Kamchatka 2008 blog

 

We're back in Esso again, having returned early from the Razdelnhiy valley. We managed to complete another plot in larch forests, but fell behind schedule after some terrible weather conditions. We spent almost an entire day confined to our tents in persistent rain, and most evenings there has been more to ensure that the vegetation remains thoroughly sodden. We're therefore glad to be back in the Institute to take a warm shower and sleep in dry beds. We'll be working in the vicinity of Esso for the next few days on another plot before we head further afield next week. The weather is still unpredictable and reminiscent of autumn in England. Actually it's perfectly normal for this region - the hot spell in July was exceptional, so this was to be expected.

 

We're back in the village again after a trip to the upper reaches of the Bystrya valley to create another plot in some white birch forests near the Gorgachan pass. The weather was terrible, and we've all come down with colds after spending long days working in damp, misty conditions. As a result of this, we haven't quite completed it, and we've had to return as we ran out of food. We'll go back to finish it off at the end of the fieldwork. We'll be taking some time off this weekend before heading north to the Razdelniy valley for nine days to establish another two plots, this time in larch and mixed forests. The valley is one of the only intact watersheds I've seen in this area following extensive fires, so it's an ideal place to work and entirely untouched.

 

We returned yesterday from our long excursion to the east where our work was extremely successful. We were based in an abandoned village, which was a blessing as we were able to sleep under a roof in a ramshackle hut and escape from the mosquitoes. The ferocity of the local mosquitoes was incredible - I've never experienced anything quite like it. They were worse than elsewhere in Kamchatka, and much worse than any tropical rain forest I've worked in. This made being outdoors extremely unpleasant, especially in the evening or close to the river. The village has only one permanent inhabitant, Zyelotok Vassilyevich, the archetypal old man in the woods. He proved to be an able guide and led us to some fantastic old-growth forests that were exactly what we were looking for. He also supplied us with mammoth salmon and trout from the river, so we gorged ourselves until we were sick of the sight of fresh fish. We were also blessed with good weather - the only half day of rain coincided with a rest day, which was excellent timing. As a result we managed to complete a further two and a half plots, although this effort has left the group pretty exhausted. Our plan is to return there at the end of August to complete the third plot and collect some more samples, but only for a few days, which will be much less gruelling.

 

Last night the team went out to dinner to celebrate passing the halfway point in the expedition, after which we joined in with the summer festival in the village. It's been a great relief to return to some home comforts and to dispel the cabin fever. We now have a month remaining out here, and plenty left to do if we're to meet all our objectives. Tomorrow we travel south to survey some birch forests in the upper reaches of the Bystrya river, and we'll return to Esso on the 15th August.

 

I know many of our friends and family are following this blog, so this is a quick post to suggest that if you have anything you're planning to send to us here in Esso, I'd recommend you do so withing the next few days. Letters and packages are taking about three weeks to arrive, and since we're planning to leave around the 5th September, it would be a shame for things to turn up too late. That said, we all enjoy receiving mail, and more so than ever at the end of the trip when everyone looks forward to getting home, so if you get a chance then please do send something!