geekbulp: Hiking in Georgia - part Two

This is the second post in Georgia trip series.

We arrived to Tbilisti in the afternoon and since I don't like cities very much the plan was to spend a night and continue north to the Kazbeg mountains. Saying that Tbilisi a very nice place to visit - there is some old town, a few nice views and there is no shortage in places to eat and drink. That seemed just what I needed to refresh myself a little before heading to the mountains again.

Tbilisti from above

The next morning we went to the Didube station to look for a Marsrutka to Stepantsminda (Kazbegi). This time the ride was much more comfortable, and lasted about two hours. After some time we found out guesthouse (Nata and Mito guesthouse). In the town itself you can do some mountain biking, horse riding and hiking in the area. The main attraction is the Gergeti Trinity church located above the town. It should take you about 1.5 hrs walking to get there (if you can't walk, there are cabs that can drive you there.). We managed to make some horse riding and resupplied ourselves before the trip to Bethlemi hut in the next morning. It goes without saying that there are enough places to eat and drink in the town.

Gergeti and Kazbegi panorama

Gergeti, from above

The hike to Bethemi hut is a somewhat harder trail from the town which is located at an elevations of about 1km to the hut which is at 3653m. It is not easy but shouldn't be a problem provided that you can handle the elevation. You can stay at the hut for a night, or to camp in a tent outside. Keep in mind that there is no food in the hut, and thought they can give you some blankets it is might be wiser to bring your own sleeping bag. You can buy a gas cartridge for a stove in the town, but you better bring one with you from Tblisi. If you are feeling adventurous and has the right equipment you might try to ascent to the peak on the next day (5047m) but that's technical and depends on the weather. On the next day we climbed to some point neat 4100m and started descending back to the town from there.

Kazbegi Glacier from above

Mount Kazbeg, and the glacier

The hut

We didn't take with us almost any food, so I recall this two day hike as rather hungry experience, but the views were worth it.
We spend another two full days in Stepantsminda, enjoying some mountain biking, visiting the Gergeti church and just wandering around.
Keep in mind that the weather in this mountainous area is changing very rapidly and what looks like another sunny day can turn to a hale storm in a second and then to sunny again in a matter of minutes.