Yastrebinoye Lake
Yastrebinoye is a lake in the northern part of the Karelian Isthmus, in Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast. It is located near the border with the Republic of Karelia, 10 km from the railway station in the settlement of Kuznechnoye. The lake lies in a depression between steep granite ledges at the edge of the Baltic Shield, rising up to 50 meters. Parnas Rock is a popular climbing spot. Yastrebinoye has a strongly elongated shape from north to south, about 2 km long. The lake and its surroundings, including Lake Pestovo, are a protected natural monument of Leningrad Oblast. Before being renamed after World War II, it was called Haukajarvi.
The best-known hiking trail to the Big Rocks is the so-called "Ho Chi Minh Trail," winding through rocks and swamps from the edge of the granite quarries in Kuznechnoye, past the foundations of Finnish farms, to the shore of Lake Yastrebinoye. The trail is about 12 km long.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail; the link opens a large image.
The quarry in Kuznechnoye.
The guys are training before their upcoming trip to Kamchatka.
Andrey has stunning photos from that trip.
This is the view of the lake from the rock.
The official name is Yastrebinaya Mountain; unofficially, Parnas.
Plov will be ready soon (by the way, here is a funny plov recipe).
I was very impressed by how the campsites are equipped. It is almost like a house where you could live.
A football field.
