Hi.
The Altai Mountains won't let me go. It's so nice to look at photos taken once and immerse yourself in the world of memories. In my last report, I talked about two beautiful glaciers of the Altai Mountains - the Small and the Large Aktru. Today I will show you photos taken as close as possible to the tip of these glaciers.
We didn't have the opportunity to get close to them. And from the distance that the shooting was taking place, it also turned out to be possible to put yourself in danger. After all, these glaciers are constantly melting. This means that the stones that come into contact with the surface of the glacier come into an unstable state. And then they start moving down. It is good if it is a separate stone (although if such a thing flies into a person, he may be seriously injured).
But after all, one stone can hook another, and that will give acceleration to the third stone and then a real rockfall will result. And this can already lead to a real tragedy.
The photos show how the ice mixes with small rubble. Sometimes the stones cover the ice base on top, sometimes the ice creeps over the stones. There is a constant competition between them. But we must remember that these are the elements. And their behavior cannot be predicted with high accuracy. Therefore, it is better to be prepared for all kinds of extreme situations and not put yourself or your comrades at risk.
Here, meltwater flows out from under the ice layer. It forms many small streams that run merrily down and form the Aktra River. This is very clean water, you can drink it. I've tried it. The water is very cold, but it tastes quite pleasant. Maybe there is some slight aftertaste in it, but I really liked the water.
This water also erodes the glacier, washing out small voids in it. It is very beautiful, but it is impossible to get close to such a grotto - streams stand in the way and the danger of slipping into them and flying after the water down the slope.
And the most amazing thing. In the rock at this place there are inclusions of some mineral very similar to gold. Of course, it's not gold, but everyone who was with us on this glacier began to photograph these artifacts. Our guides could not name this mineral. But it shone very effectively in the sun.
The only mountains that can be better than mountains are those that you haven't been to yet!