#BlazetheTCT Day 2: Kapan to Sisian
Gooooood morning, intrepid hikers!
Today, we’re continuing our journey along the Transcaucasian Trail, following the 1500-kilometer North-South route that connects Armenia and Georgia. Each day, we’re highlighting a new 100-kilometer section of the trail and some of our favorite people and places along the way.
Bit by bit, we’re inching towards the Black Seat coast in Georgia – and towards our fundraising goal of $30,000 to Blaze the Transcaucasian Trail.
Today, we’re leaving behind the rugged beauty of Mt. Khustup and heading toward the historic town of Sisian.
I’ll be honest: I was asked for a tagline for our video highlights of this section, and the first thing out of my mouth was “SO. MANY. MONASTERIES.” So that’s what we called it.
With that, welcome to Section 2: Kapan to Sisian, home of a truly staggering number of monasteries.
But even beyond the monasteries (which are very, very cool), this is one of the most culturally rich sections of the trail, spanning ancient fortresses to imposing Soviet monuments to surprising forest art along the trail.
So lace up your boots and let’s get started!
Happy trails,
Meagan
Day 2: Kapan to Sisian
After a quick resupply and rest day in Kapan, it’s time to hit the trail.
Nothing starts early in the Caucasus, but maybe you will, just to beat the heat.
As you begin your trek, the early morning light casts long shadows over the village streets and you wave farewell to your hosts. Khustup continues to dominate the skyline behind you as the trail ascends into the hills.
Explore Syunik’s ancient history
Your first stop is a real gem: 17th-century Halidzor Fortress, where legend has it that local military hero Davit Bek and some 300 followers withstood a seven-day siege here against an Ottoman army of 70,000 men.
You wander through the partly-restored complex with several rooms and buildings on multiple levels. (There’s supposedly a secret tunnel down to the River Voghji to enable besieged occupants to escape– let us know if you ever find it.)
You continue walking through the dappled forest and embark on what will soon become your rapid-fire monastery tour across the region of Syunik.
You wander through the serene courtyard of 10th-century Vahanavank Monastery and say barev zdes to the quite hospitable monks who live there, marveling at the huge stone arches and intricate khachkhars (stone crosses).
Contemplate modern art on the trail
As you cross villages and valleys and approach the nearby town of Tandzaver, you might start to notice some… peculiarities.
(Is it just me, or does that rock look like a giant’s face? Is that a deer prancing on top of that hill? Hang on, what could you possibly call those except forest spirits?)
It’s not your imagination, and it’s not just you. This is the creative work of a group of local and international artists who opened Armenia’s very first land art exhibition in 2019.
For the full experience, hike the Magic Forest loop trail branching off the TCT, and keep your eyes open.
Cross the Vorotan Canyon
You continue walking through the region’s lush forests and wide fields – until suddenly, you’re looking over the edge of a cliff, and the trail appears to disappear straight down into it. You’ve reached the Vorotan Canyon.
This is one of our favorite sections of the trail: descending through a dappled, mossy forest, following the Vorotan River with the canyon walls towering overhead, until you finally approach the famous Tatev Monastery.
As you descend into the canyon you’ll pass the ruined settlement of Yeritsatumb, a 10th-century settlement destroyed in 1931 by the same earthquake that ruined Tatev Monastery.
The ruins have all but disappeared beneath fallen boulders, but the church of Surb Minas Kratak (roughly “St Menas Under-The-Rock”) still stands, originally built in 1321, with an inscribed khachkar of 1324 placed on the roof.
You might decide to stop and camp in the beautiful forest here, and you wouldn’t be the first. (Fun fact: a TCT crew lived here for several weeks in 2019 while rebuilding the trail between Yeritsatumb and Bardzravan at the top of the canyon.)
Climb to Tatev Monastery
As you climb from the bottom of the Vorotan Canyon up to Tatev– following trails that are quite overgrown at the moment, but we’re sending crews out to maintain them later this summer!– it’s impossible not to be a little awestruck at the monastery towering on the cliffs above.
Tatev dates back to the 9th century, and medieval Tatev peaked as a political and cultural center in the 14–15th centuries before wars between rival empires brought instability back to Armenian lands.
Tatev was a major Armenian cultural and political center, which means that– conveniently for us trail builders– it’s also the center of a huge network of historical trails connecting the monastery with settlements all over Syunik.
(This is our favorite Armenian trail scouting tip: Look for the monasteries, and the trail network to surrounding villages will follow.)
Camp at a monastery & watch for Soviet monuments
As you hike out of Tatev – hopefully after a well-deserved rest day at one of the many excellent guesthouses and a swim at the nearby Devil’s Bridge – the forest gradually falls away into an open, sun-baked landscape as you inch towards Sisian.
In the small town of Vortonovan, you cross the eye-catching single-span lancet arch bridge of 1855, still used today as a road bridge.
And a few kilometers later, you settle in for a night of wild camping next to Vorotnovank Monastery among the apricot trees and listen to the jackals howl in the distance.
Soon enough, you’re finally walking the road into Sisian, dotted with the remnants of Soviet industry. You’re sweaty and sun-drenched but your trail legs are already getting stronger.
Rest up just outside of Sisian with Mher Azoyan and family at their new guesthouse right along the trail at the edge of Sisian. We learned about their place thanks to a TCT hiker tip last year, and Tom stayed with them this week while doing trail assessment and maintenance planning on this section. They’re excited to host more TCT hikers!
And that’s 200 kilometers down on the TCT!
We’ll see you tomorrow to hike from Sisian to Martiros… and to meet some of the TCT’s trail builders and tourism innovators along the way.
We hope you’re enjoying coming with us on the trail and meeting some of the people and places behind it. Over our 15 days of hiking the TCT, we’re aiming to raise $30,000 to blaze new sections of the trail and to continue our work to make these spectacular areas accessible.
This year, we’re aiming to send trail crews back to several parts of this section, since there’s a big need for trail maintenance and marking, especially around Tatev.
(This year was a particularly wet summer, which means that overgrowth has sprung up quickly. One hiker we met last week referred to the overgrown trails around Tatev as a “death jungle.” We’re sending trail crews there later this month to clear away the thorns!)
If you’ve enjoyed the trail in the past or are dreaming of hiking it someday, please join us to make these efforts possible! Donate $15 or more and share with 15 friends today to blaze the TCT.
Thanks for all your support, and happy trails – we’ll see you back on the TCT tomorrow!
– Meagan & the TCT team
