Krasnoyarsk Pillars. Nature miracle

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Krasnoyarsk Pillars. Nature miracle

Wonders of nature

In Russia, on the right bank of the mighty Yenisei, almost opposite Krasnoyarsk, there is probably the most unusual region of Siberia, which has attracted the attention of people for a long time.

In the books it was called "Land of bizarre rocks", "Land of stone giants" and other poetic names. And the geographers put on their maps the name given to the amazing rocks by the locals - Krasnoyarsk Pillars.

Krasnoyarsk Pillars

A native of Krasnoyarsk, the great Russian artist Surikov spoke enthusiastically about these places. "I saw the Swiss and Italian Alps, but nowhere have I seen such beauty as this..." - he wrote.

And half a century before Surikov, in 1823, Siberian explorer Prokhor Seleznev described the Pillars as follows: “The rocks are very large and wonderfully created. And they are located in a remote desert for fifteen, or maybe twenty versts. they say the truth that in other lands you cannot see such a thing. And no one can climb these rocks, and what they are is unknown. "

At that distant time, two centuries ago, the Khakasses and the natives of the Sayan Mountains, the Tofalars, who inhabited the Yenisei valley, worshiped unusual rocks, considering them to be the earthly incarnation of the gods. They made sacrifices to the stern stone giants guarding the taiga and its treasures, hoping that their help would bring good luck in the upcoming hunt.

And how could one not believe in the divine nature of the Pillars, if their outlines really resemble figures or heads of people ("Grandfather", "Grandmother", "Granddaughter", "Great-grandfather"), then animals or birds ("Great Berkut", "Small Berkut", "Sparrows", "Camel", "Musk deer", "Behemoth"). Other rocks with their fantastic shapes evoke completely unexpected associations. One of them, the "Chinese Wall", resembles, for example, an ancient fortification, the other, "Lion's Gate" is very similar to the cyclopean Lion's Gate in ancient Mycenae. And the "Feathers" rocks are similar to the wing of a giant bird stuck into the ground...

For a long time, scientists did not suspect the existence of this remarkable natural monument. Only in 1842 it was studied and described by the famous geologist, explorer of the Sayan, Altai, Apennines and Turkish mountains A.P. Chikhachev.

How did these amazing natural "sculptures" form? The titanic forces of the fiery bowels of the Earth first worked on their creation. In the Devonian period, four hundred million years ago, molten magma was torn here from the depths, but could not escape to the surface and froze in the cracks and voids of sedimentary rocks that lay on the surface. Then the sun, wind and water took over, gradually destroying the limestone, shale and sandstone that contained the igneous rock.

And then this rock - pink syenite, which filled the cavities of various shapes in the sedimentary cover, turned out to be outside. The destructive surface forces could not cope with the strong sides of the syenite rocks, leaving them sticking out in the form of bizarre stone "pillars".

Chikhachev figured out the nature of the Krasnoyarsk Pillars and went to work in Turkey, and ten years later an event occurred that largely determined the fate of the unique rocks and the surrounding taiga.

In 1851, one of the tireless and inquisitive young Krasnoyarsk citizens was the first to climb one of the amazing rocks - the First Pillar. The brave young man found followers, and soon the "Second Pillar" was conquered, followed by "Grandfather", "Feathers", "Small Berkut" and other rocks. Rock climbing on the Pillars soon became a favorite pastime of the urban youth. But, while conquering the impregnable rocks (and without any climbing equipment and insurance), the “pillars”, as they called themselves, at the same time established unwritten rules that allowed them to preserve nature in the area of Krasnoyarsk Pillars. We can say that a voluntary reserve regime spontaneously arose here. Therefore, when in 1925 a state reserve was organized on the right bank of the Yenisei, it only had to continue and develop the traditions already established and preserved for decades.

Now almost five hundred square kilometers of mountain taiga between the Mana and Bazaikha tributaries of the Yenisei are under the protection of the law. Here, among the dark coniferous fir taiga, there is a rare Siberian oleshek - musk deer, the smallest hoofed animal in Russia. He is less than a meter tall and weighs only fifteen kilograms.

