Rural Life

Life in At-Bashy epitomizes rural Kyrgyzstan. At-Bashy is a village of 10,000 residents located just north of the Chinese border within the Naryn Oblast (Kyrgyzstan is divided into 7 political regions called oblasts). The Naryn Oblast is often considered to be the Kyrgyz cultural heartland. True to this generalization is the only mono-ethnic oblast in the country with an ethnic composition that is 99% Kyrgyz and many residents of the province do not speak any Russian.

Agriculture dominates the economy accounting for 40-60% of the oblast’s production and employing over 60% of the population. Over 80% of the oblast population lives in rural areas, with Naryn (40,000 people) being the only town of substantial size. The Naryn Oblast is the poorest oblast in the country with 42.7% people living in poverty. The average income per capital is just 1,465 soms per month ($37 USD). Due to the poor economic conditions, many rural people maintain self-sufficiency through a combination of agriculture practices and animal husbandry, both of which are climate sensitive sectors.

Group of women making felt in Terek Suu, a small village


A horse stands alone outside the animal market

In At-Bashy, I have found a local family to live with while I conduct interviews in surrounding villages and pastures. The family lives in a typical adobe house. There is no running water, but there is a well in the yard- a luxury compared to walking onto the street to collect water like many other families must. The house has electricity, but in the winter is primarily heated through burning of coal. The family sleeps together in one or two rooms depending on how cold it is. Everynight tushooks, thick mats, are laid out on the floor and then put away in the morning.

The family has five girls ranging in age from 1 to 16. Both the mother, Asyl and the father, Nurbek, are from At-Bashy and have many many relatives in the area. Being incorporated into a Kyrgyz family means sacrificing personal space and personal desires. The area of greatest difficulty for me is the local diet. I enjoy many of the traditional dishes, but suffer from the amount of food that is pressured upon me and a continued lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. Most meals consist of either potatoes, rice or pasta with lots of fat and a little bit of meat. Bread is ever present. And it is always washed down with tea.

I celebrated my 23rd birthday in At-Bashy. My family and their extended family suprised me with a traditional feast of an entire boiled sheep laid on top of noodles and potatoes. This gastronomical delight is the Kyrgyz national dish known as besh bemak (translates into “five fingers” because it is eaten by hand). As the guest of honor, I fed the eyeballs, the tongue, many large white hunks of mutton rump fat and other indiscernible body parts. In great timing, as I was devouring the thyroid the grandmother asked me in disgust "In America you eat pigs right?.... Uggh...how could ever eat a pig!" I was the only who saw humor in that situation.

My time in At-Bashy in May was cut short when I developed a persistant high fever, deep fatigue and deep cough that forced my retreat to see doctors in Bishkek who speculated over many things ending in "ocious". Pneumonia was finally named the culprit and recovery is slow but underway. Despite my father's concerns, I am quite sure my respiratory distress is unrelated to my recent gastronomical delights.

Locals taking break from planting potatoes



The At-Bashy Market

At-Bashy

I am headed to At-Bashy!

FUN RUN

The Alpine Fund Dacha Weekend

Buttercups blanketing the hills, herds of sheep…….it is spring in Kyrgyzstan! This past weekend we took full advantage of the beautiful weather while staying at the dacha, the Alpine Fund’s lovely mountain house located at the base of Ala-Archa Canyon just outside Bishkek. A group of eight teenagers from Voenno-Antonovka Orphanage joined Salavat and volunteers David, Kevin and myself (Ann) for the weekend. Besides hiking and getting out in the mountains this weekend held a special purpose. From this group of kids, one will be selected to be Alpine Fund interns for next year. Selection criteria for an intern includes financial need but also motivation and interest to take on responsibilities involved with the Alpine Fund organization such as assisting in mountain trips and helping with meetings.

