The Transcaucasian Trail Part II: Across Georgia to the Black Sea

Ninotsminda

In Ninotsminda we stayed at the Hotel Sharl. The room was modern, clean and the shared kitchen had everything we needed. The owner also allowed us to ship our resupply package there and he held it until our arrival a month later. He also arranged the driver for us to Vardzia Monastery.

Day 35 we hiked 0 miles! We are enjoying a rest day and getting ready for the Georgia portion!

Day 36 we hiked 0 miles. We took another town day so we could explore Vardzia Monastery. Today we visited Vardzia Monastery which was built/ carved into a mountain during the second half of the 12th century. The amount of engineering that went into this is mind boggling. We spent 3 hours wandering up and down and through all the rooms. A recent 3D-scan of the site revealed around 641 separate chambers spread over 13 levels. Best to get there at 10 am when they open like we did because by the time we left it was pretty packed. We had to take an hour taxi ride from Ninotsminda which was well worth it to us. We hired the driver for the day which cost 150 GEL ($55.15usd) . This allowed us to take our time exploring and we were also able to stop at Khertvisi Fortress on the way back..

Some photos from Vardzia to Bakuriani

Bavra Border Control to Bakuriani

Day 37 we hiked 19.71 miles with an elevation change of 911(-783). Today was new shoes day so of course we walked through a knee deep bog. 🤣 It was a pretty terrible start to the day and the mosquitos were the worst we've had yet. Thankfully the bog walking was over fairly quickly and the rest of the day was nice and dry. At the end of the day we passed through Grandzini and had dinner at Family Corner where we had the best fried chicken and potatoes of my life! It really was amazing and the family who owned the place was so kind. We also stopped at a small market in town to buy something to replace the terrible sujuk (cured meat) we bought in the last town. We tried to eat it at lunch and it was inedible, we bought the cheapest one they had, so lesson learned. We hiked a few miles out of town to camp in a nice pine forest since we've never had a forest camp on this hike

Day 38 we hiked 15.75 miles with an elevation change of 4,263(-2,415). Today we climbed back up into the mountains! Which of course meant a steep climb off trail, but the views were worth it! I enjoyed hiking in the lowlands, but I really missed the mountains. The alpine lakes were beautiful, so we sat at one for a while skipping rocks before heading to a magnificent bluff camp. Don got an amazing video of the stars!

Day 39 we hiked 19.24 miles with an elevation change of 1205(-3704). We decided to take a high route alternate that went through Samsari pass, though the miles were shorter than the primary, the first few were pretty slow. The first 40-60 feet of the descent from the pass were really steep with very loose talus. After that the grade let up a little bit as we picked our way down between grass, boulder and some snow. After the first few miles the terrain became much easier and opened up into meadows. The views today were pretty spectacular, but it was also very windy. Towards the end of the day the winds began to pick up and became unbearable. It was a headwind and the sound was deafening. It really was almost too much to take, Seth even put in his ear plugs! Don was unfazed. We had another beautiful camp and this time I got to see the stars for myself, they were spectacular!

Day 40 we hiked 10 miles with an elevation change of 1210(-2588). Today we encountered the most aggressive dogs. I honestly thought for sure one of us was going to get bitten. Our notes said a previous hiker had no problem with dogs at this camp so we weren't that concerned! And our trail was on the road, which was a little bit away from the shepherds camp. Before we knew it 7 dogs were running at us, this isn't that uncommon passing the camps, but these dogs were different. They got within a foot of us and started snapping and snarling. Most of the dogs stay 20-30 feet behind us just barking. At one point two tried to flank Don and I, thankfully Don saw this and ran them off. Unfortunately the shepherds just stood by watching, we're not sure why. Eventually we were able to get them to back off while we walked backwards away from the camp and no one was hurt. We arrived in Bakuriani early enough to have lunch and the guys cooked pork for dinner. The prices here definitely reflected the ski town that it is.

In Bakuriani we stayed at Villa Bakuriani. The room was big, clean, modern and also had its own kitchen as well as a balcony.

