The date was September 2nd. This was an important date for me because my visa, as well as the visas of my hiking companions (all three were foreign students) expired on September 1st. In addition, none of us actually had our passports because our new visas, and therefore our passports, were in processing with the immigration police. This information was telepathically realized between the four of us after seeing the gun, and after a few quiet conversations about it, we all started to feel pretty uncomfortable in the given situation.
Month: September 2012
Kazakhwhat?
Jon Jay’s Note: My great friend Jon put this up nearly a month ago, not long after I arrived in Kazakhstan. The dude is a simply amazing writer, so I’m honored and touched that he wrote about this trip I’m on. You should definitely subscribe to his blog right now. I’m sending good vibes that he has a great winter back in Colorado and wherever he travels to, which will inevitably be awesome. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get to ski those Altai Mountains with him.
“Later.”
The greeting of choice for a generation. No matter how far the distance it fits. Jon was leaving for a year and that’s as creative as it got. A friend forged through miserably cold days on mountainsides throughout the Intermountain West; and equally miserable mornings couch-bound throughout that same Intermountain West.
Jon Jay is one of the smartest people, period. He is also a beast on snow and dirt. Mr. Jay should be your hero. Right now he is halfway around the world in Kazakhstan, chasing down a dream. Jon has been hungry for years, longing to explore and to push the limits of his world. When he said he was going to serve abroad in Kazakhstan and bag first ascents/descents in mountains halfway around the world, few doubted him. He moved less than two weeks ago to teach English at a university and to explore the Altai mountains…
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Пик Кумбель (Kumbel Peak) – Summertime
To see and hear such amazing energy generated from hiking and seeing mountains, from people who hardly knew such things before that exact moment, was a simple reminder about why I am here and who I am. While I love traveling and I am really starting to enjoy teaching, I realized four years ago while hitchhiking across Norway that when I am in the mountains, I am completely at home.
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Toes of the Tien Shan
We made out way back down slowly, mindful of the slick trail and non-hiking footwear of my coworkers, and found the bus stop. It was a terrific weekend on the Toes of the Tien Shan Mountains, and I have a feeling I will continue to spend a significant amount of time there this year.