After arriving Saturday afternoon and having lunch in the garden, we hiked up the east side of the valley. Everything is green, green, green! We were rewarded with excellent views of Ala-Archa and the Aiygene Glacier. Dinner that evening was plov (traditional rice dish) cooked over an open fire in the yard. As the embers died, all the kids filled out sheets indicating their future plans, financial independence, and other questions that will aid our selection in selecting interns.

On Sunday after a hearty breakfast in the garden we spent some time pouring over a world map talking about geography. One of my favorite questions is to ask where in the world people would like to go to. All the kids had different answers to this question and some of them even said they would like to see the entire world! As the sun climbed into the sky we set off and hiked to the top of the Alpine Fund peak, a small mountain located on the west side of the valley. The climb up was hot, but a steady breeze kept us cool on the summit. The kids were thrilled to look north into Kazakhstan. Overlooking Bishkek, we were all grateful to get out of the city and into the mountains for the weekend. Returning to the dacha, we strolled through herds of grazing animals and groups of Kyrgyz families picknicking. After a late lunch, we all headed back to Bishkek renewed from a weekend of activity, sunshine and spring.

I have been an active volunteer with the Alpine Fund since I arrived in November. The Alpine Fund (www.alpinefund.org) is a local non-profit that works to connect at-risk youth from orphanages and street markets with the mountains. Upcoming The Alpine Fund has a 5km Fun Run planned for June 6th at 12 noon near Ala-Archa park outside Bishkek. See the Alpine fund website or visit them on facebook for more information.

Stable Instability

Disorder and instability have returned to Kyrgyzstan in the past several days. On Thursday, May 13th counter-revolutionary forces took over government buildings in Osh, Jalalabad and Batken- all provincial regions in the southern portion of the country. In Bishkek, small demonstrations were held in support of reinstating the former mayor. Conflict between counter-revolutionary forces and pro-government forces (revolutionary forces that assumed control over the government last month) resulted in violence on Thursday and Friday in Jalalabad and Osh. By Friday morning, the pro-government forces had regained control of seized buildings. Local sources are indicating that the former president‘s family, the Bakievs, may be financing some of the disorder that is taking place.

These recent events are at a smaller level than the events that took place April 7th-8th, 2010 when the government of Kyrgyzstan was overthrown after widespread antigovernment protests.
However, the current events highlight the fragile nature the interim government has.

Demonstrations on both sides are being called for over the weekend. Monday, May 17th seems to hold a gathering sense of uncertainty as it marks 40 days since the events of April 7th and is being called a memorial day. Many shops in Bishkek, especially those with expensive inventory, have cleared their shelves clean and have shut down in preparation. One particular concern is over the potential for violence. Many households have rifles for hunting and from a history of ethnic violence. Additionally, hundreds of guns were distributed on April 7th, when an Interior Ministry arsenal was looted.

With advice from the U.S. embassy, I am delaying my departure to At-Bashy and will remain in Bishkek for several more days. Although rural areas would initially be safer than Bishkek, I could find myself stranded and without communication if events escalate dramatically and roads are shut down.

Spring Plans

I recently returned to a very green Bishkek and markets full of strawberries and cherries. My short hiatus was a journey to another great mountain range of the world, the Alps. In France and Switzerland I joined friends to ski a portion of the Haute Route (bailed due to rain) and classics such as Aiguilles du Tacul, the Cosmiques Couloir off the north side of the Aiguilles du Midi, and the Grand Cass. Returning to Kyrgyzstan felt like coming home.

For the rest of May and most of June, I am heading to At-Bashy to fully immerse myself in conducting interviews with locals in the At-Bashy area who make their livelihood connected to natural resources. The interviews will be an investigation into the way in which changes in glaciers are having an impact on livelihoods, water security and environmental quality.

I was last in At-Bashy over a month ago and the region was just beginning to melt out after winter with an above average snowfall. Now spring is here and herders are readying their livestock to head to high elevation pastures for the summer.

My many travels this winter proved fruitful in exploring various ranges of the Tien Shan, making many friends and gaining exposure to many different aspects of life in Kyrgyzstan. However, I am looking forward to getting to settle down a bit more and invest myself more deeply in one place.

