I have a fallen way behind partially because I’m with Ken and just enjoying these experiences in the moment and partially because the WiFi in Central Asia isn’t very good and it’s hard to upload photos and videos. I am going to try to keep going because I know I will appreciate this later and there are so many good stories to share with others, but this may never get finished.

Ile-Alatau National Park was founded in 1996 to protect the Trans-Ili Alatau mountain range (part of the Tian Shan mountain system) spanning nearly 200,000 hectares of rugged terrain at the edge of Almaty. The national park is filled with snow capped mountains, dense conifer forests, wild apple groves, alpine lakes, rushing glacial rivers, and endangered animals. It serves as the vital fresh water source for millions of residents in the surrounding Almaty region. 

I was coming into the trek after lots of socialization and lots of drinking, which are things I used to love and still do love in moderation, but as I get older my social battery can’t hold a charge as long as it used to and I need nature in my life to balance it out. Life to me is all about balance and when the scale gets too much weight on one end or the other then my equilibrium gets off. After a few weeks of partying in the U.S. and a couple party nights to start out Kazakhstan, I was so ready for a big trek and to reconnect with my love of the outdoors. Other than exploring a new culture and lifestyle, the main reason I came to Central Asia to begin was for the beautiful landscapes and remote hiking trails. I didn’t expect us to dive right into a seven day trek as our first hike, but Ken had been waiting for my arrival the past few weeks and was ready to get deep in the backcountry. 

Getting In 

We took a 1.5 hours YandexGo to the trailhead for less than $20. Such an unbelievably cheap cost, especially since there’s no way he got another ride on his way back to Almaty; we were in the middle of nowhere. When we told him the Yandex driver we were from America, he goes: Donald Trump, George Bush, Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Epstein. Poor Angelina Jolie getting thrown in with that lineup of people. He was playing old school America rap the whole way out. 

Seven Day Ile-Alatau National Park Trek Point to Point (46.35 miles; 13,488 feet elevation gain; 13,653 feet elevation loss)

The stats don’t even begin to reflect the difficulty of this trek. It was a good reminder that mileage and elevation is just a small part of the equation when doing backcountry hiking. The terrain your going through is what creates the real challenge – most of the trek had no trail as we hiked up and down the sides of hills, over loose scree mountain passes, and crossed multiple rivers; all while carrying a heavy backpack. Between the middle of day one and the middle of day six, we never had an actual trail to follow and  had to constantly check against Maps.Me to see if we were going in the right general direction. The “trail” on the app provided a general guideline so that we wouldn’t get too high on a ridgeline or too low into the valley. It was as mentally exhausting as it was physically. 

Ken had already done a few multi day treks in the more popular area of Ile-Alatau National Park with Big Almaty Lake and Shymbulak Ski Resort so we decided to hike in the more remote southwest area of the park. To create our backcountry route, we used the Maps.Me app to pick out already marked campsites by lakes and rivers (always making sure to close to a water source) then followed the path to the next campsite marking pins on the app and building our own custom route. 

Coming up with this backcountry trek in just a few days would not have been possible without the help of map apps on our phones (MapsMe and AllTrails). Ten years ago doing a trek like this would have taken months of planning and a high level of knowledge of reading maps and contour lines. I would like to take a course on reading topographic maps when I return to the U.S. to be better prepared for backcountry hiking and help not get too far off course from the projected path on the maps apps.

The daily diet – protein bar and tea for breakfast; salami, cheese, cherry tomato, and mustard with bread for lunch; candy, nuts, and trail mix for snacks; assorted packaged ramen with cucumber, hard boiled egg, and chili peppers for dinner.

Most days we would hike 5-6 hours between camps so it was a somewhat leisurely pace that allowed us to fully enjoy our campsites each day. We usually would have a slow start to the day waking up around 7:30-8 and hitting the trail by 9:30-10. However that time spent on trail while we were hiking was very physically and mentally exhausting. There was never an easy moment dealing with the backcountry terrain and the constant route finding. Every day had its great moments and its miserable moments; but it always ended with a high sense of accomplishment.