Abuli Fortress

Middle to late Bronze Age

Bakuriani to Borjomi

Day 41 we hiked 17.62 miles with an elevation change of 416(-2,584) . About a mile or two into the day on a nice road I twisted my ankle pretty bad. There was intense pain that hit right away.😑 Leave it to me to get hurt on a road walk. Right away I took 800mg of ibuprofen and Don put K-Tape on my ankle to help stabilize it. After the ibuprofen kicked in the pain wasn't too bad, but just in case Don and I decided to walk some back roads into town while Seth stayed in the primary which was on a trail and had a lot more elevation gain and loss. The road walk was beautiful and as the day went on my ankle hurt less. Along the way we met the sweetest couple from Saudi Arabia, they gave us snacks, tea, Saudi coffee and water! I hope to visit their country one day and learn more about their culture! Thankfully we were already planning on taking a zero tomorrow so I can rest my ankle before the next section.

Day 42 we hiked 0 miles

Day 43 we hiked 0 miles

In Borjomi we stayed at David's Entire Place. This was a large one bedroom apartment that had another bed in the “living room” for Seth. It also had a nice kitchen with a washing machine. The owner’s parents were super friendly and helpful and allowed us to extend our stay at the last minute.

Bakuriani to Borjomi

Borjomi to Kharaguli

Day 44 we hiked 16 miles with an elevation change of 4,632(-1,564). Today was our first full day on the Borjomi Alt. so we really didn't know what to expect. As far as we know we are the first TCT hikers to go this way. So far it has been amazing. I don't think we've ever had this much continuous trail. We came across a tourist shelter and decided to have a snack inside. It is pretty amazing what they have built out here and unsure if we could make it to the next one, we decided to stay! I started the fire while the guys and Handsome (our new trail dog) got some water. I found some open pasta in the cabin and since it's not a good idea to leave food I decided to make it for Handsome, he seemed very happy with my decision.

Day 45 we hiked 22.6 miles with an elevation change of 2,841(-5,838). Today was rough. One of those days I really didn't want to be on trail anymore. At first it wasn't too bad with a nice trail with only a few blowdowns. As we descended into the valley we were met with head high weeds with stinging nettle mixed in, along with some other terrible plants that were made even worse by the rain. We tried to get around it by climbing up, but only made things harder for ourselves with steep sidehilling and a crazy drainage crossing. Definitely wouldn't recommend it, especially as it only got us about 800 feet up trail. After that we found the trail and started our accent. This part would have been nice if it wasn't for the crazy heavy fog, rain, wind, and cold. It probably would have been really nice in the sun. After a sightless ridge walk we started heading back down, this is where the fun began. Unfortunately for us the cows had pretty much destroyed the roads leaving them a rutted-out mud fest. We spent the next 6 miles trying to find the best way though and unfortunately I found out what happens when you don't. I ended up sinking into mud up to my knees 😑 I don't mind mud but this stuff stinks as it was mixed with cow droppings. Definitely one of my least favorite days on trail.

Day 46 we hiked 6.4 miles with an elevation change of 181(-1,805). It is a town day and all is right with the world! We had a decent camp spot, but having to put my muddy wet shoes on this morning was not fun, but thankfully that was the worst part of the day. Seth took off a little ahead of us to catch a train to Tbilisi to hopefully get his camera fixed. Most of the day was on dirt roads so it was pretty easy walking and NO mud! On our way down a nice gentleman invited us in for tea, we had no place to be so we accepted! He ended up making us some delicious buckwheat (so much better than our cold-soak version we eat every morning). He told us about his family and showed us pictures. He built most of the things around his property, it was really impressive. It was an amazing start to the day! When we got to town we went to where the hotel was marked on our map, but couldn't find the number on the door we needed to message to check-in. A wonderful Georgian woman said she would call for us. Unfortunately when she called they said they weren't open, so we asked about the other hotel in town. Another woman ran to get that number, but we were told they were closed as well but to hold on. She then made another phone call and told us she could take us to a "family stay" and that she would drive us. Before we could think we were in her car and in a few minutes in front of a house. To our surprise there was a hidden guest house! Without the help of the amazing locals we would have never found this place! The people here are absolutely amazing!

