Despite what seems like an exorbitant amount of time, we are running right on schedule. Greg is happy with how things are progressing and Irina, our Russian friend, is working very hard to make us comfortable and help us get what we need as far as logistics. That said, it seems like it is taking a long time to get to the field.
With just the food on the porch, I pose at the cabin we slept in at Ushki.
Today we had an early breakfast, the bus arrived shortly thereafter and we began loading every available inch of space with our food, field gear and personal supplies. Surprisingly, we had some room to spare and we were fairly comfortable on the bus. The bus ride was similar in style with our trip to Ushki, but was only five hours in length instead of nine. We made our way to Ust Kamchast. Ust means mouth of the river, so Ust Kamchast is at the mouth of the Kamchatka River. We are getting closer to our destination point.
We load up the bus at Ushki for our five hour ride.
The students help load the bus and use every bit of space.
Greg waits for the ferry, always thinking and cautiously optimistic.
Once we complete the ferry crossing, we cross a bridge over a nearby river.
Once we are in Ust Kamchast Irina and Greg speak with a man there who is providing our transportation. It is decided that we will travel by vesdehod, Soviet Era tank, to Stolbevaya. So we unload the bus and make plans and wait for the vesdehod. As time passes, and clouds begin to roll in, we wait outside a water relay station for the vesdehod and driver to arrive. Unfortunately, Irina reappears and the plan has changed. Tomorrow we will reload our supplies on the vesdehod, drive it to a boat that will ferry us across a bay and then drive the vesdehod to our final destination. Tonight we will sleep in a cabin provided by the man who will provide the vesdehod. We load up just what we absolutely need for one night and head to the cabin.
The local store is great for a quick snack. They use an abacus to calculate our cost in rubles.
The bus is unloaded in preparation for the vesdehod. We then have to pick through our supplies and take only necessities for our one night stay at the cabins. The rest of the supplies are stored in the water supply station.
This research is very difficult to do not only because of the location but also because of the varied types of transportation necessary. Each type of transport has a price tag and that also factors into the overall plan. A lot of decisions are made and changed on a daily and hourly basis. Greg has warned me that with each step of this trip I must anticipate that there is always a level of uncertainty. I am getting the hang of it a bit and have improved my ability to just go with the flow, or just hurry up and wait when required. Here patience is not just a virtue, it is a necessity.