Pipe dreams

A scenic hike just outside Almaty.

Almaty is a big city, famed for its traffic jams, but it’s actually very easy to get out of. We took a normal local bus up the hills where mansions have replaced orchards and, within minutes, got off at the end of the line and were out of the city and in the fresh mountain air.

We began walking up the road, past the novelty yurts and continued our quiet ascent surrounded by long wild grass, large green mountains, and glorious sunshine. We were in search of a large water pipe which we hoped to hike up beside all the way to Big Almaty Lake. The pipeline takes a more direct route than the zig-zag road, so is a good way to make it to the lake by lunch time.

Steep water pipe

We passed a remote building site which seemed to be a hydropower plant under construction, and finally came across a very large pipe at an angle which initially seemed too steep to climb. It was a good workout hiking up the pipe, and it was great to be outdoors in fresh air and doing exercise.

Concrete monolith

Snow began to appear in the shadows and within a few hours there was snow almost everywhere and the trees had slowly become entirely evergreen. It was that perfect time of year where there was bright, crisp snow, yet it was warm enough to wear just a t-shirt while hiking.

We passed a concrete monolith that was some kind of lookout tower and which I thought was very Goldeneye (I think I was pre-disposed to compare everything on the outskirts of Almaty to something in Goldeneye; the dam and the concrete monolith were just the low hanging fruit!). 

Big Almaty Lake

Finally, we arrived at Big Almaty Lake and had that ‘wow’ moment as we first saw it. The colour of the lake changes throughout the year; for us it was a stunning turquoise – a really surreal colour. The lake is named after the Big Almaty River which feeds it, but the lake itself is not that big. 

		Another one for my mum

It was a glorious Saturday afternoon so I expected this to be a popular activity but we were basically alone the whole time. We found a big old pine tree; I hugged the tree and was convinced that it wanted us to sit beneath it and have a picnic; the others gave me a funny look. The sun shone brightly through the thin air and reflected off the shimmering lake and the white mountains; there was a warm, fresh breeze and welcome silence. We enjoyed a very picturesque picnic and those who were so disposed had a doze with natural pillows.