Taiga addictive… yet again returning from another trip, whether putting his body on the soft (compared to the “foam” expanded on the rocky, hard shore) shelf train your overworked and tired body which is bringing me closer to a cozy sweet home I promise… All in the Taiga no longer naked. But…
Only when we reached the apartment, eating nourishing cooked with love “ranennogo” soup and after two to three weeks, a maximum of a month stay in this busy, noisy, crazy rhythm the world are beginning to slowly buy gear and extra (from the experience of previous camping) gear, and then choose the route (more difficult) for next year… waiting, waiting, waiting, when will the long Siberian winter and the time of the “H” beginning of a new journey, in reserved seats, hoping to experience the best… not to forget the feeling of unity with nature, a small victory over her, or rather above him…
And of course dream in the end, to get the test instance fish… If you’re lucky… So it has been and I hope will be… (from the memories). So… Apparently this is a “disease” or “mania”, but less than a year ( after see ) we associates (Aleant, dick, uncle Fame) chose the route to the shore of the sea of Okhotsk (and before it, from Novosibirsk to Khabarovsk, more than 4000 km by train (3,5 days), then another 1,000 km on a “Rocket” on the Amur and that’s just one way) to Putin salmon… ( in the end, to the place of discharge 5 days) was Resolved and in a way… We are at the station, Novosibirsk-Main…
Then we waited a long and tedious road, the first day nothing better to do fir…
Then sleep…
And again ate the…
Sleeping again…
And so three and a half days, not counting the meeting on the way with Tusunami…
Way distant, boring, all puzzles solved… And it’s been 3.5 days, we in Khabarovsk…
Beautiful city… (more on this later). But time is money… on the day of arrival no city sights to see not in time. Only, the night issued a fishing license to catch salmon. And in the morning we with all our belongings was the “Rocket”…
Places bought “there” in the “VIP” area…
And less than twelve hours we are in Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. Which, we were greeted by warning informational posters:
Landed late and so spent the night on the dock… the next Morning…
Went with Dick to town for groceries for Breakfast. Retiring a little from the Marina spotted the first building of the Directorate of river navigation, prokovyljat a little further to the right, we see the building of the river school, it is an arrow pointing forward, and somewhere in the distance… with the explanation that there teachers College… And to the left of the street on the next building a sign… “Vendispansera”… Feeling like in a Russian fairy-tale… the right To go… … Head lay down… just go, his wife will find, and left… (the patient or will completely dead)…
But it does not say that in Russia there are helpful people ready to help the weary traveler from afar, and for “free”… But all the same these people were and are in Russia and they all who selflessly helped us, many thanks and bow to help… So we helped out when loading into the Rocket woman (dragged the ladder a large number of heavy bags in addition to its not easy Luggage), then met on Board of a boat, and during the conversation it turned out that her husband is also an avid fisherman.
On arrival in Nikolaevsk-on-Amur he met her, talking to us promised that will call in the morning with his friends and perhaps anyone of them on your car we will take you to the place of the scheduled drop… and it did, with its recommendations already at 10:00 us at the Marina had expected Tunis, all-wheel drive. Downloading things on the way and drove after purchasing the necessary provisions, we moved to the coveted shores of the sea of Okhotsk… it was all… the Beginning of a thirty-kilometer journey pleased… Loggers see not long ago corrected graders its way. But after displace to the village with path holes and bumps started to get deeper…
Had to ditch the “taiga” to drive…
And just, neither of which is five hours drive and “dripping” we in the village from which our future path on the water… say Goodbye, we wish you happy down the road, waving goodbye… (hope that pierced and created us this way, “gat” will help our driver with no major problems to get back home). Hastily raspakovyvat our bags, inflatable boats…
Our journey from the village where we unloaded, lying across the Bay length of seven kilometers to the Petrovskaya spit, after on the shore of the sea of Okhotsk 200 km on foot, with stops at all the river mouths with fishing. Catarivas water from the well, which intersected with a local resident. Talked, told me about our planned route and a brief about the equipment (boat-polotenca, etc…)… In the end, the look in her eyes caught and respect (the path ahead of us is not easy) so the fear (or rather a complete skepticism about our successful (no major problems/losses) return). At her words and experience? the path we have chosen is complex and not a simple not all of the local (packers) Hiking its ready to go, plus heavy storm is coming Tomorrow… nice owner on the street will not expel a dog…
While the prediction does not believe. The sky with clouds but no sign of the vicissitudes We are Siberians, and as long as the Ocean Storm on yourself have not experienced, we prepare the boat to descend under the skeptical eyes of local residents for the successful completion of our transition… into your path… Bouncing…
Go rowing on the Bay, Sun, heat, nothing worth mentioning…. In the mating dance in a circle splashing playing “whales”, pairs jumping out of the water, flopping glistening in the sun the silver side, the input rising tide and high breakers.
