#3: [25-Apr-08] (incomplete)

#2: [03-Mar-06] (incomplete)

#1: [25-Jan-01] (incomplete)

23-Sep-2014 -- This is the first out of 12 confluence reports, reaching 10 and attempting 2 confluence points in Iran and Turkmenistan. 8 points had not yet been visited. We travelled 3 weeks by rental car, bicycles, and trains from Tehrān to Tashkent in Uzbekistan.

Three unsuccessful attempts have been made to this confluence point which is the one nearest to the capital Tehrān (تهران). The main reason for failure had been the rugged terrain of the Alborz Mountains (کوه البرز) combined with an underestimation of the time needed to travel through such terrain.

So we stayed the night in the city of Karaj (20 km beeline) and began our attack after breakfast by our rental car. An asphalted road leads to the oasis called Baraghān (7.5 km beeline). This is an idyllic oasis in a green valley surrounded by mountain desert. From Baraghān (برغان), we had to travel through a maze of unsealed mountain roads, which I had spotted in Google Maps terrain view. However, when I opened Google Maps at my mobile phone, I found out to my unpleasant surprise that the maps had not been saved. And since I had no data roaming, I was not able to retrieve the data. Without such map information it would almost be impossible to reach the confluence and the hunt would end up in an endless digging around.

But things surprisingly turned to my pleasure again when I switched on my mobile phone in the little village Baraghān: there was an open Wi-Fi signal without requirement of a password. Within a minute I had all the terrain data locally stored. How the world has changed!

Now, with a photo map in hand, it was not difficult to follow the serpentines 1000 m upwards. At a distance of 700 m, we parked our car on a plateau with great views in all directions. Then, we descended down into a valley and climbed up on the other side. Interestingly, the confluence is on the top of a hill – again with far views into all directions. The hike is not difficult or dangerous. Even though the canyon is steep, there are ways to cross it with mild slopes.

We hiked the same way back that we had come and also drove the same route back to Baraghān. We used this wonderful oasis for a rest in a little park before we continued our trip.

CP Visit Details:

• Distance to a road: 700 m
• Distance to a track: 700 m
• Distance of car parking: 700 m
• Time to reach the CP from the road: 1 hour
• Time at the CP: 11:17 AM
• Measured height: 2325 m
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
• Position accuracy: 5 m
• Topography: flat
• Vegetation: dry bare ground with scattered bundles of grass or tiny bushes.
• Weather: sunny, 25° C (felt temperature)
• Given Name: The Free Wi-Fi Confluence

The story continues at 35°N 51°E.