On the road to recovery!

A quick update...

I went yesterday to the back surgeon office to get the stitches taken out of my brand new spankin' 20 cms zipper... and found out that statistically, if anyone falls from a height any greater than 1.5 times his/her height, the chances of the survival are only 50%.

That would have been 9 feet for me and in fact I fell 15....
It feels good to know that someone somewhere is obviously watching out for me... ;-)

I still have to wear my turtle shell for the next 2 to 2.5 months and should be able to start physical therapy in March to regain muscle mass as well as adapt my body differently so that the discs in my back can support efficiently the additional weight of the screws and wire.

I am still counting on full recovery and therefore will follow the required precautions accordingly during this recovery phase.

Til later...

Not able to return to Chukotka til March 2010 because of a broken L1 lombar vertebrae

I am very sorry to announce that on Sunday January 18th 2009, while cleaning up the moss on the roof of my house in Seattle (in order to comply with my house insurance agent requests) and while taking the regrettable risk of working without a safety harness, I made one quick wrong move, and fell 15 vertical feet.
As a result, I landed hard on my posterior on a slab of concrete.

I spent thereafter a tense week in the trauma dept at the Harborview hospital in Seattle, where my split L1 vertebrae and relate joint were successfully fused with my T12 and L2 vertebras with the help of 6 titanium screws and wire, therefore avoiding potential paralysis.

While in the hospital, I especially did not care to have for three days non-stop a flexible tube going through my nose and into my stomach keeping my digestive tract empty and therefore helping it to restart faster. Surgeons believe that the practice reduces the likelihood of vomiting and related aspiration pneumonia.

Now, I am out of the hospital and in convalescence.
Indeed, I am definitely "grounded", having to spend the next 3 month wearing a “turtle shell” which reminds me a bit of the short story “the metamorphosis” by Kafka.

It does indeed feel like I just woke up from a bad dream stuck inside some funky animal shell…

However, I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to be here today, safe and able to write.
I definitely regain a better appreciation for life over the last week in the hospital and especially after having spent part of my last day there trying to learn to walk again down the hallway of the trauma dept hall...

I will specifically remember the sign written by a nurse on another patient's room which read "I have been hit by a drunk driver, please be kind to me”…

Now, looking ahead, this accident is obviously impacting my immediate future plans and even potentially more distant future plans.

I was originally due to travel in Pakse, Laos in the next few weeks to support logistically the Aloha Medical Mission medical team providing help to Burmese IDPs (internally displaced persons) minorities.
After having being involved over the last year locally in Seattle with the support of relocated Burmese refugees, where I taught basic computer classes and helped move donated furniture for newly arrived refugees, I was very excited about having being invited to participate in this project as well as two other ones in the South East Asian region in the consequential weeks and prior to returning to Russia.

While going through Alaska and Far Eastern Russia, I have often received a tremendous amount of help from the local population and this is in part what is driving the most to want to return the favor and help other populations in the most efficient way I can.

However, taking into consideration my current medical condition (an open wound, a turtle shell and not being allowed to carry more than 10 lbs for the next few months...), I have decided that the smartest thing for me to do at this stage was to focus on healing my body, therefore potentially allowing full recovery.

This should allow me , I hope, to actively participate in similar medical missions in the future.

Finally, I now need to wait to regain strength in my back before I can ever consider being able to pull again a 250+ pounds sled in the Russian tundra.

Therefore, after having talked with the surgeons, I cannot foresee that I will be able to return to Vayegi in Chukotka and continue the latest trek/ski section until late March 2010!

In the meantime, I plan to post over the next few months numerous pictures, videos and diaries which will reflect the progress made over the last few years by Nexus expedition between Anchorage, Alaska and Vayegi, Chukotka.

Flying mossman signing out...

日本語版 (Japanese version)

DIMITRI KIEFFER PROFILE



フランス生まれ、1983年、17歳の時に国際ビジネスを学びに渡米。

交換留学生としてワシントン州のＰｕｙａｌｌｕｐ高校で学び、シアトル市ワシントン大学で5年を過ごし、２つの貿易に関する学位を取得する。

そしてその後の15年間、香港、シアトルをベースにソフトウェア関連の仕事に従事する。

2005年4月、アメリカの市民権を獲得し、正式に「フランス系アメリカ人」となる。

1985年、20歳の時初めてのマラソンを走り、１９９０年香港ではウルトラマラソンを走破する。ディミトリーはその後、さらなる「チャレンジ」に興味を示し、その活動をアメリカに限らず世界各国で行っていく事となる。

香港では「Ｔｒａｉｌｗａｌｋｅｒｓ」。アメリカでは「ＵＳ１００マイル」、デスバレーバッドウォーター135マイル、その他208マイル・350マイル。アラスカでの４つレースを含めると、きりが無いほどの挑戦をしている。

ディミトリの挑戦は砂漠や厳寒のアラスカでのウルトラマラソンに留まる事はなく、7から30日のノンストップアドベンチャーレースにも挑戦を始めていく。アドベンチャーレースではトレッキング・オリエンテーリング・スノーシュー・カヤック・マウンテンバイクなど、様々な方法で、ベトナム・コスタリカのジャングルや強烈なユーコン川など、様々な地域・地形を走破してきた。

さらに、２００５年より、ディミトリの挑戦はアドベンチャーレースから、「冒険」へとシフトしていく。

時折、ディミトリはシアトルにある、家に帰り、彼女のイルマや友人たちとの大切な時間を過ごし、同時に次のセクションのプランを練ったり、トレーニングを行っている。

そして、時間を作れるときはフランスに帰郷し家族に会い、時折かられる「望郷の念」からの寂しさを癒す。

Expeditions
2008 Chukotka section, Nexus expedition Egvekinot-Vayegi (Russia)
2007 Chukotka section, Nexus expedition Uelen-Egvekinot (Russia)
2006 Bering Strait Crossing, Goliath expedition Nome to Wales (US) to Uelen (Russia)

Major Adventure races
2006 Yukon River Quest Paddle Race, (Kayak) Canada
2005 La Ruta de los Conquistadores, (Bike) Costa Rica
2005 Freedom Challenge Extreme Triathlon (Run,Bike, K1 Canoe), South Africa including Comrades Marathon, Berg River Marathon
2004 Primal Quest, Washington State
2004 X-Adventure Raid Series in North Western Australia & Bend, Oregon
2003 Primal Quest, Lake Tahoe, California
2003 X-Adventure Raid Series, Bend, Idaho
2002 Four Winds Adventure Race 500kms, Utah
2002 Raid Gauloises 1000kms, Viet Nam

Major Nonstop ultrarunning races
2005 Iditarod Trail Invitational, 1100 miles, Alaska
2004 Trans 555km , 345 miles, Niger, Africa
2004 Bad Water , 135 miles, Death Valley, California
2002 Iditarod Trail Invitational, 350 miles, Alaska
2002 Trans 333km, 200 miles, Tunisia Africa
2001 Trans 333km, 200 miles, Mauritania, Africa
2001 Iditasport, 130 miles, Alaska
2001 Mardis Gras Ultramarathon Classsic 125 miles, Baton Rouge to New Orleans, Louisiana, information on the trail
1997-2003 Seven Trailwalker MacEnlose 100 km, Hong Kong

100 Miles ultraruns:
2004 Western States, California
2003 The Bear, Idaho
2001 Heartland, Kansas
2000 Cascade Crest Classic, Washington
1999 Angeles Crest, California
1999 Iditasport, Alaska

Swim:
2006 Alcatraz island "sharkswim fest", California

Currently back in Seattle

A quick update!
I was able to leave Markova on December 25th, and flew the long way around with my gear back to Seattle... via Magadan, Moscow, Paris and Seattle!
I arrived in Seattle on December 27th.

Since then, I have had to address personal matters that have come recently into my life and that have also tremendously impacted the life of close friends, dear to my heart.

As far as the expedition is concerned, I plan to update the site with pictures,diaries and videos within the next 2-3 weeks.
I will also share within that time frame what the future of the expedition entails.

Best regards!
Dimitri

Merry Chritsmas and Happy Holidays from Markova!

I wanted to wish you all a merry christmas and happy holidays from Markova, Chukotka where I have been waiting patiently the last fifteen days for a plane to make my way home...
Not quite sure yet when a plane will be able to push through.

Taking into consideration that internet access here is quasi-impossible, I have decided that I will wait until I return home to share pictures and stories on the slice of life I am currently experiencing and sharing here with fellow Markovians...

On this christmas eve, let me just finish with a quote I read a few days ago by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche that very much illustrates what I currently aspire to:

"The everyday practice is simply to develop a complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions, and to all people, experiencing everything totally without mental reservations and blockages, so that one never withdraws or centralizes into oneself."

Retreating out of Vayegi

I have taken the decision to retreat out of chukotka at this stage because I realized during my first week of trekking that I was facing some challenges that I could not surmount at the present time.

1. Equipment failure

The sled that I have been using ever since I started trekking in Uelen, Chukotka in early 2007 is very much "à bout de souffle", running out of life.

The last section between Krasneno and Vayegi in Spring 2008 definitely took its toll.

In deed, my sled endured a serious amount of beatings and deep scratches while going up and down on mud bogs, log jams, ice shelves and the rocky bottoms of streams and rivers

This happened while I was trying to progress the best I could with my sled in a region where the snow had melted very quickly and where an air lift would have been quite complex and prohibitively expensive...

As a direct result my sled has now become very difficult to pull, barely able to glide anymore on the snow and instead collecting large lumps of snow on its bottom which prevents any efficient and fast progress.

On Dec 7th, on my 7th and last day of pulling on the trail, the abnormal amount of traction exerted by my sled led me to tear and break my main harness. I had a spare harness with me but easily came to the conclusion that the same would probably happen to this second harness very soon as well, taking into consideration the current situation.
This was the first matter influencing my decision to stop the expedition until I could find a better solution.

Back in June, prior to leaving my sled in Vayegi to return to my home in the US for the summer months, I had some concerns on what shape my sled was in but it was hard for me to confirm the extent of the damages without any snow left to glide on and test prior to my departure out of Vayegi.

Taking into consideration the complexity involved with having to ship a new sled to the remote village of Vayegi, I made the regrettable mistake to think that I could still get 660 miles out of my old sled "fatso" without having to either replace it or repair it extensively.

2. Health and safety related matters

During the 12/1-7/08 week of trekking/skiing and while experiencing temperatures varying from approximately -25 to -39 celsius degrees, I started feeling again the serious frostbites I endured in some of my fingers in Alaska in January 2006,(some of you might recall some graphic shots I posted at the time).

This resurgence happened despite the fact that I was trying to handle my battered fingers with great care, wearing up to 4 pair of gloves and using chemical hand warmers while trekking.

Knowing the risks involved with pursuing the next few sections in a remote region where the temperatures could drop to -50 celsius degrees over the next few months, I took this matter into consideration as well when I decided to stop my progress.

This mean that if I choose to return and progress forward, I would have to continue in Vayegi in spring weather (April-May time frame) when the temperatures rarely drop below -20c.

So....consequently, as one can easily imagine, now just 3 days after my early withdrawal, I am obviously going through an heavy self-evaluation phase and I am going to need some time to process through it.

The most immediate question that I have while still in Chukotka for the next few days is:
if I do choose to continue in Spring 2008, would I want to continue to travel alone or would I rather partner with an experienced "Putischestvinik" /"traveller"/expeditionist to potentially enhance the level of safety and the experience, as I have done in some sections in the past.

I am currently evaluating Russian candidates and if you are aware of experienced Russian or international adequate candidates, please ask them to contact me directly at:
dimitri _kieffer@hotmail.com

In any event, I will share over the next few days on this site some amusing and touching stories that I have experienced over the last few weeks in Chukotka as well as some of the more recent pictures and potentially some of the film I shot.

I definitely was once again able to meet and connect with amazing people on the later phase of this journey and I want to thank all of them for having come my way and welcomed me. I also want to take the opportunity to thank my supporting team and sponsors !

Finally, I was able to fly yesterday with an administrative helicopter carrying the mail from Vayegi to Markova and I am now waiting for flights to return home via Markova-Anadyr-Nome-Achorage-Seattle which should happen over the next few days.

Paka!
Dima

Day-3 completed

12/3 Day-3 Completed
Everything good! Current location N64deg20.284 E171deg16.033.

Making progress, just very slowly. I am now going up the Mayn river. I guess I just need time to get acclimated again. Had a "heatwave" today to -20C!

It has been snowing the last two days, adding a lot of fresh and deep snow in front of the progress of my heavy sled. I have been able to see a lot of white birds that look like grouse. No other wildlife. The bears seem to be asleep which is great.

Trying to drop some weight from my sled. I left a partly broken air mattress and some other extra gear at the only cabin I know between my start and Vayegi, . The gear might become useful for someone else stopping at the cabin. I will tell Viktor about it.

Interesting note: because of the cold, I need to reset my pday/computer every day.

From Dimitri Today

From Dimitri today. If you would like to get all of his transmisions and read past short transmissions follow him on twitter, in addition to the blog entries.

I am trying to stay as warm as I can. I can tell, when I make it to Omsukchan this winter, it would be the last one for me in very cold weather. I am ready to be done with the cold weather.

Bad news. Both of my cameras are currently refusing to work in -30F and there is too much condensation in the tent.

Trying to get food and supplies forwarded to Evensk. I should be there by mid January.

Dimitri Resumes the Nexus Expedition

To resume the expedition from his last position along the Algan river Dimitri had himself and his sled transported by snowmobile from Vayegi to within 9 miles of his Algan river position. He then towed his sled on foot to his Algan river position and promptly resumed his trek from that position, back tracking the 9 miles and continuing to complete the 37 total miles in to Vayegi, and then on from there. The following are his last transmissions.

11/29: I departed Vayegi Saturday morning at 11:30am with Viktor’s friend. He pulled my sled on a trailer and me sitting on top all the way to N64deg19min and E171deg21min, where I am now. I camp here and plan to go further up the Algan river for about 9 miles where I was picked up at the end of the last section late spring 2008. I have to do these last 9 miles by foot because there was some open water in the river which was to hard to maneuver around with a snowmobile.

Starting position 37 miles northeast of Vayegi on the Algan river, N64deg17min and E171deg21min.

12/1- Day 1: Made it to place where I got picked up last year by Viktor. I am camping here and turning around tomorrow to make my way back to the Mayn river and then on to Vayegi. My exact location is N64deg17min and E171deg21min

12/2- Day 2: I made it back to the place where I was dropped of by snow mobile on Sunday night by Viktor’s friend. I am camping here and will continue tomorrow on the Algan river and then on to the Mayn river towards Vayegi. My exact location is N64deg19min and E171deg21min

Happy Thanksgiving from Vayegi !

So, yes, I was indeed able to make it to Vayegi rather quickly yesterday.

A few minutes after I landed in Markova, I found out that I was going to be able to jump on an administrative commuting helicopter which was taken on a few passengers from Markova to Vayegi.
The flight cost me only 500 roubles (about 20$ for a seat) but 1600 roubles for all of my cargo !
A bargain after the previous expensive flights: 2100 roubles from the city of Anadyr, across the bay to Ugolnye Kope at the airport and 7100 roubles + 6100 roubles for cargo for the one hour airplane flight from Uholnye Kope to Markova. I even had to beg them for them to be willing to take my crucial back country skis as part of my cargo...

So, in deed, I am very greatful that I was able to make it to Vayegi so quickly and efficiently and with all of my gear.
I arrived in Vayegi 9 days after I left Seattle which is by all means a fast performance, taking into account the usual weeks/months long delays in Chukotka due to bad weather and simply overall flight cancellations.

So, since I arrived in Vayegi, I have been able to get reacquainted with my friend, the mayor Viktor Nikolaivich Bogariev as well as with "fatso", my good and loyal companion, a mighty sled from Snowled, which spent the summer months, tucked away in a warehouse, under piles of construction materials.
I definitely hope that he will be able to support me through Omsukchan this year !

Since I arrived, I spent a large portion of my time setting up all of my gear and testing everything one more time, before getting on the trail !
It has been a stable -30C in the vicinity and therefore I need to be well prepared for the elements.

Viktor Bogariev and I are currently trying to find a way for me to get back hopefully very soon to where I last stopped last year, 37 miles North West of Vayegi on the Algan river. The point I marked with my GPS and where I first met Viktor with his boat after fought the rushing rivers as hard as I could.

At this stage, I may either have to ski from Vayegi to that point and back or benefit from a snow machine ride that would drop me off there with my sled.
In any event, I will then make my way back by skis to Vayegi and pursue on down to Slautnoye.

In Vayegi, I celebrated today Thanksgiving in a very local way: indulging myself in drinking a liter of fresh milk !
Vayegi is one of the rare farming villages in Chukotka that actually have cows!
I also enjoyed a wonderful reindeer roast with potatoes served by Alicia Bogariev, the wife of the mayor. Not quite a turkey but definitely at least as tasty!

In a way, I was able to say "thank you for the giving" while having the pleasure to present at the school with the assistance of the local English teacher in front of about 60 chukchi fifth graders.
I was also able to tour the school museum where one could see some interesting artifacts:
mammoth bones, tusks and teeth found in the region, ancient chukchi items such as sleds, baby craddles, weapons, etc...

During the presentation, I had some interesting new questions such as:

Q:"Do you smoke"
A:- "Niet!, I also barely drink alcohol , or if I do, mostly beer"

Q:"How do you plan to go over the mountains while traveling South towards Slautnoye?"
A: "Well... I use my maps and GPS the best I can to define the best route through the mountains and I also ask the local brigade team of reindeer herders what route they would recommend. I also plan to follow the route taken by the potential wezdehods when it makes sense".

Q: "What do you plan to do if you run out of food"
A: I tend to take extra food so that I don't face this issue. If I ever will, I believe that I have definitely stored enough fat in my body me to last me for a while.... and I also have an emergency fishing kit."


Q: Did you bring your bicycle for the next leg?"
A: "Niet ! I have plenty enough to carry as it is. I plan to buy my bicycle in Magadan or bring it from the States upon my return in late spring."


Q:"Did you ever have any problems while crossing borders ?"
A: "Yes, while crossing the Bering Strait and arriving in Chukotka in 2006. I had the right papers to enter Russia but not the necessary propusk for Chukotka. It cost me two months to sort the matter out and fight a potential deportation out of Russia, valid for 5 years. As a result, I am now overly cautious when I cross borders to make sure that I have all the required documents.

On that note, here are some of the more original questions I was asked at the college in Anadyr earlier this week:
I plan to answer all of these questions in a FAQ that I will have on the website later this Spring...

Q: "Are you afraid of wild animals ? Which ones have you seen ? How did you respond to them ?
Q: Has the expedition changed / affected you spiritually and else ?
Q: Did you ever find something on the trail that you wanted to take but couldn't because of its size/weight ?
Q: What do you think of Chukotka and its people ?
Q: Have you tried any of our native food ? If yes, what and did you like it ?
Q: What do you think has the strongest (will) power ? Mother nature or the human race ?
Q: What is harder for you to deal with: hot weather in the Sahara desert or cold weather in Chukotka?
Q: What do you and the Americans in general think of the Russians ?
Q: Is their thinking of Russia currently changing ?
Q: Is the current economic crisis impacting your expedition ?
Q: What do you think of president elect Barack Obama ? Do you support him ?
Q: What are you doing tonight ? - To which the whole class bursted in laughs... ;-)


Thanks to progress, I am now able to use the internet at the school in Vayegi which I could not have done back in June... and this is why I am able to easily post this update !

Let me take the opportunity to share here a few thoughts on my hectic week last week in Anadyr...



1. "Drujba, Obama, Moloko!"
A lot of Russians seem to be quite keen on the fact that America has chosen Barack Obama as its next president.
Chukchis especially seems to love him !
Stepen, a chukchi teacher, father of 8 children and living in a small village up North near Pevek was quite excited when I gave him an "Obama 08" badge and immediately returned the favor by offering me a glass milk and yelling: "Friendship, Obama, Milk!"
Now, that's a slogan !