Other than sheep herders (whom we only saw day one and day seven), we saw less than 10 people over the seven days – one group of hunters on day two and one group of hikers on day three. We didn’t see a single other person days four to six. We were backcountry hiking in a remote area of a remote country. It really made me feel isolated from the rest of the world in all the best of ways. It’s difficult to find this level of solitude and disconnection in the modern world. 

Day 1: 6.6 miles; 3,986 feet elevation gain; 1,093 feet elevation loss

The trail started out as an absolute ass kicker. It was a super steep incline through the trees with no switchbacks. We gained 2,400 feet of elevation in the first two miles with our insanely heavy packs. I bet our packs weighed at least 40 pounds on day one. We had brought roughly 10 days worth of food in case we ended up needing more than 7 days, or for any unexpected mishaps that could happen since we were deep in the backcountry of Kazakhstan in a remote part of the wilderness. Plus we each had our tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, warm clothing layers, electronics such as portable chargers, headlamps, first aid gear, and a variety of other things necessary for being in the backcountry. 

I love a good challenge but I was miserable. I was questioning my very existence and why I even like to hike. I was seriously wondering if I was going to be able to last for seven days hiking like this. Luckily, or unluckily, depending how you look at it, this was one of the steepest parts of the entire trail. We lost the barely existent trail multiple times and would have to go straight up the side of the hill stopping every few steps to regain the muscle strength to keep going. It was very tough. Plus the first water source wasn’t until 5-6 miles into the backcountry so we had to be frugal about the amount of water we were drinking (afterwards there was a constant steam of water and we never had to worry about this again). 

The trail became a more moderate incline once we got out of the woods and headed to the top of the hill, but it still continued uphill for another 800 feet of gain over the next 1.5 miles. While the landscape was fairly green throughout, this would be the last trees that we would see on the trek. The rest of the hike was a mixture of grassy and rocky terrain. We took a salami and cheese break on the hill. I was feeling too exhausted to be very hungry but forced myself to intake some calories.

It started to lightly rain on us, but luckily that didn’t last long. There was a few times throughout the afternoon where we got rained on for about 5 minutes then it stopped. The next section was a slight downhill into the meadow and a few miles of easy hiking through the grassy meadow. Finally a chance to zone out enjoying the beautiful scenery. 

No one in the area but us and a few sheep herders. They live out of yurts that serve as temporary base camps for their family and livestock. A few times throughout the summer they pack up their yurts (yurts are designed without nails to make the structure easy to dismantle) and move to a new area to prevent overgrazing and to follow seasonal weather patterns at different altitudes. 

After 5.5 miles, 3250 feet gain, and a little over 5 hours of being on trail; we finally reached a water source. I was so happy to be able to chug water with free refills. We never had to worry about this again from here on out. We continued hiking through the vast open meadow before one final uphill. The campsite we had marked was still another mile further, but we reached the river and decided to settle on a spot with nice flat ground right and a good view. 

It was a long and challenging first day, but the reward was worth the struggle. I’d been feeling a bit in my head to start the trip and was having a hard time getting in the right headspace but now I finally felt the weight off my shoulders. This is what I came for.

We helped each other setup our tents (which became our standard practice) and had some good convos while we ate ramen and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. After a long day we went to bed by 8:30 and the sound of the rushing river lulled me to sleep.

Day 2: 5.1 miles; 1,995 feet elevation gain; 420 feet elevation loss 

It’s my birthday! 35 and feeling alive! I realized that somehow I hadn’t hiked on my birthday, so I couldn’t be more happy to break the seal in the backcountry of Kazakhstan. After our slow start to the morning, we had one of our chiller days on trail in order to maximize birthday fun time. We had filled a water bottle with Jameson whiskey and today would be the day to enjoy it. 

The day began with a flattish section by the river before working our way into the open meadows with rolling hills. It was general direction hiking trying to follow the path on Maps.me. We just had to keep heading in the correct direction as no defined trail existed. We got off the “trail” quite a few times, but as long as we kept our elevation high to avoid down climbing then we were doing good. 

The surrounding mountains and open meadows were absolutely stunning. It reminded me of Colorado, but the landscapes were even more vast and open. It was just us and some wild horses. We took a few short stops to snack and take a break from our heavy load, but had a nice overall pace on a beautiful bluebird day. 