Historic Data

These graphs show average historic annual temperature and precipitation for the village of At-Bashy. This data comes from stations maintained as part of a much larger network of weather observation stations across the former USSR. Precipitation data dates back to 1927 and temperature data for At-Bashy dates back to 1962, however both datasets have incomplete years of data that were excluded from my graphs. The data does not continue to present day, as most weather stations were abandoned in 1990. In fact today, there are less than 25 weather stations in Kyrgyzstan, just a fraction of what existed several decades ago.

According to the regressions, which I have not analyzed their statistical significance, the data shows an increasing temperature trend and a decreasing precipitation trend. The significance of these trends should not be extended to make generalization about regional trends over the past century. However the data still provides an insight and when coupled with additional data sites will provide a broader glimpse of trends.

Obtaining the data was a process in itself. During the winter I contacted the Kyrgyz Hydro- meteorological Center certain they would be thrilled to provide me with the data I was interested. To my surprise I was informed that the data would be available at $10 US Dollar per year per station. That is a hefty price tag of $4200 for just 4 stations’ data! Unwilling to pay, as I made more contacts I thankfully obtained the data free of charge from several sources including Dr. Ryskul Usubaliev at Central Asia Institute of Applied Geosciences and also from Dr. Chiyuki Narama at Nagoya University in Japan. The problem was there were discrepancies and the data did not match. Recently, Dr. Vladimir Aizen at the University of Idaho made a majority of historic USSR meteorological data available via a web data server at http://www.sci.uidaho.edu/cae/data/index.html. Dr. Aizen and Dr. Narama have both assured me to the accuracy of their data, and being that there data is identical, it is the data I have chosen to use.

The uncertainty in data accuracy is significant because each data value can have a huge effect on the resulting trend. One small difference can greatly exaggerate an increasing trend that could be used to falsely indicate warming. On the reverse, another error could negate an actual positive trend.

This story highlights the delicate nature of numbers and data, as well as questioning the significance that is placed on the results. Beyond questioning the data sources and transcription, I have to wonder about the accuracy of the observation records. Although error in transcription from original sources to digital sources can be overcome, there is no way to overcome original biases from measurement or recorder error.

I will still use the data in my research, but it will be supportive documentation. Coupling the trends of multiple stations in the area should provide a better representation. Additionally, I will be interested to see any correlation between the data and locals’ observations.

National Geographic

The April 2010 National Geographic was a special issue- WATER – Our Thirsty World. One of the feature articles is “The Big Melt”, highlighting that “glaciers in the high heart of Asia feed its greatest rivers, lifelines for two billion people. Now the ice and snow are diminishing”. The article covers all of Central Asia and provides an excellent overview touching on documentation of changes, existing difficulties for locals, different government responses, and possible future impacts for the region.

Jetim-Bel Range- Women`s Kyrgyzstan Expedition

Molly, Jaime and I are just a few days back from an excellent trip exploring the remote Jetim Bel Range, located in Eastern Kyrgyzstan. We were thrilled to get into the mountains after the initial delay due to the political turmoil that unfolded upon Jaime and Molly's arrival in Kyrgyzstan. Our departure was mark with a multitude of absurdly hilarious difficulties mostly involving money. After spending a night in Barksoon, we hired a local driver, Mischa, who dropped us off on the north side of Sueok Pass at 3800m.

In our nine days of exploration we found incredible terrain, but it was blanketed in one of the scariest snowpacks any of us had ever seen. With safety being forefront we still managed to ski- exploring and linking five different glacial drainages from two camps. The relief of the Jetim Bel is not immense, but it is beautiful for ski touring a multitude of steep ridges and baby glaciers filling in all the north facing valleys. We had beautiful weather all days but one. Despite the strong solar radiation, temperatures stayed cool from steady winds and strong diurnal cooling. The long spring days were greatly appreciated.