I was sharing my room with this man, as well as with Slav, a baptist priest from Pevek on his way to a conference in Anadyr and Nikolai, the veterinarian from Omsk I mentioned in my last post.
One could also make a joke out of a priest, teacher, a veterinarian and a traveller sharing a room... I have a few weeks on the trail to think of one...


At a separate time, a 1/2 white 1/2 chukchi woman was also very excited when she saw my Obama Tshirt and asked me where she could buy it...
I mentioned to her that maybe some day Russia will have a 1/2 chukchi 1/2 white president to which she responded: "maybe in 40 years but definitely not now..."


2. Safety and border matters
I have been told that I was on a tight leash while travelling through Chukotka.
I have been asked to sign a contract agreeing that I was required to call or email via satellite phone every night a responsible party.
If I fail to do so, the local emergency team and/or border guards will be entitled to dispatch an helicopter to attempt to rescue me while travelling through the tundra. Of course, I have also agreed in writing that I would have to cover the cost for this rescue which could be equivalent to the price of a medium size car...
This contract only applies while I am travelling through Chukotka territory.
Afterwards, I will no longer be required to call on a daily basis which can be quite challenging in -30C with a limited amount of satellite batteries.
I am predicting that in about 2 weeks I should be out of the Chukotkan territory and entering the state of Kamchatka where regulations will be much more relax.

Needless to say that I want to avoid at all cost to have to dispatch (and accordingly pay for it!) an helicopter rescue . I am currently re-checking all of my satellite phone batteries, hoping that none of them will fail me !

One of the reasons for the authorities to be quite concerned is the fact that about a month ago, the owner of a small overcraft in Markova got lost while getting in the wrong river and broke his engine. He finally appeared in Anadyr three weeks later, having survived the odyssey the best way he could...
The fact that he was without a GPS and potentially drunk may have impacted the ordeal slightly, as you can all imagine...

3. Vodka ? Niet, spassiba !
Last Sunday, I had the pleasure to join friends at the Banya where one get to see everyone in town.... One thing led to another in a very typical Russian fashion and the next thing I know I was leaving the Banya to attend a drinking and eating gathering with journalists and officials.
No matter how small the glasses are, they do add up, round after round and ,frankly, my body is really not used to this type of abuse...
So, I have decided that going forward, I will try my hardest to turn down any vodka offering in motherland Russia. Let's see how strong is my power of persuasion in the weeks to come !

Piva, da, niet problem...

4. Life can be taken away so easily...
I had a strong reminder on Wednesday on how fragile and valuable life can be.
The Bering Air flight from Nome to Anadyr on which one was being shipped some of the technical gear I was missing, had been delayed.
This was because a 60 years old employee from Kupol died of a heart attack as he was boarding the plane.
My prayers and thoughts go to his family for such a sudden departure.

On this departing note, I need to stop abusing from the kindness of the school in Vayegi offering me this internet access and need to go back to my final preparation.
Once again, wherever you are , enjoy Thanksgiving if it is part of your tradition /culture.

Paka !
Dima...

Currently in Anadyr airport waiting to depart for Markova

well, in deed, it has been quite a busy week trying to get everthing lined up in Anadyr prior to my departure for Markova tomorrow morning.
I am only able to get a few minutes on the web right now and this is why I am going to make this post very short !
In typical Chukotkan fashion, I am not exactly sure if my flight will leave tomorrow and at what time...
In other words, if I do get a few more hours in the airport, I will try to make my way back to the post office from where I am posting this message right now.
Would love to share pictures with all of you but the connection is wayyyyyy to slow for me to do so right now...
Well, needless to say that I am a little bit concerned about the weeks to come: temperatures has been in Anadyr -25 Celsius and it is supposed to get a lot colder down South, near Kamenskoye and Manily where I am planning to make it through in the next few weeks.
The limited amount of daylight (8:45h til about 15h) is also going to make this a challenging trip.
Batteries are going to be at a premium especially since I am not completely sure I am going to be able to get my supplies shipped on time from Magadan to either Kamenskoye or Evensk.

As usual, I am trying to collect as much information as I can from travellers, hunters, etc...
I actually just found out that I was sharing my bedroom at the airport with a travelling vetenerian from Omsk who is also on his way to Markova.
He is coming to look after the reindeers in the different "reindeer brigades". I have already heard that some of them might be in the region that I am going to travel alone between Vayegi and Slautnoye and therefore I am eager to see what he is going to be able to tell me about their potential location.  For multiple reasons, as some of you can imagine, I would love to have a break from the tundra one day and come across a reindeer brigade / camp....
This is after all partly what I am here for !

On a last quick note, since I am being kicked out of the post office, I had the great pleasure yesterday to present at a college with 180 students, bursting with questions to ask me...
It lasted more than 2 hours and was quite entertaining. The event was also televised by the local TV but I did not get the chance to see it... And finally, last night I was given the priviledge to present at the local orphanage in Anadyr... A great enriching time for me to be able to share some of my stories via a great "travelling  translator" that I met in Anadyr: Konstantin Savva.
The chuckhi and white kids were great and touching ! I was even asked if I wanted to adopt a little chukchi named Pietr to which I responded that I did not think he would enjoy the ride on my sled....

Thank you all again for your support, mynumerous friends in Anadyr as well as Chukotka Discovery and especially 'Ilima for having saved my ---- by promptly shipping some of the technical pieces I was crucially missing ! I was able to retrieve them from customs today after having paid a 30% tax and completed countless forms.... Nothing new here !

Paka !
Dima on his way to the tundra... 

Dimitri's had a very hectic week readying for the trail

He has been busy meeting with officials and rescue teams to put together an 'if' plan just in case anything goes wrong, as well as checking all his gear, finalizing the specifics of his route, gathering as much local knowledge of the route as he can, arranging transport back to the point at which he stopped, which inconveniently was not in a village...and of course reserving a bit of time to savor the Russian culture and sample the Russian vodka : )

Today will be his last day in Anadyr as he heads to the airport tomorrow to both wait for a package from yours truly containing crucially important batteries and some other supplies he couldn't replenish there.Here's his action plan as of today:

'I am presenting this afternoon at the Chukotka Poly-profile college and at the local orphanage.
My presentation has been completely translated in Russian.
I am going to have a good translator (Konstantin Savva) by my side for both presentations.

I am due to fly tomorrow Wed by helicopter from Anadyr to Ugolnye Kope at the airport.
I am due to fly Thursday by plane from Ugolnye Kope to Markova and then go on Vayegi via wezdehod or else.'

Hopefully all the transportation plans will fall into place accordingly and he can get back on the trail within the week, though can someone please tell me how one get's excited about being outdoors in -20 degrees ALL DAY and night? It must be all that amazingly warm gear his sponsors gave him, though unless the down suit contained some kind of radiant heating system other than my body I seriously don't think I could bear it. Thankfully, I/we get to live through his adventures from the warmth and coziness of our own homes. Though I'm sure a good bit of you reading this would prefer to be out there battling alongside our winter warrior. Let's gather up a bit of positive energy to send out there to the man as he starts his trek - in some ways I think those first few days out there must be the hardest!

Dimitri texts posted on Blog via Twitter

Dimitri has now landed in Anadyr, Russia. His texts, while he is in cell range, will be posted on the Nexus Expeditions blog via Twitter. Find the texts at the top of the Nexus blog. Come back to read them or log on twitter as a follower of the expedition and get the updates to your phone or email. To log onto Twitter or read the text history click on the link. "follow me on Twitter."

The Twitter updates are quick updates and they are separate from the blog posts.

And it begins again!!

Winter 2008-2009 - Future Route

Vayegi – Omsukchan - 660 miles, 1060 kms
(3 regions: Chukotskiy Avt0nomnyy Okrug, Kamchatka Krai, Magadanskaya)

Click here for further details on this section

Dimitri Kieffer is currently at his permanent home in Seattle, USA, finalizing his plans for this next section.

He is going to depart from Seattle to Nome, Alaska via Anchorage on Monday Nov 17th 08 via Alaska airlines.
In Nome, Alaska, he will stay a few hours, just enough to see old friends and then catch the weekly chartered flight operated by Bering Air, between Nome and Anadyr, Chukotka, Russia.

Nome - Anadyr Bering Air flight

In Anadyr, he plans to stay with friends until he can take off on the first Chukotavia flight Anadyr-Vayegi, which is currently scheduled for Tuesday Nov 25th.
The flight is operated on an Antonov AN-3.

Anadyr - Vayegi flight Antonov AN-3

If for one reason or another, the flight is postponed by multiple weeks, Dimitri may find an alternate mode of transportation to return to his starting point in Vayegi via wezdehod or potentially kater (overcraft).

Wezdehod

Kater (overcraft)

Once in Vayegi, he will then be finally reunited with his Vayegi friends and his sled !
From there, he will find a way to go back to the exact GPS location, where he last stopped the expedition on June 7th 08, 37 river miles North West of Vayegi.

There, he will then start trekking for the next 660 miles solo towards the "road of bones" in Omsukchan!

Dimitri is currently receiving the proper documentation (1 year multiple entry Russian visa, Chukotkan Propusk and Rasporyazhenie, Kamchatka permit, proper documentation to carry in Chukotka an Irridium 9500 Satellite phone, a GPS and an emergency beacon), which will allow him to travel by foot through 3 distinct regions:

- Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug (+ website in Russian)

-Kamchatka Krai

- Magadanskaya (Russian overview of Magadan Oblast)

According to the current Russian Federation regulations, Dimitri will only be able to travel 90 days out of every 180 days period.

He foresees that this next section of approximatively 660 miles / 1060 km should take him around 44 days of trekking / backcountry skiing and 9 additional days to address administrative matters, re-supply and rest.
He is counting on a speed of 25 kms/ 15 miles per day, trekking and back country skiing.

He is taking into consideration the Siberian winter climatic challenges which he will be facing alone as well as the great distances of road-less wilderness between villages where he will not be able to re-supply on food or fuel (crucial to make water) for as many as 20 days.

For route planning, he is using ONC (Operational Navigation Chart) maps 1:1,000,000,
TPC (Tactical Pilot Chart) maps 1:500,000, Russian “Zimnik” winter road map, Russian map 1:2,000,000, and internet sources such as Goggle Earth .

The route is primarily based upon the meandering river beds and the location of zimnik winter roads. The vegetation is now to thick to allow a more direct route.

Phase 1:
Vayegi – Kamenskoye

Dimitri is planning to start at the exact location located 37 miles North East of Vayegi where he last stopped in June 2008 when his propusk /razreshnia permits expired and where he no longer could move forward with his sled, facing the mighty Mayn river charging down with a 6 miles/hr stream.

Dimitri will cover the Vayegi-Kamenskoye route while trekking and back-country skiing.
He is planning to travel straight South West through the meandering Mayn river bed and then proceed West on to the Aglikich river until he reaches the village of Slautnoye

Dimitri is not expecting to see any human traffic between Vayegi and Slautnoye, which is an approximate distance of 150 miles.

Between Slautnoye and Omsukchan, Dimitri will proceed Southwest on zimnik winter roads. Zimnik winter roads are mostly maintained by Vezdehod vehicles.

During storms, Dimitri might not see any vezdehod for a few days and therefore should not count on any of them to forge a trail in the snow.

Dimitri is planning to maximize the use of the few towns and villages along the route. These villages are going to be crucial to ensure his re-supply in food and fuel, and therefore reduce the amount of weight he will have to pull/carry on his sled. He currently has his sled and some of his supplies stored in Vayegi since June 2008.

The remaining of his supplies is stored in Magadan. He plans to have some shipped and securely stored in 2 additional way points: Kamenskoye and Evensk. These supplies are composed of dehydrated food, fuel, lithium batteries, first aid medicine and additional clothing. The towns/villages may also give him the chance to rest, repair equipment, communicate by land line phones and potentially send emails.

He is expecting to be facing air temperatures down as low as –50C / -50F . These temperatures can even drop further with added wind chill factor.

Phase 2:
Kamenskoye – Evensk – Omsukchan

Dimitri is planning to cover this route trekking and back-country skiing on zimnik roads.

Upon reaching Omsukchan, he plans to return to Seattle in the United States, where he will spend at least 90 days, according to the Russian regulations. Thereafter, he is planning to return in summer 2009 in Omsukchan to continue Westbound by bike towards Yakutsk and Western Russia.

Expedition artistic interpretations

Here are some beautiful drawings that were created by my friend Benoit Jurion.
They illustrate sections of the expedition that I lived through but could not photograph in April-June 2008 in Chukotka.

Portrait: Taking off out of Egvekinot on April 15th 2008.

Pulling the sled in winter conditions.

Pulling the sled along the Lamuskaya river.
See the sequential order as the landscape evolved from snow to slush to water.

Dangerous situation where the sled got lodged under an ice shelf.
At one point, the sled actually got sucked under an ice shelf and the strong current took me with it for a distance of about 30 feet under water, before being able to reappear above the water line.

Using the sled as a kayak and the shovel as a paddle.
Note the evolution... progressively placing the feet in the sled, out of the "glacial" cold water...

Winter 2008-2009 - Details on Future Route

November 2008- February 2009

First section:
from the exact start location @ 37 miles North East of Vayegi to Kamenskoye (Каменское)
(States: Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug & Koryakskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug)

Will start where the expedition last stopped, 37 miles North East of Vayegi.
Will continue via Vayegi 64.1N, 171.02E and Slautnoye

37 miles GPS start point to Vayegi
147 miles Vayegi to Slautnoye
133 miles Slautnoye to Kamenskoye

Total: 317 miles

Kamenskoye: 62.3° N, 165.10° E
(via Vayegi 64.1N, 171.02E ; Penzhino 63.32N, 168E)
210 miles(338 kms)
14 days, May 17th-May 30th 2008

48 hrs resupply stop in Kamenskoye

Second section:
Kamenskoye (Каменское) to Evensk (Эвенск)
(States: Koryakskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug & Magadanskaya)
Evensk: 61.57° N, 159.13° E
(via Manily 62.28N, 165.2E; Paren 62.25, 163.05; Kolymak 62.25N, 162.01E, Gizhiga 60.58N, 160.23E)
220 miles (354 kms)

Alternate route: There appears to be a clearly marked trail on both the TCP maps and visible on Goggle earth headed directly west. This trail disappears into low land and costal marsh after about 60 miles. From there, could push north into the high ground of the Oklanskoye Plateau, following West, meeting a trail running north south around 62°26’N , 159°46’E that will lead south to Evensk.

24 hrs resupply stop in Evensk

Sixth section:
Evensk (Эвенск) to Omsukchan(Омсукчан)

via Tavatum (61.4N, 157.48E)

via Pestraya Dresva(Пеструю Дресву) 61.32N, 156.43E (State: Magadanskaya)
Omsukchan(Омсукчан) 62.31° N, 155.48° E

Alternate route:Move towards the high ground to the village of Garmanda 62°10’N, 159°05’E 22miles north of Evensk. From there, aim Northwest 50 miles tracing a river and valley. At about 62°33’N, 158°13E, potential signs of the villages Elktap and Tenkeli. From there, move West on what appears to be a trail and continue to the town of Pestraya Dresva.

Total expected mileage for the route:
660 miles (1060 kms)
45 trekking/skiing days + 9 resupply days = 54 days
November 2008- February 2009

Expedition videos

Nov 08 - Nexus promo video

May 08 - Anadyr, Chukotka TV interview (in Russian)

Dec 06 - Spoof - Dimitri Kieffer heads to the Bering Strait !

Nov 06 - Bering Strait Crossing w/ Goliath expedition, BBC TV interview (part I)

Nov 06 - Bering Strait Crossing w/ Goliath expedition, BBC TV interview (part II)

Nov 06 - Bering Strait Crossing w/ Goliath expedition, BBC TV interview (part III)

Nov 06 - Bering Strait Crossing w/ Goliath expedition, BBC TV interview (part IV)

Jan 05 - Seatttle, Northwest Cable News interview

Version française limitée

PROFILE de Dimitri Kieffer

Les prochaines pages seront ajoutées au cours des prochaines semaines.

Profile de Dimitri Kieffer

Français d'origine, Dimitri est parti aux États-Unis d'Amérique en 1983 à l'âge de 17 ans pour poursuivre des études en commerce international.

Il a passé sa première année aux U.S.A. en tant qu'étudiant d'échange au Lycée de Puyallup, dans l'état de Washington. Il a ensuite étudié à l'Université de Washington pendant les cinq années suivantes, en se concentrant sur le commerce international.

Il a passé les quinze années suivantes à peaufiner ses compétences dans le monde des affaires internationales en travaillant dans l'informatique, principalement à Hong Kong et à Seattle.

En avril 2005, il a obtenu sa deuxième nationalité (américaine) et est donc ainsi devenu officiellement un « franco-américain ».

Après avoir terminé son premier marathon en 1985 à l'âge de 20 ans, puis son premier ultra-marathon à Hong Kong en 1990, Dimitri s'est progressivement attaqué à des courses de plus en plus difficiles, aux U.S.A. et dans le monde entier.

Il a participé avec succès à sept Trailwalkers à Hong Kong, la fameuse course de "western states" ainsi que plusieurs autres courses de 100 miles aux U.S.A.
l
Il a aussi fini la course de 217 kilomètres de Badwater dans la Vallée de la Mort, ainsi que plusieurs courses dans le Sahara (deux parcours de 335 kilomètres et une de 563 kilomètres, sans arrêt). Il a également participé à quatre courses en Alaska, y compris l'Iditarod à pied non-stop (1770 kilomètres).

Non seulement Dimitri se plait à se mesurer aux conditions extrêmes rencontrées sur les parcours des ultra-marathons dans la chaleur du désert ou dans le froid des hivers du Grand Nord, il a également participé à des courses d'aventure de 7 à 30 jours sans interruption : avec son équipe il a pu s'affronter boussole à la main aux jungles du Vietnam ou du Costa Rica, au gigantesque fleuve Yukon, à l'Outback australien et sud-africain, ainsi qu'aux plaines et montagnes de l'Utah, de Californie, des îles San Juan – à pied, en raquettes, en kayak, en VTT, en roller...

Continuant son évolution, Dimitri a transféré depuis 2005 son enthousiasme pour se lancer dans la conduite d'expéditions extrêmes.

Quand il n'est pas en train de suer sur les pistes, Dimitri retrouve son pied-à-terre à Seattle où il peut principalement passer du temps avec sa compagne 'Ilima et ses amis, comme les coureurs du PSH3 et du groupe BM. Il peut également s'entraîner, préparer les étapes suivantes de l'expédition et « s'occuper du train-train quotidien ».

Dimitri est aussi volontaire dans l’organization IRC où il est enseignant de cours d'informatique primaires pour des réfugiés et aide dans les déménagements de meubles donnés par des donateurs à de nouveaux foyers de réfugiés : des minorités Karen et Chin de Birmanie/Myanmar, des Bhoutanais, des Érythréens et des Irakiens.

Enfin, une fois par an il revient faire un « pèlerinage » en France pour rendre visite à sa famille et ses amis, qu'il a le sentiment de bien trop négliger.

