Journey of Journeys

Travel, it can be said without exaggeration, is one of the most interesting, exciting, and perhaps beloved pastimes of a person. Even Mark Twain once remarked, 'Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.' Travel comes in many forms, from a picnic in a nearby park to the great outdoors just outside the city, to far-off lands and extreme adventures. But I am not writing about them.

Hiking to Childukhtaron Pass, Odzhuk Gorge, Varzob, Mountains of Tajikistan

The elongated canyon along the Odzhuk River begins from the Varzob highway, or from the Varzob River if you will. The canyon has many branches that lead to Begar, Kharangon, and Chayka. The official end of the Odzhuk canyon is considered to be the Childukhtar, Kichkine, and Kumkayakutal passes. The first two passes lead to a high mountain plateau with Takoba tributaries, respectively, beyond which lies the Takob canyon. The Kumkayakutal pass leads to the mouth of the Semiganch River, a tributary of the Romit River, and thus to the Romit canyon.

Hiking to the mine in the Ojuk valley, Varzob, mountains of Tajikistan

I was always amazed at why there was such a good, wide path in Odzhuk that went almost all the way through the canyon. It turned out to be an old dirt road that led to an abandoned mine where they mined or searched for something like fluorite until 1947. There are many such abandoned mines in the vicinity. Apparently, they dug and searched, but didn't find anything significant and abandoned them. Industrial fluorite mining may still be taking place in the Takob and Magof valleys, not far from here. Locals also call these mines quartz, but quartz is just a accompanying mineral of fluorite and is not of interest for development and mining, at least not the local variety.

The hike to the Big Gusgarf Waterfall, in the Varzob Gorge of the Tajikistan Mountains

The Big Gusgarf Waterfall, also known as the Pioneer Waterfall, is located in the Varzob Gorge past the village of Gusgarf. The hike to this waterfall was quite an adventure. The first time, back in June, I went alone to Gusgarf without any idea of where it was located, relying only on oral descriptions. As it happens, I got lost but eventually stumbled upon some waterfall, apparently nameless.

Journey to the Eagle's Nest Waterfall in Gusgarf, Varzob Gorge, Tajikistan

The Eagle's Nest Waterfall is located behind the village of Gusgarf in the Varzob Gorge. Many people call this waterfall "Echo," but Echo is actually a pass that can be reached by following the trail through this gorge. Somehow, the name Echo has also become associated with the waterfall. However, the Eagle's Nest Waterfall was named for good reason - no matter what time of day you come here, eagles or other large birds are always circling above the waterfall. Of course, they are actually circling above the gorge, but it creates the impression that they are circling above the waterfall.

Hiking in Zimchurud Gorge, Varzob, Tajikistan

The trail to Zimchurud Gorge begins from the Varzob highway, near the village of Varzobkala, which is about 24 kilometers away from Dushanbe, a little before reaching the village of Varzob. After some time past this village, the next village, Zimchurud, appears. I think the name "Zimchurud Gorge" comes from the name of the village rather than the river, as is usually the case. This is because the river here is called Angoriso, which is a tributary of the Varzob River.

Hiking in the canyon at the 22nd kilometer of the Varzob road, in the mountains of Tajikistan.

The canyon at the 22nd kilometer of the Varzob road is sometimes called "Mulberry Canyon" or "Snake Canyon". At the beginning of the canyon, there are indeed many mulberry trees, but the season for them has already passed. However, there are many other berries, such as blackberries, apricots, and grapes, and they literally cover the ground deep inside the canyon. Fortunately, we did not encounter any snakes as the weather was cloudy and they usually do not come out of their burrows in such conditions since there is no sun to warm them up.

Hiking in the waterfall gorge in Odzhuk, Varzob, Tajikistan

In the Odzhuk gorge, if you don't cross the second bridge and go straight, you can reach a meadow called "Pensioners' Meadow". A funny name, by the way, apparently because it's not far to walk. Although, I know some pensioners who walk so well that not every young person can keep up with them, regardless of their level of fitness. The gorge that begins after this meadow is also called simply "The Waterfall Gorge".

Hiking from Takob to Odzhuk, Varzob Gorge, Mountains of Tajikistan

We decided to make a two-day hike with a crossing over the watershed ridge from the Takob gorge to the upper reaches of the Odzhuk gorge. The plan was to go through the Childukhtaron pass, but since no one knew the exact path, we asked the locals for directions. They confused us a little, and we initially went to the wrong couloir. As it turned out, locals don't use this pass to get to Odzhuk, as it is not very convenient for them. Moreover, the locals refer to the whole ridge as Childukhtaron, which does remotely resemble the famous mountain of the same name in Muminobod. And one can cross this ridge from Takob to Odzhuk in several places.