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Report from a self-supported and self-organized trip to Kamchatka - a scenic wilderness of the Russian Far East. Lots of volcanos, bears, and mosquitos...

High volcanoes, and unknown bear paths - Kamtchatka, Russia

Waltraud
2004-03-05 18:25:32

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transported: they are put into old kid's strollers.

Back into civilization

Although we are now on paved road again, we still need to be very cautious. The surface is spotted with numerous holes and cracks; sometimes holes are so deep that we cannot see the end. If one hits such a hole, the trip can be over immediately. The closer we approach Jelizovo and Petropavlovsk, the more traffic there is, and the more we have to be careful not to be run-over as we try to avoid one of the deep holes in the asphalt surface. Bears, mosquitoes, or lack of water are no more the central problems we have to deal with, rather we now have to worry about finding a good camping spot, deal with drunk drivers, opening and closing times of stores and offices. However, we are rewarded by a great view to the volcanoes Koryaksky (3450 m) and Avachinsky (2740 m) which were hidden in clouds a few weeks ago when we had left Petropavlovsk. The climb of Avachinsky seems very easy, with the training we had at Tolbatschik. There even is a fairly decent trail up. Only the ride to the Avachinsky base camp was hard, through a washed-out riverbed.

Raspberries, Strawberries, and other local food

We now head south into the Paratunka valley, leading to Muntnovsky. Near the small town Nikolayevka we pass a farmer's market. Anything we can dream of is being sold here. Different species of berries of the forest, mushrooms, smoked fish, different vegetables from the garden, fresh milk and cream, cheese and yogurt. Even fresh meat is available. Although we are almost at the end of our bike tour, we fill our panniers again with delicious local food. The next two days we will travel only short distances, enjoy the scenic view of Mutnovsky, and spend a lot of time cooking big meals. This is a good way to end a bike trip, which had been strenuous and full of exciting adventures.

For more information: http://www.mountainbike-expedition-team.de