Day 47 we hiked 0 miles and took a train to Kutaisi and explored the new city! Honestly, Kutaisi is my favorite city so far. The people are friendly, there is lots to see, and the prices are back to normal. We will definitely be back!

In Kutaisi we stayed at Kutaisi Sunrise. The room was big and modern and also had a balcony as well as a shared kitchen.

In Kharahauli we stayed in a hostel that we unfortunately don't have information for.

Borjomi to Kharagauli

Kharagauli to Oni

Day 48 we hiked 15.97 miles with an elevation change of 3,570(-2,390). In the morning we took the first train back to Kharagauli. Today was hard, like one of those days that made me want to get off the trail. The temperature with the humidity was just awful. I've never sweat as much as I have on this trail. The day was just full of pointless ups and downs on steep rutted out roads. It wasn't many miles or crazy elevation change, but I was not feeling it today.

Day 49 we hiked 23.45 miles with an elevation change of 1,376(-999). Today was a little easier and definitely boosted my mood. The beginning of the day started off with more muddy jeep track and bushwhacking. This route hasn't been ground tested yet so we've run into a few dead ends here and there. After a few miles we decided we had had enough bushwhacking and mud walking and we decided to hop over to some roads. The road walk had beautiful views and we got to meet a lot of nice people. In one small town a shop owner came out and gave us each a cold bottle of water, it was amazing! We decided we could use some tomatoes so we headed into his shop to see what he had. When we went to pay he wouldn't let us pay for half of what we wanted and he added 4 cucumbers to our bag! The people in Georgia are so friendly and generous!

Day 50 we hiked 21.62 miles with an elevation change of 5,458(-2247). Today was mostly on good dirt roads and trail. We had a nice breeze most of the day so that made the climbing easier. The first little market we got to we were greeted by a few locals sitting outside who invited us to sit with them and bought us each a coke! We tried to explain to them where we were going, but no one understood why we would go this way to get to Oni😂. We had some people even argue with us, telling us we were going the wrong way! Right before we left, another guy bought us a second round of cokes! Just out of town we decided to have lunch by a river. A young man (19) and his little brother (5) came over with cold water for us and watermelon! The generosity here is mind blowing. He then took Seth to show him something in his house, leaving his little brother with Don and I. That would never happen in the US, but he was safe with us and I would have died before I let anything happen to him. It was an honor that he trusted us. He returned with Seth and a delicious bottle of plum sauce! We tried to explain it was too heavy, but he insisted we take it. And at the end of the day we had a big climb, but the trail was nice and it was in the shade so it wasn't that bad.

Day 51 we hiked 12.8 miles with an elevation change of 2,157(-2,541). When we woke up Don wasn't feeling too good. He kinda down played it and said he could make it to town but after a little while it was obvious he was not doing too well so we decided to take a connecting dirt road into a different town. The ridge today was amazing! The views were breathtaking and the smell of the wildflowers was intoxicating. The vibrant pinks, purples and yellows almost seemed fake. Even the alternate road we hiked down was amazing with so many different flowers. Once on the highway it only took a few minutes to get a hitch to our hotel. Hopefully Don can get some good rest and start feeling better.

Day 52 we hiked 0 miles. Don still isn't feeling too good so we will wait a few days until he does. Oni is a pretty quiet town, but has lots of grocery stores. We went to the only open restaurant today and it was really good. Don got beans and I got chkmeruli. Chkmeruli is one of my favorite dishes, it's fried chicken cooked in cream, butter and garlic! For dinner I made Don fried potatoes with an eggplant sauce. We always try to get a rental with a kitchen, we both enjoy cooking and it saves a lot of money.

Day 53 we hiked 0 miles. Don is doing a lot better, but he now needs to get his strength back. We really liked the host at our last place, but we moved to another B&B today that has AC. It's hard to rest with no AC when it's 84° out.

Day 54 we hiked 0 miles. Don thinks he is ready to hit the trail tomorrow! We spent the day getting our border permit for the next section, which took a lot longer than we anticipated. We needed special permits as our route took us pretty close to the Russian border! Fortunately everyone we worked with today was really helpful! We even got a ride from the police and the fire department as we had to go back and forth a few times to get all the necessary documents. Oni has been a very nice place for recovery, it has some of the best restaurants and very friendly, helpful people.

