We're home!!!

We landed at Logan as planned at 2:50 pm, all safe and sound. Happy students and instructors have dispersed into the Homeland.
This wraps up the Wellesley-Baikal blog for 2011. We hope you enjoyed following our scientific and cultural forays, and that you have ample opportunity in the near future to hear about them firsthand from course participants!
Signing off,
Tom

Made it to Heathrow

Had a great flight from Moscow to Heathrow. Looking forward to the last leg!
Tom

On our way to London!

We are on the plane, about to depart Moscow.
Tom

New flight info for Thursday 8/25

After a great deal of discussion with British Air, we arrived at the following flight schedule for the last legs of our journey:
BA 881, departs Moscow 5:50 am, arrives Heathrow 6:50 am
American Airlines 109, departs Heathrow 12:25 pm, arrives Boston Logan 3:20 pm
The Ramada Inn is comfy, but we'll be leaving it at 3.00 am. We can't wait to get home!
Tom

We're spending the night in Moscow

Well, our flight from Irkutsk was forced to circle the airport for 45 minutes, and that was enough to make us miss our Moscow-London flight, alas. So, the Siberian airline (S7) is putting us up at a Ramada Inn outside Moscow tonight, and we'll leave Moscow on a new British Airways flight early tomorrow morning. This should get us in to Logan by around noon on Thursday -- I'll post exact details soon. The fog from the Angara River, made of water from our beloved Baikal, is what kept us one day longer in Russia. More anon.
Tom

Departing Irkutsk!

We made it onto our flight and are departing Irkutsk at 3:00 pm, which will give us about 1:15 to make our connection in Moscow. We should be able to make this. Fingers still crossed,
Tom

Delayed in Irkutsk

The whole group is sitting and waiting at the airport in Irkutsk. Our flight was supposed to leave 90 minutes ago, but heavy fog has delayed the arrival here of the plane that's supposed to take us to Moscow. Our original itinerary had built in a 5-hour cushion between our arrival in Moscow and departure from there to London, so we have some leeway. Keep your fingers crossed!
Tom Hodge

Farewell, Irkutsk

This was our last day in Irkutsk. We spent the morning at the Decembrist
House Museum in the city center. Converted into the museum itself the
house of the original Decembrist contained all of the beautiful and
authentic relics near and dear to the Volkonsky family. The expedition
consisted of a guided tour of Sergey and Maria Volkonsky's studies,
library, and winter garden, among other rooms. The group also enjoyed a
impromptu concert on the Maria's piano. After a delicious lunch of
various Russian sandwiches, the group explored downtown Irkutsk's
markets and sites. Some members of the group had the opportunity to
enjoy a live, open-air concert hosted by the city to promote drug abuse
awareness.
We returned to the dorm in the evening to eat our last dinner in Russia
and celebrate Lena's return to the group, having been discharged from
the hospital this afternoon. We are now packing and hoping that all of
our Russian goods fit under the weight limit! So long for now, we hope
to see you again, Russia!
Rachel and Alexandra

Back in the USSR, you don't know how lucky you are, boy.