The feeling that we are Sargasso sea water, kelp forests, the slope of which we orientirueshsya much for… Our pilot Uncle Slava celebrates the change of direction of tidal waves and guide the boat so that the current is helping us move in before…
Sailed from the shore is already far and a half hours, admiring the game “Chum” and measured and leisurely life of seabirds in the shallows…
Less than two hours crossing, and we on the Pacific ocean…
First thing as always: to break a camp and a campfire…
Do protection from wind…
However as the storm is still coming…
After a light snack than a God sent…
Stomach is full it is necessary for Putin… That spinning. And a quick step to the place of prospective fishing in the Gulf… It’s something pecked mostly at large shook. Three balls one strike for sure. To draw out Ketu is a pleasure… Sets the hook hard, then, not to break the spinning Jerks… God forbid… the Clutch is bursting… Pulling not just, resistance is strong… For half an hour each pulled at least three or four fish… the Gatherings were but mostly in the beginning until you get used to hooking… Here’s one of my wild-caught specimens in this day…
The other catch no less… cutting…
Well, in the balance tasting of the “five minutes”…
And so it is a delicacy, but here, in the middle of nowhere on the Pacific ocean plus the beer domashengo on his “hump” is generally a complete turn-off and self-indulgence…
On this day, we have done a lot, and got camped, got and ate the fish, plus eggs, I decided we need a break… Go out in the evening and stroll along the shore… but In sage local was right, a storm is coming… the Sky, ocean led, or rather blew a strong wind…
It’s time to check the fasteners of the tents and “Lulu” tomorrow is a new day and new adventures… In the next part: the Storm, the danger of being washed into the ocean, thirst, bears next the storm, “strain”, pelengasy – systray, salmon, hike along the shore of the sea of Okhotsk, the Camel Trophy on mountain rivers, etc…
“Far far away”, or in salmon region… Part 2. Storm…
The morning of the next day… As predicted by the local, the storm caught up with us… But nothing yet, so, the rain drizzles, we don’t become a stranger…
In the afternoon again fishing, the buzz full, scattered in the Bay…
Fish goes on, and its a lot: one of the three plays, scoring 100%, specimens worthy of…
“Males” do not take only “the females”, because inside the eggs…
After two hours we return to camp. Most of the fish were released, took only the biggest, do five minutes:
And the wind grows stronger, the rain intensified, the sky is covered with low clouds…
On an open spit then it becomes uncomfortable, we decide to move the camp closer to the cliffs (about a kilometer), thereby at least partly reduce the gusts of chilly wind. Hope there is fresh water (and the fact our reserves, recruited in the village, end). In moments of relaxation pictures: found on the shore of a skull of an unknown animal or fish…
…in the thickets of local berries “tube”…
We’ll have to hurry to break new camp – the wind rises, the sea waves, the wind and rain increase.
Less than ten minutes, the sea is just boiling… Here he is, rising storm…
Find a comfortable place, struggling with the wind and slanting rain, made the protection, lit a fire, although the wind gusts repeatedly snatched from the hands of protective cellophane.
In the process of organizing a camp soaked to the bone, here at sea in a storm not saved even checked in taiga Krasnoyarsk Hiking jacket-nepomucene.
Morning storm, rain, dampness, plus there’s no nearby fresh water… First collect water from drains on the shore, but it was dripping from the peat bogs (photo later) and was the color as the tea… of Course, it was boiling, but the taste… left much to be desired… well, what can you do… Or to drink salt from the sea, or a… However, uncle Glory (seasoned taiga men) suggested that this method of extraction of fresh water:
The benefit was backed clean piece of cellophane. As a result of this capacity for Parking in this place we collected more than fifty liters of pure, delicious water. Night is falling, a hot fire kindled, in the day are tired and chilled and do not stand on ceremony, and replenish your energy reserves of calories not sandwiches with a thin layer of caviar as yesterday.