Expéditions
2008, Section Chukotka, expédition Nexus Egvekinot-Vayegi (Russie)
2007, Section Chukotka, expédition Nexus Uelen-Egvekinot (Russie)
2006, Détroit de Bering, expédition Goliath Nome - Wales (U.S.A.) - Uelen (Russie)

Courses d'aventure principales
2006, Yukon River Quest Paddle Race, (kayak) Canada
2005, La Ruta de los Conquistadores, (vélo) Costa Rica
2005, Freedom Challenge Extreme Triathlon (course, vélo, canoe K1), Afrique du Sud y compris les courses Comrades Marathon, Berg River Marathon

2004, Primal Quest, état de Washington, U.S.A.
2004, X-Adventure Raid Series dans le Nord-Ouest australien et à Bend, Oregon, U.S.A.
2003, Primal Quest, Lac Tahoe, Californie, U.S.A.
2003, X-Adventure Raid Series, Bend, Idaho, U.S.A.
2002, Four Winds Adventure Race 500km, Utah, U.S.A.
2002, Raid Gauloises 1000kms, Vietnam

Courses de ultrarunning principales
2005 Iditarod Trail Invitational, 1770 kilomètres, Alaska, U.S.A.
2004, Trans 555km , 555 kilomètres, Nigeria, Afrique
2004, Bad Water , 217 kilomètres, Vallée de la Mort, Californie, U.S.A.
2002, Iditarod Trail Invitational, 563 kilomètres, Alaska, U.S.A.
2002, Trans 333km, 322 kilomètres, Tunisie, Afrique
2001, Trans 333km, 322 kilomètres, Mauritanie, Afrique
2001, Iditasport, 209 kilomètres, Alaska, U.S.A.

2001, Ultra-marathon « Mardis Gras Ultramarathon Classsic »,
200 kilomètres, de Baton Rouge à la Nouvelle-Orléans, Louisiane, U.S.A.
(information sur le parcours)

1997-2003, sept Trailwalker MacEnlose 100 km, Hong Kong

Ultraruns de 161 kilomètres :
2004, Western States, Californie, U.S.A.
2003, The Bear, Idaho, U.S.A.
2001, Heartland, Kansas, U.S.A.
2000, Cascade Crest Classic, Washington, U.S.A.
1999, Angeles Crest, Californie, U.S.A.
1999, Iditasport, Alaska, U.S.A.

Natation :
2006, la « Nage avec les requins » de l'île Alcatraz, Californie, U.S.A.

Définition du mot en anglais : nex·us [ néksəss ]

nex·us [ néksəss ]
Définition du mot en anglais :

1. Connexion : une connexion ou un lien qui associe plusieurs personnes ou plusieurs choses
2. Groupe connecté : un groupe ou une série de personnes ou de choses connectées les unes aux autres
3. Centre : le centre ou le point focal de quelque chose [Milieu du 17e siècle, du latin nex-, participe passé de nectere « lier »]

Planning to return in Chukotka in mid November 08

North 64°1441, East, 173°1334

Between Krasneno & Vayegi, May 25th 08

Let me start with a report on my “Summer vacation”
Here are some of the activities I partook in since I came back to the US in late June:

- Planned my autumn return to Russia: preparing documents and gear.

- Attended The Outdoor Retailer convention in Salt Lake City, Utah in order to secure additional sponsors.

Thanks to one of my main sponsors Egan & Associates, LLC .

- Spent time involved with IRC where I teach elementary computer classes and move donated furniture from donors homes to new refugees homes, (Bhutanese, Burmese Karen and Chin minorities, Eritreans, Iraqis) near SeaTac which has really become an amazing multicultural district.

- Moved and settled into a different home in North Seattle.

- Welcomed in my home Ivan Guignard, yet another visiting French 16 years old nephew.

Spent time travelling with him in the US Northwest as well as with my girlfriend ‘ilima who joined us on weekends.

- Spent needed time in the Nevada desert amongst friends.

Now, as far as the expedition is concerned, it would appear that the Russian federation and Chukotkan authorities *should* have all of my papers ready (local Propusk permit, visa, permission to bring electronic equipment - satellite phone, gps, and potentially a beacon) by November 7th allowing my return soon thereafter.

I am planning to ski and pull my sled further west for a 90 days period and then return to the US for at least a 90 days period, as it is required by the Russian authorities.

Between Krasneno & Vayegi, May 25th 08

Of course, this also depends on Mother Nature…
I am waiting for the rivers to freeze completely since I am now returning to South East Chukotka (Vayegi, 64° 10' 0" North, 171° 2' 0" East) and river beds are the only place where I can travel with my sled…
Way too much bushes and trees anywhere else…

I plan to share on this site within the next few weeks exciting news on the new sponsors currently joining the Nexus Expedition family as well as an outline on my future route and maps. Finally I still plan to share soon pictures and videos on the recent Spring 2008 epic section.
So stay tuned !

My apologies if I don’t see, email or talk to all of you before I leave, as I am trying to wrap up as many things as I can!

Know though that you are all in my thoughts whether I am here or dancing alone in the middle of the tundra!

Paka!

Dimitri

Nexus expedition presentations

Uelkal school, Chukotka, Russia

- “Nexus expedition”

March 2009, Charles Wright Academy, Tacoma, Washington state

- “Nexus expedition”

November 2008, Russian College : Anadyr
Russian schools: Markova & Vayegi; Russian orphanage: Anadyr

- "Setting, planning and Achieving goals"
October 2008, Fall City elementary school, Fall City, Washington state

- "Nexus expedition- Report on the Spring 08 section"
October 2008, Puget Sound H3 running club, Seattle, Washington state

- “Nexus expedition”
April-June 2008, Russian schools: Uelkal, Anadyr & Markova

- “Racing the Planet: Ultra Endurance Running & Medicine”
(Nutrition, Hydration, Foot care, Clothing)”,
January 2008, REI store, Seattle, Washington state

- “Around the World in 80 days or 10 years”
December 2007, Sky Valley Education Center, Monroe, Washington state

- “Nexus expedition”
April-June 2007, Russian schools: Ugolnye Kope, Lavrentiya, Inchon, Enormino & Nashken

- “Bering Strait crossing”
December 2006, Washington Ski Touring Club, REI store, Seattle, Washington state

- “Bering Strait crossing”
August 2006, Seattle Running Company store, Seattle, Washington state

- "Nexus expedition- Report on the Bering Crossing section"
July 2006, Puget Sound H3 running club, Seattle, Washington state

- "Goliath expedition presentation"

Jan-Feb 2006, Alaskan schools: Teller, Brevig Mission, Wales, Alaska state

- “Goliath expedition Press conference”
December 2005, Fairbanks, Alaska state

- “Iditarod Trail Running race presentation”
June 2005, private school, Durban, South Africa

- “Iditarod Trail Running race presentation”
June 2005, adventure racing club, Durban, South Africa

- “Adventure running, Alimentation & Hydration"
March 2004, REI store, Seattle, Washington state

Knee arthroscopy to repair a torn meniscus

Knee arthroscopy to repair a torn meniscus

Recently a few people have asked me if I really did undergo knee surgery a few days before going back to Russia in April 2008.

The answer is a resounding YES and let me explain the reason why.

Back in October 2007, while running the North Face 50 miles endurance run on steep trails (over 10,000 feet elevation climb and descent) in the Cascade range, I tore a ligament in my meniscus.

This was partly the result of having ran over the years multiple intense 100 miles and beyond non-stop running races, (see profile for more details).
The "wear and tear" eventually impacted my right knee beyond potential physical therapy repair.

Between October 2007 and March 2008, I followed an intense physical therapy process, hoping to heal my knee in a natural way, prior to returning and continuing my expedition in the Chukotkan tundra.

In vain, I realized in late March 2008 that knee arthroscopy was the best and only option to avoid further damages in my knee. I also learned at the time that if I did not take care of the problem, I could run the risk of having my leg locked in a specific position in the middle of the tundra which could have represented a serious obstacle for my solo expedition, as you can imagine….

So, I underwent surgery on March 30th and thanks to a fast recovery and modern medicine, was able to fly to Russia on April 8th, and started trekking on April 16th 08 , able to pull a 250 lbs sled !
As a result of the knee arthroscopy, I only suffered from a slight discomfort in my knee on the first few days of the expedition.

I believe that I have now fully recovered but understand that my ultra running days are over if I want to be able to complete this human powered globe circumnavigation.

As I used to say, "I only have x amount of ultra running miles in my body and I want to use them the most efficiently, partaking in the races that I love the most before my body runs out..."
Therefore, I am glad that I got to run some beautiful races and that hopefully I will still able to trek, hike and bike for decades to come!

Finally, I want to recognize that I have been blessed to be raised and continue to live in parts of the world where I can benefit from such medical advancements. For example, would I have been born as a Karen or a Chin in the Burmese jungle, I would most likely be now limping for the rest of my life with a torn meniscus and without any chance of recovery....

I am out of Vayegi and finally back in Seattle !

First of all, I definitely want to thank sponsors as well as friends in Seattle, Markova, Anadyr and everywhere else I can think of, for the support and encouragement you have provided to me over the last few months !
In this regard, I especially want to thank my girlfriend Ilima for the great support she has provided to me from home and Viktor Nikolaeivich Bogariev, the mayor of Vayegi, for his great support on the ground!



Viktor and his mighty boat!

I left Krasneno on May 17th 08
Arrived in Vayegi on June 7th 08
Transferred by boat to Markova on June 11th 08
Transferred to Anadyr by plane on June 19th 08
Flew back Anadyr (Chukotka Oblast)- Nome (Alaska state) - Anchorage (Alaska state)- Seattle (Washington state) on June 23rd 08

I am now back in Seattle and need to deal with the completion of an exciting move to a different home! So, I need a bit of time to settle down but do plan on posting in the near future on this site, stories, maps, pictures, edited videos and future plans.
Keep tuned!

As a preview, here are 6 raw and unedited videos taken with one of my 2 cameras, (the less performing one) and my tripod on the last section (Krasneno-Vayegi) which took me 21 days to complete alone.
Check out as well, if you wish, the intriguing bear prints left behind in the river bed...
More intriguing pictures to come later...

Enjoy the first few days of the summer if you are in the northern hemisphere or embrace the winter, down south!

Thank you again for your support and your interest!
Dimitri


Going Up the Lamuskaya river basin towards my mountain pass... As you can see, by then, the much needed snow had become a very rare substance...



A few comments taken on trail....



Going Down the Vilnuyneyveyem and Algan rivers...


Intriguing and beautiful bear prints , after the snow and ice has started to melt...

Meeting one of my friends on trail...

Dimitri has reached Vayegi!!

He was picked up late friday evening by the mayor the village, victor at the intersection of the Mayn and Algan rivers. He could not have continued any further toward Vayegi since the Mayn river was running against him and he could not have pulled his sled upstream. He made very good mileage the las two days covering about 18 miles each day with the help of the now calmer Algan river.

I do not believe I have ever heard his voice as overjoyed as he was when the boat arrived to pick him up. Three weeks alone and being seriously challenged by nature made the encountering of friendly people and the idea of returning to 'civilization' a very welcome one indeed! He was thrilled with the meal of lard, garlic, onion and vodka which the men brought along to greet him with.

He is now staying in Vayegi, awaiting transport to Anadyr. It is unclear when he will be able to travel, but in the meantime he is enjoying himself with getting to know the locals, the culture, and the language. He is relishing simple acts like taking a shower and being able to wash clothes.

He has found out that the river freezes over in late november, and then the region continues to get very, very cold, -40 deg. which will make for some very cold traveling conditions. He did not see his goal of trekking of out of the region of chukotka on this trip, but he covered a great distance. We are very proud of him for his achievements, but looking forward to seeing him home all the same. He seems very eager to return home and see all of his wonderful friends and family but is enjoying the remote part of the world this leg of his journey has brought him to!

Let's give him a great welcome home!

Dimitri has made great progress and seems to be in safe terrain

I received an update from Dimitri this morning that he has made very good progress and is finally in safe terrain. The river has gone down quite a bit allowing him to proceed a good distance. He covered about 14 miles yesterday bringing him to the Algan river, which is where he needs to be in order to be picked up.
His pickup is scheduled for tomorrow morning (June 7th in Russia). Even though he is now in safe terrain he still must be picked up because the village he must reach is upstream from the main river he is close to connecting to and he cannot drag his sled upstream.
Apparently he has been riding his sled in the water like a 'cowboy' by his own words. His feet are always in the freezing water, which is not so comfortable, but necessary to keep the sled from flipping. He does have a dry, or as he now calls it a 'damp' suit on, but that does not do much for the cold. He is proceeding cautiously and very excited to reach a dry and hopefully warm place to sleep in once in the village of Vayegi.
Once there he will be proceeding straight home to Seattle as soon as possible. This voyage may take him a while though since the remote village of Vayegi only has transportation out about every two weeks, then he still has to coordinate flights through Anadyr or Magadan back to the US.
Thank you all for all your thoughts and prayers, it looks like they pulled him through this time...Thank you also to all the wonderful people in Russia helping him to stay safe, we cannot thank you enough!
Let's try to give him a good welcome home!

Dimitri must proceed 20km before a boat will be able to reach him

He sat tight yesterday waiting for the boat to arrive only to find out yesterday evening that the boat was unable to make it that far up river to reach him. He will have to travel further down stream where his mountain creek joins up with the Algan river. This will mean about a 20km walk/swim from his current location of 64 09.882' N, 172 19.337' E to his destination location of 172 01' E and 64 10.28' N.

He called late last night and was in relatively good spirit's though not exactly looking forward to the journey before him. It is very slow going and he is under the impression that many of the necessary km will have to be achieved via swimming. On the bright side he was able to build a fire during his day of waiting and able to dry out much of his warm weather gear which had been soaked in his previous river debacles. His drybags are apparently all compromised at this point and it seems his video and camera equipment may also be compromised.

The Mayor of Vayegi is planning on going out to reach him on friday (thursday US) as long as he had been able to cover the necessary ground.

Let's cross our fingers that he makes it quickly!!

Correction: Dimitri is actively pursuing assistance

Dimitri is awaiting rescue along the banks of a river near vayegi. His current location is 64 09.882'N, 172 19.337'E. He has tried to progress but found it very, very difficult. He was only able to travel 1.8 miles through the course of the day. He has had some kind of allergic reaction to the bear spray and has small cuts covering all his body which was effected, making travel and hauling of his gear that much more unpleasant and difficult. I guess the banks of the river are not very easy to traverse either and his only option along much of it has been to swim, which as you can imagine is not too easy with a dry suit and large backpack on, all the while dragging the sled along side himself.

The Mayor of Vayegi is going to try to retrieve him by boat tomorrow morning at 10 am his time. The only possible variable is whether or not the boat can make it up river to where he is. Hopefully there are no shallower sections down stream from him and the boat can make it. He is getting low on food and very eager to be out of there, so let's hope it works out!

Dimitri's on the move again...

So Dimitri is going to start moving again. I spoke to him this morning and he seems to be optimistic again.

He is going to travel along the river until he is sure he can not safely do so any longer. I pleaded with him as much as possible to please carry all his life support gear on his back and not in the sled, just in case the river carries it away. The river has apparently gone down which should help his situation.

He had many close calls with is life on saturday as a result of his sled, but for the time being he is not willing to part with it. He is determined to reach the next river where he can most likely have the sled picked up by a boat. He is cutting it very close as far as food rations and his girlfriend's comfort zone are concerned. He was sucked under an ice flow at one point, and then had his sled entangled with a traveling full tree, and then, as if that wasn't enough he got his sled lodged under an ice shelf along a river and in the process of getting it out his only bear spray exploded all over everything he has with him. They say bad things come in three's and i'm seriously hoping there's not a fourth to follow.

He has called off help for the moment, and is going to proceed by foot, towing his sled in the river. I will keep you all posted on any further updates I hear.

Let's keep our prayers strong, I have a feeling he is going to need them.

Dimitri is seeking help...

The river that Dimitri is on seems to be quite a problem at present. He is inquiring with the closest village to see what it would take for someone to come and get him out. He is on the wrong side of it and if it does not let up he will not be able to cross it safely.

We are awaiting news from the governor of Vayegi as to whether a rescue is possible or not. Dimitri could probably walk with his pack to Vayegi with little trouble, the problem is he has that huge sled with him and he can not make it there with this equipment. This equipment is necessary for his return next winter so he is trying to avoid abandoning it.

I will keep this page posted on what's happening. i don't know if anyone out there is as interested as me but just in case.

I feel confident that he will be fine, well as long as the bears keep their distance since he no longer has any bear spray...

Let's hope he's out of there soon !

'ilima

If you're a praying person now is the time to say some for our friend, Dimitri's having major troubles out there !

Dimitri's traveling in really terrible conditions for the gear that he has with him and it's starting to get him in serious trouble.

He's currently along a river bank with a raging spring river beside him trying to travel on the ice shelf along it's banks - seriously dangerous terrain. I'm hoping beyond hope that he will move inland away from the waters edge to some safer ground but have not been able to communicate this to him since his gear is apparently compromised at the moment.

He left a message saying that his sled got lodged under an ice shelf underwater and in the process of getting it out his bear spray apparently split open and soaked all his gear in pepper spray. He was not sure what his next move would be but reassured me that he had set up camp and was safe for the time being.

The river is apparently raging and there are large trees and other such hazards traveling at fast speeds down it. He is low on food and sounds pretty low on spirits as well. It is a real shame he could not have gotten his propusk earlier so that he could have traveled in frozen winter conditions.

Please send your prayers tundra bound he could really use them about now!

It's definitely tough conditions for travel...

Dimitri was able to send me these images today via his satellite phone...

This is the landscape I am dealing with...
Not the easiest to pull a heavy sled. Not much snow left...

What Dimitri's been up to

Dimitri is presently having a very difficult time out there, though he seems to be enjoying it thoroughly. The snow is mostly gone and he's trying to climb a small mountain today, not easy with a sled and no ice to slide it on. The bears are awake, the blueberry's are in bloom, and dimitri is really hoping it's a nice snow topped hill on the opposite side of that hill!

I apologize for the delay in the postings, Dimitri has been unable to do it with his technology and I was out of town. He's hoping that he will be able to continue after Vayegi, but he's really not sure. It's far from the ideal conditions to be traveling where he is and he's just not sure if it's worth it if he's only covering 3-4 GPS miles per day. There may be easier terrain however and he may be able to leave his sled which would make a world of difference.

see some clips from his updates are below...

Dimitri, May 26...

One more thing i forgot to say in my voicemail, from 18:30 til 02:00 the huge fat mosquitoes are everywhere and yes I see blueberries everywhere...


Dimitri May 23...

Current location: 64°1928N,173°2800E

Got 13.2 miles down yesterday in 14hrs 20minutes,going up the river. Still a lot of swimming involved every time I need to cross the river which is almost every curve...
No bears. Tracks seem to be older. I think that they have moved downstream where I saw them earlier.
I am having a few problems with my feet that I am trying to treat (one blister and an inflated throbing toe), dry suits are not made to be trekking with for miles and it's hard to fit the suit with a pair of warm socks inside my ski boots, making it hard on the feet.
It's starting to rain again,turning the snow into slush... Not easy going but I am making progress up the lamuskaya valley.

I am taking a large amount of pictures of different ice formation,ice floes,animals , tracks and scats,enough to keep me quite occupied ...

Ok, I gotta go for a swim...

Have a great weekend!
Dimitri


Dimitri, May 22...

My current location is 64°2459N, 173°4264E and I am progressing on the Lamsukaya river towards Vayegi .

Hi ilima and Erik,

My current location is 64°2459N, 173°4264E and I am progressing on the Lamsukaya river towards Vayegi .

it feels like I have fallen in the bear pen at the zoo. At least, I can clearly study their habitat...

Came in contact with two of them yesterday. In both cases, I came upon them about a football field away around a river bend. The first one, we stared at each away, he ran away after I shot a flare but then he/she settles in a bit further after the next bend in the river. I had to wait for him to move. The 2d flare did not deter him at all. He finally decided to move up the river at his nonchalant pace, sniffing, scratching the ground along the way and I followed him carefully keeping my distance but visual contact. After about 1/2 mile, he finally got off the river, climbed into a tree to have one last good look at me and disappeared in the bushes.

The second one looked at me. I made one step forward, he got scared and ran away...

I can't proceed at night (there is still light then but it's dimmer) because I need all the light I can get to look for bears and proceed
carefully. I want to avoid surprising them.
No ipod for the last few days!


