From Houston to Sydney 2013
Russian Far East - 2014
The last two days have been less physically active than many of my other days in the Russian Far East. It was clear by my wake up time (5:00am), my breakfast time (5:30am) and my pick-up time (5:45am), that the pendulum of physical exertion was about to swing wildly in the opposite direction.
The reason for the early start was that today’s destination was Avachinsky Volcano (also known as Avacha Volcano). One of the most active volcanoes in Kamchatka, Avachinsky Volcano is filled with hardened lava punctuated by fumaroles that expel clouds of steam up into the air. Seeing Avachinsky Volcano is no easy feat, however – it requires a climb of six to seven hours, and a descent of between four and five hours – hence the early start.
As things turned out, I didn’t need all that time. Maro (rightly, I think) judged that my shoes had failed the snow and loose gravel test when I climbed Vachkazhets Peak on Wednesday. She therefore strongly advised that I not attempt Avachinsky, as there was even more snow and loose gravel in addition to the greater physical demands. She suggested that I climb the aptly named Camel Mountain instead (‘Gora Verblud’ in Russian).
To place this in perspective, I need to set the scene. The minibus that collected me and other passengers stopped beside the main road near Yelizovo, and we transferred into a six-wheel drive Kamaz bus. This was necessary to get to the volcano; despite its relatively close proximity to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, there is no road to Avachinsky. After driving through a section of forest, the Kamaz drove along a river bed, and then through a couple of snow fields (one of them quite steep) before arriving at the base camp. The drive in the Kamaz took one hour, but I would guess it covered only 15 kilometres or so in that time.
When we arrived at the base camp at 7:45am, the weather was stunning – crystal clear air and bright blue skies. Two huge peaks of active volcanoes dominated the view before us. To the left, was Koryaksky with a height of 3456 metres. To the right was Avachinsky with a height of 2751 metres, blowing steam from its crater. Between the two was little Camel Mountain, with a height of 1381 metres; rising a relatively modest 530 metres above the base camp’s altitude of 850 metres. Despite its diminutive size, scaling the peak proved to be no mean feat, as its sides were steeper than its larger neighbours, and an ascent required crossing one quite sloping snow field as well as scaling steep talus slopes of unconsolidated volcanic debris.
Before setting off, everyone was provided with a light breakfast, a bottle of water and a bag of ‘emergency food’ comprising a cheese sandwich, a salami sandwich, two small cartons of peach juice, an apple, a small bag of mixed nuts and dried fruit, and a couple of small chocolate bars.
Everyone set off just before 9:00am, but one of the local guides, Maro and I soon took a different pathway towards Camel Mountain. In the clear morning light, the scenery was beautiful, and it was great not to have the pressure of time of the long climb, which would preclude being able to stop and take photos. I managed the snow fields fairly easily today, but I did find the loose volcanic gravel a challenge – both going up (getting a grip while crawling on all-fours) and coming down (where I was trying to avoid slipping over, unsuccessfully as it turned out as my scratched glasses testify - which is why I wear my old glasses in situations such as this).
As I looked across to Avachinsky, I was very grateful that I had followed Maro’s advice to climb Camel Mountain, as the clouds were already descending on Avachinsky, making the climb above 1800 metres fog bound. Avachinsky’s most distinctive features (sulphur springs and fumeroles) are only found in the crater at the summit, so anything less than the full climb would have been an exercise in futility. It is apparently quite a tough climb; Maro told me that she had done it once, felt she was dying as a result, and vowed ‘never again’. (Once again, to provide context, Maro is a very fit 28 year old, who unlike me, does not have five grandchildren and an artificial hip).
We had descended and returned to the base camp by 11:00am, which posed the question of what to do while the others were still on the ascent. I was told that a hot lunch would be served to those who were present at 2:00pm, so I spent the next three hours blissfully exploring the alpine zone around the base camp. This was a wonderful experience, with time to explore the vegetation, glaciers, snow fields, cirques and other landforms, and get acquainted with the surprisingly approachable marmots.
I joined the others for lunch, which comprised a plate of sliced tomato, a bowl of chicken noodle soup, some rice with a piece of deep fried pork, accompanied by dry bread and a cup of coffee. While eating lunch, we discussed the arrangements for returning (or, in my case, moving to my new hotel in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, as I had brought my luggage with me on the Kamaz).
I was told that the bus would have to wait until the last climber had returned and had eaten dinner. Typically, the last climber returned at about 10:00 to 10:30pm, meaning the bus would depart at about 11:00pm and everyone would get to their accommodation at about half past midnight.
However, I was also told that the Kamaz had to go into Yelizovo at about 3:00pm to pick up some supplies, and if I wanted to go on that trip and get a taxi from Yelizovo to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, I was very welcome to do so. That sounded like too good an offer to refuse, so I accepted with gratitude.
As expected, the drive in the Kamaz to the highway took an hour, and thanks to Maro who had phoned for a taxi, a car was waiting for us when we arrived. After a much faster half hour drive, I arrived at my hotel in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the Avacha Hotel.
Although the exterior of the hotel had a grey, concrete, Soviet appearance, arriving at the Avacha was like being released from prison. The room was light and airy, I no longer had to make breakfast times by appointment, there were 57 TV channels rather than just one (although all were still in Russian), there was a sign advertising wi-fi (although it wasn’t working), there was a large water bottle in the corridor (as in Yakutsk) to get hot or cold water whenever it was wanted, they supplied soap and shampoo, and there was even a hook on the wall so I could have a shower without having to hold the slowly dripping shower head. There is even a hair dryer, which is probably useful for guests who have hair. Most importantly of all, though, there was a city to explore right outside the door.
And so I made the most of it by undertaking a two and a half hour ‘walk of freedom’ - quite a feat after climbing a mountain and then walking through the alpine meadows for three hours earlier in the day.
My walk took me past the tank monument that is across the road from the hotel and along Naberezhnaya Street, which has a beautiful shady tree-lined promenade beside a lake where many young couples were enjoying each others’ company in the cool breeze of the summer afternoon.
I walked past the Lenin monument and the Theatre, past a small wooden church that is being renovated, and then took a pathway I had not been on when I was last in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky a few days ago. This pathway took a gentle ascent up Nikolskaya Hill. About half way up, there were great views of the port area, but to get the best views over the city, I had to climb up a narrow dirt trail past the end of the paved walkway. This revealed some great views over the beach, which were worth it despite the hazards posed by the extremely steep downward track.
Yes, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky has a beach, and being a warm summer Sunday afternoon, many locals were using it. Fronting Avacha Bay, and comprising medium sized grey pebbles, it is probably not the finest beach in the world – which might explain why most people were sitting around talking rather than swimming. The mood was very happy and relaxed, with hot dog trailers doing a roaring trade and, amazingly as far as I could see, no vodka being consumed.
It did turn out to be an active day. For those who follow (and understand) these things, my efforts for the day scored over 6100 Nike FuelPoints on my Nike+ Move app, which is well over double my normal average. I am looking forward to relaxing with a nice shower, one that is attached to the wall!
Day 20 - Avachinsky Volcano
Sunday
20 July 2014
