With just a week remaining in Tajikistan, I took a trip to the high country. I'd waited this long to take advantage of the Spring weather, in hopes that the winter snowpack would melt away so I could reach one of the many Pamir glaciers above 4500m elevation. To minimize transport costs and maximize hiking time, I decided to hike up Bijondara valley above the village of Rivak.
I rented some backpacking gear in Khorog and asked my steady driver, Yusuf, to take me ~5 km up the valley. From there I started an all-day walk up an old Soviet mining road that eventually turned into a herding trail. Classic Pamir landscape: a U-shaped glacial valley with tribuatary valleys incised into 5000m peaks that disappeared into storm clouds. For 20 km I followed the main creek as it stairstepped from one terminal moraine to another, finally reaching a particularly large moraine that dammed the creek to create Rivak Lake (Rivakkul). An impending snowstorm kept me from reaching my immediate destination, the upstream end of the lake, so I quickly erected the tent and crawled inside as gropple pelted the tent. Tired and chilled, I gradually relaxed via dinner and a book, feeling the quiet satisfaction of defeating the elements.
Three inches of new snow welcomed me in the morning, which caused me to evaluate options during breakfast. The trail had ended which meant stepping on slick boulders and cobbles for the next 2 km - my ankles hurt just thinking about it. But I carefully worked around the lake and a couple hours later reached the upstream end without any problems. Crossed the inlet stream (staying dry by hopping across several dozen rocks!) and headed up a hanging valley, now at 3800 m elevation and just 3 km from a glacier.
I had to choose whether to follow the creek itself or the steep hillside of the hanging valley. Both were snow-covered so I opted for the hillside, not wanting to walk on snowbridges above the flowing creek. Less dangerous but it was ultimately a bad choice, since with every step I sank knee- to hip-deep into the snow. Snowshoes were sorely needed but none had been available for rent in Khorog. The immediate solution was to crawl on hands and knees, which in retrospect must have looked pretty funny. I lasted about 400 m and then rather ungraciously accepted the fact that I couldn't crawl 3000 m to touch a glacier. So I turned around - a smart decision but most frustrating - crawled and slid back to the lake, and slowly walked across the now-dry rocks to the tent.
Another overnight snowstorm covered the rocks the next morning but this time I was headed downstream, across sand and gravel where the footing was stable. Packed up camp and had a thoroughly enjoyable final walk down the valley, checking out stone "summer houses" built by herders, minerals in the metamorphic rocks, and fields of wildflowers. Alpine meadows are my favorite terrain on earth and this hike was the crowning touch of a year in the Pamirs.