In Oni we stayed at Family House in Racha Oni the first two nights. The rooms were traditional, clean, big and comfortable. The bathroom, kitchen and laundry was shared, and had everything we needed. The owner was super friendly and checked in with us to see if we needed anything to get Don better. Honestly the only reason we left was the lack of AC.

The remainder of our stay we were at Guest House MyOni. The room was modern, clean and had amazing AC! There is a shared bathroom, outdoor kitchen and laundry that had everything we needed. The neighbor taking care of the property was super friendly and played great music while he worked.

Kharagauli-Oni

Oni to Ushguli

Day 55 I hiked 0 miles but the guys hiked 16.2 miles. I wasn't feeling well so Don slack packed with Seth and hitched back. Hopefully we can all get back on the trail tomorrow.

Day 56 we hiked 13.39 miles with an elevation change of 4,136(-208). Don and I slept in a little then took a taxi back to Ghebi, the town he hiked to the day before. The first 7 or so miles were on a dirt road and were great. It gave me confidence that the trail would be nice the whole way. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. We ended up bushwhacking through hogsweed and stinging nettle, again. It was so thick and tall it was stinging me through my rain pants. It's honestly one of the biggest problems for me on this trail. The stinging nettle leaves a painful rash on me that lasts for 12-24 hours and makes it hard to sleep, even after taking a benadryl. Thankfully the stinging nettle was only at the bottom of the climb, because honestly if it went on much longer I would have turned around, it hurts that bad. My best description of it would be being electrocuted with fire. I honestly felt like I had 3rd degree burns on my hand for most of the day. Not everyone's reaction is as bad, and I envy those who aren't as bad. There was more bushwhacking up the climb with hogsweed and other pokey plants that made it pretty painful. The views once we reached the ridge became spectacular with amazing views of some tall mountains and glaciers. Our camp spot is breathtakingly beautiful. Was it worth it? Right now, while my body is still on fire, I don't know. I'm sure when the pain is gone I will think it is.

Day 57 we hiked 18.16 miles with an elevation change of 3,510(-6,523). Today was another hard day, but thankfully there weren't any stinging nettle or thorns! The views in the morning were amazing, and really throughout the day. The primary route notes said the path ahead was the worst bushwack of the hike. Thankfully, a hiker ahead of us sent a possible alt. Was it better? We didn't know. Was it doable? We didn't know. Was it done recently? You guessed it, we didn't know, but we decided to give it a shot. From the top of the ridge we were able to pick our way down and we were fairly certain it would work. The way down the ridge and river ended up being great. When we reached the bottom the river was moving fast and about waist deep on me, so the guys crossed back over so we could link arms and cross together. Crossing like that felt super safe and I wish I had tried it before. Then we came to our last obstacles of the day, crossing Lapuri pass. At the bottom we were in brush over my head, again, but thankfully no stinging nettle. When we finally got through that we saw what we had to climb and it was insanely steep. As we made our way up it continued to get steeper so we had to start using the grass to pull ourselves up. Once you reached the top we were on a knife's edge about a foot wide. I crawled until it got wider. After this we had two options; head down a shoot as steep as we went up but with no grass to hold onto, or climb the ridge a little further to where the notes said there was a flagged route leading to a new trail. We decided to head for the tail and in .3 miles we found it and it was amazing! The trail was built by the TCT in 2022 and was still in good shape. At the bottom we saw the border patrol and they checked our insurance cards and permits (Seth lost his but they didn’t give us any problems), then we finished the day on a nice road with great views.

Day 58 we hiked 11.62 miles with an elevation change of 2,674(-1,536). Even though our camp was on the side of the highway we all slept pretty well and the views were amazing all day and the highway wasn't busy at all. Walking on an easy road always gave me more time to think and I just couldn't believe how lucky I am to live this life and to do these things. Then a few miles from town I got stung by a bee on my forehead. In fact all 3 of us did! Yes, some days are hard and I hate it, but I wouldn't change a thing, well maybe I'd change the stinging nettle. 🤣We made it to Ushguli in time to miss the rain!

