We have arrived! At 12,000 feet, Karakul Lake literally takes your breath away. After a surprisingly delicious meal in a concrete cantina next to the lake, we decide to take an afternoon stroll.
Though the lake is only three miles in circumference, my severe altitude sickness– pounding headache, shortness of breath, inability to concentrate– meant the walk took more than two hours. Miraculously, I was still able to take some decent photos. And to this day, eight years later, I remember the entire experience as if it were yesterday.
The first thing you notice is the color of the lake. Depending on the time of day and weather, it morphs from pale turquoise to deep blue to ashy gray. It is situated in the middle of the Pamir Range. Three massive mountains, all 25,000 feet (7,500 meters) high, ring the lake. They are as imposing as they are wondrously beautiful.
We start off on the west side of Karakul and work our way counterclockwise. At the southern end, in the distance, there is a small Kyrgyz village of sheepherders.
In a gully, a little calf is stuck. My wife and I, along with the calf’s mother, mentally will it to climb out. We, and the calf, are successful.
We are above the treeline and there is no vegetation to speak of, other than grass. But we did find a lone iris, and my wife takes a picture of it. I take a picture of her taking the picture.
The rest of the walk is uneventful, but so spectacular. It is my favorite place on Earth.
Images source: Maxichamp
