COGH: Sakha (Yakutia) photos and stories

[GailXrunning]

For those interested in scenery, history, life and wildlife near our route in eastern Siberia, here are a few links to share. They cover more on the Kolyma highway, not all directly on our route, but are helpful to get a picture.

LINK: From The Calvert Journal, French-born ‘nomadic visual artist’, Marie de La Ville Bauge, records the route in winter:

calvertjournal.com/features...

LINK: Embedded in the above is a link part of project by New Zealand photographer Amos Chapple, following a delivery truck northbound from Yakutsk back into the Arctic Circle. This is his website with fuller version: rferl.org/a/on-siberias-ice...

LINK: Amos Chapple’s project on the sad story of mammoth piracy: rferl.org/a/the-mammoth-pir...

LINK: Two brothers from Germany motorbike the Kolyma Highway (in summer), sharing their experiences and photos, including those of the ‘ghost towns’: torquetostrangers.com/t2s/2...

LINK: A bunch of bikers from the UK attempting the Old Summer Road of the Kolyma Highway (section now unused). Bears, more bears, broken bridges, breakdowns, adventures, and lots of interesting informal snaps: 2wheeladventurer.com/the-ro...

[RunaroundSue Graduate10]

I have just read the one about the bikers on the SummerRoad.Just Wow!

[GailXrunning in reply to RunaroundSue]

You couldn’t do much better as a story arc: from their initial excitement (bravado mixed with complacency as everyone they met warned against, through the first leg(this ain’t so bad), and tbd first challenges (hey, we sorted that out), to the serious bogging down beyond much hope of help and dehydration.

[Hidden]

I just read about the tuskers, made me sad. Again for money, they destroy nature. Luckily they don't hunt live animals, but the way they do it destroys nature. I wonder if there is no risk with them digging in and beneath the permafrost for dangerous gasses to escape!

[GailXrunning in reply to Hidden]

Exactly. And each damage to the edge of permafrost opens fresh areas for melt, so it accelerates the degradation on top of the direct damage. Vicious circle.

[Charlies1 Graduate10]

Great post again, thanks

I loved Amos Chapple's story of the truck journey up the frozen river. It really highlights the dangers that these driver's face on the ice road - either falling off the road or falling through it. Glad that we are past that bit of the journey now!

[Granspeed Graduate10 in reply to Charlies1]

I was nervous even though he obviously had made it back or we wouldn’t be seeing the photos!

[GailXrunning in reply to Granspeed]

Phew! And there was a moment when he was invited to join another journey. I was wondering what happened to the driver on what was likely to be his final run of the season... presumably even more hair-raising.😬

[Granspeed Graduate10 in reply to GailXrunning]

🤔😳 Yes, that thought crossed my mind too. Once would be enough/too much for me. Four in a cabin for two, a week with no shower? Eeeuw. 😨

[GailXrunning in reply to Granspeed]

No wonder he had the cab door open!

[Granspeed Graduate10 in reply to GailXrunning]

🤣🤣

[GailXrunning in reply to Charlies1]

Can’t see Google sending their mapping cars here.

[Charlies1 Graduate10 in reply to GailXrunning]

I don’t know, Google could employ that same fearless Russian truck driver - if he survived the final trip 😀

[GailXrunning in reply to Charlies1]

Same thought did cross my mind!

[Blackberrypie Graduate10]

Thanks, this is really interesting!

[GailXrunning in reply to Blackberrypie]

Glad you enjoyed.

[JaySeeSkinny Graduate10]

Really interesting. The bikers on the old summer road story was great! The colours and landscapes are beautiful and you really feel their exhaustion and the nagging worry that maybe they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.

[GailXrunning in reply to JaySeeSkinny]

If the guy on the quad hadn’t turned up in the middle of nowhere.... 🙀

[Granspeed Graduate10]

Great links again! 👏🏼🎉

[GailXrunning in reply to Granspeed]

Many thanks.

[lexi6 Graduate10]

This is fantastic thank you GailX

[GailXrunning in reply to lexi6]

Thank you, lexi6... legendary runner of the COGH very first leg!!!

[lexi6 Graduate10 in reply to GailXrunning]

A legend in me own lunchtime 😅

[GailXrunning in reply to lexi6]

😂

[Hidden]

Fascinating, great bedtime reading last night, , thanks so much for sharing 😀

[GailXrunning in reply to Hidden]

You mean, you didn’t have nightmares?😂

[Hidden in reply to GailXrunning]

🤣 Ah, now I realise why I had such strange dreams 😆

[GailXrunning in reply to Hidden]

🤣And just imagine a dream mash-up of all those stories!

[Hidden in reply to GailXrunning]

my subconscious certainly created something crazy out of it... seriously though, all those human stories in that landscape is just incredible 🤗

[HevvyH Graduate10]

Looking forward to looking at this. Thanks again GailX 😀