adventures on ai-petri

Megаnom sucked all the strength out of me. I was in a shattered state all day. Arrived in Alupka. Demerdzhi, which was also on my list of places, I rode past. I'll go there another time. Looked for the beach for a long time. Settled on the shore closer to midnight. Need to wrap up this trip soon. The need to act, to create something useful, to make, to explore is burning stronger and stronger. The journey has practically exhausted itself.

ADVENTURES ON AI-PETRI = Day 39 =

Spent the night on the beach in Alupka. Got up at 5:00, quickly packed the tent and set off for Mount Ai-Petri. From the beach to the forest entrance is a 60-minute walk, according to the navigator. It was a good idea to install the maps.me app on my phone beforehand. The maps work offline here, and the GPS navigator works pretty well too. True, in the forest it sometimes still lags, but it's better than nothing. Another plus is that it barely drains the battery, so you can use the phone for a long time if you keep it in airplane mode. The first thing I wanted to do was get water. No chance to buy it in a store – it was too early and the shops weren't open yet. All I had was half a 0.5-liter bottle of water from yesterday. So, I needed a spring, and as the navigator showed, there was one nearby. Even two springs. I went to the one that was on the way to the mountain. It turned out to be

locked with a key. Called "Mikhailovsky." I moved on. No, so be it, I'll go without water. I'll hold out for a few hours, won't die.

On the way to the cliff, I heard the gurgle of water. A pipe was laid in the forest, and that's where the gurgling was coming from. I decided to follow the pipe and check where it started. The map showed there was another spring here – Khashta-Bash. It wasn't without its adventures here either. After a month, I'm used to it – every day something new... ))

Reaching the small bridge that leads to the spring, I saw someone's small white hut. A man was standing next to it. I had also been hearing dogs barking from afar for a while; only later did it become clear they had spotted me long ago, which is why they were barking. I was very thirsty, and I wasn't paying that much attention to the dogs to ignore my desire to quench my thirst. But still, when I got within critical distance, these dogs ran in a pack towards me, and their owner couldn't have cared less. An unusual situation. )) I counted 6 dogs; I wasn't particularly afraid of them, even though they were hunting dogs baring their teeth as if ready to swallow me whole on the spot. They barked nervously, ready to pounce any second, and their gums were red – just as it should be. I started carefully backing away, keeping all my weapons ready – a knife and pepper spray – and was prepared to use them immediately if they started doing anything stupid. I could have handled the dogs, though not without injuries. I was more worried about that guy with the rifle – the owner of these dogs. What specifically bothered me was what he might decide to do with me if I suddenly got rid of his four-legged guards. I'm alone, on the mountain, no people around, no one will notice, and his dogs are clearly more valuable to him than some strange stranger. Slowly and carefully, I reached a fence with barbed wire, and next to it was a gate. Now it's clear why these dogs are so mean. )) It was private property. But it's all kind of strange. A house, on the mountain, alone... It doesn't fit into my worldview yet. The dogs followed me for a long time, and only after half an hour did they go back to their owner. Then I got onto a path leading up the mountain, and I started getting attacked by flying ticks – old

acquaintances. I've known them since Ladoga. I didn't name them ticks; a friend of mine told me about them.

I don't actually know what these creatures are, but in terms of tenacity and habits, they are a perfect match for their wingless counterparts. They are like a local winged special forces unit, exactly like in the forests of Karelia (anyone who's been there at the end of August will understand). Their thing is to appear unnoticed on your body and start moving quickly. They can get anywhere. It's terribly ticklish and disgusting. At the same time, they are not flies or mosquitoes that you can easily swat. These creatures seem to be covered in bronze armor – it's useless to hit them, especially the Crimean ones – they are unkillable. You can only brush them off (drown, burn, crush with pliers). The Crimean ones, in terms of size, are elephants compared to the Karelian ones. Their bites don't hurt, but they are terribly annoying. They move deftly over your body, you feel it, you brush the

insect off, and it immediately flies back... I'm sure these ticks would be perfect for a new type of torture. ))

And the deeper I went into the forest, the more of these winged devils there were. They would skillfully descend from the trees in groups, like Navy SEALs. They would pick their moment and latch on. I was walking in just a t-shirt and shorts, and my patience didn't last long – until the foot of the mountain. Going further was completely impossible, and I had to turn back.

On the way back, I managed to find a spot with an excellent view of Alupka.

And a little later, I quite by chance came across a spring and drank my fill of pure mountain water. Apparently, it wasn't meant to be for me to befriend Mount Ai-Petri this time. Probably the same goes for the rest of Crimea. Some other time...

After Ai-Petri, I headed to Feodosia and went to the bus station to get to Kerch. I was walking down a dark street with only private houses and garages. Ahead of me was a woman with a stroller. And completely unexpectedly, dogs ran out at her. They started barking at her with ferocity, a little more and they'd bite, I thought at that moment – their teeth were practically reaching the woman's leg. I reflexively pulled the pepper spray from my pocket and stepped closer, telling the woman not to be afraid. Her reaction was unexpected – she started cursing me out and shooing me away. The dogs, meanwhile, switched their attention to me. I walked on. They followed me, and one of them even bit me. I flew into a rage. I turned around, walked straight towards the dogs with cold anger. The command "eliminate the target" – that was the mood I was in. Then an old woman – the dogs' owner – started yelling at me too. Great, now they're all against me. )) I couldn't help myself and sprayed one dog right in the eyes with the pepper spray. The first time in 40 days I've used it. The intensity of my anger suddenly subsided, and I walked away from there. All sorts of accusations about how bad I was rained down on my back. So much for helping people... )) Walking a bit further, I heard a police car with its siren to my left. Suspicious, all this – a thought flashed through my head. I ducked into the courtyards. From the other side of the block, I heard another siren. Maybe they're after me? I changed clothes just in case, took off my bandana, threw away the sleeping mat, stuffed the tent into my backpack, so that, if anything, it would be harder to identify me. And I headed to the bus station with the intention of getting out of Crimea as quickly as possible. Once again, I get lucky with tickets when I'm going anywhere, as long as it's out of Crimea. It's like it's deliberately spitting me out with all its might. )) It happened this time too – I arrived at the station 10 minutes before the bus to Kerch departed. And at night, I took a bus from Kerch to

Krasnodar. Wounded, spat upon, exhausted, bitten – in a word, a traveler. It was an eventful day…