The river is currently surrounded by impenetrable bushes. The river is my only option.I also have to swim quite a bit with my dry suit between snowy patches. It started raining last night...

I also see a lot of beautiful birds, geese, ducks, eagles, what looks like swans, etc... It's beautiful.

The river is meandering so much... It's taking forever... I did 10 miles yesterday in 12 hrs but I am only 3 GPS miles (miles in a straight line) closer to Vayegi. 82.5 GPS miles to go. It should get better as I gain elevation until I get to the other side of the pass, until I get to the Vilyuneyveyem river... Which means the "ear" river in chukchi or chuvanska...

Have a great weekend, I miss you both and definitely definitely love you Ilima.

Dimitri Bernard Kieffer

Btw, bernard means strong ike bear.(I am definitely not going to test this..) Maybe it is meant for me to be here and conquer my fears and even greater respect for bears... But no worries, I am not turning into some crazed "grizzly man". I am definitely living an intense experience



Dimitri, May 21...

You should see my neighbors ! Bear tracks everywhere and I am not talking about the type of bears you might find in Neighbors... It's getting to be quite challenging, I am having quite a bit to swim with my dry suit!

My trip is going well although I now have to swim (in my dry suit) some sections of rivers instead of being able to ski on them...Spring conditions apply...

Dimitri, May 19...

It took me 7 days to cover Anadyr-Krasneno and I left Krasneno last night (where I was very well received by the mayor alexei nikolaiovich beriskin)
I am progressing straight south west towards vayegi. I hope to be out of the state of chukotka, before may 31st when my permit expires.

I will definitely let you know if the situation changes.

I am currently trekking in the middle of the lake krasnoye (current Location:N64°3089,E174°2227).

From Uelkal to Anadyr...

A windy river bed on the way to Anadyr...

4/24: Day 10
Leaving Uelkal, and after having completed my school presentation, I was greeted by a local Chukchi who wanted to give me yet another intriguing gift. He insisted on giving me a tie which he received in Canada. I looked at it closely and noticed the fine print stating "Groenland". I figured that an Eskimo from Greenland gave it to him at one of the intercultural exchanges they have amongst Arctic populations. I mentioned to him that I did not really have any use for it on the trail to which he responded, "Keep it for later"....

I was finally able to leave town at 4pm and knew that it was going to be a late night if I wanted to be make it straight to Pietr's fishing cabin where I had stopped on the way to Egvekinot with the wezdehod convoy.

I followed the coast for a while, going south until I entered the mouth of a river going westward. The bed of this river progressively became a narrower beautiful canyon with steep banks. Since the river was curving quite a lot but generally moving towards the south western direction, I decided to try to save on the mileage by going straight and therefore had to climb and descend one steep bank after the next, making the night trek quite exciting!

At around 9:30pm I switched from my "day attire" to my "evening attire", as the temperature was dropping to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (about -17 Celsius) as you can see below.

The two electronic items which I was using at the time (GPS & Ipod) became somewhat affected by the cold. The text was disappearing on the GPS (which made me a little bit anxious for a certain amount of time) and the ipod was no longer working properly. I realized that no matter how impractical this might be, I had to remove them out of their external pouches and place them on the inside of my coat, close to my body, in order to provide to them a sufficient amount of heat.

I finally arrived at 4am at Pietr's camp and was disappointed to find it locked.
Pietr was definitely out of town !

After having covered 13.2 miles in 12 hrs, I camped as the sun was rising and the wind picking up: 65.2403N, 179.3359W
Total since Egvekinot: 75.5 miles

4/25: Day 11
Got up and left some food in a bag attached to the door knob of Pietr's cabin. Items that I bought in Uelkal and were no longer easily edible since they were solidly frozen.... the typical items that your average Frenchman might start to crave after a few weeks: bread, cheese, mustard (!) and even a fresh yet frozen onion, which is sometimes hard to get here!

I continued trekking up the frozen river bed, facing a steady strong wind.
I was then recalling how while racing the Raid Gauloises adventure race in Vietnam with my friend Don Funk, he used to refer to the wind as "my friend", hoping for a cool breeze in the jungle.
Well, as I often experienced in the artic, the wind is often not your friend....

This "special friend" finally tapered down in the evening, allowing me to find a great and stable campsite.
I camped at 65.2385N , 179.5084W, dying to pull out my sat phone and call 'Ilima, definitely feeling a bit lonely on that night...

Trekked from 17:00 until 01:00, and covered 9 miles in 7 hrs.
Total mileage since Egvekinot: 84.5 miles

4/26: Day 12
I woke up with the unusual sound of planes which I continued to hear throughout the day, realizing that I was obviously on the path of the Anadyr-Egvekinot/Providenya/Lavrentiya flying routes, in the middle of a large plateau which separates two mountain ranges.

I started trekking at 2pm and after about 3.5 hrs, I stopped to take the time to commemorate my friend Abby's birthday in Seattle by doing a bit of snow carving...


Suddenly, for the first time since I left Uelkal and for the last time until I reached Anadyr, 7 days later, (with the exception of a wezdehod passing near my tent in the middle of a night),
I saw a fellow human, standing right behind me next to his snowmobile and asking me if I wanted to have my sled pulled all the way to his cabin, located about .5 miles later on the bank of the river and which I could already see from where I was standing.
I refused but agreed that I will meet him for tea.

On the way to his cabin, I started wondering how dangerous it could be to travel alone on a snowmobile, in the event of a breakdown, with a limited amount of survival gear. As I approached the cabin, I noticed two snowmobiles and discovered upon entering the warm cabin, which was not any bigger than a bus stop, a total of 3 fishermen (Artun, Anton and Vova) and their dog.

They invited me to stay with them and I debated with myself, since I had only trekked for 4 hrs, and had covered a meager amount of 4.6 miles for the day. After talking to them, they mentioned that I was most likely not going to see another cabin until I got to Anadyr. This was enough to convince me that it was definitely worth losing a few miles on that day, and enjoy the warmer comfort of a cabin and above all the pleasure to meet 3 young fishermen out and about on their Saturday night, away from wives and kids back in Uelkal. Since there were only two bunk beds in this minimal space, they insisted on letting me having one of them, while two of them slept on the floor on top of reindeer fur with their dog. I did not want to accept their generosity but the leader insisted that I needed a good night sleep and all the strength I could get for the days waiting ahead of me in the tundra.
We spent a few hours talking and in the morning, I prepared them a meal with my great Mountain House dehydrated meals which they were eager to try out. They were also apparently excited to bring back home to their daughters some of my nutritious Larabars.

Camped at 65.2166N, 179.5714W.

Total mileage since Egvekinot: 89.1 miles

4/27: Day 13
A beautiful sunny day with no wind !
Temperature rose up to 0 Celcius.
Trekked through a vast plain, nestled between a Northern and a Southern mountain range.

Enjoyed on my ipod a book on the history of Russia and the Soviet Union and some eclectic music such as Gogol Bordello and Tiger Lillies...

Camped at 65.1347N, 179.4105E
11:20 hrs (10:15-21:35), 15 miles

Total mileage since Egvekinot: 104.1 miles

4/28: Day 14

Sunny morning until the fog moved in...
Followed wezdehod tracks, going over multiple hills and plateaus.

Saw a beautiful little white fox.

Also saw two of the last few tripods perched on the highest points of the plateau to indicate the "wezdehod route" similar to the tripods one can see in some sections of Alaska, such as between Nikolai and Mc Grawth.

Less pleasing eyesight were the bottles of vodka and beer discarded on the trail by some of the drivers.

Camped at 65.0717N, 179.1527E where I spent a late evening repairing gear, fixing rotten laces in ski boots.
Heard one wezdehod driving by my tent around 3am.
As mentioned before, the only one I heard between Uelkal and Anadyr.

8:45 hrs (11:30-21:15), 15.2 miles
Total mileage since Egvekinot: 120.3 miles

4/29: Day 15

Sunny morning, woken up by beautiful little white birds with black under wings called "Kuropatka" which make a sound similar to cranes.

Marks left by the birds as they take off...

Listened to French radio podcasts, and progressively felt very tired during the day.
After a few hours, I called 'Ilima on my sat phone to try to get an uplift!
I informed her of what I thought was an incomprehensible tiredness and she advised me to stop and camp right away. I mentioned that I could not afford to stop after having completed only 5 miles and needed to move on.

After 10 miles, having trekked for 8 hrs and 45 minutes (12:15-21:00), I finally decided to stop and kept my ipod on while setting up camp to fight tiredness.
This is when, while listening to the comedian Chris Rock, distracted that I really blew it!

I was using my MSR stove and did not realize that more liquid was leaking out of the pump, even though I had closed one of the two valves. When I lighted a match to prep the stove, I realized then that I had way too much fuel to burn... A large flame gushed out and caught the tent on fire.
I immediately threw the stove out of the tent which allowed me to save approximatively 70% of my tent, and 95% of the rain fly.

I felt quite shocked, knowing that I could have burned myself and my entire tent in this remote location.
I felt quite ashamed as well for not having demonstrated any more precaution while using a highly combustible fuel inside a tent, knowing the risks involved.

Definitely a wake-up call !

Yes, I know, some of you might argue that no one should ever use a stove inside a polyester tent but that is not a very practical option in an artic environment. I just need to demonstrate much more carefulness in the future and know when to stop on the trail.

As this experience reminded me, progressing in the remote tundra is quite different from some of my past experiences in adventure races for example. You can't afford to go beyond exhaustion, lay down a few hours, then get up and go. Setting up camp definitely takes a certain amount of effort and attention requiring a substantial amount of energy that cannot be overlooked.

That night, I left a message with 'Ilima looking for a bit of comfort through her kind and familiar voice (I must admit!) and to inform her of what has happened. We spent a substantial amount of time the next morning trying to find a way for me to get a replacement tent while in Chuklotka.
In the end, knowing that the choice of tent in Anadyr is quite limited, we decided to purchase the same type of tent (The North Face, Mountain 25) which 'Ilima purchased used but in mint conditions from our friends at 2d Ascent in Seattle.
The tent was then shipped via USPS express mail to Nome, Alaska where it made the next flight to Anadyr on May 7th.
I ended up picking it up in Anadyr on May 8th, after having had to pay a hefty 40% tax to the Russian customs.

In the end, I managed to spend that first night in my tent, trying to arrange as much of a shelter as I could with the rain fly and a bivouac bag, covering most of the section that had been burned down.

"Camped"at 65.0419N, 178.5735E

8:45 hrs (12:15-21:00), 10 miles
Total mileage since Egvekinot: 130.3 miles

4/30: Day 16

Rolling hills, climbing up to 500 feet.
The wind started picking up at night around 23:30, which prevented me from keeping snow outside the tent. Several times in the night, I had to sweep snow out of the tent.

"Camped"at 65.0111N, 178.2919E
10 hrs (11:30-21:30), 14.5 miles
Total mileage since Egvekinot: 144.8 miles

May 1st: Day 17
Rolling hills, more down hills, starting to move towards the lowlands, near Anadyr.
Came across a white rabbit, quite a few bushes and more and more alarming patches of dirt...

Managed to "bury" the tent, somewhat setting it up like an igloo to prevent any snow from coming in. Thankfully, there was no wind during that night.

Serious amount of traffic in the neighborhood!

"Camped"at 64.5536N, 178.0347E
8 hrs (13:30-21:30), 14.6 miles
Total mileage since Egvekinot: 159.4 miles

May 2: Day 18

Walking through steppes which felt like walking through sand dunes

Played hide and seek with a red fox for a while.

Fox hole

5 miles from Anadyr....

Over the last few hours, as I was getting closer to civilization, I started to see more and more animal tracks as well as human activities (one helicopter and one plane overhead).

I started to see as well more wezdehod tracks and even some snowmobile tracks which are often the smoothest ones to follow.

As I approached Anadyr's bay, at around 23:30, the darkness finally came down and I crossed the frozen bay, away from any traffic, in the most direct line aiming at the city. As I was approaching the city, because of the intense fog, the city started to appear and disappear alternatively in front of my eyes. Somewhat of a quite, peaceful, magic moment.

What was less than magic was the fact that neither the GPS location nor the map coordinates that I have corresponds to the exact location of Anadyr. Apparently for historical reasons that one can imagine, this was done on purpose. The coordinates were pointing to a location in the middle of the bay which added about 2 miles to my trek at the end of my day...

At 02:00, I finally arrived in the port and was welcomed by a guard and his dogs. Not completely clear on what was this foreigner doing in his port at 02:00, he proceeded to call the borderguards. They arrived by taxi a few minutes later and helped me pull my sled up the steep snowless hill road to take me to their post where they proceeded to take my mug shot. to question me on my intentions and review all of my documents. At 04:00, I was finally free to go.

Learning from this experience as well, in the future, I will try to prevent a late night arrival in a Russian town to avoid any complications, even if it is tempting to do so when you are so close to the target!

13 hrs (11-2), 22 miles
Total mileage since Egvekinot: 181.4 miles

Arrived in Anadyr: 64.4436N, 177.3049E

May 3d-9th, Day 19-25
Anadyr, Anadyr !

Over the last 6 days, while waiting for my replacement tent to be shipped to Anadyr, I have had to take care of some of the following matters which is not always easy to coordinate in such an outpost:

- Coordinate the shipping of all my remaining supplies to:

+Markova with the help of ChukotkaDiscovery who offered to ship my supplies via snowmobiles, since they are on a reconnaissance tour to Markova
+Magadan on May 22d via Chukotavia Airlines where some of it will have to be re-dispatched to Kamenskoye and Evensk with the help of Kulu Safaris.

- Repair gear (boots, poles, ski skins, sleeping bag)

- Conduct interviews with Chukotka Radio and TV, Russia TV

- Meet with Markova hunters and fishermen to learn what is going to be the best route to follow fo the weeks to come between Anadyr and Markova

- Set up contacts in Krasneno, Vayegi and Markova
- Work on processing documents required for the next few stages
- Obtain new and more detailed Chukotka maps (1 cm=1 km)

- Test replacement tent in Anadyr after I was able to test it, set up anchors and drying clothe lines inside.

- Met with old and new friends in Anadyr that I have now known since 2006 and will dearly miss after my departure.
Once again, I want to thank everyone that has been so kind to me in Anadyr, going out of their way to help this struggling stranger, often gesticulating to make up for his lack of vocabulary to get what he needed to continue this expedition.

Going forward, I am planning to leave Anadyr in the next few hours on May 9th, the Russian holiday which commemorates the end of WWII.
I will proceed west towards Krasneno.

Anadyr- Krasneno (64.38N, 174.45E)
Krasneno(going south west through the mountain range) - Vayegi (64.1N, 171.02E)
Vayegi-Penzhino (63.32N, 168E)-Kamenskoye (62.3N, 165.10E)

The last two towns that I am planning to cross in Chukotka are therefore Krasneno (pop: 60) and Vayegi (pop: 200).
Because of the current melting of the snow and ice, I am no longer planning to go through Markova which is surrounded by water and swamps.
However, I am planning to have my supplies in Markova sent to Vayegi via air, which is currently the only mode of transportation between these two towns.

For now, signing off in Anadyr !

Dimitri is safe and sound in Anadyr - for now...

He arrived at 2 am Saturday morning and is busy preparing for the next leg of his trip. I have only received short calls from him so can't really relay any specifics, but he did arrive safely and his new tent is en route to arrive this wednesday.

He should be able to get online very shortly and give a more proper update about his recent ventures and future planning.

Our friend has been facing challenging times...

Though Dimitri has picked up considerable speed, averaging about 15 miles per day is having a tough go of it this week.

He had an accident with his stove on tuesday and ended up burning down 30% of his tent (by his estimation). Thankfully the tent has still been able to be erected, but it's ability to keep the elements out has been seriously compromised. Dimitri compared it to a dust storm on the Playa, only the dust is now cold, wet, snow. He has a really good sleeping bag and a bivy sack as well to help him ward off the moisture, but it's been very cold and difficult. On the first night he said he awoke twice during the night and had to sweep out a tent half full of snow - the temperature averaging about 20 degrees.

He was hoping to make it to Anadyr yesterday by nightfall. I talked with him early in his day and he had 20 miles to go but was getting an earlier start than usual. Ihaven't heard from him since so I have no idea if he accomplished his goal or not.

I have sent him a new tent via Bering air which should arrive in Anadyr by tuesday so he may be properly sheltered as he embarks toward Markova. I expect he will have time once he gets to Anadyr and is waiting for his new tent to update us all on what that next leg is looking like. I'm unsure if there is enough snow cover for him to use his sled for this next leg but with any luck he will be able to.

If you can spare any warming and strengthening thoughts he would surely appreciate them greatly about now. I'll update as soon as I've heard how his last leg into Anadyr has gone.

Dimitri's picking up speed

Dimitri checked in with me yesterday (friday 4/25) and it sounds like he's picking up speed. He was two days out of Uelkal, tackling 9 miles the first day with a bit of a late start and 12.5 miles the next. He's replaced the skins on his skis and it seems to be helping him to move along a bit quicker, though the absence of 40 mph winds is probably the true savior.

I think the solitude is starting to set in a bit and he would probably be more than happy to have a traveling buddy about now, but his spirits remain high, and he's happy to be getting back into good trekking shape. He's gotten lucky with company on the past few legs of his journey, but I gather it's few and far between who'd volunteer to be in those kind of conditions. It does look like an amazing part of the world though for those tough enough or crazy enough to attempt it on foot. I'm sure it doesn't help for him to call in and hear my excitement about my upcoming vacation to Hawaii. I guess for the present we have different ideas on what's worthy of vacationing - though in all fairness his journey is more like work than it is like vacation. Hopefully we'll get a warm summer here in the northwest and he'll be able to fully thaw upon his return in July.

This next section between Uelkal and Anadyr should take Dimitri about two weeks to complete and since his PDA won't charge up enough with the solar panel, you'll have to put up with my updates until then.

Thank you for your interest and your positive, warming thoughts going out to our chilly yet determined friend out there in the arctic.

Aloha, 'ilima

In Uelkal, and now bound for Anadyr...

Day 5: 4/19
I spent the morning working on sending and typing my first dispatch and waiting for the storm to die down.
Temperature varied from 25 F with a 20 mph wind to 9 F at night.

Sea ice landscape while crossing the bay

Started walking at 15:00 and stopped at 24:30, having completed the last few hours under a beautiful moon, lighting the sea ice ahead of me.

On a side note, I learned on that day that I should definitely not mess around with video equipment in a storm... It just does not respond very well...
On the other side of the spectrum, I have started to use more and more a good old compass strapped around my neck when I have zero visibility instead of constantly checking my GPS, which is not always easy to extract from my coat with 3 pairs of gloves.

Camped at 65.493N, 179.348W.
Covered 7.5 miles, total : 38.2 miles

Day 6: 4/20

12:30-21:30, 9 hrs / 10 miles
Moving on the sea ice for the first 5.7 miles, and then landing on the coast after having passed a few ice surges.

On the coast, as I was approaching the land, I saw in the distant a wezdehod passing by and was consequently able to reconnect with the wezdehod tracks, taking me South towards Uelkal. I continued for another 4.3 miles, bringing it to 10 miles for the day in 9 hrs.

Around 19:30, a major Purga started to come through, hindering my progress.
I ended up setting up camp in a little dip, sheltered behind an old oil barrel and my sled.

Temp: 25F, 10 miles covered, 48.3 total
Camped at 65.416 N, 179.315 W

Day 7: 4/21
Over the last week, the weather has alternated between a few hours of sunshine and April type "purgas" (snow storms), hindering my progress, especially when the the 20-40 mph wind is directly facing me !

So, that morning, the storm was still blowing and I was really debating on whether it made any sense to get on the road...
Was I better off to wait in the tent or go.... then again, I had no clue how long the storm might last and I could not afford to wait too long.