In Ushguli we stayed at Guesthouse Miranda. The rooms were traditional, clean and the view out the window was amazing. There is a shared common area as well as a shared kitchen. We also enjoyed a delicious dinner which included soup, salad and kubdari.

Oni to Ushguli

Ushguli to Mestia

Day 59 we hiked 0 miles. The weather forecast wasn't great so we decided to explore Ushguli. Ushguli is a community of five medieval villages located at the head of the Enguri gorge in Svaneti, Georgia. We visited the castle of Queen Tamar also known as Upper Chazhashi Castle. The tower has 4 stories that you ascend by climbing up a handmade wooden ladder. It was a little scary, but the views were worth it! Fun fact, Queen Tamar was also given the title of King Tamar despite being a woman!

Day 60 we hiked 15.22 miles with an elevation change of 4,989(-4,440). Today we had two mountain passes. The first one was really steep going up, but had a decent trail. The way down was even steeper with less of a trail. The views the whole day were pretty amazing! The next mountain pass was used by a lot of tourists so the trail was in great condition and even had switchbacks on the way up! Even with trail, both climbs were pretty hard. Everything seems harder at 9,000+ feet. We knew we had a difficult river ford and that the end of the day was the worst time to do it, but we tried anyway, and failed. The water was either too fast or too deep. Don had seen a snow bridge on our way down so we made our way there. The snow bridge was in great condition and easy and safe to walk across. The walk to camp was really nice on trail and I even made friends with a little cow who let me give her hugs and scratches. Made me miss my best friend back home and her farm.

Day 61 we hiked 13.24 miles with an elevation change of 798(-3,889). We had a good trail all the way into town, which was a nice change. There was an ultra marathon going on so we cheered on the runners as they passed. And once again because we were walking on road I twisted my ankle pretty bad 😞 I really like the new Altra 9+, but they fit different then the 8s and it's harder for me to get the laces right. I think a smaller size would be better, but for now I'll just make sure the laces are tight, especially on road walks!

In Mestia we stayed at Apartment in Mestia. This is a two bedroom apartment that was a mix of traditional and modern. It has a nice living room, big kitchen and a washing machine. Everything we needed in town was within walking distance and the owners were very nice!

Ushguli to Mestia

Mestia to Khaishi

Day 62 we hiked zero miles! We have some bad weather coming over the next two days so we decided to hang out in Mestia.

Day 63 we hiked zero miles! Today it poured! I'm so glad we decided not to hike today. I haven't seen it rain this hard since I left the southeast (USA)!

Day 64 we hiked 13.55 miles with an elevation change of 5,113(-4,370). Today started with another very steep mountain pass in what felt like 100% humidity. Not going to lie, I felt like I was going to die on that climb. The views at the top were beautiful and thankfully we finished half of the day’s climbing early. After the first climb the trail got a lot better, it even had switchbacks! Once at the top we immediately went back down. We lost the trail a few times, but overall it was pretty nice. We stopped in Mazeri for a nice dinner of salad and kachapuri before hiking a few miles out of town for camp.

Day 65 we hiked 22.38 miles with an elevation change of 2,323(-5,400). The day started with another pass but thankfully this one had switchbacks and was in the shade. My ankle was bothering me again and I started to realize I was only going downhill at half my normal speed. We stopped for a snack in Etseri and from there Don and I decided it would be best if we took the road instead of the trail. I really didn't want to miss the last bit of real trail, but I also didn't want to make my sprained ankle worse. The road walk had really nice views and my ankle was doing much better on the even surface.

Day 66 we hiked 14.95 miles with an elevation change of 446(-1,320). We continued the road walk into Khaishi where we got a nice guesthouse that served dinner and breakfast. My ankle is definitely doing better on the road, but I'm still much slower than I would normally be.

In Khaishi we stayed at Laia's Guesthouse. The room was traditional, clean and big. The property was a bit outside of town, but beautiful. There is also a shared common area with a fridge, bathroom, and washing machine, and you possibly could use the kitchen though we didn't. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast and dinner cooked by the host who was super friendly!