Today we spent our first full day in Irkutsk, which celebrates its
350th anniversary this year. First we toured the city, stopping at
several gorgeous Russian Orthodox cathedrals where we were required to
wear head scarves and knee length skirts. It was nice to know that our
clothes were completely clean for the first time in a while since our
Sunday best was not exactly required at Bol'shie Koty. The rest of the
tour consisted of visiting a strange combination of both tsarist and
communist monuments, from the newly re-erected Tsar Alexander III to a
gigantic Lenin staring proudly at the dilapidated industry of Irkutsk.
Interestingly, Irkutsk is one of the last major cities in Russia whose
streets still carry the names of noted communist leaders, many from
Stalinist times. Once again we encountered an impressive memorial for
those who gave their lives to defend the Soviet Union during the Great
Patriotic War (World War II). This eternal flame has been lit since 1945
symbolizing their eternal sacrifice.
After another delicious Russian lunch, we had the honor of meeting with
some of the most prominent environmentalists of the area, the leaders of
Baikal Ecological Wave. BEW is an organization that strives to save the
natural beauty and resources of the Baikal region through education and
stern monitoring. Marina Rikhvanova, co-chair of the organization, along
with her assistant told us about their troubles with generating
sufficient funds, lack of understanding by the locals and most notably
governmental oppression. We were all inspired by their perserverence and
dedication to their projects, especially in trying to close down the
infamous Baikalsk pulp mill. They then showed us a local newspaper
article featuring a photo of our very own Professor Moore, Professor
Rodenhouse and Rachel during our meeting with the vice mayor of Baikalsk.
After a hunt for midnight snacks in the nearby grocery store, it is
time to write up this busy day in our journals. Tomorrow we finally see
Lena again, who will be released from the hospital at 4 pm and rejoining
us for our last dinner in Russia.
Kira and Katja

Poka, Baikal

After our last meal at Bol'shie Koty we left for Listvyanka on the
Kozhov. We were sad to leave our home here in Siberia for the last three
weeks, but we were excited for our time in Irkutsk.
Once in Listvyanka, we spent some time at the open air market and then
packed into a bus to Tal'tsy. In Tal'tsy we visited the museum of wooden
architecture. We visited the exhibits featuring Siberian and Buryat
traditional wooden homes. This museum displays buildings, such as homes,
churches, and schools which were transplanted from other areas in
Siberia including some from villages that were flooded due to the
construction of the Bratsk dam. There was also a camel, for some odd
reason.
Next, we headed towards Irkutsk on a highway that has an interesting
story. The highway was built specifically for President Eisenhower's
visit to Russia, so that he could drive directly from Irkutsk to Baikal
on a decent road. Unfortunantly for Eisenhower, however, an American spy
plane was shot down over Russian territory. This event heightened the
Cold War and prevented Eisenhower from ever seeing the spectacular views
of Baikal.
We got to the dorm, had a delicious dinner, and now our looking forward
to our excursions tomorrow.

Rebecca and Calin

As our Journey begins to close

Saturday, 20 August

Today was our last day at the lovely Biostation in Bol'shie Koty. And
of course this trip would not be a full Wellesley College experience if
on our last day we were not frantically working to finish the write-up
of the field problem, due right before lunch. Why lunch time? I don't
know, maybe so that our hunger would motivate us to finish quicker.
However, that did not hinder our ability to make the final rounds of the
village, so that we could admire the lovely okna, which are finely
decorated windows used in Russian homes to protect the house from
spirits. Other students chose indulge in other activities to prepare for
their departure, such as a dip in the lake or a hike; however, I chose
to stay dry. With that we say farewell to the Amazing village of
Bol'shie Koty.

Love Always, Yuby

P.S. Lena is doing great and she wrote this with me in spirit

Getting Our Land Legs Back

Friday, 19 August

We had most of the day to work on our write-ups from last week's
late-night sampling trips. We have collected data and samples of
zooplankton, pelagic amphipods, and various sculpins to test our
hypothesis about Baikal's food web structures. We want to examine how
the pelagic and littoral communities of the lake are intertwined. With
the rest of our time we have done a little housekeeping, i.e.,
well-deserved laundry washing and showering after our five-day
expedition. We're resting, trying to shake the feeling that we're still
bobbing around in the water.
Audrey and Nicole

