Shativank
As the year comes to an end, we all sum up how we spent it and start preparing for the new year. We too made our last hike of 2023 on December 24, heading to the Vayots Dzor region to Shativank.
To tell the truth, inspired by the “Chanaparhord” hiking club seeing a herd of bezoar goats the previous Sunday, we too hoped to go and see them. But it was clear right from the start that we wouldn’t see them. You’ll ask why? Hmm, it’s surprising that such a question even comes up for you. After all, children are so sweet and noisy that not a single animal stays in the area because of our voices. No matter how much we tried to walk quietly, it didn’t work.
Nature was beautiful, and so was our mood, and so were the children. You’re always amazed at how the children (and the parents too) don’t avoid hiking in snowy winter.
Walking from the village of Shatin along a trail through the middle of the gorge, we reached Shativank, which was one of the long-lived monasteries of Vayots Dzor. According to the testimony of St. Orbelian, it was built in 929. Unfortunately, this stone chronicle does not receive proper protection.
It turned out to be a kind of mischievous hike: snowballs, sliding on ice, breaking the frozen puddles, a photo shoot with a kite, and giving each other nicknames from the names of fruits; the most successful one was probably “Evakadon”. It was a cool day, since the hike was also made successful by teenagers preparing for university entrance, who usually study outside Yerevan, taking advantage of their holidays. We ended the year with a pleasant hike …
We walked 10.5 km and covered 600 m of elevation gain.
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