The last stretch was a moderate uphill section up rolling hills where we were able to get into a melodic rhythm. I was back into my hiker self and feeling much stronger on trail than day one. By around 1pm we reached our campsite directly in front of a gorgeous blue lake called Maqtalıköl with a glacial mountain in the backdrop.

We ate salami and cheese lunch with bread, tomatoes, and mustard before setting up camp. Then we started drinking the Jameson in honor of my birthday. It was a day for having fun. We sat there for hours shooting the shit and drinking. Once I had a good enough whiskey blanket I took a dip in the glacial lake which was so cold and refreshing.

Around 5:30, two big SUVs rolled up t o the other side of the lake. We were shocked that vehicles could make it this deep into the backcountry. It was a group of six guys and a few of them came out in army gear.  Uh oh who are these guys? Upon further investigation one of the guys that came over was wearing a U.S. army jacket. Ken told me it was common for people to buy army outfits in a similar way that people in the US buy camouflage outfits. Two of the guys crossed the river and started talking to us in Russian. The communication was poor but the gist was they asked how we got there and we signaled two fingers walking. They seemed impressed…or confused. Then I believe they were asking how long we’d be there or maybe telling us how long they were staying. In the end, we gave them a handshake and they went back to their camp to do their thing and we stayed at ours doing our thing.

Day 3: 4.8 miles; 1,240 feet elevation gain; 2,753 feet elevation loss

We woke up around 8 and the Kazakhs guys across the lake invited us over for chai. Sure, why not? They looked intimidating and Russian sounds so harsh, but they were very friendly and happily willing to share food and drink with us. They gave us coffee and tea, pastries, crackers, and homemade pickles. One of the guys was a jokester and kept cracking his friends up. We communicated through a mix of Google Translate, facial expressions, and hand movements. We found out that they were in the backcountry hunting and fishing and had killed a few marmots the day before. Without even asking they heated us up some of their marmot stew. I was already full from the other food they gave us but we had to keep eating. The marmot tasted gamey and was a bit fatty but overall not too bad. At least it was fresh. The best part was the potatoes in the broth. After hanging out with them for 30-40 minutes, we thanked them for the food and let them know we had to pack up camp and start hiking. But first we got a photo together. It was such a wonderful experience and an incredible way to start the day! I did not have being fed by a group of Kazakh hunters on my bingo card. 

The stats for this day don’t even begin to reflect the difficulty. We started by going uphill along rolling hills where I would make my own switchback formation with my steps rather than going straight up. It was easy to navigate along the projected path on Maps.Me because we were surrounded by mountains so there was really only one direction to go. 

Then we reached the end of the basin and the real challenge began. We had to go over a steep loose scree (unstable collection of small, broken rock fragments and debris) mountain pass. Scree is already some of the most difficult terrain to hike up because the rocks move under your feet like sand making it hard to balance and the surface slides when you put your weight on it. Plus we had to do it with our heavy packs and no defined trail to follow. It was one of the hardest things I’ve done. The incline was so steep and I would sink into the crushed rock where it felt like I wasn’t moving forward. I was struggling on the scree so I traversed across to an area with slightly larger rocks to scramble on. There was a few times where I wanted to just give up, but the body keeps pushing and the mind keeps fighting. Even though it only took 45 minutes it felt like a lifetime. I was absolutely exhausted by the time I made it to the top. I was so glad that was over with. We took a 15 minute break enjoying the stunning 360 views from the 11,952 foot high pass. 

Going downhill on the loose scree on the other side of the pass was so much easier. We just ran down it. We got to the bottom of the pass and I had the horrible realization my phone fell out of my pocket while I was running down. Are you kidding me? I was so mad at myself. Am I really going to have to walk back up this scree field? At least I knew that I took a video of Ken during the downhill. I took off my pack and started walking up the scree and luckily only hiked up for two minutes when I saw it sitting in a pile of rocks. Phew! That could have been way worse. Note to self, don’t keep my phone in an open pocket when running down a scree field.

It was all downhill from here for the rest of the afternoon. We could see the lake where we would be camping off in the distance. It looked much closer than it actually was. We still had another three miles and 2,000 feet of downhill to go. We hiked through thick brushed meadows into a beautiful vast valley with a river running down the middle and mountain views on both sides.

