Lake White Mountain Sinyukha in Altai. Mountain sinyukha in the Altai region
Report by Anna Yarusheva.
Pupils of the children's association “Your Peak”, whose leader is Olga Mikhailovna Yarusheva, took many photographs of the surroundings of the mountain during the ascent to Mount Sinyukha in May 2012. This excursion is the result of one of the stages of the long-term project “Peaks Altai region" Yarusheva Anna became a laureate of the regional tour guide competition in Barnaul in April 2013.
Mount Sinyukha 1379 m high, located in the spurs of the Cherginsky ridge, is one of the most beautiful places in the Altai region. This favorite place to visit by many travel lovers. But there is very little material about our mountain Sinyukha in the press, and on the Internet. I would like to know more about most beautiful places native Altai region and tell everyone about it!
Well, that's all, our trip is over,
The backpack is disassembled, the tent is drying.
Everything seems fine, but only here
Sadness sneaked into my heart.Let someone twist their finger at their temple
And invites us to settle down,
But we won’t be able to live boringly until
Us White snow I dream about peaks at night.And the hand reaches out to the map again,
And our heart strives upward again,
And we know for sure - to our backpacks
Not destined to gather dust in attics.
This excerpt from a poem by Sergei Legkodymov fully corresponds to the spirit of the children's tourist association “Your Top”.
My excursion is the result of one of the stages of the long-term project “Peaks of the Altai Region”, which our children’s association is working on. The main goal of this project is: climbing, observing and collecting information about the most high peaks Altai region, dissemination of the collected knowledge to a wide range of the public.
Sinyukha... What haven’t I found with this name! Sinyuha (photo 1) is a genus of plants of the cyanosis family (lat. Polemonium). There is a disease, popularly called cyanosis - cyanosis in medicine, caused by the bluish color of the skin due to the high content of reduced hemoglobin in the blood. And I want to talk about magnificent mountain, whose name is Sinyukha.
Photo 1. Plants of the cyanaceae family.
There are many Sinyukh Mountains. I found three mountains bearing this name in the Altai Republic: in the Maiminsky, Turochaksky and Shebolinsky regions.
There are several mountains of the same name in the Altai Territory: in the Kytmanovsky district there is one of the peaks of the Salair Ridge. The very famous Sinyukha of the Kurinsky district of the Kolyvan ridge. And, of course, in the Altai region of the Cherginsky ridge. By the way, our Sinyukha (photo 2) is the second tallest of all those listed, after Shebalinskaya.
Photo 2. Mount Sinyukha of the Cherginsky ridge. The mountain got its name not by chance. Our group of the tourist association “Your Top” was convinced of this back in the village of Nikolskoye, where we arrived by bus from the village of Altaiskoye to make an exciting three-day trip in a group of 15 people under the leadership of Yarusheva O.M. to the top of the mountain. (photo 3) 
Photo 3. Children's association “Your Top”.
From a distance, the coniferous forest covering the slopes of the mountain really appears blue. (Photo 4)
Photo 4. Coniferous forest covering the slopes of Mount Sinyukha. If you, as a tourist, have the opportunity to climb, you will see with your own eyes all the beauty and splendor of this natural region.
There is no such person who would remain indifferent to the riot of colors of primrose flowers: glades of Red Book kandyks, checkerboard hazel grouse (photo 6), violets different types delight and remain in memory forever. A little later, the slopes of the mountains will light up with the bright flame of the Asian swimsuit (photo 7), and above the shady hollows will turn pink with an elegant marina root (photo 8).
Photo 6. Checkerboard hazel grouse. 
Photo 7. Flowers of the Asian swimsuit 
Photo 8. Maryin root flowers The path leading to the temple, where Mount Sinyukha reigns, is surrounded by a coniferous forest. Spruce and fir trees stretch out their prickly paws towards travelers (photo 9). There are also larches, and at the top there are still quite young but strong cedars (their correct name is “Siberian pine”). All these trees are “gray” from large quantity fruticose lichens (photo 10). Lichens grow only in areas where the air is perfectly clean. They are rightfully considered biological barometers of clean air. By the number of representatives of the lichen kingdom one can judge the weightless transparency and purity of the air of these fabulous places.
