{"id":55301,"date":"2020-07-16T18:35:32","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T14:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.armgeo.am\/tsakkar-lake\/"},"modified":"2021-04-21T11:21:06","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T07:21:06","slug":"tsakkar-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.armgeo.am\/en\/tsakkar-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"Nature as a Bridge to Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe nature is my God\u201d, says a member of the Armenian Geographic club Gevorg Haroyan. He was also among those who did a two-day hiking trip to Tsakkar Lake (Tsaghkari), which is located on the slopes of the Zangezur mountain range.<\/p>\n

Even in July there are still pieces of ice in Tsakkar Lake<\/a><\/span>. The weather is warm, but the water in the lake is icy cold. Armenian Geographic<\/a><\/span> organized a two-day camping trip to the Zangezur mountain range. After spending the night in tents hikers headed to Tsakkar Lake.<\/p>\n

\"Tsakkar<\/a>

Tsakkar Lake<\/p><\/div>\n

Tsakkar Lake<\/h3>\n

It has been already 5 years that Gevorg is leading a hiking lifestyle. He says that this was his second time in Tsakkar Lake and he is ready to go there for the third time, as he loves that lake very much.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou walk and walk and suddenly the magic appears in front of you. The one who reaches the top screams. And those who haven\u2019t got there yet are getting curious of what\u2019s going on there on the top. And then they reach the top and scream in the same way when they see that wonderful view in front of them. On the one hand the weather is warm and your blood boils in the veins, on the other hand the water is so cold that at first you damn yourself for getting into the water. But then, when you get out of it your muscles warm up again and you feel satisfied that you did it. There are pieces of ice inside the water and the view is glorious\u201d, said Gevorg.<\/p>\n

\"Tsakkar<\/a>

Tsakkar Lake<\/p><\/div>\n

Since the lake is located on the border of two conflicting countries, Gevorg draws parallels between his feelings and body sensations. He says that seeing that view you can have a desire to scream, but you need to be careful as it’s risky. \u201cTsakkar is on the border, and just as the water is both pleasant and cold, my feelings were also contradictory, as I kept thinking about not being noisy\u201d.<\/p>\n

The hiker finds it impressive that they didn\u2019t plan where they were going to set up their tents beforehand, but at the end they chose a perfect place for it. \u201cThere was the beautiful moon, a campfire and lovely people. That was very cool\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Tsakkar<\/a><\/p>\n

Tsakkar Lake<\/p>\n

Man and Nature<\/h3>\n

Gevorg feels a strong connection with nature. He says that he feels that connection since childhood. \u201cThere are people who say that they don\u2019t like music, kids or nature. For me it\u2019s not normal. Quite late, but I realized that my God is the nature.\u00a0 I don\u2019t mean nature only by its first definition but also the nature of people. In every hiking trip you meet new people, new relationships and new perspectives. Knowing people is a completely different world. I am very interested in both nature and people. I think the human being can be the hail, the Sun and the rain in different periods of time and I love that. Armenia is a place of endless discoveries, and Meghri is especially unique for me. I like long walks, because when the trail is short, you don’t have enough \u201cme-time. But when the trail is long, you have an opportunity to constantly think and enjoy everything around you\u201d.<\/p>\n

Gevorg thinks that many skills are developing during hikes, but for him the greatest gifts are his friends. \u201cMy life is already strongly connected with them. In these hiking trips I found my best friends\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Gevorg<\/a>

Gevorg Haroyan<\/p><\/div>\n

The hiker is sure that a person changes in nature, becomes better and kinder. \u201cIt may happen that you don’t like someone in the city, but then in nature you see how caring that person is towards others and you change your opinion. I think in nature people are able to express themselves better\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mountains are Talking<\/h3>\n

What are you looking for in the mountains? This question made Gevorg think for a moment. Then he said. \u201cI think mountains are the most speaking objects in the world. In nature, all sounds are natural. There is no city noise, no music from restaurants, no mixed sounds. During hiking trips, it seems like you become one with nature. It seems like you are the wind, the view, everything. It feels like you swallow the nature with your eyes and ears. I think that if you find the answer to that question, it won\u2019t be interesting anymore. I\u2019m not looking for a specific answer. For example, when I do sports, I don\u2019t do it in order to live longer, because I may die in an hour. I just do it because I like it. I think it\u2019s the same here. There is no answer to that question\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Zangezur<\/a>

Zangezur mountains range<\/p><\/div>\n

Under the moonlight, hikers set up their tents and lit a campfire. The sounds of Gevorg\u2019s guitar performing a song by Mher Bekchyan connected all the gathered people with each other and with nature: \u201cWhere are you, where are you? Appear on this peaceful night…\u201d<\/p>\n