Musk deer likes to graze in places where there are steep rocks, large stones or cliffs. In the event of a predator attack, it jumps onto a high rocky ledge inaccessible to the enemy and "defends" there until the enemy leaves. Musk deer have no horns, but males have long ten-centimeter fangs sticking out of their mouths, giving their muzzles a ferocious expression that is completely atypical for deer.

In addition to them, red deer, roe deer and elk live in the reserve. There are also many predators here: bears, wolves, lynxes and wolverines. From small predatory animals come across sables, ermines, foxes and otters. So the hares, squirrels, columns and pikas inhabiting the taiga also have enough enemies.

At the foot of the taiga ranges, fir trees are replaced by light coniferous trees: pine and larch. They grow throughout the territory occupied by rocky remains.

There are also many rare birds in the reserve, such as the Mugimaki flycatcher, the deaf cuckoo, and the blue nightingale. The red-throated nightingale is also found here - one of the best singers of the mountain taiga. And in the foothills it is not uncommon to see a beautiful oriole. Nowhere in Siberia is this heat-loving bird found so far north. Live in the local taiga and the usual inhabitants of coniferous forests - crossbills and nutcrackers.

All four-legged and feathered taiga residents are under strict protection. But the area closest to Krasnoyarsk, which has long served as a place for mass tourism and mountaineering, is endowed with a special status. There is a tourist-excursion zone here. Approximately one thousand hectares (out of forty-seven thousand of the total area) remain at the full disposal of the "stolbists". I must say that over the past century and a half since the conquest of the "First Pillar" a brilliant school of rock climbing has developed in Krasnoyarsk, many wonderful climbers and rock climbers have come out of the swarm. The famous Abalakov brothers, conquerors of the most difficult peaks of the Pamir and Tien Shan, come from here, more than one conqueror of the Chomolungma came from here.

After all, nature itself arranged here a grandiose "simulator" for developing the skills of conquering mountain peaks: more than eighty huge stone "pillars" up to a hundred meters high, differing from each other not only in shape and names, but also in the degree of difficulty of climbing them. Any boy who managed to climb at least the "First Pillar" forever "sick" rock climbing.

And while travelers who have come from afar admire the fantastic outlines of bizarre rocks, the "pillars" bravely storm their steep slopes, grabbing barely noticeable cracks and ledges on the surface of syenite masses. Conquering one rock after another, the young "columnist" eventually becomes an experienced rock climber.

In total, there are four groups of rocks in Pillars. The closest to Krasnoyarsk (three kilometers from the city) is the Takmak district. Here, on the steep slopes and watersheds of the picturesque river Mokhovaya, the left tributary of the Bazaikha, the rocks "Glagol", "Responsive", "Chinese Wall", "Sparrows", "Ermak", "Big Takmak", "Small Takmak" and others are located like an amphitheater.

The second district - "Kaltatsky" - is located one and a half kilometers east of "Takmak". Here are the rocks "Bell", "Sunken Boat" and a few more picturesque cliffs. The most popular among the stolbists is the "Aesthetic" district. It is located thirteen kilometers from the city, not far from the scientific base of the reserve. To get here, you have to overcome a steep climb, which received the derisive nickname "Pykhtun" from the columnists. All the main "Pillars" are concentrated here: "Savage", "Mitra", "Grandfather", "Baba", "Granddaughter", "Feathers", "Lion's Gate" and others. The highest "Second Pillar". Its height is ninety meters. The "first pillar" is ten meters lower. "Aesthetic" - the most crowded section of Stolbov. Here, apart from Krasnoyarsk climbers, you can always meet tourists from Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, the Urals and Kazakhstan. Several huts have been built in the forest at the foot of the Stolbov, and many Stolbists spend several days in a row in the Aesthetic.

Climbers rarely visit the most remote area of the "Wild Pillars", where the rocks "Fortress", "Manskaya Baba", "Fortress" and a number of other rocks, little known even among the pillars, rise among the taiga.

However, even if a tourist who finds himself on the banks of the Mana does not show a penchant for rock climbing, the beauty of the Pillars will still not leave him indifferent. And, then getting to the Altai and the Urals, the Caucasus or the Khibiny, he no-no and even mentally compare their mountain beauty with what he once saw on these spurs of the Eastern Sayan. And he will think to himself that there are many unusual mountains and rocks on Earth, but such as the Krasnoyarsk Pillars cannot be found anywhere in the world ...

Author: B.Wagner

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