Moscow-Chukotka Expedition

Bilibino: -36° C and a Change of Shoes

We spent the night on the road, and the recently-made road quickly led us to Bilibino. The city is home to Chukotka’s atomic workforce, as it has the world’s northernmost nuclear power plant. We slept, got ourselves together, filled up on fuel, and headed northeast. Thanks to Roman Kopina and Leonid Gorenshteyn for their warm reception in Bilibino.

As evening approached, we hit a rough patch of road with deep snow and broken tracks. We only drove about 50 km from Bilibino when we decided to “change shoes” on the cars again and travel further on the caterpillars. We managed to get one car refitted before bedding down for the night, and the second one completed at dawn. The air temperature is -36° C, but there’s no wind. Not too bad…

The Expedition Reaches Chukotka!

Early in the morning, the Expedition drove out onto the Kolyma River near the village of Karlukovo and covered the remaining 200 km to Chersky traveling along the frozen river. We passed through the settlements of Kolymskoye, Timkino and Yermolov, while staying just a little bit away from the village of Dve Viski (“viska” means “channel” in Yakut, but in Russian it sounds more like the phrase for a double scotch!). Just a few kilometers from Chersky, on the left shore of the Kolyma, is the legendary Nizhnekolymsk (formerly the Nizhny Kolymsk outpost) from whence Russian explorers set out further to explore new lands. It was from this place that Semyon Dezhnev and his comrades departed in search of the Bering Sea.

We arrived in Chersky by around 11:00. There, we were accompanied by the deputy head of the district administration Sakhamin Afanasiev. We visited the local folklore museum, dined at the Nizhnekolymsk College (special thanks to the director of the college), and refueled.

After dinner, we departed in the direction of Chukotka - the central objective of our journey. After following the Kolyma for another 20 km or so, we diverted off into a winding channel. We found a well-warn road which helped us quickly make it to the town of Anyuysk – the first settlement on our route located inside the Chukotka Autonomous District. About 50 km prior to reaching Anyuysk, we came across two young men in a broken down Buran snowmobile. They had been on their way to Chersky. We took one of them, Slava, with us to get help

The big surprise in Anyuysk was the large number of adolescents riding bicycles. Snowdrifts, -25° C, bicycles. Isn’t it a bit strange?

Kolymskaya Pravda: Interview with Members of the Expedition

The following is an excerpt from an article by Alexey Kurilo of Kolymskaya Pravda, the local newspaper in the town of Chersky:

First up, I spoke with Alexander Borodin, chairman of the Russian chapter of the Explorers Club.

- Please describe your expedition.

- Our expedition is called “Moscow-Chukotka”. It involves three Ford Expedition automobiles specially modified for travel under Arctic conditions. We have a crew of six people, two people in each car. They include: the leader of expedition Alexey Mikhailov; myself, Alexander Borodin; technical director Andrey Rodionov; two outstanding specialists in operating vehicles under winter conditions who worked out in Chukotka for many years - Sergey Goryachev and Victor Parshikov; and one more young man, Alexey Simakin, who has participated in the “Camel Trophy” event.

- Some travel “for the fog and the smell of the taiga” while others travel for some commercial reason. What is the purpose of your expedition?

- The main purpose is to travel this route from Moscow to Anadyr, which as far as we know, no one has traveled. Another aspect to our journey is the fact that the route passes through places connected to the history of discovery and conquest of Siberia and the Russian Arctic. Thirdly, we wanted to draw the public’s attention to the history of Russia and to contemporary life in the country’s most remote corners. Beginning from Veliky Ustyug, where Semyon Dezhnev was born some 400 years ago; through the city of Perm, where Yermak began his march into Siberia; through Yakutsk, where the Cossacks and explorers established fort and moved further to the east and north. We’ve been taking photos and videos, capturing our impressions about how these places appear today, and we hope that the result of this expedition will be an overview of the history of the mastery of Siberia and the Arctic. - Is there information about your journey on the Internet? - Yes, there is the site www.moscow-chukotka.com. We sent our last update to the site on March 31 from Srednekolymsk.

- The path the expedition took across the Republic of Sakha, to Chersky, was probably just a warm-up. The most serious test lies ahead of you. How was your travel from Srednekolymsk to our town? Did you have any problems?

- Frankly speaking, we traveled relatively easily from Srednekolymsk to Chersky. I assumed it would be more difficult. We had some problems earlier, when we departed from the Yakutsk - Magadan highway and crossed the Chersky ridge. That portion of the trip took more time than planned, as there was a lot of snow. It also presented us with different challenges than we had anticipated. In any case, it slowed down the expedition’s progress.

As for the Srednekolymsk-Chersky leg of the journey, we spent about 24 hours on it. Moreover, we drove without hurry and made a stop in Andryushkino. From Argakhtakha to Andryushkino there were several sections of the winter trail where the snow was quite deep, so we had to hold back a bit.

I had a lot of questions about the automobiles. Andrey Rodionov enlightened me on the technical aspects of the Expedition.

- In principle, we are using production model vehicles, without significant alterations to the engine or to the undercarriage. We just added some shielding under the engine. Stronger bumpers have been installed in the front and rear of the vehicles so that it would be possible to hitch and tow them. The strong bumpers are a great help in the installation of the caterpillar system. Each of the vehicles has an additional heating element (autonomous gas stoves with very low fuel consumption), additional batteries, strong trunks and, on two of them, extra 200-liter fuel tanks and winches.