We made it to the river and had to cross a wide section where there was no choice but getting our feet wet. Then we continued along the river another 10 minutes before arriving at lake Zhasylkol. It was a relatively short but very difficult day. We made ramen, played poker using sticks as chips, and chatted. We also went for a short walk around the lake where we found an ibex skull with its massive horns sitting on a rock that provided a good photo op.

Another group of hikers showed up in the early evening and camped across the lake from us. This would be the only other hikers we saw the entire trek although we didn’t actually interact with them. That evening we were treated to a beautiful alpine glow on the mountains.

Day 4: 6.1 miles; 2,877 feet elevation gain; 640 feet elevation loss

The beginning of day four was all about rolling hills and it was very easy to get off course from the maps. We would get to the top of a hill and be greeted with a new set of rolling hills. Always going up. Sometimes it was steep and other times the incline was moderate; but it was a continual slog. 

The surrounding landscape was out of this world – red mountains, glacial mountains, sheer vertical rock faces, rushing rivers, and endless valleys all in one view. And all of it so remote and untouched. You could tell this was an area that not many people ever get to witness.

Amongst the endless rolling hills, we had to rock hop across a few narrow rivers. In my brain rivers are always at the bottom of a valley at lower elevation, but in this landscape with so much snow melt coming from the mountains, you would get to a higher elevation and there’d be a new stream of water. Of course ultimately all these different streams did feed to the same river system lower in the valley.

We got to the top of a grassy mountain pass and stopped for a quick lunch break. Then we continued walking slightly downhill on a side angled mountain before entering a valley with massive mountains on both sides and rolling hills in the middle. It was a very slight uphill through the valley; just enough to keep you getting your butt kicked. The views were incredible and at one point we could see four different glacial peaks off in the distance in front of us.

We crossed another river then the grassy terrain turned into medium sized rocks. With the towering spiky peaks in the distance, it felt like we were entering Mordor getting ready to climb Mount Doom and destroy the ring.

The last section to the lake was a steep uphill boulder field. It required a heavy level of concentration and focus. I always had to be looking three boulders ahead to make sure I was on a good route. Normally I like boulder hopping, and today it was a still an enjoyable challenge, but it was especially difficult with our heavy backpacks requiring an extra sense of balance to offset the weight on our shoulders.

We finally reached the lake, P’edestal, and boy was it worth it! It was one of the clearest lakes I’ve ever seen and surrounded by a 360 arena of mountains and glaciers. It felt like the quietest, most remote place on earth. It took four days of trekking in the backcountry of Kazakhstan to reach such a peaceful place. We guessed that less than 50 people a year get to see this place (this is based on peer speculation but it’s very difficult to find and probably only reachable in July-August when there isn’t a high level of snowpack).

We were looking around in awe at our new home for the next two days (even before arriving at this lake we had decided we would spend two days here and just do a small day hike on day five; it was time to put the packs down for a day and chill out in one spot). It started lightly raining so we quickly setup Ken’s tent and it’s a good thing we did because the rain started getting heavier. We were so glad that this weather hadn’t started 15 minutes earlier while we were climbing up the boulder field.

He has a two person tent so we both sat in there for shelter. After about 15 minutes the rain subsided and we setup my tent. The sun even poked its head out for us while we enjoyed a bowl of ramen. But the good weather didn’t last long and it started lightly raining again so we both hung out in our tents. After another 20 minutes it stopped and we hung out down by the lake chatting before dinner and early bed. This on/off weather would be the theme of this campsite. Such is life at 11,640 feet high living on a lake sandwich between the mountains; the weather can change on a dime.

The weather continued to turn on us that night. We had setup our tents on a ridge because it was the only flat spot by the lake and the wind was absolutely ripping. The rain fly was loudly flapping and it felt like I was inside a vortex in my tent. It was incredibly loud the entire night and didn’t make for the best night’s sleep. Luckily Ken had the foresight beforehand to put giant rocks on top of our stakes to provide extra support. It also lightly rained throughout the evening. Kudos to Big Agnes for making such quality tents to hold up against these conditions.