The Long Haul

Thursday, 18 August

Today was our last day on the boat, and a long day it was. The captains
began the long ride home last night, only stopping for 6 hours today to
rest at the beautiful village of Bugul'deika. Now we are back on the
boat and are expected to return to Bol'shie Koty at midnight.
Bugul'deika is a village sprawled in the shadow of the Mishkina
Mountain, a mountain sacred to the Buryats that inhabit the village. For
the first time since we got to Lake Baikal we encountered marshes
attached to the Bugul'deika River. So far we have only experienced and
identified species from forest, steppe, and meadow landscapes so we
spent some time looking into the gammarids that inhabited the marsh. The
marsh of this river is an important nursery area for young fish that
inhabit the coastal waters of Baikal.
In the village itself, an old mining village from the Soviet Union era,
we saw a World War II memorial with the names of the men from the
village who fought and either died or went missing during the war. In
such a remote village such a large, well cared for display showed the
importance of WWII to all of Russia.
Kira

The Excursion Group Returns to Bol'shie Koty

Thursday, 18 August

        The traveling members of the Wellesley-Baikal group finally came back into cellphone range at noon this afternoon. The crew reported that the trip went well, though apparently some sort of acute intestinal ailment made its way through the entire team, Russians and Americans both, in the last two days. (Yours truly was claimed as a victim on Monday night.) Happily, everyone recovered within 24 hours and all are fine now. The two cutters are due to arrive at Bol'shie Koty this evening around midnight, about two hours from now, so more details about and photos from the trip will follow tomorrow.

        I write this from Bol'shie Koty, to which I returned this afternoon in order to help receive the returnees from the expedition. I visited Lena M. at the hospital late this morning. She is doing fine, making great progress. Vasia phoned to let me know that this afternoon she was out of bed and receiving crutch lessons in her room from the hospital staff. We're hoping that she will be discharged on Monday or Tuesday. Vasia and Tatiana Pribyleva are looking after Lena's needs while I'm in Bol'shie Koty. The entire Wellesley group will return to Irkutsk on Sunday -- our time on the world's most remarkable lake is rapidly coming to a close.

        With best wishes to all,

                Tom

Blood and Birthdays

Wednesday, 17 August
We spent today at Steep Bay enjoying the delicious fish we caught last
night. But before we could indulge ourselves in perch, sig (a local
whitefish), grayling, omul, and dace we had to get them out of the net,
scale and gut them. Once the fish were cleaned, we enjoyed a day of sun
on a sandy beach while the captains wowed us with their skills at
smoking and frying fish. The large number of fish we caught are due to
the shallow, warm and productive (green) waters of Chivrykusky Bay in
which Steep Bay and Snake Bay are located.
Today was also Professor Zilov's birthday, our fearless leader (or
Dumbledore, as we call this avid Harry Potter fan), and Fedya's, one of
the students from Irkutsk State University. It was a splendid day. Now
we are traveling past the Ushkanii Islands hoping to catch a glimpse of
the beloved nerpa, the world's only freshwater seal and a symbol of Baikal.
Rachel and Kira

Journey to Snake Bay

Tuesday, 16 August
Destined for Snake Cove (Bukhta Zmeinaia) by nightfall, we traveled
most of the morning and afternoon on our two boats. No longer traveling
down Maloe More (Little Sea), the body of water between Ol'khon Island
and the mainland, we saw that the water was a good bit rougher in open
Baikal. By evening, we arrived on the eastern side of the lake at Snake
Cove and many of us took a quick dip in the sulfur hot springs for which
this bay is so famous. Most of us completed this experience by jumping
into the cold waters of Lake Baikal right after. As dusk approaches, we
are settling in for the night at Ongokonskaia Cove (Bukhta Ongokonskaia)
where we will be camping.
Calin

