On the top of Hoverla (the highest mountain in Ukraine, if anyone forgot), we spent about half an hour, if my memory does not changed. Despite the fact that everyone wanted to rest after a difficult climb, take some photos in memory, we could not stay on the top of the mountain for a long time, because the sun was already on the way to hiding behind the horizon.
So we started downhill. As is always the case, the belief that the descent will be easier than the ascent left us only after a few steps down the slope. Heavy backpacks pressed against our backs, so we made every effort to keep our balance. There were enough rocks on our way to make it a serious obstacle to normal descent.
When we started, it was still light enough and we could see our way down well. However, the sun was going down at an alarming rate, and soon we were walking at twilight. By the time we descended to the foothills of Goverly, it was already quite dark. At this point, I want to make a lyrical digression and point out that my expectations here have been cruelly deceived. I thought that we had already reached the place of our night, and it turned out that our path goes even further down to the valley, to the shepherd's huts. I was disappointed that my forces were almost exhausted to the bottom and were close to my subjective zero.
However, I had no choice but to go along with everyone. And it got even harder, we got to a place where there was still a lot of snow. Those participants in our hike, who were easier, passed these areas without any problems. Those who weighed about 100 kg fell trough the snow to level of their knees. I was one of them, so I spent the rest of my forces there and went on as if in a dream. We only had one case that woke me up. The beam of someone's flashlight snatched a yellow glare from the darkness. Someone suggested it was a bear's eyes. We were all scared and frozen on the spot, because the bear is a terrible predator if he is hungry or protects his offspring. However, it turned out to be just a can of canned food, which was left in the bushes by some unscrupulous tourists.
When we reached the future place of lodging, I just fell to the ground and lay powerless. I did not help to prepare dinner, it was done by other, more experienced travelers, who more rationally distributed their forces and were not as tired as I was. When dinner was ready, I found the strength to eat and prepare a place to sleep in one of the herdsmen's lodges. Then we all went to bed and slept soundly until the morning.
