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!