. There is nothing left from here to the top. The flow of tourists has grown significantly, and at the same time there are people who like to swell in nature and garbage.
When traveling in the Urals, take care of nature! Have a nice trip!
