Ushguli
Ushguli to Mestia – Stones, Ice and Shadows in Svaneti
The morning began in the rarefied air of Ushguli, a village that pretends to be timeless and almost succeeds. Horses whinnied in the distance, their breath clouding in the cold like restless spirits. Lorena and I rose early, stepping into a silence broken only by the faint trickle of the Enguri River, still swollen from the night’s [...]
Iprali to Ushguli – Between Glaciers and Ghosts of Villages
The last day of the trek has a deceptive gentleness to it. Twelve kilometres, a mere four hundred metres of ascent, five or six hours on the road. After the crucible of the Chkhunderi Pass and the delirium of rivers without bridges, it should have been easy. But endings have their own gravity, their own weight of expectation. From [...]