Day 5: 1.9 miles; 417 feet elevation gain; 430 feet elevation loss

The morning brought about the same bad weather. The wind had died down a bit but the light rain continued; and it was cold as night outside. Finally around 10 the sun came out and we came out from being bundled in our sleeping bags in our tents to make some tea. After four straight days of backpacking our legs were pretty cooked but we still wanted to do a short hike in the area. Although short hike still didn’t mean easy, but it was so nice to do without the big pack. After an early lunch we packed a small day pack and headed toward the glacier.

The hike began by walking on the side angled hill along the lake that was a mixture of grass and big rocks. Nothing around here is flat. Even when you aren’t walking up an incline, the terrain is still an angle.

Then to get above the lake it was a moderately steep boulder field. It required a high level of focus but was much more fun to do without so much weight on our backs.

Now we had entered a field of medium size rocks below the mountains and the glacier with a hidden pond. The theme of today’s terrain was rocks, rocks, and more rocks.

Once we turned the corner the base of the glacier came into view with streams of glacial water trickling between the rocks. It was truly a magical sight to see. I picked up a few nice rocks for my collection. We hopped along the glacial stream before standing on the base of the glacier. 

The ice was frozen solid and easier to walk on than the rock field. We filled our water bottles with the crystal clear fresh glacier water. It was ice cold and so refreshing! We started walking up the glacier but the clouds in the distance were looking ominous so we decided it was time to head back. Not many people can say they’ve walked on a Kazakhstani glacier. The hike back through the rock field and down the boulders was a slow and steady process.

That afternoon was typical crazy mountain weather where it lightly rained like eight different times for five to ten minutes each time then the sun would come back out. It continued to be incredibly windy on the ridge by the tents so we hung out on a rock by the lake that had less wind and felt 10 degrees warmer. Finally around 5pm the weather stabilized and it was nice for the next few hours. We sat outside in our sleeping bags cracking jokes and telling stories about hiking, travel, and life.

The night started at calm as can be when we went into our tents, but an hour later the hurricane force winds were back. It wasn’t as bad as the night before but it was still roaring throughout the night.

We’d just spent the last five days navigating the backcountry of Kazakhstan without a clue about anything else that was going on. I really felt disconnected from everything and no thoughts about the rest of the world had even crossed my mind. We were living in our own bubble facing daily challenges far beyond the normal life routine and being rewarded with amazing landscapes and a great sense of self satisfaction.

Day 6: 10 miles; 2,333 feet elevation gain; 4,157 feet elevation loss

We didn’t linger at camp too long as we wanted to ensure we got down the boulder field while the weather was nice. This day started out as the reverse of day 4. We went down the boulder field, through the valley, up the side angled hill, down the rolling hills, then stopped for lunch at the lookout above the lake we camped at on night 4. My legs were tried but still running strong; however my biggest struggle was the bottom of my feet. They were really starting to hurt after six days of hiking and carrying so much weight. I tried to focus on other things but it was easier said than done. Each step I could feel the pain in my feet. The wear and tear from the trek was showing.

We took a shortcut to the river and hit our first real trail since day one. Wow what a treat! It was so much easier to walk on an actual trail (especially for my tender feet) and we no longer had to constantly check the map on our phones to ensure we were going in the correct direction. We did our final river crossing and continued along into a beautiful gorge with the river cutting through the middle. The rest of the afternoon was a mix of up and downhill sections as we winded our way around the mountains.

We had saved a pin on a spot next to the river, but it didn’t have an actual campsite marking. To our disappointment, the river was at a sharp incline with no flat spots next to it. We had already hiked for over six hours and were tired, but we had no choice but to keep going. First we took advantage of the water source to make a late afternoon ramen snack. Then we filled up as much water as we could because it looked like we might not be camping next to a water source that evening.

We started hiking up another steep hill in hopes that it would be flat at the top. There were a few flattish spots along the way that we considered pitching our tents at but they were pretty rocky and when we tried to move the rocks out of the way there were massive ant colonies underneath. Yikes no thanks. We got to the top of the hill and were pleasantly surprised how flat and grassy it was. This was our flattest and most open campsite yet. We were so glad we didn’t settle for the ant infested spots. There was no water source but we had stocked up on plenty beforehand. We were treated to an incredible sunset for our final night of the trek. I soaked in these moments and reflected on how wonderful this trek had been. It made me never want to leave the mountains. But my body was tired, my feet were hurting, and I was really looking forward to a shower.