The excursion continues: Ol'khon Island

[Blog post for Monday, 15 August]
    Our two boats, the Kozhov and Diamant, moored overnight at the Gates of Ol'khon. We awoke, breakfasted, and stopped in at the small island called Ogoi, where a Buddhist shrine was erected several years ago. Our next stop was Khuzhir, the largest town on Ol'khon Island. There we visited the Ol'khon Regional Museum and Cape Burkhan, where Shamanka Rock (a familiar image from the back of our Wellesley-Baikal t-shirts) towers over the shoreline. We then steamed northeast, along the coast of Ol'khon, until we reached the beautiful rock formation known as Tri Brata (Three Brothers), near the northern tip of the island. We pulled up to the lovely beach just beyond the Brothers, in a cove surrounded by cliffs and natural rock walls. Everyone disembarked to explore the beach area.
    Unfortunately, one of our intrepid Wellesley students, Lena Mironciuc, slipped and fell into some rocks at the shoreline and broke her leg. The entire team banded together to help Lena onto the deck of the Diamant, and both cutters returned south at full speed to Khuzhir, then to MRS (Little Sea Fishery Station), to obtain medical help for her. Vasia Shupruto (one of our Russian students from Irkutsk State University) and I parted with the group at MRS and escorted Lena overland all night via ambulance and minivan for first aid and x-rays at the regional hospital in Elantsy, then on to Irkutsk, where Lena was checked in to the Third Municipal Hospital, on Timiriazeva Street. Dr. Aleksei Krasovskii, head of Orthopedics there, performed surgery on Tuesday afternoon (16 August) to repair the damage, and Lena is doing fine, resting comfortably and cheerfully taking it all in stride. The surgery was successful, and a full recovery is expected. Lena was heroic in spite of the discomfort, and our evacuation insurance company did a marvelous job approving her care at the hospital in Irkutsk. Liudmila Riapenko (at Bol'shie Koty) and Tatiana Pribyleva (in Irkutsk) worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure that Lena received the finest care, and Vasia offered crucial help at every turn. I will stay with Lena here in Irkutsk until she is discharged, and at this point it seems likely that she will then fly home early, ahead of the rest of the group.
     This incident, the first serious mishap since the founding of the Baikal course ten years ago, reminds us that exploring this magnificent place is -- like spending time outdoors in any rugged terrain -- not entirely risk-free. All our thoughts are with Lena as she prepares to leave the hospital and head home to the U.S.
     Meanwhile, a few hundred miles north of Irkutsk, the Wellesley-Baikal group is continuing its exploration of Cape Holy Nose, Chivyrkuiskii Bay, the hot springs at Snake Cove, and the Ushkanii Islands, where Baikal's famous freshwater seals can be seen basking on the rocks. Cellular connections around that part of the lake are spotty, so it's possible that blog posts for the next few days (until 19 August) will be delayed.
               Tom Hodge, Co-Instructor

Expedition Day 2

Monday, 15 August
In the morning we stopped at Ogoi, a small island with a Buddhist stupa
(shrine). Ogoi island is located in Maloe More (the small sea), a
shallow productive body of water between the mainland and Ol'khon
Island. Next, in the town of Khuzhir on Ol'khon Island we toured a
museum focusing on the history and culture of the area. Finally, we saw
Shamanka Rock, sacred to the Buryat people. Unfortunately, considerable
erosion surrounds this sacred site because of unregulated tourism.
We travel on!
Audrey

And They're Off!

All packed and ready to go, our group set out on our 5-day expedition up Lake Baikal early this morning. Today we spent most of our time on the Kozhov, the ship which we will call our home for the week. While getting settled in, we were treated with spectacular views along the coast of dense taiga forest on the continuous mountain peaks and sunlit valleys. After a home-cooked lunch on the ship, we docked for the afternoon at Bukhta Peschanaia, also known as Sandy Cove. This afternoon was spent exploring the Cove, hiking up the ridges, marveling at the root structures of Siberian pines, and partaking in a rock-skipping contest on the beach. Sandy Cove's bay is exceptionally shallow for quite a distance off land, making its waters some of the warmest in the lake. With this in mind, the group took full advantage of a great opportunity for a dip, jumping off the ship's cabin roof into the still-brisk water.

Back on the ship for the rest of the day, our group expects to complete the first leg of our journey late this night. Crowding around a small table for a warm, Russian dinner, we all reflected on the adventures of the day, eagerly anticipating what lies ahead in the days to follow.