…and spoons, occasionally eating the caviar garnish a small piece of bread with a thin layer of oil (these products we were limited)… Calf ate heartily… “Five minutes” did not like, was deflating, stopped at “semiminutke”… that’s class!… Eating caviar spoons and do not save…
High-calorie diet give strength to our body, around the campfire and under the man-made protection from the biting wind, we were a bit dried out and melted, I decided to listen to news from the “Big land”…
But it turned out that this area did not broadcast Russian radio station, except from 21 to 22 on the local radio Mayak, the other stations that caught my “Grundig” – promoting Chinese meter stations, and in very good quality, in contrast to the “Lighthouse” which they drowned… eleven climbed into the tent, the benefit inside dry and the third set of clothes – “night” – not wet… take Off wet through clothes that can hang in the tent (designed for three – I am one), the place to eat. Immersed in a warm and dry sleeping bag. Outside the wind tears and pulls the walls of the tent, it’s brutal, but here the realm of Morpheus… three minutes and then I’m out… had Breakfast with caviar… the Wind and rain in the morning only intensified, but to live in tents even in extreme weather conditions as it is not our way. Therefore, in order not to lose time, going for a walk in the coastal forest.
Three kilometers find the lake might here fatten before flying to warmer climes geese… the game Is for dinner… dick stealthily scouted…
But it is not the season, game there, but the lake is scenic…
In the process of wandering around the lake in search of game stumble upon the cabin… the sky doesn’t stop raining, decide to rest a little and for a little while to hide from the hated rain…
A five-hour hike for the meat yielded no results, in the end, completely wet… a Bit of gathered berries, a bite to eat… Got back to the camp… out of the thickets of dwarf Siberian pine to the sea, and there… Neptune is raging…
While wandering through the forest, away from the bivouac at a considerable distance, returned on shore and found the remains of “fossil” creatures:
a lot of skull:
In the process of “brainstorming” assumed it was the remains of a whale, beached by the previous storm…
Before camp arrived on the “sea beach” in the end only in an hour, were warmed by the campfire. Had lunch and in the evening in the Bay (even in half an hour in the pouring rain with a strong side wind)… In the Bay the wind is weaker… full of Fish, biting excellent. It’s something when you’re on the hook clings salmon… Spin in an arc! In the end a decent result:
On the way back decided from the Wild to be photographed in front of a raging ocean (although uncle Slava and warned – “the seventh wave” the most powerful…), We decided for posterity to stand close to an aggressive environment… dick after the third wave goes deeper, I FOTA:
Next turn, capture the dick to switch places, turn the camera (in excitement of course lose count of the waves)… the coastline is exposed, the water has receded, and dick, looking for a good frame gives me guidance to move further and further away, and he is also in search of a good view down below the water recedes… And here it is, the desired frame…
The click of the shutter, we begin to move back in the direction of braids… But do not take two seconds as we caught up with marine storm surge (power-strong)… my effusions in the chest with incredible force, pushing toward the coast. Dick (as he was a little further) effusions above the waist and visible wave pulls into the ocean… I am not to lose balance, the moat toward the shore, dick, almost falling to his knees and saving my camera at arm’s length, trying to get out of the water… Thank God, not delayed and not hit the rocks, got I have not got wet (was in a “skirt”), Dick scored full “bog” water. that’s it in places almost lost my sense of self-preservation…
Even a little bit – and… there was no one to write this article… “Disgraced wave”, we return to camp, cook dinner, if possible try to dry things, but the strong wind and pouring sideways rain is problematic… Almost the third day under the shower with a nasty strong wind – it’s just hard… I Asked my uncle Glory: “And how long you can last here this weather?” “Yes, if the storm is loaded, it may continue for more than seven days…” – “wow –think. – While it’s only been less than two (daily rain at the 18-kilometer-long transition in the Krasnoyarsk forest with 35 kg behind – it’s just a “party” compared to the situation in which we are now come)…” My nerves and endurance in the end to this evening was on the verge of… I’m completely wet, my clothes were heavy from the cold and a tooth for a tooth… (I don’t know how such a test in bad weather my exposure enough)… Dinner is finished, get out of the “tent”, look into the distance, there where must lie our way… There, in the distance, on the horizon, dawning a scarlet band of hope… Maybe by the next morning the storm subsides. All our hopes only in this… Without the possibility of over night to completely dry the clothes go to bed… the Storm got!