So I decided to go, knowing that I will not be able to follow any wezdehod tracks in the snow . Wezdehod actually don't travel in purgas, quite afraid to be stucked in the middle of the storm, as I learned last year, when I had to wait for a week for a wezdehod to depart from Lavrentiya to Uelen to get to my starting point with Karl Bushby.

I struggled all day in the storm, stupidly barely ever stopping to grab some beef jerky or a Larabar nor rehydrating with some of my favorite NUUN based water, (as I usually methodically do).
Having walked from 12:30 til 19:30, and only covered 5 miles in the blowing storm, I decided to stop.

Having wet and cold hands, turning into "iced claws" that I could not warm up, I realized that I could not operate efficiently enough to go through the entire process of setting up my tent.

So, to avoid the risk of getting frost bites or hypothermia, I decided to bury myself quickly behind my sled wrapped into my sleeping bag + a bivouac bag + my tent wrapped around me as an additional bivouac bag.
I spent the night getting progressively covered with more and more snow, pinning me against the sled... Not the most pleasant night, but at least I was able to sleep in warmth, sheltered from the storm by my sled and a pinning wall of snow.

Covered 5 miles, total 53.3 miles, camped or should I say bivouaced at 65.373N, 179.315W

Day 8: 4/22
Woke up the next morning, all energized and ready to face the Purga which by then had somewhat decreased.

Covered 9 miles in 12.5 hrs (11:00-23:30) on rolling hills, going eastbound to Uelkal, after having to rectify my direction from the stormy day before where I could not move straight towards Uelkal.

In deed, unable to completely face the storm, on the day before I had to go straight South instead of South East where was located Uelkal .

Most of the day, in the fog, I was aiming at old listening antennas in the horizon, left over from the cold war.







I started to the see lights of the eskimo village Uelkal (170 habitants) in the horizon at 22:00 and entered the village at 23H30, after having passed multiple trenches of snow surrounding the village, as a result of the storm.

I knocked at the door of Gamza, whom I met the previous week on my way up from Anadyr to Egvekinot in the Wezdehod.
He and his pregnant wife Sonia were kind enough to let me crash on a sofa for the next two nights.
In exchange, I gave him most of my cold medicine as well as a few other items which are not easy to get in Uelkal since he and his daughter had a bad cold...

Uelkal: 65.3227N, 179.1740W


Day 9: 4/23
Spent the day in Uelkal, working on my gear, attaching new skins on my skis, resuplly, accessing the internet to catch up at the local school and even attended a practice of traditional eskimo dancing performed by some of the students, very similar to what I had the pleasure to see in similar inupiyak villages on the other side of the "pond" in Alaska such as Wales.

I always feel priviledged that I have been exposed to both eskimo and inupiyak cultures on the two contingent continents and try to "nexus"/ connect them through my own story telling.

Day 10: 4/24
Made a presentation at the school in the morning on Nexus expedition in front of most of the students (48 total) with the help of the English teacher acting as a translator .
I always love to see the students excitement when I share my story, and hear the various types of questions they bring to my attention in Russian and today even in English.
Some day, I will compile all of these questions and post a FAQ (Frequently and not so frequently asked questions ) on the website.



I arrived in the village of Uelkal after having only completed 63 miles since Egvekinot and having to face a few storms.
I have been able to reduce my cargo (fuel, food) and worked on setting up new skins on my skis which should allow me to move faster , weather permitting...
Now, I am, ready to depart with my sled for Anadyr !

Report Day 1- Day 4 From Egvekinot on to the frozen bay

Leaving Egvekinot...

First day: 4/15 started at 5pm, having to take care of administrative matters in Egvekinot and over emails, working on my documents/permits for the next Russian state I will be crossing . Planning ahead...

Starting location in Egvekinot : N66° 19.126, W 179° 07.078

Clear weather, did some filming as I was leaving the frozen majestic harbor of Egvekinot .
Love to see the ships stuck in the ice for many months.

Got followed for a while by the local border guards, asking me how far out of town I was planning to spend my first night. I said "10 kilometers" and apparently that was a sufficient answer for them to turn around and get back into egvekinot .An hour later, in the middle of the bay, I came across two men pulling out their crab basket out of the ice, and they gave me their crop (one small one) which I enjoyed on my first diner in my tent.

Reflected a bit that night outside the tent while staring at the moon on how good it was to be back in the chukotkan tundra and actually on the frozen sea...
Camped at N 66°14.376 W 179°09.010, covered 5.5 miles in 4.5 hrs

Day 2: 4/16 foggy and snowy,+11f, had to navigate with my GPS to avoid going around in loops. No visibility.Weather cleared in the afternoon for a few hours.I gave quite a bit of my extra fuel and food to the only vehicle I saw that day, a huge truck bound for Anadyr. Trying to get rid of some my huge cargo so that I can get some speed...

Camped at N 66°10.125 W 179°12 730, covered 5.2 miles in 9 hrs.

Day 3: 4/17
Colder -9f, slept near the coastal cliffs on the sea ice.

Got woken up by an avalanche of rocks coming down the cliff. Quite surprised, at first I thought it was a polar bear near my tent, which confused me since they are not supposed to be in the region for another month, when they will be on their Northern migratory route.

A wezdehod came near me at 3pm and as usual not comprehending at all why I am walking / skiing through chukotka with a big sled and asking me if I wanted a ride... I thank them but NO.. However, after they left, I followed their tracks and even changed to Montrail sustina running shoes which I could use on the hard packed trail for the next few hours.

Another wezdehod came near me at 6pm huffing and puffing, with 4 drunken men aboard. At first, they worried me a bit as if I came across a pirate ship in the open sea... In the end, we connected and they asked me if I wanted anything. I responded WATER since the night before I had messed up my drinking water, while gathering with a shovel the snow on top of the ice. I dig a bit too deep and got frozen sea ice water mixed with frozen snow. After the melting process, I realized that I had some terrible salted water for the day that even wonderful NUUN tablets could not save and honestly, I were too lazy to get out of the tent in the storm and collect more snow, use more fuel and start the melting process over. I thought that I will drink it for a day and that it will teach me a lesson for the next time while collecting snow to make water.In return I gave them 2 small bottles of kirchwasswer,(Oregon cherry brandy from clear creek distillery, which makes a killing gift in the Russian chukotka... Some drink the little bottle right away, some want to collect it..)We then took pictures together like old friends, drank tea and one of them even gave me some single binocular...!

At 9pm, as the weather was becoming very foggy , I saw two more wezdehods, one of them was driven by Viktor, the driver of the second wezdehod that took me 4 days earlier from Anadyr to my starting point in Egvekinot. Viktor stopped his wezdehod , invited me in the back of the wezdehod and offered me tea and two sandwiches with thick Russian bread, salami and cheese. PERFECT !

Hit the spot and saved me time on preparing diner

Camped at N 66°03.318 W 179°27.119, covered 10.3 miles in 10 hrs.

Day 4: 4/18

This is the season of the "PURGAS", spring storms. Second one since I started, hindering my progress. I still move in the storm but much slower. Spent most of the day in the storm with a short apparition of the sun in late afternoon. The only vehicle I saw today was an abandoned wezdehod in the middle of the frozen sea ice.

To distract me in this land of white on white (to the point where it makes you dizzy), I listened to audiobooks such as "a moveable feast: by Ernest Hemingway, and or varied podcasts such as Studio 360 PRI from NPR and the Seattle Bob Rivers show. Can't listen to music too much when I am in this "white on white" zone because it becomes too hypnotizing...

Camped at: N 65°55.685, W 179°35.698.Covered 9.7 miles in 10 hrs.

Covered 31 gps miles since I started, 20 miles over the last 2 days. I hope that I will be able to pick up the pace soon, as I reduce my cargo, (consuming some of my food and fuel). Approximately 145 miles until I reach Anadyr.I am still in the middle of the bay, sleeping on the ice, not trespassing anyone's property, I believe... ;-)I will try to send pictures in my nest dispatch...

Not able to being able to use my folding keyboard in the small tent, I am typing this email one letter at a time with my stylus and it is painstakingly slow. I feel a bit like the writer of the "Diving bell and the butterfly " but not quite!

And He's off....

Dimitri phoned in yesterday from his satellite phone and reported that though he has been off to a slow start things are going quite well. On his first two days he was only able to cover about 10-11 miles total due to very snowy, foggy conditions and a lot of excess weight. On the morning of his third day (Wed. 4/16, USA) he was able to unload some of his excess gear onto a passing vezdehod, which he will retrieve upon arrival in Anadyr. With the lighter load he was confident he would be able to get closer to his goal of 18-20 miles/day.

The weather had cleared up and the temperatures had dropped to -11 deg. farenheight so he couldn't stand still and talk for long but he was very excited to get trucking. His satellite phone batteries are charging up well with the solar panel, so as long as it's sunny we should hear from him every couple of days.

So please keep your good thoughts with him and we'll update you as soon as we hear more...

Finally able to start my trek in Egvekinot!

I have completed my registration process in Egvekinot which all foreigners must do in major cities and ports in Russia if they are staying for 3 days or more.

This means that I am free from administrative matters for a while and able to start my trek.

I want to thank the local administration of Egvekinot for having been kind enough to store my sled over the last 11 months, while I was waiting to be able to return.

It's -13 Celsius, clear sky and I am excited to start, similar to a dog at the start of the Iditarod !



Egvekinot is an urban-type settlement in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia and is the administrative center of Iultinsky District.

Egvekinot used to be an important port, supplying the Iultin mine about 180 kilometers straight north.
Egvekinot used to have more than 5500 habitants which went down dramatically to 2000 after the mine was closed in 1993.

However, it has one of the only 2 ski slopes in the entire state of Chukotka and as I say to anyone here, it could have the potential to become some day a great ski resort for the Far East market.

If the Chukotkan administrative matters ever become simplified, it could become a great location for Japanese skiers (a lot closer than going to Canada) and it is definitely cold enough, global warming in effect or not....

Maybe I should start campaigning for Egvekinot Winter Olympics 2030 !

Ready to start my trek tomorrow morning

Here is a shot after making it through customs in Anadyr...

Yes, I am now in Egvekinot thanks to the great help of a few friends.

First of all, a big thank you to my girlfriend Ilima for spending countless hours helping me to get ready before and after I left Seattle when we realized that I left my upmost important maps on the floor while packing in Seattle! Grrrrrrrr !
She was able to send them to me via Bering Air to Anadyr where they will wait for me for the Anadyr-Omsukchan sections.
She also sent me digitalized copies for the first section which I was able to print in Egvekinot.

I also want to thank Elena Vasilieva from Bering Air, the English school teacher Leonid Tererhov from Rhatyrka as well as a few other important friends in Anadyr for all the help they have provided to me to expedite my arrival in Egvekinot.
Seattle-Anchorage-Nome-Anadyr-Egvekinot in 5 days ! I may have broken a record on this popular route ! ;-)

Finally thank you in advance to Erik and Ilima for your help posting when I will not be able to do so over the next few months.



Check the plane wing on the side of the trail !




OK, I have checked all my gear and I am ready to start trekking tomorow early morning.


The weather is currently sunny, cold (-13 C) and crisp, perfect to start my trek on skis.

I have changed my scheduled route Egvekinot-Anadyr, planning to follow backwards the wezdehod route that I took on the way from Anadyr to Egvekinot via Uelkal, an eskimo village of 170 people on the coast.

This first section is going to include at first a crossing of the frozen bay for going straight South for about 30 miles,which will then lead to a coastal section all the way to the eskimo village of Uelkal.
Afterwards, I will be going West up a river bed and avoiding surrounding mountains.

In the river bed, I plan to stop potentially at the only place where I saw anyone on the way besides the village of Uelkal... a fishing camp where Pietr, a chukchi from Egvekinot spend his winters fishing, and welcomes the wezdehod drivers passing through...


Think of it as the ultimate "truck stop" where you can get freshly caught delicious small fishes !



Afterwards I will proceed South West on miles and miles of rolling hills and flat plains to finally reach the bay of Anadyr, which I hope will still be frozen at that time !

Thanks to my GPS, I was able to mark the trail with check points "bread crumbs" and counted a total of 180 miles. I am planning to take between 15-20 days to complete this section, depending on the condition of the snow, the weather and how my body is going to adjust to have to pull an heavy sled for the first time in 11 months...

Paka !
Dimitri

Dimitri is leaving for Egvekinot, right now!

We just received a text from Dimitri: “I am leaving for egve right now.” Egve=Egvekinot. His only option to travel is by armored tank, for 18-24 hours! The next available "tank ride" would be in a few weeks, so he had to mobilize fast to head out.
He was able to buy his way on a cargo wezdehod for a more reasonable sum of $300 (vs $3200 for a chartered one!).
This is more comparable with the one way plane tickets that were currently not available...

Dimitri is the only passenger on this"cargo" tank.
Dimitri is now in route to Egvekinot which is the town where he last stopped his expedition.
This is logically where he will re-start his human powered expedition.
See the picture of the vezdehod in this post.

Update from Dimitri

Dimitri is looking at the vezdehod, (a military Tank!), option to get to Egvekinot. An 18-24 hours ride! The next flight on 4/22 is sold out. After several hours of interviews, conducted by the custom officers, Dimitri made it through with “ALL” of his gear. He is very ecstatic about this. After an exhausting couple of days of dealing with multiple administrative issues, Dimitri was able to get some much needed sleep and seems to be looking at the bright side.
He told us, “I am thinking of the problems I run into as challenges to over come!”

Dimitri arrives in Russia!

Dimitri arrived in Russia. We received a text from him at 10pm on the 8th of April. He conveyed that he had made it through customs and is looking at complications getting to Egvekinot, with in Russia, to resume his expedition. The flight to Egvekinot, on April 22nd , does not have seats and booking a private "taxi"vezdehod would cost $3,200.00 US.
So, Dimitri is working with all of these contacts to find an alternative solution such as getting on a "cargo" wezdehod for a much more reasonable cost.
This is all the information we have at this time.

Most likely flying to Chukotka, Russia on Tuesday April 8th 2008

One step closer...

I have booked my Alaskan Airlines flights leaving Seattle on Monday night April 7th 08, connecting in Anchorage, Alaska and landing on Tuesday morning April 8th 08 in Nome, Alaska.



I have received confirmation from Bering Air that I will be able to get on the flight scheduled usually on a weekly basis on Tuesday April 8th 08 out of Nome, Alaska to Anadyr, Chukotka.



This is a chartered flight for the gold mining company Kinross to transport some of their North American employees (mostly managers, engineers, builders) and cargo to Anadyr where they will connect to their final destination and exploration center in Kupol, Chukotka.

The last variable element is whether or not, Kinross will supply enough cargo in addition to the 4 reserved passengers to Bering Air between now and Monday to justify the flight for this week.



Once I reach Anadyr, I plan to use Chukotavia to fly to Egvekinot (where I last trekked and which is therefore my starting point) or go by vezdehod, depending on what will get me to Egvekinot the soonest.

Once again, the reason why I am choosing this route to return to Anadyr and Egvekinot is because it is by far the most efficient route there is.

This route involves less far eastern russian cities in flight connections, therefore requiring less permits and less chance to lose my cargo along the way between multiple airlines.

Green light to enter Chukotka !

Yes, it is true, and I have confirmed that it is indeed NOT an April’s fool joke!

I have just received this morning all of the remaining documents that I needed to be able to proceed through Chukotka and as you can imagine I am quite excited about this.

Before anything else, I want to take the opportunity thank the local government of Chukotka for giving me the opportunity to continue my expedition through their beautiful region.

At this stage, I am now finalizing my logistics and especially booking my Seattle-Anchorage-Nome-Anadyr-Egvekinot flights, which I could not have done any sooner not knowing when the permission will be granted.

The airline Bering Air operates usually a weekly flight from Nome, Alaska to Anadyr, Chukotka, Russia on behalf of a Russo-Canadian gold mining company.
They tend to prioritize their employees and gear but hopefully, I will be able to get on this Nome-Anadyr flight in the very near future.

The other flying routes via South Korea, Japan, Magadan, Khabarovsk, etc... are not any simpler and may require additional permits, which I am not really keen on fetching at this stage, as you can imagine.

Once again, I am very glad that the paper work has been finalized and I can’t hardly wait to get reunited with my sled in Egvekinot !

Still waiting for my Rasdoryazheniye (расдоряжение).

Yes! I am still in Seattle!

I have modified my schedule on line to reflect a more realistic departure date in early April in Egvekinot, Chukotka.

Here is some background on what I am currently facing.

The autonomous region of Chukotka, where I need to return to continue my circumnavigation of the globe is one of the most closed regions of Russia.

As the newspaper The Globe and Mail reported in August 2007:

"Chukotka -Russia's most northeastern state is possibly the last place in the world that has breathtaking scenery, a rich culture and virtually no tourism. In this land, where ice and rock meet the Pacific and Arctic oceans, it's common to encounter people who have never before met a Westerner. But the bureaucrats in this region are a legacy of the past (i-e: Soviet times) and do not allow easy entry for tourists. A special permit called a rasdoryazheniye is required and takes many months and much patience to acquire. This hurdle may well be a blessing that keeps Chukotka a forgotten secret for years to come."

"Blessing" or not, this is definitely making my 3rd entry into Chukotka challenging!

So yes, Russians and foreigners alike need to have this additional permit called "Rasdoryazheniye" (расдоряжение) to be able to enter Chukotka, and this is not required in other parts of Russia.

To receive my rasdoryazheniye, I need to have a Chukotkan local resident "invite / sponsor" me and vouch to look after me for the entire duration of my stay. This sponsor also needs to be registered with a special division of the government and they are only a handful of persons (mostly "tourist" agents) in the autonomous region of Chukotka who have this type of special registration.

After having been turned down by a previous agent, I am currently in discussion with several other agents to define which one would be the most adept to work with a one man expedition and invite me back into the Chukotkan territory within the shortest timeframe. Once I would have reached an agreement with this company, I will transfer all of the documents that were previously submitted and approved by the local administration to complete my rasdoryazheniye. This whole administrative process might still take a minimum of 45 days to transfer previously submitted documents from one company to another...

In addition, because free travel is not allowed, I have submitted to the local authorities a detailed itinerary and outline of my route so that it can be approved by the local administration and military.
I must also seek advance permission from the local mayor /administration for each community I will enter on my route.
This of course creates an additional level of complexity while planning and explains why it would be very difficult for me to change my route once in the country.

Taking into account that spring is coming, I am currently looking at having to travel some sections in the tundra with my skis and sled and potentially some sections through the local river system with a local native kayak such as the one in the picture below.

Since I also might have to be "escorted", I am currently in communication with different potential guides in the region. Each one has his own set of constraints... a fisherman not too eager to ski and / or trek and a reindeer herdsman not willing at all to get on a kayak... But nothing is not solvable...

Finally, I have recently found out about tougher visa rules in Russia according to The Moscow News: "Foreigners who obtain a multiple entry visa that is active for a year will be able to stay for no more than 90 consecutive days, and no more than a total of 180 days out of a year"

What this means for me, is that in the future, each time I will enter Russia, the clock will start ticking upon my arrival. I will have 90 days to cover as much ground as I can via human power before I willl have to leave and stay out of Russia for the next 90 days.
This pressure will definitely start to bring back memories from my racing days when the clock was constantly ticking....

Finally, as my russian grandmother would have suggested, I am currently carefully observing my oracle domovoi to find out what the future is going to bring....

As some of you might know, if he starts laughing, good times can be expected....

Currently looking for a new Russian travel company to invite me in Chukotka

Yes, I am still in Seattle, trying to sort administrative matters in order to secure my entry into Chukotka.

Over the last few weeks, I have been told that I will probably not be able to travel this year without an escorting team, as Karl Bushby and I were able to do last year.
At first, I was told that I will have to be escorted by an all terrain vehicle such as a vezdehod.