We had planned to attempt a repeat descent of Sari Tor, a peak climbed and skied by the female explorer Ella Maillart in 1932 on wooden skis. Only days before our departure from Bishkek, we became informed of the presence of two Sari Tor peaks in the Jetim Bel area. Unfortunatley, the Sari Tor indicated on maps and the one we had planned to ski was not the Sari Tor that Ella skied. That Sari Tor is located about 45 km away and is currently off limits as it is part of the Kumtor Gold Mine complex. Many locals did not seem aware of these Sari Tor's existence and it is not indicated on any historic USSR maps. However, following in the spirit of Ella Maillart, on our second day we were able to ski the NW face of our Sari Tor (4481)m, a first descent.

Our descent of Sari Tor marked the beginning of our relationship with descents on western slopes. Almost every east slope we inspected we found to be wind loaded with extremely poor structure and high energy. Due to high hazard and large consequences, we turned away from many beautiful descents. In lieu of making a multitue of steep descents, we were able to complete numerous traverses and ski more conservative lines in all of the central drainages of the Jetim Bel. Our tours included several long ridge traverses, 4 summits over 4500m, one +24km day tour over Sari Pass.

Despite thre remote location of the Jetim-Bel, on a dirt track bisecting the range we encountered over 100 head of horses headed towards their summer pastures already. It was repeated our last day with a herd of cows on the main road, when Mischa was picking us up.

Our hesitations about the snowpack were confirmed when we remotely triggered a Class III avalanche setting up our camp in valley bottom. We had been in the location for over an hour, when we suddenly felt the snowpack collapse and listened to the failure propagate through the entire valley. Within moments, we were watching the entire eastern slope above us come roaring down into the valley. Fortunatley, we had picked our site carefully- even Jaime had measured the alpha angles (the runout distance of an avalanche). The slide stopped about 200 ft from camp and the resulting debris were big enough to bury a car (3-10m). The crown was over 1/2 km long and the slide ran 400m downslope. Our last day, we hiked up the slide path which ran to the ground. We did a crown profile, the culprit was depth hoar on a crust just above the ground. In addition to the poor structure (from examining the layers) there was very poor strenght and a great deal of energy in the snow as indicated in stability tests we conducted.

Reminded why we had been cautious in our descent lines, we headed out to meet Mischa and head back to Bishkek. Molly and Jaime headed back to the states and I departed for Kyrgyzstan for a short hiatus.

Thank you to the Hans Saari Memorial Ski Fund Exploration Grant for their support. The grant is designted to support and expand the boundaries of ski mountaineering and provide a better understanding of mountain cultures.

THE TEAM

Jaime, Ann and Molly

SELECT IMAGES FROM THE EXPEDITION:

The ubiquitous Lada, along Issky- Kul LakeThe last road sign....

The Jetim Bel Range

The team after first descent of Sari Tor (behind)

Molly Speed racing down a glacier Jaime relaxing Molly descending one of the many unnamed glaciers View of Jetim Bel Jaime ascending
View of camp and the slide that sympathetically released in camp from valley bottom

Crown of slide The facets kept getting bigger and bigger...

Molly and horses heading over Sueok Pass

News

Part of my designation as a Fulbright Grantee is to promote exchange and knowledge between the United States and Kyrgyzstan. The recent events have brought attention to this little landlocked country, but not in the most positive light. Many people, especially in my home valley of Montana, were highly interested in the events unfolding. I hope in my relaying of information about the violence and disorder that occured I was still able to convey the incredible hospitatlity of the people here, the beauty of the land and the young nature of the country. It is too early to say what the new government will bring, but there is already talk of the same corrupt tactics just with different players. Russia's involvement and comments continue to be an source of interest as a new great game continues.

- The Daily Inter Lake Front Row to Revolution
- The Flathead Beacon Amid Political Upheavel, Solace in the Mountains
- I also did an interview with Emilie Ritter of Montana Public Radio which aired on April 11th