Garnik Poghosyan

What is your profession? What do you do?

I am a dental technician by profession. Now I have a flower business. I grow flowers and I have a flower shop.

When and how did you decide to take part in a hiking trip for the first time? What did you feel being out of your comfort zone for the first time?

I decided to take part in hiking trips in search of new discoveries and adventures to get to know my country better. I have always been interested in hiking. I was following ArmGeo’s page for more than a year, admiring the beauty of our country, which was presented from a completely different angle. Beautiful photos, interesting and adventurous hiking stories made me go and see it all with my own eyes. I grew up and currently live in a village. For me, the comfort zone is nature, the village, the mountain I climb, the stone I walk on, the lake I swim in, the soil I cultivate.

Why do you climb mountains, what do they give you?

I have asked myself this question many times and and have always wanted to answer it in one sentence. However, I have not found that sentence yet. I climb mountains to take a rest from everyday life, to test myself, to overcome difficulties, to see magical views from the top of a mountain, and to make new discoveries. The mountains teach you to believe in yourself, not to give up. Your goal is to reach the top, despite the difficulties on the way. Your legs get tired, you gradually lose your strength, but your goal remains the same – to reach the top. When you reach the top, you feel victorious. You find a new world in the mountains, where you are free and have a lot of time to think, to reflect, and to talk to yourself. You come down from the mountains with collected thoughts. Mountains give me new thoughts, new ideas, strength, and energy.

Do you have a favorite quote about mountains?

I really like Vladimir Vysotsky’s words:

“Лучше гор могут быть только горы,

На которых ещё не бывал.” (Better than mountains are only the mountains that you didn’t climb yet)

Do you have a desire to climb higher mountains?

I think that people who climb mountains always want to surpass their results, climb higher mountains, walk a harder path.

What was your most memorable hiking trip and what made it special?

All the hikes that I participated in were very interesting and memorable. I would like to single out the trip to Western Armenia. I saw the places I read or heard about with my own eyes. I felt many things: excitement, longing, pain for what we lost and left there. Our overnight stay on the shore of Lake Van  was very adventurous. You wake up in the morning to the sound of the waves and see the sun slowly rising over the lake. It’s like a fairytale. I am very thankful to ArmGeo for giving me such emotions and memories.

What advice do you have for those who want to start to go hiking but don’t dare to do that?

I would recommend trying it at least once. Try to go on a short and easy hike. You will never know if the pomegranate is sweet or sour, unless you try it.

Members of ArmGeo Club