Day 7: 11.7 miles; 640 feet elevation gain; 4,160 feet elevation loss

We packed up camp one last time and walked along a trail through the pastures for a few miles before hitting a 4×4 dirt road. We were officially out of the deep backcountry and getting closer to civilization, but still walking in farmland.

We passed by a couple of yurts when a sheep herder on horse whistled at us from afar. We waited for his arrival and he invited us into his yurt for chai tea, sheep butt fat with bread and sheep pasta. We knew it was sheep butt fat because when we asked what it was he goes bahhh and then made a butt shape with his hands. Upon further research afterwards it’s called kurdyuk; it is a natural, fatty deposit that grows on the backside and tail of specific fat-tailed sheep breeds found in Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Caucasus. The raw fat tail is sliced and melted down in a pot or pan into liquid fat/tallow.

It was really cool to see the inside of his yurt and it was much more spacious than I expected. We used Google Translate to chat with him. He told us that he had 883 sheep in total. He comes out every summer to herd the sheep then heads back to Almaty during the winter. On his free time he likes to box. This was exactly the type of experience I was hoping to have in Central Asia! It was amazing getting to interact with this friendly sheepherder and learning a bit more about how he lives. After about 30 minutes we thanked him for the hospitality and said we had to keep going. We gave him our leftover sausage and cheese. At first he declined the offer, but then he graciously accepted. We also asked if we could take a photo together. 

I was truly beaming after this experience. What an incredible way to end our trek!  It started to lightly rain on us as we continued downhill but it only lasted five minutes. After another hour the final lake came into view off in the distance Woohoo! But no cars there. We knew it would be a gamble at the end of the trek as to whether or not we would be able to quickly get a ride. Then we saw a car as we were about 30 min away from the lake but they took photos and left. It was too good to be true.

When we got to the lake there were no cars and no cell service. We had to start walking toward the closest village, which was 4.5 hours away, and hope that a car would come by. It also started raining on us to add insult to injury. Nothing like ending a seven day trek only to have to walk more. At least it was all downhill. We got service after about 25 minutes but no Yandex cars were available in the area. Damn! We should’ve gotten the number of our driver that dropped us off. Ken had mentioned that during the ride in but then we forgot. Sigh. Guess we need to keep walking. We walked for another hour before we saw a building off in the distance that looked like a hotel. As we got closer, we realized it was abandoned. Damn! 

We had been walking for over 1.5 hours since the lake when we arrived at a little compound where a guy was sitting outside. We asked him for a ride but he couldn’t because he was on the clock. It was a Turkish dude and three Russians who were working at a livestock depot. They couldn’t drive us anywhere, but they invited us in for chai and snacks. Yet another group of strangers who fed us! We chatted using Google Translate. The Turkish guy was very chatty and asking us lots of questions. Overall he was friendly but some of it was a bit personal and off putting. After about 30 minutes, we were ready to keep moving. They were trying to feed us more, but we thanked them for the hospitality and headed out. 

We got five minutes down the road when finally a car came by. We stuck our arms out to hitch a ride and he stopped to pick us up no questions asked. We asked to get dropped off at the closest town. He rolled down the windows when we got in. We must have smelled horrible. He drove us 25 minutes down the hill. It would have been a crazy walk. From here we were able to get a 50 minute Yandex back to Almaty. Our driver also rolled down the windows and when he dropped us off I noticed he gave me one star. Damn we must have really smelled. First stop when we got back to the Five Seasons was the cold shower. I told Ken I wanted to stay somewhere nicer for a night after the trek, but all our clean clothes were at the Five Seasons, and it was easier to just continue staying in our shitty twelve person dorm. It wasn’t a luxurious ending, but whatever.

My first trek in the Stans far exceeded all expectations. The landscapes were incredibly beautiful and we got fed by three different groups of people – hunters, a sheepherder, and farmers. It was such a unique and incredible experience that I will never forget! I had now fully entered my Central Asian backpacker frame of my mind and felt much more confident about the future ahead.