home, sweet home

time at the very beginning of the hike. And now for the third time we met again. I was glad for this meeting, a pleasant surprise. Together we made it to Maykop, but we didn't make it to the stations – both the bus station and the train station had just closed. We were short by some 10 minutes... Waiting at the station, a very sensible thought came to me – I shouldn't go to Mezmai right now. My body simply won't survive any further adventures. And it would be better if I went to Belorechensk to see Andrey now. In the end, Andrey and his wife left for Rostov, and I stayed to wait for the Lastochka train on the advice of a street beggar. I'm dead on my feet. A crazy day. And there's still a sleepless night ahead. The Lastochka will arrive right in the middle of the night – at 4:00. Now I need to somehow wait for the train… I decided to walk around Maykop. It was very interesting to see this city. My body has already gotten used to the pain, I've stopped reacting to it. If I had been more attentive to the signs, I would already be in Belorechensk. First, I should have gone straight to Khadzhokh with that guy who was heading to Maykop. Second, I should have gone to that stop with the second guy, the one I sent there myself, instead of scarfing down a can of bean salad. So much could have been different today…

HOME, SWEET HOME = Day 22 =

I spent the night waiting for the Lastochka train. Didn't sleep. Instead, I walked around nighttime Maykop, made it to the park two kilometers from the station, logged into VK, and answered all incoming messages. I physically couldn't continue my mini-trip anymore, I had to turn back. Wrecked my legs. Blisters. Although Mezmai is precisely the most mystical place. And probably even one of the most anomalous ones around here, if you believe what they write about it online. Fisht – that's more for the scenery. But Mezmai, according to esoteric and UFO enthusiasts, is not just for the scenery, but also for miracles, anomalies, unexplained phenomena. But alas, not this time.

At 4:00 in the morning I got on the commuter train to Belorechensk, managed to get a little sleep on the way. I arrived in the city very early, the buses weren't running yet, my phone was dead – couldn't call a taxi, and there was no one around who could help me with that either – everyone was still asleep at this early hour, so I had to walk home. Pain. Wild pain. Everything was swimming before my eyes. I thought I'd collapse. The walk home took 2.5 hours. At the end of the road, a strange but interesting thought came to me – "All of this is trivial. An ordinary day, one of many, no different from the rest." A wave of ruthlessness washed over me. I felt like a robot, programmed toward a goal. The fatigue disappeared. Second wind.

There was just a little left to go – some 10 minutes. A pathetic drop in the ocean. But the adventures wouldn't leave me alone, and the weather decided to have a little joke on me at the last moment – the sky suddenly unleashed a real deluge onto the earth. And this wasn't even a downpour. It was exactly a deluge. There it is, the wrath of Poseidon. Good thing I at least had the sense to put on a raincoat just in case, or rather half of one – I decided not to put on the pants, and that was a mistake. My legs got soaked immediately – it took less than half a minute. Well, here's the house. It's done. Just a few last steps left. Entering the yard, I saw Andrey's car standing with the window open. And I saved it. Now, thanks to me, Andrey won't find an unexpected little ocean in it before he goes to work today. )) Finally, I entered a place where I can feel comfortable and safe. Andrey and Oksana were already awake, he was getting ready for work, and she was boiling tea and making some appetizing treats. I spent the last drop of my strength telling them about what had happened to me over these past couple of days. And, finishing the last sip of tea, I went to sleep. All night, two little cats slept on me – one on the right, the other on the left. I fell asleep surrounded by care and melodic purring. I slept only about five hours. In the morning, I got down to business and started preparing for the next hike. Tomorrow I will continue my journey and head to the western part of Krasnodar Krai…