Orkhon Khurkhree

More details to come later...
Not really expecting much, I was blown away by the place. I had seen one mediocre picture before we left, so I didn't really know what to expect. The drive itself to the place was a lovely mix of yellow and green trees and grasses, but the actual site was incredible to me. Something about the location in the middle of nowhere, with a small gorge hidden beside some small mountains was exactly what I wanted to see. The canyon was filled with trees of all sorts of colors, as we arrived just before the leaves had all fallen. The rocky river below was also pristine, and I was literally running around for hours with the excitement/awe that this place instilled in me. I jumped from rock to rock, marvelling at the view in every direction. Despite the temperature being near freezing, I was soon down to my t-shirt and jeans, loving the adventure of running through this place with no one else in sight. I even awoke early the next morning for a jog in the sub-freezing weather, so eager to see more of this place.

(The first view of the waterfall. It falls into the gorge here and meets up with another river just to the East, still in the gorge of about 150 feet.)

(Looking down over the edge, I couldn't wait to find a way down.)

(At the river's edge, about to start jumping from rock to rock. Luckily there were no mishaps, either, as that water was really cold.)

(Fall weather and scenery. Perfect, especially in late September.)

(I really can't describe how much I loved this place.)

(I stayed down there for two hours the first night, coming back just after sunset, and the group was actually wondering if I was ok, since they only stayed for about 20 minutes at the bottom.)

(A bend along the North end of the river, with the high rock walls on the side.)

(One more picture before heading back up the rocky trail to the top.)

(And just to add to the beauty, I saw a colorful sunset right above the waterfall.)

(Long exposure time = silky water. Nice.)

(Back again the next morning, just as excited, just as beautiful. A local dog actually joined me for the run, though I convinced him not to come down in the canyon with me.)

(Still right about freezing, I didn't mind at all.)

(Reflections.)

(One more time.)

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