Trekking along river Issyk to lake Akkol.

«The river Issyk at an output from a mountain valley is a little bit less than river Talgar as it is fast, and to a valley trees between which grow an apple-tree, a dried apricots (an apricot tree) and a hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida) grow. Valley Issyk is picturesque and beautiful in district Zailijskiy of Ala-Tau. To me spoke about a falls which is being valley Issyk, and about fine Alpine "Green lake" (Zhasyl-Kul) which is the most easier to reach on valley Issyk»

P. Semenov Tian-Shan. «Heavenly range and province Zaliisky». 1855.

Expedition of Adventure Team Kazakhstan mountains.

The river Issyk originates on northern slopes Zailiskiy Ala-Tau and belongs to pool of lake Balkhash. The river Issyk, the most transparent river Zailijskiy of Ala-Tau, is formed from merge of two inflows.
Left - the rivers Zharsai (the Steep broad gully) flows in an impassable canyon and right - the rivers Teskensu (the Water which has punched a hole) at height 2300 - 2400 meters above sea level follow from under an ancient moraine, lake Bozkol where thawed snow of glaciers Kassin flow down, Grigoriev, Kokbulak (the Blue spring) and others.
The left inflow begins with the same glacier in which there are complex passes. Further the river Zharsai flows on a deep canyon with falls (Zharsai - a steep hollow). Teskensu follows from under the ancient moraine which have formed lake the Boz-Kul.
Teskensu through 2 kilometers merges with stream Zharsai, and from here the river carries name Issyk. The river promptly flows in narrow gorge and at height of 1760 meters above sea level passes through a bottom of former lake Issyk.
Then she is pulled out through the narrow rocky gate which has formed during lodging on July, 7th, 1963 in a dam of lake, and flows on a wide valley. A valley obstruction stones. On plain this shallow quiet river.
Below village of Aleksandrovka she replenishes with springs and the right inflow of the river Talgar. The river Ili Issyk reaches only in abounding in water years. Length of the river Issyk of 96 kilometers, the area of pool of 550 kilometers square, the mid-annual charge of 49 meters in a second.
The river Issyk - the most transparent river Zailijskiy of Ala-Tau, it turbidity only 19 gram on meter cubic. The valley of the river Issyk is formed grandiose mud flow 1963, almost new valley from lake Issyk up to foothills is more precisely created.

Authorship:
«Nature Zailiskiy Ala-Tau », M.Z.Zhandaev, Kazakhstan, Alma-Ata, 1978. The catalogue of glaciers of the USSR. - Leningrad, 1967, т. 13, 2 party. Glaciers Егнлыг (Northern Tien-Shan): Hydro-meteorological services, 1984. Congelation Tien-Shan. Under N.B.Djurgerov.-, 1995. Congelation Zailiskiy Ala-Tau. - М.: The Science, 1969. Palgov N. Big Almaty unit of a congelation in ridge Zailiskiy Ala-Tau. The brief encyclopedia Kazakh SSR, volume 2, the Nature, Alma-Ata, 1990.

Alexander Petrov
photos.