At 1400 m there are some beautiful meadows. This is a nature reserve and grazing and flower picking are prohibited. There's always something in bloom |
Every August 24 (Ukraine's Independence day) thousands of Ukrainians make a pilgrimage to the summit of Hoverla |
This is the most rugged area of Ukraine's Carpathians. It was high enough to get some Ice Age glaciation |
From 1700 m the summit of Hoverla seems like just a little hill. This is the cloudiest place in Ukraine with the most precipitation and thunderstorms |
Beneath is a glacial cirque that holds patches of snow well into August |
Towards the evening the summit clears off except for these Poles getting ready to take a picture holding a flag of Poland. There are a number of monuments on the summit |
Looking down another glacial cirque. The pink rhododendrons in the forefront are an endangered species here |
Clumpy grasses and shrubs at 1800 m on the other side of the mountain |
Someone is building a house up here at 1800 m! This better be a hikers' refuge and not some private home! |
Pink sunset through gathering thunderclouds. The lightning and pelting rain that night were hellish |
Another route up Hoverla and the Chornohora ridge is from the valley to the north (Lazeschyna village) |
Locals come up here to live and tend herds of up to 100 cattle during the summer months |
Looking up at Mt. Petros (2020 m) across from Hoverla |
Slopes cleared by loggers are quickly taken over by raspberry bushes. Locals sometimes come up here to harvest berries and sell them in the villages |
These pink flowers are also abundant |
View back down the valley towards Lazeschyna and Yasinya |
Forests on the north side of Mt. Petros |
Now on the Chornohora ridge (1500 m), looking south |
Mountain flowers |
This road through the Chornohora region, built before WWII by the Czechoslovaks, is ideal for walking or mountain biking |
Looking across at the Chornohora ridge as far south as Pip Ivan (2028 m), which has the ruins of an old Polish observatory on it |
This is how Hoverla usually looks — partially covered by clouds |
From further along the Czechoslovak road towards Rakhiv you can see a 'settlement' of cattle sheds down the mountain |
Road builders made every effort to build a long-lasting road through the mountains for their border patrol (the border ran across the Chornohora ridge) |
This valley was clearly glaciated during the last Ice Age. Now cattle graze here |
Mt. Petros, westernmost peak of the Chornohora ridge |
While there are now numerous souvenir markets in the region, this one on Yablunytskyy pass (921 m) next to Yasinya is probably the best, with the greatest amount of locally produced and finely crafted goods |
Many foreigners can be seen here browsing the embroidered clothing, woodwork, baskets, mocassins, and fur pelts |
Here at the pass is the old 'Berkut' tourist hotel, with relatively inexpensive rooms |
|
|
|