Photo 9. Spruce and fir stretch out their prickly paws 
Photo 10. Fruticose lichens All the decoration of Sinyukha Mountain is like in Baba Yaga’s fairy tale. It seems that behind the next huge rocky outcrop, her famous hut on chicken legs will appear before the eyes of travelers and turn its back to the forest, and its front to us. And the closer you get to the top, the stronger this feeling, because rounded dome-shaped rock outcrops made of granite, diorite and shales are becoming more and more common (photo 11). Most often, the rocks resemble huge layered pieces of cake or pancakes stacked in a neat stack. This is the result of the activity of water and wind. It took them many centuries, starting from the Devonian period, to create such unusual compositions (photo 12).
Photo 11. Rocky outcroppings on the slopes of Mount Sinyukha. 
Photo 12. Unusual compositions of rocks on Mount Sinyukha. From conversations with local residents and from the signs of life activity we saw, we learned that animal world in the area of Mount Sinyuhi is very diverse, because The places here are quiet, clean, uncrowded. Deer and musk deer, wild boars, moose, badgers (photo 13), hares and wood grouse feel great here. Of course, there are also predators: foxes and wolves. Wolves are quite active in their management. On the way we came across the gnawed remains of a rather large animal. It was assumed that it was a calf. In the evening they burned a fire for a long time, sang songs loudly, trying to scare away uninvited guests. At night there was a blizzard, snow fell, and through the blizzard, the howling of wolves was heard - an eerie impression. Upon returning to the village, local residents told us that that night wolves dragged two sheep from the village, which were never found. And the third was so badly beaten that the owners had to kill her.
Photo 13. Badger hole This has long been Dreamland attracted people with her energy. Locals They willingly tell what they know themselves, what they heard from the older generation. Cherenev Prokopiy Egorovich, an old resident of the village born in 1927, told us the following story:
“The monk Ivan lived in those places. The place where he lived is still named after him - Ivan the Stone. He settled there in the 20s of the last century. He built himself a hut. Rumor has it that he was a Kolchak member. All our women ran to him to pray every weekend. They took food supplies with them. I don’t remember how long he lived there. Then the village men burned his hut, and no one saw Ivan again.”
No one knows for sure about the reasons that prompted the villagers to burn the hut. We can only guess and figure this out for ourselves. strange story. There is now a legend going around from generation to generation, which was told to us by a native of the village. Nikolskoye Olga Chereneva:
“Kolchak’s gold is buried in that place. Many hunters have been looking for him, but no one can find him. Not every seeker will find a place; gold will not fall into the hands of the first person he meets. But there is, according to legend, a person to whom that place will be revealed and the gold will go to him on its own. Only this chosen one has not yet been found.
And the spirit of the monk walks through the forests, guards the peace of the mountain, maintains order, and protects animals. None of the locals hunt in the vicinity of the peak, for fear of angering Ivan’s spirit. The women were very worried about the disappearance of the monk. Under the Palkin cliff they poured out their grief. Since then, a clear, clean spring has been flowing in that place.”
We didn’t find it ourselves, but the residents said that they were looking under the wrong rock.
There is also a legend about our beautiful Sinyukha, you can read it yourself in the collection “Legends and Myths of Altai - 3” by our local historian Vladimir Mikhailovich Afanasyev.
In the process of collecting materials, we found out that Wikipedia does not have an article about our Sinyukha. The next stage of the long-term project will be to systematize the collected material to write an article for Wikipedia.
On this topic
- Khan Babyrgan is calling! Hike in spring 2014 On a visit to the rocky masses of the majestic Babyrgan, the hero of many legends Gorny Altai
- Altai legends about Mount Babyrgan The peak is located on the border of the mountain and steppe zones of Altai, which has given rise to many myths
- Altai Sinegorye A short photo report about the hike to the unnamed pointed peak of Altai
The mysterious Mount Sinyukha will reach a height of 1210 meters with its rocky slopes covered with dense forests.
This highest mountain point of the ridge is under state protection in the Tigireksky reserve and its name - Mount Sinyukha - is fully justified by the blue-tinged slopes on which dense fir forests grow. The top of the mountain is completely “bare” - here, due to the rocky soil, the seedlings cannot strengthen their roots to the ground, but, despite its gloomy appearance, the peak provides the traveler with the opportunity to enjoy a fantastically beautiful view of the snow-covered peaks of the majestic Altai Mountains, to see the hidden the blue haze of Protocol Lake and the endless Kulunda steppe stretching in the west.
Attractions
Mount Sinyukha among amateurs natural beauty Our planet is famous for the ornateness of its relief forms, which for centuries have been created in these places by strong winds and water. In the southern and eastern direction, low spurs diverge from the mountain massif, cut by the mountain rivers Kamenka, Belaya, Podsinyushka and Loktevka, and it is here that bizarre stone arches grow, columns created by nature rise, fantastic creatures freeze in their rock cover.
