Wild Places of Eastern Europe – Alone in the Ukrainian Mountains

Wild Places of Eastern Europe – Alone in the Ukrainian Mountains

[Music] i’d wanted to go on a long distance hike in the Ukrainian Carpathians 60 kilometers of trails three nights under bright stars chasing epic views and new places but on day three something unexpected made me turn back what happened come with me to find out [Music] [Music] heat heat [Music] m like real omelette very delicious i like it first I spread out all my gear on the table to see if I really needed everything my cat was my little helper in this tough decision making oh that’s a ton of gear for a full breakdown see my lighter puck link below now on to the most important part food over 2,000 calories per day all delicious and diverse and yes I am a Snickers fan for breakfast I have granola with nuts and sunflower seeds it’s a pretty calorie dense oat mix for lunch I prefer dried sausages that you can eat quickly right on the trail my lunch is all about those made in Ukraine freeze-dried backpacking meals hot water and 10 minutes of patience most of my calories come from sweets the mountains are my excuse to eat all the candy I want for drinks it’s tea and electrolyte tablets got to stay hydrated and my main companion the 48 L Osprey Exos backpack lightweight and reliable he’ll share with me all the hardships of my epic solo adventure [Music] [Music] [Music] that was good uh-huh wow suddenly the driver pulled over and we spotted two road deers playing in the middle by the road our presence didn’t seem to disturb them at all oh they are playing whoa let’s go good morning guys today I’m I’m not going to the cuckul reach i’m going to Costul is over there and costrich must be there in that direction um okay okay okay i took my Altras instead of um Lova Boots so it will be a little bit hard and dirty oh my god oh well let’s go the rod is definitely broken as you see but it is possible to walk through so I am uh optimistic today i also put on my new sun hoodie from AliExpress but today it’s useless because there is no sun what the I hate this road after 5 minutes of walking [Music] I made it i made it and now my shoes are wet are definitely wet and my socks are as you see I hear lumberjacks over there [Music] oh god [Music] unfortunately now it is dry there is no mud but my feet are soaked wet because uh I crossed two small rivers and uh and I also have to change the socks ah never mind it is sunny the sun must dry out my socks and my Altras the taxi driver told me some stories about bears coming out to people because they are hungry they are starving and by the way hunting is prohibited now because of uh because of the war and martial law so uh indeed there are more wild animals in the forest and also bears so I’m a little bit scary after uh these stories and that’s why I try to scare animals away from me like that [Music] found an interesting structure it looks like ancient ruins or something like that [Music] later I learned that these ruins were once a luxury mountain shelter built in 1944 [Music] scouts used to stay here it even had electricity and hot showers [Music] during World War II it was burned down now only stones remain but you can still feel its history in these walls [Music] here I decided to take a break to dry out my boots or sneakers and try to dry out my uh socks but they are extremely wet before ascending the ridge I stopped at Vnara Meadow where the ridge begins these cabins should house shepherds but no one is living here now and uh as I’d soon discover the whole ridge felt abandoned [Music] i finally climbed the ridge and the views are amazing costrich Ridge became popular among hikers for its panoramic views in both directions [Music] from here you can see Ukraine’s highest peaks the snow covered Chohora range [Music] the observatory on Mount Pipan also the highest altitude building in Ukraine [Music] mount Petros and Mount Hova the Gorgani or Ukrainian Rocky Mountains the scenic valleys below complete this breathtaking panorama [Music] that’s my first summit Mount Costricia uh 1,586 m oh that’s a place for a bonfire with amazing panoramic views if you know who is this please uh write in the comments below because I don’t know it looks like a boar pig or a little deer near the next summit I came across the first and only group of hikers on the ridge a bit of small talk and we went our separate ways [Music] and the village of Stishia 9 km over There [Music] the second summit Mount Costri it’s a little bit windy here so I uh put on my uh my uh wind stopper [Music] oh finally reached the perfect lunch spot only to discover my sausages had morphed into a biology experiment just look at this smells good [Music] but it was too early to relax a long descent to the village of Stishia still lay ahead of me [Music] there’s Mount Rotillo tomorrow I will climb it here it is rotillo is waiting for me oh it’s a bull it’s a bull oh no I heard a strange sound like someone was screaming a man or a dog something between [Music] and then I saw a huge bull a huge bull coming towards me i was scared i was really scared and I thought it will attack me but uh it was peaceful fortunately it’s not aggressive i hope so [Music] i finally went down to the village and I can’t wait to reach my destination my uh accommodation to go to bed i want to sleep i want I want to just lie in my bed and chill that’s all what I want [Music] i’m hungry this night my tent looks like this [Music] morning day two and I’m lucky with the weather it’s sunny no rain no thunder perfect perfect sunny weather [Music] it’s 9:00 a.m and it’s already hot very hot [Music] [Music] the next part of my destination is the village of Wulova from there I will climb Mount Rotillo [Music] next my route followed the road along the river for about 6 kilometers from time to time I passed the houses of local residents who greeted me and exchanged a few words the village of Volovva lies in a small mountain valley as if hiding from the growing tourism in the region here there are no crowds of tourists luxury hotels bars or restaurants i crossed the