Come closer to the spring. Watch how the water makes its way through the rocks. Before you lies the natural mineral spring of the Kam’yanka tract. This water travels a long way through layers of ancient volcanic rock, where it is naturally filtered and enriched with beneficial elements.
Fill a cup with this water and taste it. You’ll notice a distinctive mineral flavour with a slight hint of iron. The water in the Kamyanka tract is carbonated, ferrous and sodium-calcium bicarbonate, and slightly mineralised. It is precisely thanks to the dissolved carbon dioxide and minerals that it has such a pleasant, refreshing effect. This water is the true elixir of life for the whole park.
Interestingly, this spring is the only one within our park’s current boundaries, and local residents affectionately call it ‘kvass water’. Long-time residents here say that on weekends, the area around the spring was always very busy. People from the surrounding villages would flock here with their families. They would collect the healing water, warm it right there over open fires, and take homemade baths to soothe their joints and recharge their energy after a hard week’s work.
However, very close by, on the extended lands of the friendly Dovzhanska territorial community, there is its namesake spring in the village of Dovhe. People there also call the water ‘sour’, although its composition is noticeably different – it is chloride, bicarbonate, calcium-sodium, highly mineralised and slightly acidic. Despite their different chemical compositions, both springs offer that same beloved Carpathian ‘sour’ aftertaste.
Next to the mineral spring stands an old miner’s trolley – a silent witness to the days when people searched for iron ore in these mountains. It serves as a reminder of the workers who once toiled here, and of the history that has become an integral part of this forest. The presence of iron in the water and the ore deposits in the mountains are links in the same chain.
Today, the spring gives life to the forest, the animals and the travellers, whilst the mine cart silently preserves the memory of the past. Here, nature and human history meet in one place, reminding us that everything in the Zacharovanyi Krai is interconnected.
Refresh yourself with cool water and take a breather before the final stretch. Ahead lies the last stop on our route – a place where the power of the Carpathian waters reveals itself in all its splendour. Let’s continue along the stream to the Huchalo Waterfall!