Climbing Mount Ararat 2022

Mount Ararat Summit
The mountain full of emotions.

This was for every Armenian that was forced to march out for their home and country to never came back. Raising my flag on the highest point of the country that tried to kill our entire nation has been one of my greatest accomplishments.

It's been a long time coming for this dream of mine. Honestly, I was ready for this dream to die because of how many times I've been declined to climb it. It took me over five years and almost as many attempts, but I finally saw this place with my own eyes.

One of the most common questions...
How did I feel on top of Mount Ararat?

Everyones favorite part IS being on top of a mountain. The journey, on the other hand, is usually the most cruel and what teaches us most about life. We're often never prepared for this part. We do our best with training, investing in the right gear, researching the trail and weather conditions and so on... But what happens during the trek is usually unexpected and almost always defeating. For me it was some crazy stomach virus that almost took me out. I was finally on the mountain of my dreams and all I was doing was throwing up and having diarrhea on it! Seriously? I barely had energy to walk on flat grounds (Thank you God for my amazing guides). I felt like I was hiking close to death the entire time. I hated every second of it and I didn't understand why this was happening to me. At some point I didn't even care to be on it anymore!
And then there it was... the summit. I didn't feel joy and greatness until I was on the peak. I had never felt more alive in my suffering as I did on top. It felt like I woke up from a coma and I can breathe. There was still pain but it didn’t matter anymore. I had made it. The pain became silenced by the greatest joy. That joy for me was the presence of God and absolutely nothing else mattered.

IG: @tamartashdjian
Travel Agency: Armenian Geographic
Music Credits:
Acid Pauli at Garni Temple near Yerevan, Armenia for Cercle
Zulal: Sari Siroon Yar
Zulal: Im Khorodig Yar
Zulal: Sareri Hovin Mernem
Zulal: Ha Nina
Element Band - Es Kisher