Scientists, especially botanists, are attracted by the rich flora and fauna, as well as the climatic features of Mount Sinyukha. Here grow relict plants that have been preserved since ancient times, such as maral root, Pallas's mertensia, pink radiola, and Krylov's forget-me-not. Eighteen species of plants growing on the slopes of Mount Sinyukha are listed in the Red Book. There are corners of the mountain that botanists from all over the world consider to be a great secret. natural world our planet, unexpected discoveries that are exciting for scientists are still being made here.
Travelers will be delighted by the sight of yellow poppies, showered with white juniper flowers, over which in the summer many brightly colored butterflies flutter and the air rings with the melodious buzzing of beetles.
The bizarre relief of Sinyukha surprises with its natural formation: tightly fitting stones cover the top and high powerful walls in two semicircles, as if they created a temple, next to which there is a granite hemisphere in which water accumulates. This miraculous bowl of regular round shape has a diameter of about one meter and a depth of about 50 centimeters. Since ancient pagan times, the water in the bowl has been considered healing, capable of healing any wounds and healing from any disease. If the water is completely scooped out of the bowl, then after a little time it will be filled again with the purest water.
Ancient pagans, and in subsequent times Christians, chose Mount Sinyukha as their place of worship. An Orthodox women's monastery was built under the mountain, in which nuns lived until 1930 - that year the monastery was destroyed.
At a time when the atheistic worldview was actively promoted in Russia, the Orthodox communities of Kazakhstan and Altai gathered on the top of the mountain, this tradition did not lose its relevance in these days: after Trinity, believers, together with the clergy, climb Sinyukha and set up a tent camp there. Orthodox believe that if you wash your face with prayer and drink water, which is considered holy, from a granite bowl, and also bow to the cross on top, then the year will pass without illness or sorrow.
Not far from the top there is a spring, pure water who was also declared a saint. Next to the source there is an icon and signs with prayers.
Climbing Mount Sinyukha
The climb to Sinyukha is not difficult, but the ascent is made difficult by the constant change of weather - the heat can quickly disappear under gusts of fierce cold winds and strong thunderstorms. The ascent is carried out in two routes:
- Along the northwestern slope, through the Kolyvanstroy tract, not far from Lake Mokhovoy. Open on the route beautiful views, you can see a granite quarry long abandoned and abandoned by people. This route is difficult.
- Along the north-eastern slope the route leads along a forest path from Lake Belye, where anyone can catch crucian carp. This route is characterized by a long climb. Not far from the lake you can see a group of mounds dating back to the 1st century BC, the settlement "Podsinyushka" - archaeological site III-II centuries BC.
Special equipment and professional skills are not required to climb the mountain. The ascent can take travelers the whole day.
Where to stay
Tourists near Mount Sinyukha are hospitably greeted by the comfortable tourist centers “Kolyvan-tour” and “Bogomolov”, you can have a good rest at the “Zagis” camping site, and the professional medical staff offers to improve your health at the “Skala” dispensary.
How to get to Mount Sinyukha
Mount Sinyukha is located in the Kurinsky district, two kilometers from the settlement of March 8, and from this settlement A dirt road leads to the foot, past lakes Mokhovoye and Beloe. You can drive along this road with any vehicle in dry weather.
Any Mountain peak Altai has unique story. Each one is surrounded by extraordinary beauty, looks powerful and mysterious. Mount Sinyukha has long attracted attention, especially from adventure seekers. If you visit it at least once, you will want to plunge into the local beauty again and will probably feel it like.
sacred place
Mount Sinyukha, Altai Territory
The mountain is the highest point of the Kolyvansky ridge. Locals simply call it Sinyukha. If you look at it from afar, it gives off a slight blue color. That is why it received such a name.
Not far from it there is a stone cutting production. The fact is that back in the 18th century, rocks that were highly valued were mined here. I would like to hope that the mountainous hills will not lose their attractiveness due to the abundant work of the plant.
The height of the mountain is 1210 meters. It is located in the southernmost part of Altai. This explains its amazingly diverse world of vegetation. Here you can find plants that cannot be seen anywhere else.
Land of pilgrims
If you pay attention to the photo of Mount Sinyukha, you will be amazed by its beauty. However, she is famous not only for this. This is a place of pilgrimage for thousands of Orthodox Christians. Some believe that Mount Sinyukha is a temple located far from civilization. Here you can easily plunge into deep thoughts and think about the meaning of life.