Alexandra

And the collecting continues

Early this morning, at 2:00 AM, half the group ventured out onto the
lake to continue collecting specimens for our field problem. After
breakfast the second half of the group began to process the data that
was gathered. Some counted Macrohectopus (small, shrimp-like organisms),
others examined the stomach content of larger fish. Today was Professor
Moore's birthday. We enjoyed a full day celebration -- eating cake,
smoked native fish, and butter mushrooms from the forest. Now we are
starting to prepare for our five day expedition up the lake, to which
the weather was not so friendly, as it rained and hindered our ability
to do all our laundry. However towards the end it cleared up and we had
a nice day.
Yuby and Rachel

Prekrasnyi Den'

Today we explored the mountain path behind the biostation, and were
greeted by a spectacular view. Although the hike was arduous, the
panorama from the top of Bald Mountain proved to be worth the strain.
One of the village dogs, named Anfisa, followed us all the way to the
rocky peak. We were able to see the entire valley, including the forest
and meadows we visited a few days ago with the botanists. Later,
Vladimir Munkhanov, our Buryat guest, got off the hydrofoil wearing his
Wellesley College hat! He visited Wellesley this past spring and
returned to us today to talk about the Buryat way of life, history, and
traditions. After the lecture, our friend Ada Ivanovna invited us to
tea at her cottage, where she has lived year-round in Bol'shie Koty for
50 years. She is pictured here in her garden, a bountiful space that
feeds her whole family throughout summer and winter. Her root cellar is
stocked with homemade jams, pickles, and preserves. She offered us some
of her own raspberry, red whortleberry, and blackcurrant jams to stir
into our tea, as they do here in Russia.
-- Nicole Uhrain and Meredith Ruhl

P.S. Gefeliciteerd Bubble en Vati! Heel veel kusjes, Katja

Somewhere over the Rainbow (aka Baikal)

We began the day by dissecting the golomyanka that had been caught
2 nights ago. What a wonderful way to start the day! After determining
their stomach contents, we concentrated on ours, filling our stomachs
with more delicious Russian food. Today's novelty: compote, a fruit
drink made by boiling apricots with spices in water.
The past few days have shown us how truly abrupt weather here is
in Baikal, and today was no different. The day started sunny, then
proceeded to alter between clouds and sun until ending in rain. Soon
after we were graced by the most vivid rainbow most of us had ever seen,
driving PJ into a state of frenzy. It began over the mountains and ended
over the lake, providing picturesque views for us camera obsessed girls.
Only Father Baikal knows what we will wake up to tomorrow.
Kira and Audrey

What the hectopus?

In the wee hours of this morning, half of our group set out from
Bol'shie Koty on the cutter Kozhov to begin to gather data for our field
experiment. We travelled about a mile offshore, where the Golomyanka
swim up at night to feed. The boys dropped the net off the back of the
boat, and at around 2 A.M. we began to pick tiny Golomyanka and
Macrohectopus out of the net. We caught tons of Macrohectopus, which we
put in tiny containers and preserved (appropriately) with vodka. The
fourth time we brought up the net, we found--complete with a few
delighted squeals--15 golomyanka, including two adults. We stayed out
until 4 A.M.; a few of us got motion sickness, everyone got cold, but I
think we all had a pretty fun time.
Today, we were vistited by Lyudmila Bol'shikova, a park ranger at the
Pribaikalskii National park, who gave an fantastic lecture on the
importance of preserving the Baikal ecosystem. During the talk, we also
learned about Olkhon Island, a sacred island to Buryat shamans who still
practice religious rituals there. Next week, we will be visiting the
island, so we are very much anticipating the magical effect we have been
told we will receive from stepping on such sacred land.

