Mt Babadag

Mt Babadag is a 12,000ft mountain in the watershed ranges of Greater Caucasus in Azerbaijan’s northeast region. It is of significant religious importance with pilgrimages going to the summit every year to visit hermits that live there for three months in the summer (surviving only on food and water brought to them by the pilgrims). The mountain can only be reached by a six hour off road drive up into the mountains, the latter part of which is a long haul up a river bed.  It is so remote, that on a previous recce visit, the charity's team had stones thrown at them as they made an alpine start, with the locals mistaking their head-torches as the wild glowing eyes of aliens! 

Images from the journey to Babadag
(taken on a subsequent summer visit)

We hired three 4x4s: two for us and one for the charity team. Our two drivers were responsible for the vehicles and for getting us there and back: neither had ever driven outside the UK let alone off road!! However, we’d prepared by getting off-road driving tuition, sponsored by Vauxhall. Also, our charity support team were experienced in these matters (despite the fact that they’d nearly got themselves stranded on the wrong side of the river following a flash flood, as well as acquiring chronic food poisoning on the same recce visit as above!  Served them right for, in their own inimitable macho style, eating cheese that had been stored for months inside a dead sheep's stomach - 'the best cheese in Azerbaijan', they were reliably informed - yuch).

The weather was a big worry for us as we were going so late in the season. And rightly so. We got caught in the first snows of the winter. And boy did it snow! When we could go no further, just past the last town in hills before Babadag, Lahij, the team was faced a choice.  Either make an 18km hike with all our equipment (food, water, tents, medical and VHF radio equipment) up the river bed, or turn around to take Mt Jahartz, a 6,000 ft mountain we knew we could get to. By a majority vote, we turned back.

The walk up Jahartz starts in Lahij, a fascinating and ancient town that we spent a little time in on this trip, but a lot more on a later trip.  It is very high in the mountains and often completely cut off during the winter.  It is populated by a few hundred mountain people who make their living from herding goats and intricate metal work.  Here are some images from the later trip ...

Click here to read the tragic story of when the Russians came to Lahij, the last time they took over Azerbaijan (they've done it at least twice), and burnt all the books in the town.  Told through the eyes of a child, who did not understand why, it is touching, and it made me think of how lucky I am to have been born in the West.     

Anyways, we made it to the summit of Jahartz, guided by a local. The sight was amusing. Us in our western kit – waterproofs, fleeces, mountain boots and poles – and our guide in sports jacket and wellies!!

The whole journey took us about a week.  We camped out every night and took with us all the food, water, fuel and other provisions that we needed for the trip.  The vehicles were well packed!!  The scenery was stunning, especially the last camp as we came down below the snow level.