THORNY PATH TO LENA RIVER

By Semen Ustinov

I was interested in rafting from the very upper waters of Lena river. The brave hunters did this path on their home-made boats. But they were <romantics>, the most part of tradesmen pioneered boundless taiga by horse.
Suspension motor let the man go up till the mouth of Little Lena. In 1986 upper waters of Lena and its sources become part of Baikal-Lensk reserve and, as the head of Science Department, I had to go there.
Our helicopter did not like the weather; it fastened, found the landing on the right bank and disappeared behind the darkening mountain pass. We got off the helicopter right after the second rapid where many boats sank. However, we should get off downstream from there. So, we had to pass more than 200 km of wild Lena - narrow, seething, roaring water in the heart of mountain taiga. How our rubber-overloaded boat would go down the river in such a bad weather?
We had to find out how to operate the overloaded boat in changeable, uncertain stream. The only thing we could do - to turn the boat towards the obstacle. So, the boat rushed down the mainstream bow ways, sideways or sternways. Sometimes I could see some gap in front. Having passed this part of our way I hold on to the brush and dragged out the boat.

FROM THE DAIRY

August 23

Water is rising quickly. Yesterday evening, I stack the twig into the ground near the water edge, today's morning it's hardly seen. The water became dark, seethes near the banks, carries snags. Powerful stream brings the stones down the river. A huge amount of sand and stones are brought down the river for hundreds of kilometers. The stone river is floating! But the water is sinking.
The banks go steeply down, I looked round - with sudden braking we are going up to the mountain! It's a rare sight at the river: the river-bed goes up, not down as usual. There's no such a sight at the flat rivers.
An unpleasant event happened to us there: at the river rise there was a crater. Water slowly went into the deep drawing down the heavy loaded boat. In spite of my efforts the stream sucked the boat towards a huge jam of logs, sticking out sharp boughs. I saw that boughs would rip the right side of the boat. But, I could still turn it.
The stern sharply went down. At that moment the boat seemed to stand vertically and turn upside down under the logs. The boat flatted out, the little bough ripped just the bow and it kept its buoyancy.
We stood for the night upper of the mouth of Little Lena, from where we should have started our rafting. Rain became stronger. Everything was wet. My friends were standing up the tent, I took the axe and went into the forest to find some dry firewood. It's luck to find resiniferous pine or birch, but where to find it in a dark rainy night?
For beginner travelers: never in rain, especially in the night, go away from bivouac without looking round. Nobody would hear your cry or you would not hear your friends in noise of the river and rain. So, I looked for firewood along the river bank, firmly knowing where to go back. I knew this caution like many others during numerous hikes in taiga in any season of the year. This experience to believe in. The most important in such conditions is to have waterproof matches by oneself (not in the bag), compass and a couple of good axes. Fraternal minds, devotion to each other, eagerness to help even in danger of death are also important.

FROM THE DAIRY

August 24

The sky is clearing up, we can see the distant mountains, and rain is thin. Water in Lena River is also becoming lighter. Low red mountains are seen on the right bank. There, the Lena channel turned and went straight back. On the mountainside - there are the nests of swallows. They bold their nests in sand with little beaks.
Now I know these places very well, twice I went down alone: I had to stay for the night over there. There is an iron stove in the forest winter quarters - it will be warm and dry there:
We staid for the night on a low bushy bank. A small bear seemed to have passed there before our arrival. What is cold water for it? It shakes water off and goes further. That event made us to take some precautions: we pulled the boat nearer to the fireplace that we kept on during the hole night. We did not think that the bear would take our boat for rafting. But we could be sure that it would not rip it with its sharp claw or to try its tooth on it. What would we do there in wild taiga without boat? There is neither villages nor roads! For hundred kilometers around.

FROM THE DAIRY

August 26

We put in to the left bank. And, to our general joy, the sun shined so brightly that we could hide only under the trees! Our journey seemed to come to the end. Lena River became wider, began to wind in a wide plain. Soon, we'll rich the first village on our way.
Sauna, talks, memories during the evening supper: It's strange but nobody remembered difficulties, danger and unpleasant events of our journey. So, the journey was good.

Based on publications from "Wanderings time"