After two stressful weeks travelling on the Pamir Highway, we take a break for a few days in a nice hostel in Sary-Tash, just after the Kyrgyz border, to recharge our batteries. From there, we take a detour off the Pamir Highway to the east to reach the impressive Peak Lenin. At 7,134 metres, it is the fifth-highest peak in the Pamirs. It is also the first mountain with an altitude of over 7,000 metres that we’ve ever seen.
We camp at Lake Tulpar-Kol and hike for a few hours to the base camp of the peak from there. It takes more than 24 hours of hiking to reach the peak, with stops at four more camps along the way. The idea that we’re now at roughly 3,500 m, with the same altitude to go again to reach the top, seems absurd to us. We find the idea of people actually wanting to hike up there even crazier. It’s definitely no walk in the park, as the many memorial plaques for deceased hikers remind us. It was definitely an impressive experience!
On the way back to Sary-Tash, we stop briefly at what appears to be an abandoned oil pumping station. This starkly contrasts with the pristine, wide-open landscape surrounding it, where beautiful wild horses run free and cattle and sheep graze happily in the steppes.