Then, I was able to negotiate this down to one guide / escort. The first guide that I was suggested to hire is a a well-experienced musher from Egvekinot, similar to the one on this picture.

Considering that the section in Chukotka is going to be about 70 days, the cost and the logistics of being followed by an entire mushing team was going to be very prohibitive.
So, I emailed all of my friends in Chukotka and even placed an add locally to find an experienced local guide.

At this stage, it seems that I have found an experienced 50 years old herdsman from Anguema who could potentially join me with a few of his reindeers.

Will he travel in them, in front of them, behind them or on them, I am not quite sure yet...

I just know that I will be pulling my sled, if there is still any snow this Spring !

My potential local guide does not speak English which would obviously force me to make some serious progress in Russian and that's good !

Now, the main remaining obstacle that is still preventing my departure is the fact that the company that originally submitted all of my documents and apply for my permission to travel through Chukotka, no longer can support me.

I am now looking for a travel company or travel agent with whom all my documents (approved by the local administration, as well as my 1 year Russian visa with multiple entries) could be transferred to and which would be willing to invite me officially.

If you are aware of such company, please email nexusexpedition@gmail.com

I would like to depart for Chukotka as quickly as possible, before the snow melts any further and hinders my progress with my sled…

Sidenote: signification of the Chukotkan flag

Currently searching for a local guide in Chukotka

Click on this Russian link to see the actual forum.

My new 1 year multiple entry visa is ready and I am waiting to finalize my Chukotkan permits with the local authorities.
I now only have one major hurdle to overcome before I can depart:
as it was brought up to me recently, define with the local authorities whether or not I need to be escorted by a guide/escort.

In the event if I do, here is the ad I have placed on a local Chukotkan forum today to find a local guide/ herder/ hunter/musher/ sportsman or sportswoman.
(Thank you for your help with this Timur and Irene !)

If anyone is interested to spend 60 days with me on the trail between Egvekinot and Kamenskoye, feel free to contact me at nexusexpedition@gmail.com.

Future Sections

Sixth: Vayegi (Chukotka – Russia) – Omsukchan (Magadanskaya - Russia)
Egvekinot, Anadyr, Markova, Kamenskoye, Evensk, Omsukchan
Distance: 660 miles / 1060 kms
Time frame: November 08-February 09
Trekking/ Back Country Skiing

Seventh: Omsukchan, Russia to Dakar, Senegal
Yakustk, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Chalyabinsk, Kazan, Nizhniy Novgorod,
then on via Europe or via Northen Africa to Dakar (Senegal)
Distance: TBD Time frame: TBD
Biking / Trekking

Eighth: Dakar, Senegal to Cayenne, French Guyana
Distance: TBD
Time frame: TBD
Rowing - 2 options:
Bouvet Rames Guyane Rowing Race, or Atlantic Rowing Race

Ninth: Cayenne, French Guyana or Antigua to Seattle, USA
Distance: TBD
Time frame: TBD
Rowing/Kayaking/Biking/Trekking

Tenth: Seattle – Knik Lake, Alaska
Distance: TBD
Time frame: TBD
Kayaking and/or Biking

Definition of the word Nexus

nex·us [ néksəss ]
Definition:
1. connection: a connection or link associating two or more people or things
2. connected group: a group or series of connected people or things
3. center: the center or focus of something

[Mid-17th century. Latin nex-, past participle of nectere "bind"

EXPEDITION HISTORY

Stages already completed:

First Section:
Knik Lake (near Anchorage, Alaska) - Nome (Alaska)

Feb – April 2005
37 days
1100 miles 1770 kilometers
Completed by foot (trekking & snowshoeing) the Iditarod Trail Invitational race


1st section: Knik Lake (near Anchorage, Alaska) - Nome (Alaska)


Second Section:
Nome (Alaska) – Wales (Alaska)
Feb 2006
9 days
115 miles 185 kilometers
Completed by foot (Trekking & Back Country Skiing)
(with Goliath expedition - Karl Bushby)


2d section: Nome (Alaska) – Wales (Alaska)


Third Section:
Nome (Alaska) – Uelen (Russia)
Bering Strait Crossing
March 17-31 2006
14 days, 5 days where swimming was required
200 miles 322 kilometers
Completed by foot (Trekking & Back Country Skiing) + Swimming
(with Goliath expedition - Karl Bushby)


3rd section: Nome (Alaska) – Uelen (Russia)
Bering Strait Crossing


Fourth section:
Uelen to Egvekinot (Chukotka, Russia)
April 12- May 16 2007
34 days
425 miles 684 kilometers
Completed by foot (Back Country Skiing and only trekking after Vastoshisno)
Uelen- Anguema(with Goliath expedition - Karl Bushby)
Anguema- Uelen (solo)

For more details on this section, please consult:
2007 Route completed - Uelen - Egvekinot 425 miles



4th section: Uelen to Egvekinot (Chukotka, Russia)


Fifth section:
Egvekinot to Vayegi (Chukotka, Russia)
April 15- June 7 2008
exact amount of trekking days still being tabulated
Approximatively 600 miles / 965 kms
exact amount of miles still being tabulated.

Completed by foot (Back Country Skiing, trekking with a backpack and pulling the sled simultaneously, swimming, using the sled as kayak while going down rivers).

For more details on this section, please consult:
2008 Route completed - Egvekinot - Vayegi
Report provided by explorersweb.com



5th section: Egvekinot to Vayegi (Chukotka, Russia)


Total Mileage Completed:
Approx: 2440 miles 3926 kilometers
exact amount of trekking days still being tabulated

The expedition started on February 26th 2005 at Knik Lake, near Anchorage, Alaska. Dimitri completed in 37 days by foot and snowshoe the Iditarod Invitational race from Knik Lake to Nome (1100 miles / 1770 kms). He was the 6th person to ever finish this race by foot, following the trail of the infamous Iditarod dog race. During the race, he met with Karl Bushby with whom he joined the Goliath expedition and continued North West from Nome to Wales in Feb 2006 completing the 115miles (185 km) in 9 days.

In March 2006, he was able to complete the first successful Eastbound crossing of the Bering Strait between Wales, Alaska and Uelen, Russia covering 200 miles (322kms) in 14 days, with Karl Bushby as part of the Goliath Expedition while swimming, trekking and skiing between and on ice floes.

See article describing the Bering Strait crossing: Seattle Times, Boston News, New York Times.

In April 2007, he continued his human powered Nexus expedition in Chukotka, Russia, starting in Uelen where he was last stopped after having crossed the Bering Strait. He covered 425 miles (684 kms) in 34 days from Uelen to Egvekinot by foot and skis while pulling a sled along the Siberian coast and across the frozen tundra with Karl Bushby.

In April 2008, Dimitri continued his expedition solo, in Chukotka, Russia, starting in Egvekinot where he had last stopped and covered approximatively 600 miles (exact amount of trekking days still being tabulated).
He completed this section by foot and skis while pulling a sled along the Siberian coast and river beds. As the spring advanced and the snow started to rapidly melt, Dimitri had to trek some of the last hundred miles with a backpack and pulling the sled simultaneously, swimming, and finally using the sled as a kayak and a shovel as a paddle while going down rivers.

Dimitri is going to return in Chukotka on November 18th 2008 and continue trekking and skiing 660 miles (1060 kms) from Egvekinot to Omsukchan.
He plans to cover this section by skis and on foot, while pulling a sled, considering the absence of roads in the Chukotkan tundra.
Once upon reaching Omsukchan, he will switch to biking and continue Westbound towards Europe, connecting the European, Asian and American continents.

Dimitri plans to have completed the entire expedition by 2015, upon reaching Knik Lake, after having circumnavigated the globe via human power.

DIMITRI KIEFFER PROFILE

French native, Dimitri moved to the United States in 1983 at the age of 17 in order to pursue a college education in international business.

He spent his first year in the US as an exchange student in Puyallup high school, Washington state and the next 5 years at the University of Washington in Seattle where he obtained two degrees, focusing on international trade.

He then spent the next 15 years honing his skills in international business while working in the software industry primarily in Hong Kong and Seattle.

In April 2005, he gained his second citizenship (US) and therefore becoming an official "Franco-American".

After having completed his first marathon in 1985 at the age of 20, and his first ultramarathon in Hong Kong in 1990, Dimitri progressively took on more and more challenging races in the USA and furthermore overseas.

He completed seven Trailwalkers in Hong Kong, the Western States and other US 100 milers, the Death Valley Badwater 135 miler, as well as multiple races in the Sahara (two 208 miles and one 350 miles non-stop races) and 4 races in Alaska, including the non stop Iditarod trail by foot (1100 miles).

In addition to enjoying running ultramarathons in harsh desertic or cold Alaskan winter climatic conditions, Dimitri also partook in 7 to 30 days non-stop adventure races, where with his team, he was able to cover a great amount of mileage, trekking, orienteering, snow shoeing, kayaking, mountain biking, roller blading, etc... through quite diverse terrain such as the Vietnamese and Costa Rican jungles, the mighty Yukon river, the Australian & South African outback and in the US, the San Juan Islands, the Utah and Californian landscape.

Since 2005, Dimitri has continued to evolve, transferring from adventure racing to full blown expeditions.

When he is not pushing forward on the trail, Dimitri returns to his permanent home in Seattle to primarily spend time with his friends, such as the PSH3 quirky runners and BM friends. He also spends time training, planning the next sections of the expedition and "catching up on regular daily life matters".

Dimitri also volunteers teaching elementary computer classes ro refugees with IRC and moves donated furniture from donors homes to new refugees homes: Karen and Chin minorities from Myanmar/Burma, Bhutanese, Eritreans, Iraqis.

Finally, once a year, he makes a "pilgrimage" back to France to visit his family and friends that he often feels he "has left behind".

Expeditions

2008 Chukotka section, Nexus expedition
Egvekinot-Vayegi (Russia)

2007 Chukotka section, Nexus expedition
Uelen-Egvekinot (Russia)

2006 Bering Strait Crossing, Goliath expedition
Nome to Wales (US) to Uelen (Russia)

Major Adventure races
2006 Yukon River Quest Paddle Race, (Kayak) Canada
2005 La Ruta de los Conquistadores, (Bike) Costa Rica

2005 Freedom Challenge Extreme Triathlon
(Run,Bike, K1 Canoe), South Africa
including Comrades Marathon, Berg River Marathon

2004 Primal Quest, Washington State
2004 X-Adventure Raid Series
in North Western Australia & Bend, Oregon

2003 Primal Quest, Lake Tahoe, California
2003 X-Adventure Raid Series, Bend, Idaho
2002 Four Winds Adventure Race 500kms, Utah
2002 Raid Gauloises 1000kms, Viet Nam


Major Nonstop ultrarunning races
2005 Iditarod Trail Invitational, 1100 miles, Alaska
2004 Trans 555km , 345 miles, Niger, Africa
2004 Bad Water , 135 miles, Death Valley, California
2002 Iditarod Trail Invitational, 350 miles, Alaska
2002 Trans 333km, 200 miles, Tunisia Africa
2001 Trans 333km, 200 miles, Mauritania, Africa
2001 Iditasport, 130 miles, Alaska

2001 Mardis Gras Ultramarathon Classsic 125 miles, Baton Rouge to New Orleans,
Louisiana, information on the trail

1997-2003 Seven Trailwalker MacEnlose 100 km, Hong Kong

100 Miles ultraruns:
2004 Western States, California
2003 The Bear, Idaho
2001 Heartland, Kansas
2000 Cascade Crest Classic, Washington
1999 Angeles Crest, California
1999 Iditasport, Alaska

Swim:
2006 Alcatraz island "sharkswim fest", California

Русский вариант

Дмитрий Киеффер
История зкспедиции (Expedition history)
Что значит слово нексуc "Nexus"
Подробности будующего маршрутa (Details on future sections)
Маршрут зимы 2008-2009(Winter route)
Зима 2008-2009. Подробности маршрута (Details on winter route)

газеты
Lenta.ru
Votpusk.ru

новая информация на экспедиции nexus (New Information)

Да, я все еще в Сиэтле, пытаюсь разобраться в административных проблемах, чтобы получить разрешение на въезд на Чукотку.

За последние несколько недель мне стало известно, что в этом году я возможно не смогу путешествовать без сопровождения, как мы путешествовали в прошлом году с Карлом Бушби.

Сначала мне было сказано, что у меня будет такое могучее сопровождение как вездеход. Позже, удалось договориться на одного проводника.

Первый кого мне предложили в проводники был опытный погонщик из Егвенкинота, что напомнило мне эту картинку.

Учитывая что этот участок пути рассчитан на 70 дней перехода, оплата проводника и стоимость содержания всей собачей упряжки превышали возможности.

Я послал электронные послания своим друзьям на Чукотке и поместил объявление в местном форуме о поисках опытного местного проводника.

В настоящий момент я нашел опытного 50-летнего пастуха из Ангуема, который готов происоединиться ко мне вместе со своими оленями. Я еще толком не знаю будет ли он путешествовать на них, с ними, или за ними.

Я знаю, что я буду тащить мои сани, если еще останется снег этой весной. Мой потенциальный проводник не говорит по-английски, что заставит меня более серьезно заняться русским и это здорово!

Самое важное обстоятельство задерживающее мой отъезд остается. Туристская кампания начавшая оформление моих документов дающих разрешение въезда на Чукотку отказалась продолжать работу со мной.

И теперь я ищу туристическую кампанию или агента который взялся бы закончить начатое оформление документов и официально пригласть меня. (мои документы получили разрешение местной администрации, у меня также есть годовая виза в Россию).

Если вы знаете такую кампанию или агента, пожалуйста сообщите мне на:nexusexpedition@gmail.com

Я бы хотел как можно скорее приехать на Чукотку, если возможно, до того как расстает снег и я смогу тащить сани по снегу.

Если вы хотите работать со мной....

Привет всем, выступаю переводчиком этого путешественника и обращаюсь к интересующимся!

Вот что он пишет:Ищу для экспедиции спортсмена, погонщика собачей упряжки или гида!Знание английского не важны. Маршрут: Эгвекинот-Марково-Каменское. 60 дней, 1300 км. В период с 1 марта по 29 апреля. Присоединиться ко мне и путешествовать на лыжах, пешком или на собачей упряжке.детали на:
2008 Future Route:http://nexusexpeditions.blogspot.com/2008/...ture-route.html 2008

Details on future Route: http://nexusexpeditions.blogspot.com/2008/...ils-on-future-route.html

Если вы хотите работать со мной, то пишите на dimitri_kieffer@hotmail.com

Спасибо!

Дмитрий Киеффер

Француз по национальности, Дмитрий переехал в Соединеные Штаты в 1983 году чтобы получить образование в области международного бизнеса. В это время ему было 17лет.

Дмитрий приехал в США по программе студенческого обмена и провел свой первый год учась в школе городка Пюаллоп штата Вашингтон. Следюшие пять лет он был студентом Университета Вашингтона в Сиэтле, который закончил получив две квалификации в области международной торговли.

В течение последующих пятнадцати лет он совершенствовал свои навыки в международном бизнесе работая в индустрии програмного обеспечения в Гонкоге и Сиэтле.

В апреле 2005 года Дмитрий, оставаясь гражданином Франции, получил также гражданство Соединенных Штатов, став, таким образом, офицальным «французским американцем».

Совершив свой первый марафон в 1985 году в возрасте 20 лет, и первый ультрамарафон в Гонконге в1990 году, Дмитрий ищет участия во все более и более сложных гоночных испытаниях как в США, так и за рубежом.

Он совершил семь забегов трейлуокер в Гонконге, забеги на 100 миль в США, на 135 миль в Долине Смерти Бэдуотер, а также множество забегов в Сахаре (два по 208 миль и один безостоновочный в 350 миль), 4 гонки на Аляске, включая безостановочный Идитарод забег (1100 миль).

В дополнение к участию в ультрамарафонах проходящих в тяжелых условиях пустыни или холодной Аляскинской зимы, Дмитрий принимал участие в безостановочных гонках-приключениях продолжающихся от 7 до 30 дней. Во время которых он вместе со своей командой покрывал огромные расстояния совершая пешие переходы, ориентирование, лыжные пробеги, заплывы на байдарках, гонки на горных велосипедах и ролликовых коньках. Гонки-приключения происходили в самых различных географических условиях, таких как джунгли Вьетнама и Коста Рики, могучая река Юкон, окраины Австралии, Южной Африки и Соединенных Штатов, острова Сан Хуан, Юта, Калифорния.

С 2005 года Дмитрий наращивает темпы переходя от гонок приключений к полновесным экспедициям. Время между гонками и экспедициями Дмитрий проводит у себя дома в Сиэтле со своей подругой Илимой и друзьями. Он много тренируется, планирует будущие экспедиции и просто живет жизнью нормального человека.

И, наконец, раз в году он совершает паломничество во Францию, чтобы увидеться с семьей и друзьями, которым, как ему кажется, он уделяет недостаточно внимания.

Экспедиции
2007 Чукотская часть экспедиции Nexus Уэлен-Егвенкинот, Россия
2006 Переход через Берингов пролив, экспедиция ГолиафНом-Уэльс, США-- Уэлен, Россия

Главные гонки приключений
2006 Гребля на байдарках по реке Юкон, Yukon River Quest Paddle Race, (байдарки) Канада
2005 Маршрутом конквистадоров La Ruta de los Conquistadores, (велогонки) Коста Рика

2005 Экстримальный триатлон "Испытание свободы" Freedom Challenge Extreme Triathlon(бег, велосипед, каноэ), Южная Африка, включая "Товарищеский марафон" и "Марафон на реке Берг" Comrades Marathon, Berg River Marathon

2004 Primal Quest, Штат Вашингтон, США
2004 X-Adventure Raid Series Северо-западная Австралия и Бенд, Орегон США
2003 Primal Quest, Озеро Тахое, Калифорния, США
2003 X-Adventure Raid Series, Бенд, Идахо, США
2002 Four Winds Adventure Race 500кm, Юта, США
2002 Raid Gauloises 1000кm, Вьетнам

Главные безостановочные забеги
2005 Iditarod Trail Invitational, 1100 миль, Aляска, США
2004 Trans 555km , 345 миль, Нигер, Африка
2004 Bad Water , 135 миль, Аллея смерти, Калифорния, США
2002 Iditarod Trail Invitational, 350 миль, Aляска, США
2002 Trans 333km, 200 миль, Тунис, Aфрика
2001 Trans 333km, 200 миль, Мавритания, Африка
2001 Iditasport, 130 миль, Аляска, СШA

2001 Mardis Gras 125 миль, Бэйтон Руж-- Новый Орлеан, Луизиана, США
information on the trail

1997-2003 Семь забегов Trailwalker MacEnlose по 100 кm, Гонконг

100-милевые забеги:
2004 Western States, Калифорния,США
2003 The Bear, Идахо, США
2001 Heartland, Канзас, США
2000 Cascade Crest Classic, Вашингтон, США
1999 Angeles Crest, Калифорния, США
1999 Iditasport, Аляска, США

ИСТОРИЯ ЭКСПЕДИЦИИ (Expedition history)

ИСТОРИЯ ЭКСПЕДИЦИИ

Стадии которые уже завершены:

Первая часть:
Озеро Кник (На Аляске около Анкореджа)
Февраль-Апрель 2005
37 дней
1100 миль 1770 км
Совершено пешим переходом и на снегоступах.
Iditarod Trail Invitational race

Вторая часть:
Ном (Аляска)--Уэльс (Аляска)
Февраль 2006
9 дней
115 миль 185 км
Пеший переход и лыжи.
Совместно с экспедицией Карла Бушби Goliath expedition

Третья часть:
Ном (Аляска)--Уэлен (Россия)
Пересечение Берингова Пролива

17-31 Марта 2006
14 дней, из них 5 дней вплавь
200 миль 322 км
Пеший переход, лыжи, вплавь
Совместно с экспедицией Карла Бушби Goliath expedition

Четвертая часть:
Уэлен- Егвекинот (Чукотка Россия)
12 Апреля-16 мая 2007
34 дня
425 миль 684 км
Совершено по большей части лыжами, пешком только после Вастошина.
Уэлен-Ангуема совместно с экспедицией Карла Бушби Goliath expedition

Ангуема-Уэлен соло.

