Seven Bridges

Tajikistan has been our home for 15 months now. That’s a crazy-long time! It’s hard to believe sometimes since it still feels like we just got here some days. 15 months is also a crazy-long time to go before going on our first legitimate hike. Frankly, it’s embarrassing.

I’m not going to sit here and explain all the reasons why it took us so long to get out and get hiking. It’s quite boring (we were busy etc.). And yes, we did do some hiking when we went to Iskanderkul, but it was nothing like the four hour trek to Seven Bridges we did a few weeks ago.

Of course, we woke up to rain. And of course, I was being a grump about hiking in said rain. Luckily, Sean and my co-CLO are good at convincing me to stop being a wimp and get up, get changed, put on your pristine hiking boots, and get out there.

The drive was fairly easy, until it wasn’t. Seven Bridges is only about 30 minutes from Dushanbe in the town of Varzob but the last stretch is quite interesting. First off, the turn isn’t marked. It was one of those “ok…turn…NOW!” kind of situations. Then we were on a dirt road for a ways that ended with the most terrifying bridge ever. I didn’t get a picture of it but believe me when I tell you: 1) there are holes, and 2) there’s a wall much too close that at least one car scraped on the way out. For someone with a fear of bridges I was not amused.

As far as hikes go, this is an easy one for Tajikistan. It’s in the valley so there’s no sudden sharp incline at 60 degrees straight up a mountain. Just nice, easy, rolling hills as you criss-cross along the Varzob River on, you guessed it, seven bridges.

The fall colors had just started to emerge and with the mist from the rain and clouds it made for some absolutely stunning views. A handful of us made it all the way to the seventh bridge (when apparently had been deconstructed) and we stopped to take in the beauty of this country.

Hopefully it doesn’t take me another 15 months to get out and hike again.