In the next part: stokilometrovy jump (feet in “blood”), “devastation”, “Bay “of the dead”” mud, swamp, mosquitoes, bears close, restless night…
“Far far away”, or in salmon region… Part 3. March…
I woke up… And around… Ringing, frightening unaccustomed silence… the Wind rips the tent and the rain pounding on her, reluctant to climb into wet clothes, crawl into the light of God… See, “sea gods” listened to my yesterday’s “prayers”, the heavens were cleansed of the hated clouds, the wind stopped, the storm moved to the sea breeze. About yesterday’s storm and the rain this morning reminded only fading fog and the wet tents and wet clothes…
Uncle Slava woke up early, but did not become us, “young”, Wake up Already… “suharnichek” going to go hot fire. But we crawl out of the tent, immediately comes TSU: lunch, dry clothes and tents tents, to prepare for loading and packing, to inflate the boat after Breakfast… eggs, start preparing for the trip…
The sea breeze soon dispersed the fog, and the warm morning sun beginning to dry out soaking wet things. Dressed in marching, from “the swampies” in “berets,” and on the rocky shore to dry pitched his tents tents.
While things dry, we decided to take a picture in the meadow coastal berries”tube”.
At the same time, the movement has dried “Hiking” clothes.
What a thrill after Armageddon fell on already dry, warm and soft bedding from the berries-the”tube”…
Yes… Storm was here that kings and gods, and all living beings, including plants, can only adapt to them but not to win…
Half an hour later it completely dry, and, packing things, inflated the boat, ready to transition over a hundred kilometres to the island of “Gingerbread” at Cape Litke… And it is just almost beyond the horizon (behind uncle Fame)…
Catching the wave down the boat into the waters of the sea of Okhotsk, uncle Glory sails away…
Photo for memory…
And we have to go… Not moving away some three hundred meters from the place of lodging, we see:
Passed recently
Dick catches the gun, two cartridges with bullets in the left shoulder pockets, four with the fraction to the right. I get close “signal of the hunter”. Moving on, looking around…
Ten minutes later we approach the Creek, which at one time had planned to take the water… the Water here runs into the sea from peat bogs. Well, that uncle Slava has proposed a way of collecting drinking water… so today we are after drinking this water I felt “kids”…
And the bear tracks on the shore!… Well, just insane… on Broadway… Where the old and fresh…
First, for each trace we react, pointing fingers, warning each other with shouts of “Vooo”… and looked around. But after an hour of traveling along the coast not saw a single bear, only traces, and as-that by itself has been dull, another seen traces ceased to cause a violent reaction, shotgun dick moved to the shoulder, and my “signal of the hunter” – in his pocket… Come on, loud talking, admiring the beauty of the coastal…
When the next paw print in mind, the question arose: on the lonely shore to make the bears? Going for another toe, it became clear that here are looking for “Bruins”: Beluga.
After yesterday’s storm, who not only threw up on the beach! And starfish
And kitty
And Kaluga
Well, a lot of someone else, in this Bay, “the dead” photograph did not, but the bears in the near future there will be a feast…
Most importantly it is not be the first dish… we Must move forward faster… especially uncle Slava raised the sail and the wind rushed forward, have to catch up…
Five hours were more than twenty miles… Although I carefully selected the gear, but still fucked up… Bought “berets”, by analogy with the “bog” that is not quite right. To go along the shore was difficult in the sand “boots” fall, back the same slide and spin… Plus the weight… Now could use sneakers, but they are not… And my one size bigger, a little clabaut on the foot, the sock will not taunt – it’s hot… Like they were tested at home on small transitions “mushrooms” everything was fine, but here they rubbed my heels! Legs are burning, everything inside is wet… Have large water blisters… I started pohramyvaet… Then uncle Slava yells “time to snack”, swam closer to the shore.
Threw us provisions: a package of crackers and a container of caviar, and then did the master turn-tack.
Retired from the coast and continued on his way, too, kneading his portion of the C… We are located in the coastal big log between the coastline and the picturesque freshwater lake and began to feast…
A little rest and a snack, I at the same time dried in the sun their corn, and again moved on…
After a couple of hours we reached an abandoned village on the river Since.