Khaishi to Tsalenjikha

Day 67 we hiked 22.42 miles with an elevation change of 1,137(-734). We continued our hike along hwy 7 and I was so thankful there was lots of shade and a nice breeze. The side of the road had tons of blackberries so I was snacking all day. We also passed a ton of apiaries and stopped to buy some delicious honey. A lot of people stopped to see if we needed a ride or just slowed down to wave. Even with the shade and nice breeze it's still so hot and sticky at these lower elevations, I miss being in the high mountains!

Day 68 we hiked 14.69 miles with an elevation change of 443(1,794) . We finally got off the main highway today and walked through some neighborhoods. The houses were cute with spectacular gardens. We are getting closer to sea level and the landscape is starting to get tropical. We saw palm trees and prickly pear cactus! We reconnected with the primary route and decided to hitchhike to Zugdidi. After a few minutes a marsutka stopped and picked us up. You can't beat a 30 min ride for two people for 4 GEL ($1.48).

Mestia-Tsalenjikha

Zugdidi

Day 69 we hiked 0 miles. Today we explored Zugdidi starting with the Dadiani Palace Museum. The collection of the museum consists of over 45,000 items, some of which date back to the original Palace collection expropriated in 1919, and some of which have been subsequently added. They represent thousands of years of history, and include several utterly unique pieces, such as Napoleon Bonaparte’s death mask and a garment traditionally believed to have been worn by the Virgin Mary. The former came to the Dadiani Palace via Salome Dadiani Murat, who married Napoleon’s nephew Achille Murat. As for the latter, there are many stories about how it might have arrived in Georgia. According to the most popular of these, it was brought there by an archbishop after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, along with other sacred items. Every year in August, the garment is shown to the public; the rest of the time, it is kept in storage in the so-called Virgin Tower. Unfortunately it was not on display while we were there. We also strolled through the botanical gardens, though I think we were a bit late for the flowers.

Day 70 we hiked 0 miles. We went to the bazaar in Zugdidi and picked up some fresh beef. We know it was fresh because she had the head on display! I made fried potatoes and beef with veggies with a jar of my favorite eggplant sauce! The beef was the most expensive part of the meal coming in at $8 for 2.2lbs, the sauce was $2 and all the veggies were about $1. We also had leftovers for breakfast!

Day 71 we hiked 0 miles. In the afternoon we took a marsutka back to Taslenjikha to meet up with Seth! I found the cutest puppy in town so I had Don make him a sandwich while I cuddled him outside. It was very hard to leave him, but at least I know he has a full belly!

In Zugdidi we stayed at Nagi House. This is a large, clean modern studio apartment with a livingroom, well equipped kitchen and bathroom. Everything we needed was a short walk away and the hosts were super friendly, even giving us a bottle of wine from their vineyard. We told them we don't drink, but they insisted, so we will pass it along to some lucky person!

In Tsalenjikha we stayed at Urban Hotel Tsalenjikha. The room was big, clean and modern. The host was also super friendly!

Zugdidi

Tsalenjikha to Anaklia

Day 72 we hiked 24.40 miles with an elevation change of 756(-1,274). The feel-like temperature today was 103 degrees and I felt every degree. I honestly didn't think I was going to make it. Thankfully there were nice people along the way. One woman had her grandson get me some apples from their tree and another guy gave me some freshly cooked corn on the cob! Trying to sleep was even worse with the heat, none of us even bothered pulling out our sleeping bags that night.

Day 73 we hiked 19.69 miles with an elevation change of 109(-329). Today was our last day and with the feel-like temperature of 101 degrees that's all that kept me going. Along the way we passed so many animals and nice people. One man stuffed about 5lbs of fresh hazelnuts into Don's pack! I know I'm going to miss the trail, but I was definitely ready to be done with this heat!

In Anaklia we stayed at GRAND ANAKLIA-Guest Hotel. The room was modern, clean and had its own balcony. There is also a nice shared kitchen as well as laundry.

Tsalenjikha to Anaklia