Altay. Biya river. Chert's Finger. Siberia. Russia. 4K

0:00 Plans for the day
0:40 Biya river
1:20 The legend of Siberia
2:30 About the guide Alexey
3:30 Chert's Finger
6:27 In the next video

And we are on our way again. We are moving to a new location in the Chemalsky district.

Today, we plan to climb Chert's Finger rock, take a ride on a motor boat on the surface of the Katun River, walk along the shore of the Katun to the Kamyshlinsky waterfall, and at the end of the day, check into the Areda campsite.

The length of the Biya is 300 kilometers. After running this distance, it merges with another respected Altai river, the Katun. And then these two Siberian beauties flow together as a large and powerful river called Ob.

I am not sure if the story is true, but according to some accounts, walkers from the Altai Mountains came to Queen Catherine the Great's court. They arrived from the shore of the Biya River, which was located on the outskirts of her empire.

The Queen asked her subjects where they came from.
"We come from the Biya River," they replied.

In the Russian language, the phrase "we come from the Biya river" closely resembles "we are Siberians." The queen, unfamiliar with the Biya river, assumed that the men referred to themselves as Siberians, leading her to believe these people hailed from a place called Siberia. Thanks to Catherine's assistance, the region eventually became known as Siberia.

It's a beautiful legend, but I don't know if it's true. Our guide, Alex, didn't want to say for sure, but it was an interesting story.

During our trip, I noticed something interesting. No matter how long we were on the road, Alexey would always pull out from the depths of his vast memory a sufficient number of historical, ethnographic interesting facts, notes... and, in the end, simply interesting stories corresponding to the places that were currently passing by the windows of our minibus.

So that it was not just a journey from one point to another, but a full-fledged excursion.

I will never cease to be amazed at such an incredible amount of, I won't be afraid to say it, encyclopedic knowledge that somehow fits into Alexey's head. Amazing man!

Well, anyway, we started to climb to the top of a mountain that the Altai people call "The Chert’s Finger".

In Russian, the word "Chert" translates to «Devil». But as Alexey explained, in this case Chert doesn't actually have anything to do with the devil in the traditional sense.

Chert was the name of an ancient enemy who seized the Altai lands.

With the blessing of a wise elder who was greatly respected by the Altai people, the strongest and bravest Altai youth went to battle against him.

The hero battled the evil villain all night and defeated him and crushing his body into the ground with his horse. Only a finger with a sharp claw stood tall from the earth as a reminder of the hero's victory.

The Chert's Finger offers a breathtaking view of the Katun River and the Altai Mountains, especially if you climb it.

However, it is not safe to do so, as many brave souls have lost their lives in pursuit of adrenaline and impressions.

Recently, the path leading to the tip of the finger has been blocked off by an iron gate to prevent further deaths.

However, as you may know, many people see obstacles as opportunities to overcome. This mindset often attracts extreme sport enthusiasts to climb Charts Finger, ignoring any barriers or limitations. Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to tragic consequences.

When we reached the top, the wind had picked up and it was raining, making the climb even more challenging. Even being near the summit was scary!

Videos about the Altay journey:

Barnaul. Hotel Сentral:    • Altay. Barnaul. Hotel Сentral. Siberi...  
Barnaul:    • Barnaul. Altay. Siberia. Russia. 4K  
Barnaul - Artybash:    • Altay. Barnaul - Artybash. Teletskoe ...  
Altyn Kel lake. Mount Kokuya:    • Altay. Altyn Kel lake. Mount Kokuya. ...  
Biya river. Chert's Finger:    • Altay. Biya river. Chert's Finger. Si...  
Ride on a motor boat along Katun river. Kamyshlinskiy waterfall:    • Altay. Ride on a motor boat along Kat...  
Areda hotel. Patmos island. Goat trail:    • Areda hotel. Patmos island. Goat trai...  

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