About twenty years ago, the top of the mountain was changed - a cross was installed on it. Very close by is a kind of natural bowl. It’s not for nothing that the mountain is called sacred. The fact is that the water in the bowl has powerful energy. It is always fresh, clean and tasty.
The rocks that crown the peak have bizarre shapes. From a distance it may seem that they are made in the form of walls and columns. Therefore, people close to hoaxes and religions tell legends about deities who once lived in this area.
Every year, pilgrims head here immediately after the end of Trinity. Anyone can climb the mountain to cleanse the soul and drink water from a source that is considered holy. Many are sure that this will help get rid of diseases and be healthy throughout the coming year.
If you want to climb the mountain, you will have a lot of fun. Three centuries ago, pioneers began to describe the slopes. If earlier the routes were quite difficult, now they are noticeably simplified and accessible to many.
First you should get to the village of Kolyvan, or the village of Eighth March. Then choose one of the routes – northwestern or northeastern.
The local population is of the opinion that everything around is subordinate to the spirits of nature who live on the top of the mountain. This is probably why the mountain has a capricious disposition, as if it were a woman. It can be clear and sunny, but after a few minutes it turns cold and gloomy. Then, towards evening, it regains its radiance.
Attracts with the uniqueness of the relief and flora, rich history, for Orthodox Christians the mountain is a sacred place. Many famous travelers and ore experts have visited here; a stone-cutting plant has been operating nearby for 300 years.
Location of Mount Sinyukha, Altai Territory
Sinyukha is a mountain of the Kolyvan Range in the north-west of the Altai Mountains, located approximately 300 km from Barnaul. The height of Mount Sinyukha is 1210 km above sea level, this highest point ridge. From a distance, the peak appears blue thanks to the fir forests covering its slopes - hence the name of the mountain.
Sinyukha is located in the Kurinsky district, 8 km from the village of Kolyvan and 2 km from the village of 8 March. Nearby is the Loktevka river and the natural monument Moss Lake. The reservoir is very small - approximately 22 by 33 m, on the map Altai Territory it is not visible near Mount Sinyukha. There is an opinion that by swimming in the lake, you can wash away accumulated sins, and those who like easy solutions are willing to try this belief.
There are plenty of tourists here sunny days, great fishing, fresh air with the aromas of medicinal herbs and an introduction to the history of the region. Near Mount Sinyukha there are the camp sites “Kolyvan-tour” and “Bogomolov”, the campsite “Zagis”; You can improve your health at the Skala dispensary.
However tourism infrastructure places are still lagging behind their popularity. But for the savages who prefer tent camps, the surroundings of Sinyukha are a real paradise. Many fans flock to Mount Sinyukha every year - they call the holiday in tents here magnificent.
How to get to Mount Sinyukha? From Kolyvan - on foot or by a good cross-country vehicle. It’s safer to walk - the road is abandoned, in bad weather weather conditions becomes dangerous.
From Lake Beloye, a popular natural monument among tourists, it is 5 km to the east to Kolyvan. The road is not bad, the path from Bely to Sinyukha is 11 km. Part of the path will have to be walked; the only path to the mountain passes by Lake Mokhovoye.
Climbing Mount Sinyukha
The ascent does not seem difficult - the climb is quite gentle, but it fully opens up picturesque panoramas of the surrounding area. The endless Kulunda steppe appears to travelers on one side, and the snow-capped peaks of the Tigiretsky ridge on the other. The top of the mountain is bare rock and is only accessible to rock climbers. The northern and southern sides of the mountain are steep, tourist routes laid along the northwestern and northeastern slopes.
First, more interesting route, passes through the Kolyvanstroy tract, where in the 18th century the industrialist Demidov built a copper smelter, and subsequently tungsten-molybdenum raw materials were mined. Travelers also encounter an abandoned granite quarry, where wonderful views of the mountains open up.
The starting point of the second route is Lake Beloye. The path also follows a forest path, but is longer. Near the lake there is a group of ancient mounds and an archaeological monument - the village of Podsinyushka. In our era, there was an Orthodox convent there, and now a worship cross has been erected in its place. Halfway to the top there is a Holy Spring, especially revered by believers.
Tourists who made the climb describe their experiences as follows:
- “The beauty that you see when you get to the top is indescribable! It’s breathtaking from these rocky ledges, as if someone had intricately laid them on the top of the mountain”;
- “The view from above is just super!”