Rebecca and Alexandra

Preparing for the night watch

Today we enter a new chapter of our stay in Bols'hie Koty. We began to
prepare for the research project we are starting after midnight
tomorrow. After breakfast, we developed the hypothesis we want to test.
The discussion got pretty heated as everyone, being true Wellesley
students, wanted to get their opinion heard. The Russians just smiled,
"Ugh, those Americans, know nothing about science!". We decided on
researching the Golomyanka's nighttime behaviour: the lake's most
prevalent fish that usually dwells in the deeper layers of Baikal,
allegedly comes closer to the surface at night. So we will be setting
our alarms for 12:45 AM to hunt for some Golomyanka.

The rest of the day was spend preparing for our noctural trip and having
fun around the bio-station. Lyuba, one of the students from Irkutsk
State University, braided our hair in traditional Russian style, while
others braved the icy water.

Lena and Katja

The Mill at Baikalsk

We rose early this morning to board the cutter Kozhov, and headed south
towards Baikalsk. After witnessing a beautiful sunrise, we were shocked
to see the cloud of smog produced by the Baikalsk paper mill, which
operates near the shore of Lake Baikal. When we arrived, we were
greeted by Marina Petrovna Rikhvanova, a pioneer for the environmental
movement in Russia, and long-time critic of the mill. She brought us to
a storage reservior for lignin -- a by-product of paper production --
that contain harmful chloro-organic compounds as a result of the
paper-making process. Afterwards, we met with the vice mayor of the
city, who spoke to us about the plan for modernizing Baikalsk and
bringing new jobs to the area as an alternative to the paper mill.

Nicole Uhrain and Rachel Coogan

Staying In

Today we finally encountered some of Siberia's more renowned weather.
Because of the fog and the cold, our twenty (!) kilometer hike on the
newly-built Great Baikal Trail was canceled. Instead, Tatiana from the
local Rotary club and Svetlana, who works for the GBT, spoke to us about
the merits of ecotourism in helping preserve the lake. Over
four-thousand volunteers (likely the biggest such initiative in Russia)
have engaged in over 150 different trail-building projects to make the
lake more accessible to environmentally conscious visitors - no small
feat in a country where volunteering is almost non-existent.
In the afternoon, still housebound, we had a discussion with Alorah, an
alumna of the 2009 Baikal course, about different approaches to science
and the intersections between science and the humanities. Taking our
conversation a step further, the Russian students from Irkutsk State
University told us about their perceptions on the differences between
Russian and American scientists: "We are not nerds. We're just regular
people, only slightly more clever."
We will make it an early night, because tomorrow we will set sail to
Baikalsk at first light...
Meredith and Katja

The Journey Continues

Hiking through Kadilnaia Valley today, Baikal begins to show us its
rainy glory--today was definitely an experience. Even with raincoats,
rainpants, and waterproof notebooks, we were all soaked to the bone by
the time our excursion was over. The botanists, Sergei and Svetlana, led
us through the valley to teach us about the larger diversity found
there, in contrast to the diversity of flora found in the forests we
visited yesterday. Not only did we learn about the diversity, we also
learned how to hike in the pouring rain and skip stones at the shore.
One of the most interesting experiences during the hike was observing
the two billion year old fossilized cyanobacteria, which are only found
in two other places in the world. Later upon returning to the biological
station we learned about medicinal plants as well as looked at the
cross-sections of local plants under the microscope. We finished the
night with a fabulous dinner of cabbage and meat.

Yours truly,

Yuby and Calin

On Flowers and Flies

Morning began with some much needed free time which allowed us to catch
up on our journals and sleep as well as wash our clothes (finally). At
10:30 we were joined by two botanists from Irkutsk State University,
Svetlana Sizykh and Sergei Kaliuzhnyi, who led us on a flora-filled
journey through the forests and meadows of the Bol'shie Koty valley.
After hiking and lunch, we split off into groups to take an inventory of
the species of moss, herbs, shrubs and trees commonly found on the
western shore of Lake Baikal. Next we moved into the sunny meadow where
we once again took an inventory of the plant life. Many insects joined
us on our journey, most notably the infamous Siberian mosquitoes and a
few bees. Now we are here at Bol'shie Koty awaiting a lecture about the
medicinal properties of the plants we've seen today. After a week of
exceptional weather, the rain has finally come. We plan to escape the
cold by embracing a noble Russian tradition: the banya!
Kira and Rebecca