Общее расстояние пробега 1840 миль 2961 км

Экспедиция стартовала 26 февраля 2005 года на озере Кник, близь Анкореджа на Аляске. За 37 дней пешком и нà снегоступах Дмитрий совершил пробег длиной в 1100 миль или 1770км, от озера Кник до Нома Iditarod Invitational race .

Он был шестым по счету человеком когда-либо совершавшим этот пробег пешком, следуя за печально знаменитыми собачьими гонками Идитарод. Во время пробега он встретил Карла Бушби Karl Bushby, присоединился к экспедиции Годиафа Goliath expedition и продолжил путь на Северо-Запад, из Иома в Уэльс в феврале 2006 года, совершив пробег в 185 км за 9 дней.

В марте 2006 года ему удалось совершить первую успешную переправу через Берингов пролив Eastbound crossing of the Bering Strait от Уэльса на Аляске до Уэлена в России, покрыв расстояние в 200 миль, или 322 км за 14 дней. Переправа была совершена совместно с Карлом Бушби, как часть экспедиции Голиафа, частично вплавь, пешим ходом, и на лыжах.

Статьи посвященные переправе через Берингов пролив были опубликованы в: Seattle Times, Boston News, New York Times.

В апреле2007 года Дмитрий продолжил свою экспедицию, получившую название Нексус экспедиция (Nexus expedition), и имеющую в основании передвижение только посредством человеческой энергиии. Дмитрий стартовал в Уэлене, где экспедиция была приостановлена после пересечения Берингова пролива. За 34 дня, вместе с Карлом Бушби, он покрыл расстояние в 684 км от Уэлена до Егвенкинота, пешим ходом и лыжами, также таща за собой сани по замерзшей Сибири и Тундре.

Дмитрий планирует вернуться на Чукотку в феврале 2008 и продолжить лыжный и пеший путь из Егвенкинота в Омсукчан, который составит 1830 км.

Учитывая отсутствие дорог в Чукотской тундре, он рассчитывает передвигаться пешком и на лыжах таща сани за собой. Достигнув Омсукчан он перейдет на велосипед и продолжит двигаться на восток в сторону Европы, соединяя своим путешествием Америку Азию и Европу.

Дмитрий планирует закончить всю экспедицию к 2015 году достигнув озеро Кник и совершив, таким образом, кругосветное путешествие только на человеческой энергии.

Что значит слово нексус "Nexus"

nex·us [ néksəss ]
Определение:
1. связь: связь, звено соединяюшее людей или вещи
2. группа обладающая внутреней связью: группа связанных между собой людей или вещей.
3. центр: центр или фокус чего-либо
( середина 17 века латинское. nex- причастие, происходит от nectre--'связывать')

Подробности будующего маршрута (Future sections)

Планы на будующее

6. Омсукчан Россия -- Дакар Синегал
Якутск, Иркутск, Новосибирск, Омск, Челябинск, Казань, Нижний Новгород, потом через Европу или Северную Африку в Дакар Синегал.
Расстояние: будет добавлено позже
Период времени: позже
Велосипедом и пешим ходом.

7. Дакар Синегал, Кайенна, Французская Гвинея
Расстояние: позже
Период времени: позже
Гребля на лодке, два возможных пути:Bouvet Rames Guyane Rowing Race, or Atlantic Rowing Race

8. Кайенна, Французская Гвинея или Антигуа, Сиэттл, США
Расстояние: позже
Время: позже
Гребля, байдарка, велосипед, пеший ход.

9.Сиэтл -- озеро Кинк, Аляска
Расстояние: позже
Время: позже
Байдарка и велосипед.

Маршрут зимы 2008-2009 (Winter 2008-2009 route)

Winter 2008-2009 - Future Route

Маршрут зимы 2008-2009

Ваеги-Омсукчан, 660 миль, 1060 км.

Охватывает три региона: Чукотский Автономный Округ, Камчатский Край и Магаданскую область.


Если хотите более подробно-кликайте сюда

Дмитрий Киеффер сечас дома, в Сиэтле, в США закачивает планирование следующего этапа экспедиции.
В понедельник 17 ноября самолетом авиакампании Аляски он вылетает из Сиэтла на Аляску, через Анкоредж в Ном.

На Аляске, в Номе он пробудет несколько часов чтобы увидеться со старыми друзьями и потом пересядет на смолет авиакампании Беринг, совершающий еженедельные полеты между Номом и чукотским Анадырем.

Ном-Анадырь Авиакампания Беринг
Nome - Anadyr Bering Air flight

В Анадыре Дмитрий планирует остановиться у друзей до первого самолета летящего рейсом Анадырь-Ваеги, который, согласно расписанию, должен вылететь во вторник 25 ноября.Полет происходит на самолете АН-3
Анадырь-Ваеги, полет на АН-3
Anadyr - Vayegi flight Antonov AN-3
Если по тем или иным причинам полет будет отложен на недели, Дмитрий попытается найти другие возможности передввижения, чтобы попасть в начальную точку маршрута в Ваеги. Это может быть вездеход или катер.

По прибытию в Ваеги Дмитрий будет, наконец, воссоединен со своими друзьями и санями! Там, используя навигационную систему, он вернется в ту самую точку, где экспедиция остановилассь 7 июня 2008 года, в 37 милях на Северо-Западе от Ваеги.
Там и тогда он начнет следующие 660 миль своего соло трека к «дороге костей» в Омсукчан!
Сейчас Дмитрий занят оформлением документации, позволяющей переход через три региона. Ему нужно получить годовую визу в Россию, пропуск и распоряжение на Чукотку, разрешение на Камчатку, а также базовую документацию позволяющую использование на территории Чукотки сателлитового телефона «Ирридиум 950»,
Irridium 9500 Satellite phone, навигационной системы GPS и аварийного радиомаяка.

Зима 2008-2009. Подробности маршрута

Зима 2008-2009. Подробности маршрута.

Ноябрь 2008-февраль 2009

Первая часть:
Начинается со старта в 37 милях на Северо-Восток от Ваеги и продолжается до Каменского
(проходит через Чукотский автономный округ и Корякский автономный округ).

Экспедиция стартует с того места где остановилась--в 37 милях на Северо-Восток от Ваеги, проходит через Ваеги (64.1° Cевер и 171.02° Восток), потом через Слаутное.
Навигационная система (GPS) включена с момента старта,
в 37 милях от Ваеги,
147 миль до Слаутного,
133 мили от Слаутного до Каменского.
Всего: 317 миль.

Каменское: 62.3° Север и 165.10° Восток
через Ваеги (64.1° Север и 171.02° Восток), на Пензино (63.32° Север и 168° Восток), - 210 миль, или 338 км.
14 дней,
48 часовая остановка в Каменском для пополнения припасов.

Вторая часть:
Каменское-Эвенск

Проходит через Корякский автономный округ и Магаданскую область.
Эвенск: (61.57°Север и 159.13° Восток)через Манилы (62.28° Север, 165.2°Восток); Парен (62.25°, 163.05°); Колымак ( 62.25°, 162.01°), Гожигу (60.58°, 160.23°) 220 миль (354 км).

Альтернативный маршрут: на картах ТСП и на гугл четко видна тропа, ведущая на запад. Эта тропа теряется в низинах прибрежной болотистой местности примерно через 60 миль. Оттуда возможно пробираться на Север, на возвышенность Окланского Плато и продолжать следовать в западном направлении по тропе ведущей с Севера на Восток, (примерно 62.26°и 159.46), и заканчивающейся на юге Эвенска.

24 часовая остановка в Эвенске для пополнения припасов.

Третья часть:
Эвенск-Омсукчан,
Через Таватум (61.4°, 157.48°)и
Пеструю Дресву (61.32°, 156.43°), Магаданская область. Омсукчан (62.31°, 155.48°)

Альтернативный маршрут: двигаться к поселку Гарманда на возвышенности (62.10°, 159.05°) в 22 милях к северу от Эвенска, потом пересекая реку и долину держать направление на северо-запад. Приблизительно в параметрах 62.33° и 158.13° должны быть видны признаки поселков Элктар и Тенкели. Оттуда двигаться по тропе на Запад до городка Пестрая Дресва.

Предполагаемое расстояние 660 миль, или 1060 км.
45 дней на лыжах и трек, + 9 дней на пополнение запасов=54 дняС ноября 2008 по февраль 2009.

Seattle Metropolitan Oct 2007 "Wash In"

2007 Route Completed - Uelen-Egvekinot 425 miles

From Dimitri,

I am stopping my expedition in Egvekinot this year for the following 2 reasons:

- After having talked to a lot of locals (hunters, wezdehod drivers,etc...) I have decided that it makes more sense for me to wait til next Winter and return in January 2008 to continue my journey on zimnik winter roads towns, potentially going on the following route: Egvekinot- MysSchmidta - Pevek-Bilibino-Chersky - then down on the Kolima river to Seymchan where I will then connect with the Westward road to Yakutsk.

- My current propusk permit could not allow me to take advantage of the last 3 weeks of snow (May) and continue now from Anguema north bound towards Myschmidta.

Editor's note: Karl has chosen to continue on at this time through a separate route through the Spring.
_____________________

Arrived today at 9am (May 16th) in Egvekinot after having completed about 425 miles by foot and on back country skis from Uelen. First advice before anything else: If anyone of you is going to talk to Karl before he leaves Anguema, I strongly advice him to leave his sled at some point on the road (before kilometer marker 66) with one of the few trucks going by, and continue with the bare minimum towards Egvekinot.

The road is quite dry for the last 66 kilometers, with only a few patches of snow. As a result, he could permanently damage the bottom of his sled.

At KM 33, he might be able to sleep as well at the "rest area/gastinista" if he does not arrive in middle of the night... I did not stopped there for that reason!

Summary of latest events:

1. Karl and I met with Sasha the local policeman in Anguema on Monday night(5/14). We all agreed that since Karl and I now had different plans (Karl is now continuing on the Southern Chukotka route and I am planning to resume my expedition in January 2008 on the Northern Chukota route), it did not make sense for us to continue together.
I got the green light from policeman Sasha to leave Anguema alone as long as I would stay on the road all the way down to Egvekinot which I did. I left the Chukotsnab Satellite phone with Karl since he was going to be behind me and could potentially "rescue" me in case of an emergency and in case I could not get assistance from one of the truckers.

After leaving Karl amicably, I departed Anguema at 9am on Tuesday May15th and completed the last 90 kms of this section in 24 hrs, taking advantage of the Belli Noche ("white night") and the fact that there is only 1 flight per week Egvekinot-Anadyr on Thursday and therefore I needed to press on to make it).On the road, I talked to the few truckers that came by and they all advise me to drop my sled asap since the last 33kms did not have much snow.

At 2:30pm, at mile post km 66. I dropped my sled with Egvekinot firemen driving by who agreed to take it in their truck and keep it in Egvekinot until my arrival. I quickly gathered a small duffel bag containing the bare minimum to be able to make it through the night while walking (water, food, clothes, IPOD...). I walked through the night on this beautiful road with an interesting past. At 9am today May 16th, I arrived in Egvekinot by foot straight at the airport where I quickly asked if I could buy a ticket for Anadyr the next day, which was allowed (weather permitting of course).

OK, what are my plans for the future?

1. Flying tomorrow to Anadyr (weather permitting) and trying to coordinate with Bering Air my departure on the next flight to Nome. If no flights are scheduled for the next few weeks and if the pogranitshik allow me, I will fly through Magadan, Moscow or else to get back to Seattle.

2. Once I arrive in Anadyr tomorrow, I would very much to like to meet with
the following people, (amongst others) to help me secure my return to Chukotka.

-Natalia Slugina (to explain my plan for next year and see how I can secure my propusk for 2008)
-Anatori Panov (to explain my plan for next year)
-Svetlana Kazmin (to solve some fine related matters)
-Pogrenitshik (and get my satellite phone and beacon back)-Local administration (to register if I stay more than 3 days )
-The owner of the company ACR4 (26864) to see what I can do to buy a Russian satellite phone and emergency beacon. I am not sure yet where I am going to stay in Anadyr.

That's all for now!

Btw, Egevkinot and the mountains around is quite pretty! It even has a ski lift! Thank you for your support once again!
Dimitri

Dimitri and Karl reunited in Anguema, Dimitri continuing alone.

Dimitri arrived in Anguema Friday may 11th (Russian time), after being separated from Karl. They were separated on May 7th at about 11am at N 57' 22, W 176' 50 on their way to the village of Anguema (N 57' 03, W 178' 48).
A day after their separation, Dimitri found the gold mining town of Vastoshishno.
Prior leaving Nashken, he was told by a local chukchi about this gold mining town, pointing on his map with an approximate radius of about 20 miles. The town did not appear on his map.
He was welcomed by the community of 50 miners who gave him some meals, a banya and even a bed to rest for the night !
The next morning, Dimitri took the winter road leading out of the gold mine and which took him down to Anguema in 2.5 days.
He was able to cover 50km/day, now only using his Susitna Montrail shoes, and making a fast pace to Anguema.

Dimitri believed that Karl was in good condition and probably continued straight through the tundra, not taking the risk to lose time while trying to spot the gold mining town and its connecting winter road.
However progressing exclusively through the tundra would probably reduce his movement to 20km/day.

On Sunday (Russian time) Dimitri received news from a local on a snowmobile that Karl was spotted about 9km outside of the village of Anguema.
Karl arrived in the village today Monday 5/14 (Russian time).

Dimitri and Karl are going to take a day or two of rest in the village of Anguema before they carry on towards Egvekinot, one of the larger towns on their route.

To complicate matters, they received news that their local permits will be expiring on May 30th.
They will have to resolve this issue upon arrival in Egvekinot.

Next news should be from Egvekinot.

Dimitri and Karl separated. Dimitri arrives in Anguema without Karl.

Anguema, Russia. 66 N 179 W

Dimitri Arrived in Anguema alone after having being separated from Karl in a "whiteout" snow storm. Karl has not yet arrived in Anguema but Dimitri believes Karl is in good health and expects him to arrive soon. Dimitri has contacted the emergency rescue department immediately and alerted them of his approximate location. Dimitri said he came to a road shortly after being separated from Karl, could not locate him, and proceeded to the nearest town. He made really good time in the last two days trek to the nearest town (~100 kilometers) so he may in fact be days ahead of Karl if Karl didn't find the same road to follow.

The information from Dimitri was short and slim since he was borrowing a satellite phone from a person in the town. He will try to update us again, but he said he most likely will not call again until he reaches Egvekinot where he can have access to a public phone.

Nexus Expedition reaches the village of Nashken

Dimitri and Karl reached the village of Nashken Tuesday 4/24 at night (Russian time) and will be leaving at the earliest tomorrow (Friday morning) Russian time. I was able to reach him at the school principles office.

They are staying an extra day at doctor's orders due to Dimitri injuries on his feet. He had terrible blisters which have left him with raw open skin and he doesn't want to chance infection.

They are changing their route to save a little time and heading inland from here directly towards Anguema. He said this next section should take about 3 weeks so we won't hear from him for a while.

Aside from his feet everything seems to be going pretty well for them. They are turning inland because the winter 'road' they have been traveling on has not been saving them any real time so they may as well take the most direct route.

Nexus Expedition arrives in Enormino

Dimitri called late last night 4/13(Friday night - Russian time. They have arrived in Enormino. They will be staying there through today (Saturday - Russia) and departing Sunday morning.

They seem to be doing well, though they did get caught in a pretty severe storm on the way to Enormino and had to remain in their tents for about 36 hours. They both need to do some repairs on their tents and do a presentation at the local school.

The next village they will reach is going to be Nashken and they anticipated to arrive there Thursday or Friday.

Nexus Expedition in Inchon, Russia

Dimitri called this morning 4/12/2007 and gave the following update.

Dimitri and Karl Bushby are presently in the town called Inchon,
at the GPS coordinates: N66 17.7816 / W170 16.686.

They arrived in Uelen after a 10 hr. Vezdehod ride (their 3 vezdehod caravan was delayed 3 hours for the repair of one of the vehicles) at about 8:30 pm Wednesday, April 12th (Russian Time). They spent the night in the police station, ironically the same place they slept upon arriving in Uelen April of last year after completion of the Bering strait crossing. Upon arising they met with the border guards, got their paper work approved and FINALLY began trekking.

They started on the trail at about 10am and arrived in Inchon at about 8pm, covering approximately 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) of terrain. Dimitri said the weather was good, about 6 degrees Celsius, and the ice was nice and solid. They passed a number of mushers along the way, commuting to Uelen or back for supplies. They also came across a few stray dogs which had apparently been let go from the sleds for being too slow. One of the passerby's happened to be the Mayor of Inchon in a vezdehod who graciously welcomed them and offered them a place to stay in town for the night.

Apparently their arrival had been pre-announced for a few miles outside of town they were greeted by a large group of very excited young boys.

They are planning to give a talk to the children early in the morning before they begin the day's trekking. Tonight (Friday-Russia) will be their first night actually sleeping on the trail. On the following night, they might sleep in a cabin that they have been informed upon.

The next village is about 3-4 days trekking and they may be slowed down a bit by a big storm that's supposed to be blowing in to their region in the next few days.

Dimitri sounded in high very high spirits and said it's been a good beginning, even though they were both definitely feeling the pains of adjustment as they drug their 240 lb sleds over two steep hills along the way. He likened himself to the 18 wheelers you see struggling to make it over the mountain pass - though he assured me that in no time at all they'd be trading up to race car shape.

He's a bit nervous of the weather conditions they will face upon arriving in Anadyr, but for now everything seems good.

Anadyr preparations March 17th - April 5th

March 17, 2007- April 5th 2007
Anadyr – Autonomous Region of Chukotka – Russian Federation


Karl and I spent the month commuting back and forth between the town of Anadyr and our rented flat in Ugolnye Kopi.
Here are some of the issues we had to address:
- Met with the Chukchi guide and musher Nikolai Ettyne who was designated as our official escort for our trek across Chukotka. Nikolai is not required to escort us on the ground but needs to be kept informed of our status as we enter and depart from each village/town along our way. We will also need to be able to call him in the event of an emergency.
Originally from the Northern village of Nashken and well informed of the section Uelen-Anadyr, Nikolai helped us set up a final route plan and schedule.

- Met with the Chukotkan search and rescue and explained to them our planned schedule and route through Chukotka. They requested from us a signed letter for the Chukotkavia airline where we would guarantee that we would be responsible to pay for all expenses in the event of an airlifted evacuation anywhere along our Uelen-Omsukchan trail since we are going to cross very remote regions.

- Met with Gema Gi-Ukai, a Chukchi hunter and fisherman from Chuvanskaya who helped us establish a summer route plan for the section Anadyr-Markova-Omolon. (He was not too excited I must say, to see us attempt this route in Summer months, when it is very swampy, crowded with brown bears, and infested with huge amount of mosquitoes) …

- Met with the local journalists to conduct interviews for the local Anadyr Television News and for the national Russia Today TV show.

- Organized the shipping of our fully load sleds to Lavrentiya and some of our supplies to Uelen.

- Identified an ideal storage facility for the rest of our supplies, thanks to our contact at the Canadian construction company Ferguson Simey Clark who was gracious enough to offer us some space in a tight container, away from any potential rats.

- Attempted on multiple occasions to retrieve our confiscated technical equipment from the customs office, using multiple documents provided to us by Nikolai Ettyne.

