We are preparing for a three-day tour program. Two days off at the beginning of the next week prepare a good time for a multi-day trip. From several options including Arasbaran and Khalkhal-Asalem forests, Jirkuh to Qasem Abad is selected, which includes several villages along the way. Jirkuh is located in the north of Javaherdeh which is a small paradise 29 km from Ramsar city in Mazandaran province and is located in the southwest of this city.
At around 4 am on Thursday, we set off on the road with four friends, two of whom have joined us from Isfahan. From the new highway in north of Tehran, we reach Chalous Road. As usual on weekends, the road is congested and we lose a few hours of expensive and valuable time in traffic.
Three of our teammates join us on Jawahardeh Road. It is about 11 o'clock and we are a few hours behind schedule. The route selected for tracking goes from Jirkuh to Qasem Abad village. We park the cars at the beginning of the trail in the village and get ready for the adventure. According to the trip reports available in internet, there are several springs along the way, but due to climate changes and the possibility of the springs drying up, we must take enough water and food for three days. The beginning of the path is always one of the difficult parts of the program. The initial slope, the heat of summer sun and the heavy backpacks have taken our breath away and the steep forest slope has taken us by surprise. All
along the way we have to pay attention to the amount of water consumption. When we enter an area for the first time we have to imagine the worst conditions and cases
We walk for about two hours. The path is full of wild plum trees with colors ranging from yellow to red and dark purple, tucked away in the leaves. Team members agree to rest and have lunch. Flattening the mats and setting up a half-awning canopy, the friends start heating and cooking their food. There is a spring near our place of extinction, but the water is not very clear. However, it can come in handy in times of need. After about an hour of rest, we are ready to continue the route. We carry our heavy backpacks to the top of the forested mountains. Now the slope of the path has been slightly reduced and the pristine landscapes are gradually appearing. One of the companions plays a Kurdish song of joy to energize the group and we dance with the same heavy backpacks. After about two hours of walking, we reach the first village. The area is full of cow bells sound; Fawn, black and cream cows. The plains are vast green and the view ahead is the infinite glory of eternity; Where the sky and the sea, two infinities, mix together. It cannot be said that the sky has come down so much or the sea has risen so high, whatever it is, the two are lost in each other's arms and a faint line appears on the horizon.
The weather is still clear and we can get to the second village, but the team prefers to spend the rest of the day in the beauty here and set up tents in the daylight. Now the first step is to find a flat space to set up the tents. As the sun gathers its rays from the mountains and plains, it starts getting cooler. The shepherd of the cows approaches our camp site at twilight to return the cows to the corral. Among the few huts that can be seen from a distance with their lights, he shows us a hut and tells us to go to it whenever we need anything. He talks warmly with us and his playful dog does not approach any of us in his happy jumps. This is a sign of its good upbringing. A herding dog must be loyal to the shepherd and the herd and should not accept any food from any stranger. The sun has taken the heat with it. We put on our windbreaks and set up the tents. The next step is to light the fire and prepare the food. Some go to gather wood and dried cow dung. The firewood is scarce and we must be satisfied with the
same thin woods. In multi-day programs, we take light foods such as spaghetti, noodles and soy to lighten the bags. We have taken some rice and tuna food with us too and of course snacks and sunflower seeds to spend the night around the fire. The cold weather of the plains at night leads us to our sleeping bags and fire does not have enough heat to keep us around.
In the morning, because of the slope of the plain, we all wake up crumpled at the bottom of sleeping bags. After packing the tents and having breakfast, we set off. We are about two hours away from the next village. The sun is shining with all its might. During the day it would grant us the light and warmth it has deprived us of during the night. We are near the village of Giavar. Nothing makes us happier than exploring a clear spring on this hot afternoon. We drink water and fill the empty bottles. From the top of the plain, the sound of several bells is approaching. The colorful calves have come with their shepherd to get their share of the cool spring water. We stand farther away so that they can be watered and leave without fear or apprehension. We buy some yogurt from one of the local houses and head to the next village. In the last house of the village, a woman is washing something in the yard. As we approach, a girl is sitting on the ledges of the yard, her legs dangling in muddy shoes. She is seven or eight years old. Disheveled hair, a clear smile and red cheeks complete his rustic face. Beside the woman, a little girl about two years old has dipped her hands into a large bowl of water, and the combination of a simple red sweater and green rubber boots has multiplied the sweetness of her face. Her name is Niayesh and she thinks that she is helping her mother to wash wild plums. We are invited to have tea but we do not have enough time to accept it. Recording the innocent and penetrating gaze of the mountain girls in our heads, we set off.
We have to get to the second camp before dark. A slight deviation from the path leads us to the steep slope of the mountain. The way back and forth is both difficult. We are much higher than the main path. Some passengers on the main track are trying to aware us that we should either go down and return to main rout or go up and continue on the ridge. We cross the slope with a thousand difficulties and reach the top of the mountain. The next village appears from above. We have reached near Jirdashtan. After a little refreshment on the gentle
slope of the green, we head to the village. The residents of the first house come to greet us. In their simple rural yard, we water our heads and faces and quench our thirst. The forest starts from the end of this village. We ask about the conditions of spending the night in the forest, but the suggestion of the residents is to spend the night there. At the end of the village, a young man treats his horse in front of his house and allows us to take some pictures with the it.
We settle down finally. It is near noon. The team set up tents and a canopy to rest and eat. In the heat of the noon sun, you can’t stay in the inhaled air of the tent. some close their eyes under the cool shade of a tree, stretch their tired bones, and fall asleep. A few are looking for firewood among the forest trees. I close my eyes and there is a thumping sound. They are chopping wood together for fire. And sometimes the sound of motorcycles goes away through the sweet dream of the noon. Motorcycles and horses are the means of transportation for the residents of the village. A young man is approaching on his horse from a distance, gets off it when he arrives, and hands it to another guy. The horse has run and are sweating. Now he has to walk a little to catch his breath. Then the boy brings a blanket and throws it on the horse so that his wet body does not get cold from his sweat.
We stay there overnight. The area around the tents is filled with the sound of cows ringing. They walk and eat grass and chew. They even spend the night around here. The night's sleep is all torn apart by the sound of bells and ruminants. In the morning, we pack our bags. There are two ways in front of us: to get to Qasem Abad and from there to Jirkuh by car, to return to the cars or to return from the same route we came from. According to the speed of the group and the amount of food left, we choose the second way and return to Jirkuh. Now that we know the ins and outs of the way, the way back seems easier. After five hours on the way, we reach the cars and this is where the main part of the program ends. We are planning another tour from Qasemabad in the coming weeks.