Sinyukha is a sacred place
In the upper part of the mountain and on Lake Mokhovoye, gray granite outcrops, formed over thousands of years, acquired unique shapes. At the top, the rocks form columns and arches - giant stones are flawlessly fitted by nature. The powerful masonry forms a semblance of fortress walls, covering the top of the mountain in semicircles, as if nature itself had built a universal temple here.
A huge natural recess in granite, located near the top, is a real miracle of nature! The large hemisphere in which water accumulates has a diameter of about a meter and a depth of about half a meter. Water is considered healing, capable of healing any wounds. The miraculous cup is tirelessly photographed by amazed tourists; successful photographs complement the set of photographs of Mount Sinyukha in the Altai Territory.
The mountain was worshiped by both ancient pagans and Orthodox Christians - it is no coincidence that a monastery was built at the foot of the peak, which existed until the 30s of the last century. Orthodox communities of Kazakhstan and Altai previously gathered on the top of Sinyukha, which served as their temple. The pilgrimage continues today: after Trinity, the traditional ascent of believers and clergy to the Holy Mountain takes place.
Pilgrims perform prayers, drink the water of the Holy Spring, wash their faces in a miraculous bowl and worship the cross on the top of Sinyukha, erected in 1997. This is how people cleanse their souls, find peace and tranquility.
Natural resources of Sinyukha
The vegetation of the mountain is very diverse - 541 species of trees, shrubs and grasses are found here. The slopes of Sinyukha are covered with black taiga, which is quite rare in our time - fir-aspen forests with pine and birch trees. Viburnum and rowan, bird cherry and spirea are often found. There are no larch or cedar here.
There are also relict plants on Sinyukha - maral root, Krylov's forget-me-not, Mertensia Palassa, Rhodiola rosea and others. 18 plant species are listed in the Red Books of the Altai Territory and Russia.
The inhabitants of the forest zones of the mountain include a wide variety of birds and mammals - lynxes and wolves, red foxes and ferrets, gophers and many other animals can be found here. Pleases with the beauty and abundance of butterflies.
Wonderful nature also suffers from humans here - thousands of tourists pull out the rarest plants and flowers, and the golden and maral roots are being destroyed especially quickly. Since 2009, it is planned to create the “Gornaya Kolyvan” park with the aim of preserving rare nature.
Attractions in the vicinity of Sinyukha
The tourist attractiveness of Sinyukha is also explained by the attractions near the mountain. Having visited Sinyukha, tourists usually do not deprive them of attention.
Kolyvan Lake
From a considerable height, the lake looks very much like a Bactrian camel with a large head. The reservoir is surrounded by rocks, sharpened by the winds, among them - the likeness of animals, rocks, castles. The rarest chilim water chestnut, shaped like the bizarre head of a devil, has been preserved here.
The lake is famous beautiful beaches with good sand and a gradual increase in depth. The reservoir is small, calm, with the purest water. Tourists live in tents or numerous equipped campsites.
Kolyvan stone-cutting plant
The plant is considered the soul of the wonderful region - Kolyvan. Famous stone-cutters in Russia have long worked here; craftsmen created the “Queen of Vases” from jasper - the current decoration of the Hermitage, more than 2.5 m high and weighing 19 tons. The cup, as a symbol of dignity and courage, adorns the Coat of Arms of the Altai Territory.
The Kolyvan Stone-Cutting Museum is also interesting. The atmosphere there is magical - you can touch ancient objects with your hands, collected with love and carefully transferred to the museum by local residents.
Mount Jealousy
This landmark of federal significance fascinates with its beauty and surprises with its rich history. Here it is unique deposit jasper.
The world's greatest vase, “The Queen,” was made from a block 11 m long in the 19th century; craftsmen embodied the strength and spirit of man in stone. The craftsmen also made the columns of the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior from the stone from the deposit.
Mount Charming
The low mountain (600 m) is located 5 km from the settlement of Kolyvan. At the top there are unusual rock formations - boulders and grottoes, which probably served as a sanctuary for the sorcery of shamans and an ancient observatory.
It doesn’t take much time to explore the mountain. Impressions of the beauty of nature and mysterious stone structures of fantastic shape are usually very vivid.
Mount Sinyukha and its surroundings - most interesting place Altai region, where you can have a good rest and enrich yourself with knowledge of the history of your country. By casually looking at your photo of Mount Sinyukha, you will be immersed in the world of the most pleasant memories.