- Placed an advertisement on the local television and contacted with the help of our friends Svetlana Gobuleva and governmental official John Mann, countless city, state administrative offices (e-g: Search &Rescue department, Agricultural dept, reindeer stations, port authorities) as well as gas, gold mining and construction companies to identify a potential satellite phone for us to borrow, rent or buy, and therefore allowing us to depart. In the end, we were able to successfully identify a Globalstar Russian Satellite phone that we are taking with us and which can only be used in the event of an emergency.

- Prepared a joint presentation for Goliath and Nexus expeditions which we presented at the school in Ugolnye Kopi. We have already been asked to present as well along the way to the students in the villages that we will be crossing.

- Spent time at the local game arcade where we could find the fastest internet connection allowing us to send pictures and emails back home.

- Worked through the complex Russian postal system to be able to send overseas disks of pictures taken around town. In comparison to last year, where our cameras were not returned to us until the day of our departure, this time, we were fully able to shoot wherever we pleased.

I very much enjoyed photographing the colorful city of Anadyr who has been recently renovated with the help of Governor Roman Abramovich administration and financial backup.
I often tend to compare it to either a giant Legoland with all of its freshly painted bright buildings or a mini Hong Kong, where one can only see buildings crammed together on a piece of rock. I also enjoyed taking shots of all the classic Soviet and newer murals that are quite visible across town. However, they were limits to this new photographic freedom we were experiencing and one day I came to realize it very clearly. While I was taking what I consider an artistic photography of a classic Russian coal smokestack with a Russian flag next to it, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and identify a border guard who asked me immediately to follow him to the nearest local administrative customs office for interrogation. Unbeknownst to me, when I was photographing the flag, I did not see that on the side of it and not present on my photograph, was the local administrative customs office. After an hour of questioning with multiple “interviewers”, I was asked to delete the pictures in question and free to go!

In between of all of the tasks mentioned above, Karl and I also took on the opportunity to visit a few old and newer friends, such as:

- attending a festive birthday party for our Aprasian journalist friend Vladimir Sinothkin in the communication building, as well as visiting Nail Buranbayev and Vita Anaka, a Baishkir-Eskimo couple who have become good friends of mine ever since last year.

- go ice fishing, graciously invited by our landlord/driver Pavel Yashkin. We left Ugolnye Kopi on a -30 celsius crisp and sunny Sunday morning at 7am to go and join hundreds of Anadyr residents screwing holes in the ice with massive folded 6 feet long screwdrivers and fishing for small yet tasty sardine looking fishes. It was a fascinating experience to see all of these men and a few women on the ice, somewhat together, yet somewhat isolated, each of them near his or her fishing hole in the middle of the hazy fog.
It was interesting as well to see all types of vehicles on top of this frozen bay such as brand new Japanese SUVs, police “Volkswagen looking” minivans, antic soviet snowmobiles and military vezedhods (“Go Everywhere” all terrain tracked vehicles), all used by Sunday fishermen transport themselves on to their fishing spots.It was also a great way for me to get re-acclimated with arctic temperatures and learn new ice fishing skills!Although, when I mentioned to Karl the benefits of this new experience that might come handy on our trek, he quickly responded: “Sure, I will let you carry the 20 lbs screwdriver on your sled!” Karl and I also took countless meals in one of the two cafes where we spent most of our days preparing documents, presentations and emails.

The reason why we could not spend much time in our flat between meetings is that Anadyr city is located on one side of the bay and the airport where we had our flat on the other.

Crossing the bay each way was costing us 300 roubles per head and this is why we were not prepared to do more than one commute per day. There is no bridge cross the large bay. In winter time, one can drive across the bay on a road literally built on the ice and take a barge in Summer time. In late Spring and early fall, the only mode of transportation to the airport becomes then either an helicopter ride or a ride on a van that has been modified with huge floating tires. Despite this inconvenience, the airport was built across the bay because it was historically an important military airport and the authorities wanted to separate that potential target from the civilian habitations.

Anadyr airport located in Ugolnye Kopi was in deed an important base for the US armed forces during World War II while fighting the Japanese forces in the Pacific and later on became an important location to keep Soviet MIGS during the Cold War in light of a potential strike on US grounds.

That’s it for now. I will send more later…

Lavrentiya: Storm update

Just received a report from Dimitri. He still awaits transport to the point at which he and Karl Bushby will resume the circumnavigation.

From Dimitri:
Very frustrating out here. The storm "Purga" is stronger. The whole town shut down. Today school is closed and no one is working. "Actierovanyi den" : Inactive day

I have seen tiles flying out of a roof, and try to capture a bit of the storm on camera. Needless to say, we are not leaving for Uelen yet on the Vezdehod. According to what the priest Leonid told me: "The vezdehod drivers don't want to take the risk to get stuck in the mountains on the way to Uelen for multiple days with the 5-6 female Uelen teachers returning to their village."

Not sure when the storm is going to come down but it might last a while. Quite frustrating. Karl and I are like two dogs at the start of the Iditarod, ready to go go go....
Good bye everyone,
Dimitri

Lavrentiya: waiting to depart for Uelen...

Quick update from Dimitri:
"We have been told that we will depart tomorrow morning, for Uelen, at 9am for the 6-8hrs ride in the vezdehod (“go everywhere”) all terrain track vehicles…consuming 1 liter of gas per kilometer! The ride has been offered to us and our loaded sleds generously by the regional administration, which received a letter from the deputy governor Andrei Gorodilov to look after us.
This letter has been sent to all local administrations. However, I just found out that we are going to be in a convoy of 3 vezdehods and the third one will be occupied by FSB (Overview in Wikipedia) (FSB official site, in Russian) members who are going to escort us to Uelen.

The storm is supposed to last a few more days. You can follow it at the following sites: Lavrentiya: Russian Weather site
Uelen: Russian Weather site

Check the speed of wind in meters per second and the temperatures in Celsius. Last night we recorded a wind speed of 30 knots with a south bound wind. This is going to make the first few days of trekking interesting, since we will be going Northwest…"

Uelen is the point where Dimitri Kieffer and Karl Bushby will resume their expedition on foot. Last year the expedition was interrupted by confusion over their proper entry into the country via crossing the Bering strait. See article describing the Bering Strait crossing: Seattle Times, Boston News, New York Times.

See below the map of the route from Lavrentiya to Uelen that they will complete in Vezdehod with their sleds strapped on top of these all terrain vehicles, in order to go to their official start in Uelen.

Nexus Expedition's start halted by storm

Dimitri and Karl couldn't push through the storm to Uelen yesterday. Uelen is the town where they were stopped on April 1st 2006 after having completed the crossing of the Bering Strait from Wales to Uelen.

The storm is currently so strong that the driver of the Vezdehod does not want to take the risk to transport them across the tundra from Lavrentiya to Uelen.
They probaly will have to wait until Monday to head to Uelen.

Dimitri has limited connectivity so he will be giving us what he can and snail mailing his diaries on disk.

Nexus Expedition Resumes in Russia

Dimitri Kieffer and Karl Bushby are presently in Lavrentiya and planning on taking a vezdehod (all terrain vehicle) to Uelen tomorrow morning. If it all goes according to plan, tomorrow should be their first night on the trail. They have a blizzard blowing in, but it sounds like that's a bi-weekly occurrence so they're not going to let it stand in their way.
Dimitri won't be able to communicate except when he is in villages, so it may be a few weeks before we hear from him again. We just hope that they are able to cover as much ground as they planned on.
On foot they will be pulling a 240 lb sled for 15 miles, every day, just to get up and do it again, and again, and again for 135days.

With the border guards and the polar bears in consideration. it seems that the weather should be the least of their worries.

See the map of the section of the expedition they will be covering over the next months, on there way from Uelen to Magadan.

Seattle Times Article about the Expedition

Erik Nachtrieb and Ilima Smallwood

Arrival in Anadyr-Russian Federation: Inspection, taxes, and confiscation! "Why are you back in Russia." Igor asks.

March 16, 2007Anadyr – Autonomous Region of Chukotka – Russian Federation



First interesting surprise when I landed in Russia, my T mobile regular cell phone works. I am not even off the plane when I get a text message welcoming me in the land of megaphone! Nice surprise, although the surprise won’t be as good later when I will find out how much I am being charged! It’s fun though to be able to send a quick text message to let my contacts know I have safely landed in Chukotka.

We proceed off the plane and are immediately greeted by Olga Grokhotova, the local representative for Bering Air. She is waiting outside our plane with about five custom officers / borderguards, ready to escort us…They carefully watch us under the mildly blowing snowy weather as Karl and I are progressively loading off the 1700 lbs of gear, sleds and supplies off the plane on to an airport bus.

Five minutes later, we are dropped in front of the main building. It’s Gym Time, part 1! We are being told that, while being watched, we have to carry the 1700 lbs off the bus, drag them around the front of the building, bring them through a narrow antic stairway onto a 2d floor, and progress through multiple small rooms, pushing, carrying one box at a time. I swear the building and stairways were not made to drag around 2.4 meters long sleds or fuel tanks, but well, we live through it….Did anyone say HAZING ?

Next, we are greeted by Igor, a customs officer I recognize from the previous year and I believe the one that finally stamped our entry and exit stamps in our passport the day we left in May 2005, after having been "kept" 54 days. I can see immediately the grin on his face while watching us dragging around all of our boxes through his small passport control booth.

It’s Friday afternoon, the airport is getting ready to close down for the weekend. Looking back, I think that the fact that he and his subordinates were most likely eager to go home for the weekend may have played in our advantage. They did not insist on searching each box but instead simply ask us what they contained, weighting and processing them through the X-ray machine.

About two hours in the process, we are informed through our local friend and support, the journalist Svetlana Gobuleva who came to greet us that we are going to be taxed $880 each for having brought in the country 160 kg of consumer goods, which obviously were going to be consumed within the Russian territory. 3 Euros tax per kilogram.

You have been warned if any one amongst you are planning a little camping trip any time soon in Russia…Next, it’s Confiscation time!

At first, our two US Coast Guard graded safety flare guns are taken away from us, with all our flares which we were told were illegal to bring into Russia. This was and still is rather concerning since we were planning to use these flares to deter polar bears on the Northern coast during the first few weeks and brown bears coming out of hibernation during the following few months in the inland sections. Knowing that it is quasi-impossible for us, as non-Russians to get firearms permits, we will learn from the search and rescue authorities in the following weeks that we are allowed to purchase domestic Russian flare guns. The problem is that Anadyr only has one hunting store where we ended up buying the only tiny flares that are available… Taking into

account how often and irregular flights are coming through, we can forget about ordering those over the net…As a backup we also buy multiple bangers and fireworks at the local supermarket and keep the bear mace that I brought up from Seattle and that was not confiscated. When Karl and I last year crossed the Bering Strait, we encountered twice a polar bear on our trail who seemed at first curious from a distant and then moved away disinterested. Hopefully, we will have the same experience this year. Although, we are both still concerned with the idea of a potential nocturnal visit.

Next on the confiscation list and rather critical were our GPS, emergency beacons and satellite phones, even though we were told weeks ahead of our arrival in Chukotka that we had received clearance for all of these items. We will spend the next 20 days struggling with this matter, as well as a few others. In the end, able to only receive our GPS, we will be able to identify a Russian made GlobalStar satellite phone, generously on loan by a governmental agency for our first two sections Uelen-Egvekinot-Anadyr while our governmental contacts try to help us sort out this matter with the customs regional bureau in Khabarovsk.

The problem though is that the sat phone we receive only has one battery, does not take our own SIM cards and mostly work in intermitence in the morning, because of the Northern latitude we are at. Therefore, this phone is only going to be used in the event of an emergency for out calls only. It cannot be used for any regular forms of communication.

We are looking at potential sections of 28 days without any contact to the outside world!

In the end, we will be told that the officials in Khabaravosk are waiting for an official permission from the Ministry of Industry / Electronic section in Moscow to release our items since they do not figure at this stage on the official list of foreign electronic products allowed to enter the country. This seems quite puzzling though when one considers that they are Russian suppliers in Moscow and St Petersburg whom apparently distribute the exact same products.

The way I see all of these matters is simply the continuation of what we faced last year when we entered Chukotka by foot. One of the most well guarded part of the world, where everything entering and leaving is closely watched. If the treacherous Bering Strait represented a physical bottleneck on the planetary expedition routes, Chukotka definitely represents an administrative bottleneck. The Canadian Colin Angus who completed last year with his partner Julie Wafaei the first human powered expedition around the world, recently emailed me that “Chukotka is, without a doubt, the most bureaucratically inclined place on the planet. (…) When we changed our route in Anadyr, months passed before they would give us permission to travel on. In addition, we also had a similar problem with our sat phone. When we arrived in Providenya it took several weeks to get the permissions from Moscow. We actually started the process for that months before arriving, but the permissions hadn't arrived yet.”

Over the next few days, released from customs, we will encounter an additional issue when we failed to register with the local authorities in the first 72 hours of our stay in the town of Ugolnye Kopi, on the outskirts of Anadyr. Both Karl and I were naively uninformed that we were required to register with the local police / border guard upon our arrival, even though we have cleared customs and received a letter from the governor’s office, asking all counties we were about to cross to support us in any way they could.



The result was a 2000 rubles (approximately $80 dollars) fine for each one of us and a 14000 rubles fined for the person in charge of inviting us in Russia for having failed to inform us of these regulations. Once again, if you are planning a trip in Russia, be aware that this type of registration is required for any stay longer than 72 hours in Russian cities and larger towns.
While waiting to pay my fine in the local administrative office, I noticed on a wall a cartoon that clearly illustrated the consequential deportation that foreigners can face for failing to register.

On that first night, once we paid our first hefty taxes on perishable goods, filled out countless forms and let the custom officers walk away with our flares, flare guns, satellite phone, beacons and GPS, we turned around went back to our “gym”, carrying back our sleds and everyone of our boxes through our narrow stairway, out of the building. But not before, Igor, the custom officer, looked at me and said in broken English: “why are you back in Russia? Are you sure you want to be back here?” to which I look at him defiantly with a beautiful grin and responded “Koneshno !” (Of course!)

Out of the building, one by one, our boxes were freed to go! We stashed them as high as we could on the flat bed of a Russian truck and watch the driver vanishing into the dusk, telling us to come and find them on Monday inside the Chukotavia airline hanger.

Our friend Svetlana, waiting patiently through hours of customs saga, put us in the hands of Pavel Yashkin, our new landlord/taxi driver/”agent” to approach local authorities. Pavel welcomed us in his Japanese minivan and took us on to our new apartment, located near the airport, as we wanted to be since we were not planning to be in town for more than 5 nights …











We arrived in the apartment on the 4th floor of a traditional massive soviet building, built on stilts to handle permafrost. Our apartment was very much in form of a kommunalka, a communal apartment where one gets to share the bathroom, kitchen and toilet. Karl and I share a large room for a rate of 500 rubles (20$) per night, per head and had the pleasure to share the first few nights with our first two smokers: Victor and Volodya, two cool gentlemen in their 40’s, stranded in Ugolnye Kopi while waiting for the weather to clear to allow their plane to take off and take them back to Lavrentiya. Karl and I rushed out of the building to go and buy a few staples from the local grocery store which we munched upon our return. We finally fell asleep after a good day, well spent on the plane and at the “gym”.

From Anchorage to Nome

March 14, 2007 Flying between Anchorage and Nome
Alaska Airlines Flight #1: Seattle- Anchorage

Alaska Airlines Flight #153: Anchorage-Kotzebue-Nome.

While staring out the window, I enjoy watching Alaskan mountains, frozen rivers, dense forests and desolate tundra, and I can clearly reminisce the Iditarod course I completed on foot in April 2005. Back to the “roots” in a way, since I feel that this is where I started this whole human powered round the world Nexus Expedition madness.




I spent my first flight from Seattle to Nome seating next to a group of Japanese tourists on their way to Fairbanks to go and gaze at the northern lights, a beautiful phenomenon quite visible in this part of Alaska.

I landed in Anchorage, spent quite a bit of time while in transit on the phone with my girlfriend Ilima whom I am probably not going to able to see for the next five months, because of the remoteness of this next section in Russian Chukotkan territory. Feeling already a tight knot in my stomach, I cherish every minute we can spend together on the phone.


My second flight is packed with quite a mixed crowd: usual Alaskan oil/mining migrant workers and engineers, military personnel, Iditarod enthusiasts, a group of over ecstatic females from Anchorage on their way to teach cross country skiing to local villages around Kotzebue and finally a good contingent of native Alaskans on their way back to their remote villages after having gone down in Anchorage for surgery and having taking the opportunity to do some shopping as I can tell from observing a few Nordstrom bags. The young Inupiaq woman next to me obviously came down to the big city for a specific reason: delivering a brand new little Brandon whom she is now taking home on her laps.


For the 2d time today, I have had the opportunity to sit next to a right side window where I can observe the cargo being loaded and unloaded off the plane. An amazing site as I see boxes and boxes of booze, clearly labeled “ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE” in large font. A clear reminder that I am indeed on my way to the “wet” town of Nome which is: in full swing currently, celebrating the arrival of each musher after having accomplished their 1200 miles journey across Alaska conducting business as usual, in true fashion to its origin, a booming lawless gold mining town where the booze flew profusely. A “resupplying” town for all the surrounding Inupiaq villages where one cannot buy any alcohol (as it is the case in “dry” villages) or can only mail order it (as it is the case in “damp” villages). This is regulated on a per village basis, according to each tribal council. Native Alaskan tribes trying to do the best they can to curb a rampant alcoholism level, which is also a major problem amongst native communities (Chukchis and Eskimos) in the autonomous region of Chukotka located on the Russian side of the Bering Strait.

“There is no place like Nome !”
This can definitely been said about this town when it is engulfed with the Iditarod rage, which I tend to call the canine Tour de France, taking into account its difficulty and the hype it generates in the mushing world and across Alaska.
Once upon landing in Nome, I noticed that I was surrounded by a fairly large crowd of Iditarod crew and volunteers, journalists, tourists and dog lovers eager to get to the finish line on time and get a glimpse at one of the top 10 Iditarod finishers.


I immediately have the pleasure to be greeted by Meredith Amasuk and her daughter. Meredith is a friend of mine whom I met two years ago when I landed on her footsteps at 10am after having spent 37 days, making my way on the Iditarod trail. Meredith Amasuk is the daughter of a Norwegian American journalist and an Inupiyak walrus, seal and caribou hunter, who completed the Iditarod race in the early 80s.Two years ago, inspired to be a role model for her daughter, she started the Iditarod race by foot but was not able to complete it. Ever since then, she has been quite interested in supporting the race and her house became the semi-official welcome home for the straggling few finishers of the race by foot, bike or ski. I very much appreciated at the time her hospitality and we have maintained contacts ever since.



So, excited as everyone else about the amount of activities in town, she is eager to take me on a tour! First, we drive a few miles out of town to spot and cheer along the frozen sea coast the exhausted, mushers, approaching Nome. We then drove back to the finishing line where we were able to greet some of the same mushers while they were crossing it, taking a bow and then lighting on their first cigarettes…., fully surrounded by harassing tourists and dog enthusiasts begging for little dog bootie as keepsakes! I got the pleasure as well to meet Libby Riddles, an Iditarod committee member and one of the greater female Iditarod mushers of all time. Here she was standing at the finish line all wrapped up in her beautiful seal fur parka. Having spent time in the Alaskan villages of Teller and Brevig Mission on my way from Nome to Wales last year, I now have with Libby some common friends in these villages where she resided for years. We exchanged a few kind words. It always surprises me when an experienced musher such as her, calls me “crazy”, taking into consideration the incredible obstacles they have to overcome to raise, look after and lead their pack of dogs on the taxing Iditarod course, which I consider an incredible feat.

Atlantis Rising magazine, Feb 2007

http://serpo.fr/Serpo_Atlantis_Rising.pdf

Equally plausible is the possibility that animals,mainly elk, bison and caribou, took the route after their herds had consumed what little vegetation was present on the Asiatic side. Men could have followed them as their meat supply moved east.

Nor do we kn