We conducted complete technical service on the automobiles in Moscow and then put them through diagnostics in Krasnoyarsk. Ford Motor Company provided us with the vehicles and they were very interested in making sure that the cars operated at maximum performance all the way through to the end of our route. They proposed that we undergo the technical service inspection in Krasnoyarsk at the local Ford dealership.

For some portions of the journey, we re-fitted two of the vehicles with a caterpillar tread system, the third car did not have this option. When, for example, we crossed the Sasyr Valley, we had to tow the third one. The treads are very useful – they help the vehicles move well off-road – but fuel consumption is quite large.

… on the evening of April 2, three Ford Expedition all-terrain vehicles left the town of Chersky. A car from the local administration accompanied to the first turn outside of town. After bidding farewell to Sakhamin Afanasiev, deputy head of the district administration, and drivers Anatoly Korsun and Andrey Artamonov, the travelers they departed for Anyuysk. Their cars quickly disappeared in a veil of snow, shaded by the twilight. Residents of the lower Kolyma area wished them a good trip and good luck in their auto-expedition. The luck they will need, as the Bilibino – Pevek portion of their trip features consistently complex road conditions, and in other spots further along where the winter roads often exist only on maps.

Alexey Kurilo, Kolymskaya Pravda

Kolymskaya Pravda: Travelers Arrive in Chersky

On the morning of April 2, the travelers and their three Ford Expedition automobiles arrived in the town of Chersky, the administrative center of the Nizhnekolymsky district (Sakha Republic). As the type of gasoline they required could not be found in Chersky, they had to travel to the village of Petushki to refuel at the oil storage facilities of JSC Sakhanefte-gazbit.

At 15:00, the expedition participants visited the College of Peoples of the North.  It was visible that the guys were tired, but their mood was cheerful. They even joked: “Why do you want to photograph us before lunch?” In order to keep the complaints to a minimum, I also photographed them after lunch.

The deputy director of the college, Svetlana Mineeva, recounted the history of this educational institution and described how they prepare young specialists. Here, these visitors to the Lower Kolyma region dined and then headed over to the Nizhnekolymsky Museum of History and Culture of Northern Peoples.

At half past five in the evening, the expedition continued on its way. For the motorists, up ahead awaits the city of Bilibino in Chukotka.

Alexey Kurilo, Kolymskaya Pravda

Traditional Yakut Fighting

We set out early in the morning along the Srednekolymsk-Argakhtakh-Andryushkino-Chersky winter road. In Andryushkino, we made a short stop to repair the trailer. The GPS showed that we had reached latitude of 69° N. The village was hosting a competition in traditional Yakut fighting, so our presence here went practically unnoticed…

Upon departure from Andryushkino, we had to overcome some high snowdrifts. Things improved relatively soon, thanks to the efforts of the Yakutia road crews, who had passed by the day before. We drove all night without stopping. The road was winding, and intersected numerous lakes along the riverbeds.

Into the Arctic Circle

Sometime before dawn, our trail veered onto the Kolyma River, where it became wider and more even. It got a bit warmer after sunrise. At about 11:00, to the delight of the Expedition participants, we crossed the Arctic Circle.

After traveling 400 km from Zyryanka, the team rolled into the town of Srednekolymsk, the administrative center of the Srednekolymsky ulus. The inhabitants of this small Yakut city are very proud of its rich history, and especially of the fact that it is several years older than the city of Saint Petersburg,

For their assistance and hospitality, we would especially like to Vladimir Nikolayevich Shebarshin, the deputy head of the Srednekolymsky ulus administration, and Vladimir Nikolayevich Tokarev, director Of the Srednekolymsky branch of the Yakutia state public utilities enterprise.

We decided to “change shoes” on the automobiles and ride on wheels again. The evening was spent in the company of local aviator Anatoly Vasilyevich, the former head of the Srednekolymsk Airport, and Peter Serafimovich, the acting deputy chief of the same airport. We ate fish soup and sang songs with themes like “time to get on the road…”, “under the wings of aircraft…”, and later about girls. We drank tea with frozen okhtoy, a tasty berry but one unlike any other.

After thanking our hospitable hosts and getting a strong Srednekolymsk bear hug, we set out again. We spent the night in Nalimsk, about 18 km from Srednekolymsk. The outside temperature fell to -36° C.

Mangazeyka and Usun-Kyuyol

We headed back on the road after lunchtime. After traveling about 100 km from Zyryanka, we reached the forest-tundra transition area and its frozen swamps. After dark we passed by the settlements of Mangazeyka and Usun-Kyuyol.

One Day in Zyryanka

We spent the whole day in Zyryanka. Friend of the Expedition Sergey Serbinov met us when we arrived and took care of us. We toured the sites of the town and gave our “iron horses” yet another technical inspection.

Arrival in Zyryanka

We reached the Sasyr pass through the Momsky ridge before dawn and by daytime we were already in Zyryanka, the administrative center of the Verkhnekolymsky district. Over the past several days, we passed some of the most picturesque places on our route. It was also the most difficult part of the journey so far.
 
We’ve traveled 10250 km from Moscow. From here, we head down from the highlands and north along the Kolyma River.

The Village of Sasyr

This small settlement, once a center for reindeer herding, left an indelible impression on us due to the quantity of satellite television dishes on houses of all types. In the morning, we each had a cup of ice cream, purchased in the local store for 6 rubles, before getting back on the road.

We made a short stop for lunch at “the horse riders’ place”, a small hunting house with a basketball hoop and the inscription “NBA” on the facade. Here, for anyone passing by or passing through, there is lodging for the night (a cot with blanket), food (everyone who stops in leaves something edible) and heat (a small stove with firewood). From there, we traveled relatively slowly, but without stops…