Baikal Museum and Deep Water Diving

Bright and early at 8:20am we boarded "Galeon" to travel south to the
small town of Listvyanka. We toured the newly renovated Limnological
Museum, where we dove to Baikal's depths in a simulated submersible. We
explored the other science and history exhibits and watched adorable
nerpa chase each other in the aquarium. In the afternoon, we traveled
to a dock where two divers retrieved sample from 30m below Lake Baikal's
surface. After lifting the samples into our boat, we observed the
sponges, sculpins, gammarids, and other organisms, including a
startlingly violet gammarid and a beautifully striped orange sculpin.
On our way back, clouds gathered overhead, and the winds picked up,
making for a cold, rocky, but exciting journey back to Bol'shie Koty.
After dinner we enjoyed a slideshow and discussion of our findings.
Lena and Audrey

Hiking, Sampling, Steaming

Today the group began the day on a hike South to Chernaia Pad', where we
collected aquatic organisms from Lake Baikal, such as gammarids,
sculpins, and caddis flies. After lunch, we proceeded to gather species
from two more sites. We then studied the data collected in order to
analyze the spatial patterning of these organisms.The day was filled
with plenty of scenic views and trails, including some close encounters
with cows grazing along the trails. After dinner, we enjoyed an evening
lecture by Dr. E. A. Zilov, a professor from Irkutsk University,
reviewing the Baikal limnological ecosystem. Now we are getting
ourselves psyched for the traditional trip to the banya (Russian bath
house) followed by a brisk dip in the lake. Mind you, the 40 degree
water doesn't get any warmer at night!
Alexandra and Rachel

Privet Bol'shie Koty

[Tues. 8/2/11 blog entry]
After a good night's sleep, we set off to the port of Irkutsk to catch
the hydrofoil up the Angara River to Bol'shie Koty. It was an
exceptionally clear day, which allowed us to see both of the hilly,
forested shores of the river. We spent most of the 90-minute trip on the
deck of the ship, despite the near-Arctic winds that often almost blew
us off our feet. Finally we arrived at Bol'shie Koty. After dropping
off our luggage in our dorm rooms for the next couple of weeks, we had
lunch and toured the area as well as the town's very own museum.
Professor Zilov from Irkutsk State University taught us all about the
flora and the fauna in the area. Later, we saw a nerpa -- one of the
freshwater seals native to the lake which rarely venture into the south
basin of the lake! We then hiked up to the highest point in town, a more
difficult climb than many of us (wearing flip-flops and all...)
expected. But we all made it to the top and the view was stupendous and
more than worth it!
After a dip in the lake and a delicious dinner, we are writing up
today's adventures and discoveries in our field notebooks.
Calin & Katja

Everything is great at Bol'shie Koty!

Hello, this is a remote blogger, writing from Wellesley, MA, to report that I’ve just heard from Tom Hodge via satellite phone that everything is going great for the Baikal group. They are having trouble getting the cell phone to work so they can post their own photos and text on the blog. While they’re working on that, I have been deputized to give you a quick report. All facets of the trip are going smoothly. Everyone is happy and healthy and settling into the village of Bol’Shie Koty, which will be their home base from now on. The weather is gorgeous and they were even greeted by some of the famous freshwater seals of Lake Baikal upon arriving at the village. They begin their experiments on Wednesday 8/3. All are having a great time and they will begin their posts just as soon as they can.

Caroline Johnson Hodge

31 Hours and 5 Airports Later...

The cupboard under the stairs

Here we are in Moscow waiting to board our flight to Irkutsk. A little weary after landing through a thunderstorm but now excitement is building as we near our final destination especially with the knowledge that we do not have to go through anymore security checks for a month. Next stop: Lake Baikal!
Kira