When it looks like it was a big village, and now… a Sad sight… the Ruins…
Move on, already hard, we’re tired. We cheer just curious “black scuba divers” – seals, often emerges from the water and with the lack of understanding looking at us, tramps…
Evening. Time to find a place to camp…
Decided in the estuary Since not to go (there is of sesdaq), stop here, fortunately, there is an old mowing the house in it and spend the night…
Need to replenish stocks of fish and caviar, uncle Glory approaches, as they can quickly take out the boat, puts things, unpack the bags, then hastily on Putin to the river… after all, today wasn’t fishing, just go more than thirty miles… Need to break away, especially the sun down, and even visually seen by the ripples of fish in the river is…
My friends in the hype is dragged across the spit to the boat and crossed to the other side Than the opposite… they loved it… I did with my corns slowed down, burns… you Need to change your socks to dry… While me, my already a couple of pieces of garbus pulled… Happy… Then I went to the beach… Smoke and look at the wiring comrades, and he is looking for, That’s it, go a little further, to the mouth of the Creek, which flows into the river, there is something just abribus… That’s just smoke…
Lepota. The leg pain subsided, the fatigue disappearing, around a quiet, occasionally heard the whistle of the line and plumage in the water lures, professionally abandoned by fishermen from the opposite coast… And I need the Carcass of a cigarette… Have to move to the selected fishing spot.. But.. Suddenly from the other side, where going to go, hear the crunch of twigs, not much… Where is he? My stand still, the fire not yet kindled… Gaze in the direction of the noise…
And you see: on the opposite Bank of the thickets of grass it turns out the bear, only thirty meters from us (in the photo, where the fallen birch, between the two prominent trees), we probably don’t see or feel (the wind on his part), and we are being quiet… slow… Master… I his quietly: “Bear”… And they are all in the fishing pecked at the same time… my response: “Huh?”… I louder: “Bear!”. And already the finger at his show… And they again: “Huh?”… Of his inappropriate exclamations distract from the fish playing… And bear it is getting closer… I’m already shouting loudly and pointing a finger, “BEAR!!!!”. Then they heard me and realized… this is evacuation… And a couple of seconds had passed –they are already at the boat, another second – typing in the bog climb in the boat, klissarska mode in a second they were in my Bank, after three found and took rifles, I took a “signal of the hunter” and its charge, plus during this time I found and got the ladder and climbed onto the roof of a house…
In the end, after seven seconds the three of us on the roof, at the edges of two hunters with guns charged with bullets I’m in the middle, hold on edge, your “signal”… whether the bear heard our hasty and noisy flight, or scared arose for no apparent reason “three heroes” on the roof of the house, but I decided not to mess with us and ran away in the coastal forest, and no one twig not snapped… Quietly brown cloud disappeared in the forest, running five meters away from the place where just ten seconds ago, we caught my friends… ten Minutes we were standing on top of listened and not discharging their weapons… Amazing –as soon as his ass disappeared into thickets of cedar elfin, not one twig not swayed, not a single dry twig snapped… (Photographed in fifteen minutes after the meeting, from the roof, in the bushes and he left).
Adrenaline we of course got out of control… But in about twenty minutes, “conspicuous factor” began to move away, a rustle in the bushes, no, calm down, come down off the roof, emptied the gun… Need to settle in for the night and dinner…
The fish are caught, eggs extracted, what else… Is what is left to strengthen the house: close the skylight with the ladder, if you climb Toptygin, it is not immediately going to get us…. Build a campfire more, cooking fish on the grill… turned out To fame, ate at fun, now to bed, or rather, on the bench… Before bedtime dessert again from the calf…
You had a nice day today on foot, by oars and sail overcome considerable distance last night, too bad… Guns, bullets and stuff put together… the Night need to sleep sensitively, who knows, maybe I’ll come back…
P. S. All are asleep, I light a headlamp licking their wounds – the consequences of ill-considered selection of shoes, dried formic alcohol, large bubbles of swollen blisters on the feet. I hope this will help me to pass three times as much, although not much faith, most likely you will have to go through the pain… And now to sleep and rest… In the next part: stokilometrovy transition continues (legs Oh my legs), “Worship the cross”, the hunt, the last cigarette, the nerves, pelengasy-“systray” people, midges, fishing in the sea…
