Lagodekhi National Park is in Eastern Georgia on the border of Russia and Azerbaijan. Georgia’s trekking season is the second half of May to the first half of October. However, some of the highest peaks are impassable until halfway through June. Popular trails in the North of Georgia like the Svaneti seemed risky to try at the start of June which was when I would be there. Slightly lower in latitude, Lagodekhi seemed like a safer choice. I had read about an arduous trail to Black Rock lake, but also that there were smaller and easier trails one could undertake. As the only nature preserve in Georgia, it has many forested areas and a full time staff of park rangers.
Getting There
I took a marshrutka from Tbilisi to Lagodekhi. The marshrutka cost 7 Lari and the pick-up location is outside of the Lsani metro station. It took three hours to get to Lagodekhi. Once in Lagodekhi it is possible to walk two kilometers to the National Park or take a taxi for 2 Lari. Once at the park, I went to the visitors center to get information from the park rangers. There is a 2 Lari entrance fee and it costs 5 Lari a night if you sleep in your own tent and 20 Lari a night to rent a bed in a tourist shelter.
Waterfall Day Trek
When I told the park rangers that I had 4 days to spend there, they suggested that I hike to Black Rock Lake. It was 2:00 PM and the first day is an 8 hour hike up the mountain to the tourist shelter. They suggest I do that tomorrow and go on a 4 hour hike to the waterfall that afternoon. There were two other female trekkers that showed up at that time and we all decided to hike together. A ranger needed to observe the trail and decided to be our guide (for free). He did not speak English but luckily a Korean trekker that knew Russian was able to bridge the gap. The trail to the waterfall had a dangerous river crossing where we had to balance on a thin log. Our guide was kind and stood on the log with amazing balance and walked each one of us to the other side. Once at the waterfall he slowly walked each of us over slippery rocks to the base of it. This man was so kind and wanted nothing in return for his generosity. As a female solo traveler I usually get suspicious of a kind man but this guy truly was one of the good ones!
I camped in the camping area near the visitor’s center. I was nearly asleep when a park ranger appeared and told me a big storm was coming. They helped me take down my tent and let me sleep in the lobby of the visitor center. Once again I was blown away by the kindness.
Black Rock Lake Trek-Day 1
The next morning I started the 11 KM uphill hike to the tourist shelter. I managed the hike in six and a half hours but was completely exhausted once I reached the shelter. The hike starts out calm for 45 minutes as it reaches the base of the mountain. There was one river crossing where I had to balance on a log but it was much thicker than the one on the previous day. Upon reaching the trail marker saying 8 hours to the top, it’s uphill from there.
At first, the trial goes through a beautiful mossy forest. After 5 hours of uphill I reached the tree line and was in the sun. There were wild flowers all around me and an incredible view of the other mountain peaks. At this point I had three kilometers left and it was a mixture of short ascents and descents.
A Scary Situation
Finally I reached the tourist shelter and was greeted by many park rangers in green, gearing up their horses. I was the first hiker to make it to the shelter and all of the hikers from the day before had already left. That left just me and about ten men. As I set up my tent one guy ran over to help me get my stakes in the ground. None of the men spoke English but we managed to communicate the basic points. A few of the men came to my tent and gave me bags full of tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese. I was so grateful and once again blown away by the kindness.
All but one man left. He saw my searching for the spring to fill my water and offered to show it to me. Once we were alone he mimed that he was taking his horse to the mountain. He asked if I was one (which I guessed meant traveling alone). I said yes and then he brushed my cheek. I told him no and stepped back. He tried it again and had a look of lust in his eyes. I said no harshly and glared at him. I walked back to my tent and he left on his horse but I was rather anxious until other trekkers arrived at the hut. Had I been there alone all night what would stop him from coming back?
I had read before going to Georgia to be careful of men. Georgian girls are very religious and society tells them to be virgins until marriage. That means the men try to get lucky with foreign girls that they assume are easy. I read this warning, taking it with a grain of salt because you can’t let one bad fish spoil the image of a nation. After this experience I couldn’t help but wonder at the validity of it. However, this was the only sketchy experience I had in Georgia so perhaps we can assume he was the one bad fish.
Black Rock Lake Trek-Day 2
The next morning I woke up at 6 AM to start my trek to Black Rock Lake. To make the hike easier I was leaving most of my belongings at the tourist shelter. That meant I had to go 12.5 kilometers to the lake and then the same distance back. It was going to be a long day!