river and now I’m going to climb Mount Rotik who’s [Music] guys i I just saw two little deers right there and then they run away over there no there are no deers there are a bunch of dogs [Music] [Laughter] [Music] i like this place this is one of the most beautiful mountain middleles in the Ukrainian Carpathians [Music] midway along the route a faint pain whispered in my left knee not a big deal I thought probably just my imagination but I was totally wrong oh got some bad news got some bad news my knee started to hard and I don’t know what to do maybe it is better to pitch a tent near Rotillo and wait until tomorrow but really I want to reach my destination Mount Horde after Rotillo so now now I’m going to Rotillo and after that I will turn and go to Mount Horde this is over there about 7 kilometers wow this is Rotillo my knee hurts a lot especially when I go down or go up so now I took a break and I will try an ointment with Ibuprofen maybe it maybe it will help me soon like in in an hour or 30 minutes and after that I will uh make a decision now I will try to climb to the top of the mountain without my backpack i left it here this is the summit it’s uh like uh 5 minutes uh from my future camp [Music] here it is the summit of Mount Rotillo what a wonderful view i made a decision i will spend the night near Mount Rotillo so this is Rotillo the king of Pakutskco Bukovinian Carpathians at 1,500 m tall full 360 panorama showing Costrich Ridge where I hiked yesterday chernoor snowcovered peaks Romanian mountains and those wild gorgani peaks across the Cheros River another unique feature of this mountain is that it’s covered in massive rocks called Gregoti a local name for these ancient rock formations [Music] mount Rotillo took my tripod it fell down between those huge stones and now it’s impossible to get it so press F it was a good tripod but now I will uh buy a better one unfortunately now I won’t be able to film myself doing something like pitching the tent or cooking i have pitched the tent here it is in such a beautiful place it’s a perfect sea spot to see the sunset omeolet with vegetables 100% sublimate that’s how it how it looks like when it’s dry m like real omelette m very delicious i like it there are a lot of bugs they are everywhere they suck my blood ow ow something it bite me ow [Music] [Music] [Music] let’s make a little unboxing what’s in my 10 lit dry sack first warm polar tech socks for uh sleeping then uh just socks but thin thin socks also for sleeping then my blue down jacket here it is and next Marino base layer trousers and and also Marino long sleeve and the most interesting thing my sleeping bag oh it weighs about 395 g one of the lightest sleeping bags and this night is going to be warm so maybe it’s perfect now I’m going to watch Minecraft movie first time in my life yeah I uh waited for that moment because I didn’t want to watch it at home or in cinema and now I will watch it here in a wilderness and I want to scream chicken and jockey at that moment alone when nobody will hear me nobody but uh wolves bears and that guy who uh pou I will translate i don’t know how to say in English past have a good night good morning guys i haven’t slept normally and my knee is still hurt that’s kind of bad news so maybe I will go down to the village village of Wava and take a taxi to Vora and by the way a thunderstorm is coming and maybe I have to I have to do it right now i’ve packed my gear like in 30 minutes i’ve never done it so fast as usual leave no trace and I like this place i like it so much mount Meido Rotulo near Mount Rotillo it’s a beautiful spot for camping protected from wind from other sides so the first thing I’m going to do when I return to KE I will visit a doctor a traumatologist who will fix my knee the mountains don’t judge they don’t care about your pride your plans or how many miles you swore you would conquer they only demand one thing honesty honesty with yourself when pain becomes your constant companion when every step feels like a negotiation that’s when the real test begins not the kind measured in altitude or distance but in clarity will you listen or will you gamble with the one body that has to carry you home turning back isn’t defeat it’s the quiet courage of choosing tomorrow over today because the trail will still be there next year next season but only if you are the wilderness doesn’t compromise it doesn’t reward stubbornness out here the rules are absolute ignore them and you become just another cautionary tale respect them and you earn the right to return so you walk away not because you are weak but because you are wise because the true measure of a hiker isn’t how far they go it’s how well they understand the cost of going farther the mountains don’t change but you do and sometimes that’s the only victory that matters fortunately now I’m in Va in my accommodation that uh I booked like 20 minutes ago in a taxi and now I’m going to get some beer and rest [Music] when you are young you think you’re invincible until your body reminds you it’s literally carrying the weight of your ambitions every step becomes a negotiation is this just discomfort or the start of real damage anyway I need to rest a little and then start treatment [Music] [Music] i’m only 21 but I already feel like that Skyrim guard who says “I used to be an adventurer like you then I took an arrow in the knee

I’d wanted to go on a long-distance hike in the Ukrainian Carpathians. 60 kilometers of trails, three nights under bright stars, chasing epic views and new places. But on day three, something unexpected made me turn back. Still, every moment filled my heart with joy. What happened? Come with me to find out!

My Gear – https://lighterpack.com/r/wurnax
My Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/oleg_vladimyrovich/
Harchi Food – https://www.instagram.com/harchifood/

00:00 Intro
01:04 Packing Gear and Food
03:06 DAY 1: Kostrych Ridge
08:21 Panorama of the Highest peaks
13:48 Bull Encounter
15:48 DAY 2: Mount Rotylo
19:43 Bad News
25:50 DAY 3: I had to go back
29:29 I’m in the Hospital

Thank you for watching!