Luckily the night before I had met two boys that had just returned from the lake. They were the first trekkers to make it to the lake recently and possibly that entire season. The trekkers from the previous days got rained out and eventually had to descend as they ran out of food. The boys told me that the peak was full of snow and I would definitely get wet. They gave me advice to go left at the first field of snow, then at the second snowy valley go right. That would keep me dry longer but I’d eventually have to walk through the snow. Without their advice I would have never made it to the lake.
I’m very surprised the park rangers were recommending this trail. There was so much snow on the mountain peaks that it was impossible to see the trail markers. After I had crossed a few valleys knee-deep in snow, I really started to wonder if I was on the right track.
I over shot the traill and nearly missed the passport check. A man ended up screaming passport to me from atop a different mountain. I backtracked and ended up at a large metal framed tent where four Georgian men manned the border. Despite us not being able to speak the same language, they were very kind. They gave me dry socks and put mine by the fire. They made coffee and gave me a Snickers. The other trekkers I talked to did not receive this kindness. Georgians were usually pretty shocked to see a girl trekking alone so I assume they took pity on me.
When I continued on from the passport check I was at a trail marker which I hadn’t seen for hours beforehand. From there the path to Black Rock Lake was rather easy. There was a steep snow covered hill I had to descend. I had to dig my heels deep into it in order to not slide down. There were many natural springs I could get water out of. I followed the lead of everybody else and drank the water as it was. I did have some stomach problems afterwards but nothing too serious, though a water filter wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Lost in the Mountains
I had a hat, gloves and a sweater as I climbed across these snowy peaks. I reached the lake and walked to the far end of it. I opened google maps and it said I was technically in Russia. Not taking long to enjoy the scenery, I quickly started my return because I was so cold. Going up the steep snowy hill from before was very frightening. I made it to the passport control but then got confused because I had taken a different way to get there when I over shot the trail. I tried to follow the trail but it was soon completely covered in snow. With no clue where to go, I guessed but was incorrect and ended up at a mountain cliff. I backtracked but kept falling into the deep snow. Scared and lost I had a humbling moment where I realizing I was at the mercy of Mother Nature.
Side note: charging my phone at the tourist shelter had somehow damaged it. It could now not hold any charge. Once I realized my fully charged phone was draining within half an hour, I kept it turned off. A traveler without this issue could use Mapsme which tracks where you have been and retracing your steps would be much easy. I, however, was unable to do this. Not to mention that I couldn’t find my actual footprints because the sun had melted them.
Finally I spotted some stacked rocks which I remembered seeing before the thick snow area started. I reached them and was finally on the trail. From here a I still had 4 hours of downhill but my shoes and socks were soaked from snow. Eventually I made it to the tourist shelter and was morally defeated. The boys that reached the lake the day before told me they did the entire hike in 11 and a half hours. With my getting lost I did it in 13 hours. That night I slept like a baby.
The next morning it was raining and the other trekkers and I all came inside to wait it out. We played cards and got to know each other. Eventually the rain let up and I started to descend the mountain. Soon it was raining again and I had to quickly throw on my poncho. The trek down took about 4 hours.
Exhausted after my battle with nature I was excited to check into a guest house, dry my clothes and drink some wine. The park ranger recommended a guesthouse that was three houses outside the park entrance on the left. It looked like a normal house but I knocked on the door and a lady offered me a bed. By that evening some other people I met on the trail were also staying at her house. In fact, I found out that the black dog that was at the tourist shelter was her dog. He often follows the tourists into the park and goes on treks with them. This kind woman gave me lunch, let me do laundry, and gave me some wine all for the price of the room which was 10 Lari.
Trek Advice
You will have to bring all of your own food for hikes at Lagodekhi. Water is available but you’ll want to carry at least 1.5 liters for the time in between springs. Bringing a tent and a sleeping bag is optional. You can stay at the tourist shelter and rent a sleeping bag. Bring warm clothes if you plan to go to Black Rock Lake. I’d recommend going later than the first week of June because it seemed rather dangerous to try and cross snowy peaks with no visible markers. Overall I had the challenge I was looking for and in retrospect I like it more and more.
Chronicles of a Wandering Soul 