EXPEDITIONS

Along the Yakshinskiy Merchant Way

Along the Untrodden Paths and Impassable Tracks.

The next article in the column 'Russo Turisto' appeared thanks to our readers' response. The unique route conducted by the group of brave Perm citizens within 8 days was paved on the impassable nowadays Yakshinskiy merchant way which used to connect Yaksha (a port on the river Pechora) and the city of merchants Cherdyn.

It was a third attempt to conquer this trace headed by the creator of the expedition Sergey Kulpinin. It was a success and the group with its full complement achieved the river Pechora, those vast lands in the North which used to be part of Perm the Great of XIV-XVII centuries.

The main difficulty and peculiarity of this action was that it used to be conducted in winter on frozen marshes on snowmobiles but in summer man had never set foot there for more than 50 years.
11 truly courageous men were seized with a wild desire to become pioneers in this land; this very desire helped to push aside all obstacles, so brightly shown in the picture taken by Andrey Korshunov and Viktor Zykov. The story about this trip is narrated by Igor Kulpin - the head of the Union of Afghanistan veterans of Perm Territory.

- Igor, how did you know that such expedition was being prepared?

- The elaboration of the direction of the old Yakshinskiy track from Perm to Pechora belongs to my brother Sergey. This route is rare from the historical point of view. We both served in Afghanistan. Maybe since that time there still had stayed a wish to check yourself, try yourself again and again. Thus three years ago Sergey began to work out a plan of this track and two years running he had tried to subjugate this road.
The first expedition got lost, the second one could not get through and did not manage to break a way for themselves. Only the third attempt was a success.
11 guys made up their minds to test themselves under the hardest conditions. We prepared for the action very carefully: two UAZ cars which were stuffed with everything necessary and GAZ-66 for carrying the whole supply of petrol (two 200 liter tanks) because there would be no petrol station on the way.
For navigation we used GPS (Global Positioning System) in which we had put the detailed 'natovskaya' map of Perm Territory. It should be notified that the system was so exact that showed the slightest departure (even 1 meter) from the route. Sergey set himself a clearly defined goal to conduct the expedition from Perm to Pechora. And this goal was achieved in time.

- What was completely unexpected in this trip for you?

- Generally we were ready for any breakages of the machinery but we did not suppose that we would get stuck in the marsh for so long. Before getting started the pilots assured me that everything was provided for - winches, spare parts, nothing was left to chance. The mater was that Sergey told us only about the route going on rugged terrain, across a mountain ridge and a pass, but he said nothing about bogs in great numbers on the way. This was a real trial for us. On the way back 'shishiga' (GAZ-66) sank in the bog up to the very 'kung'(body). It took us more than two days to pass those 200 meters! We spared no effort to get GAZ-66 out of the bog - we cobbled, cubed, used the lifting jack all the time! We worked all day long, at night, we were languid with the heat up to the waist in the mud, but mosquitoes were a real plague for us.

- What did you feel at the end of each day in spite of so much trouble coming your way?

- We all understood perfectly well that having determined to go on such a trip meant to engage yourself to do an enormous job without any rest - to cobble or to cube marshes, to chop down wood or to pull the vehicle out of the bog. Though the expedition was called a motor race we had to run daily literally 10-15 km in front of the vehicle paving the path. During the whole period on the track we built three natural big bridges which could stand our UAZ cars and GAZ-66. In the evening when we crawled into the tents we were carried away from the reality in no time! None of us could even remember a single thought before falling asleep, so much we were exhausted. The only thought was to reach the tent and to fall in the arms of Morpheus.

- Were the hopes pinned on your colleagues justified? Were all guys reliable?
- In connection with the fact that it was already a third attempt of Sergey to put into practice his plan the team was picked out thoroughly. Every participator of the expedition had his particular goal, each was appointed a profession for the time of the trip: someone had to be a cook, another a driver, a third a cameraman, someone's task was to make a fire, to fetch water and so on. Though there were problems concerning relationships or food or repairs, but it is quite natural for people (especially under extreme conditions). The oldest participant of our team was 57 years of age and the youngest was 15.

I feel obliged to add that all the participators prepared for the trip with such enthusiasm that one of them, Sergey Bezukladnikov, even sold his summer house to make his UAZ more technically equipped. In my opinion our team consisted of like-minded people who were eager to push aside all possible and impossible obstacles on the way.
I ought to tender personal thanks to the driver Arsen for his professional skills. Like a magician he managed to repair the winches and the brakes of the cars with improvised means. Thanks to Arsen we learnt new terminology, for example 'lebeditsya' means to winch, 'shishiga' means GAZ-66, 'kung' is the body of the 'shishiga'. After coming back home none of the vehicles had brakes. Sand and bog slush made them worthless.

- Is it true that there was a foreigner in your team of foolhardy Russian travelers?

- One of the participators was our foreign friend who represented the Administration of the city of Edinburgh. John decided to accompany us so that to go hunting, fishing and just to enjoy the picturesque scenery. John's task was to watch and to rest. Suffice it to say that the Scot had never in his life faced the difficulties which he was confronted by in this trip. In his native country everything must be thought over: this is parallel and that is perpendicular. Most of all we were astonished by John's serious attitude toward the protection of environment, forests, beasts which came across our way. He worried about every tree which we had to chop. As soon as we came back John perceived civilization afresh, he just got drunk with happiness that there were again people all around him and everything ended all right. The other day John wrote a letter from Scotland to me, where he told me that he had showed his friends the film that he had made during the trip. They were all shocked as they could not understand what for to destroy trees and hack through cuttings. But this does not matter. What really matters is that now John is the chief guide of theirs, with whom they go to the forest. (he laughs).

- Do you think you will long remember the impressions acquired in this trip?

- After coming back from the expedition many guys said so: 'Yes, I liked it, everything was fine, but you will never drag me in it again.' This explains all. Indeed we supped extreme up to the neck. Though from the other side it is obvious that such lasting impressions make our life complete and significant. No matter how many days or months will go past after arriving home, we will be proud to recall what we did.

Who knows maybe one day we will wish to experience something of the kind again!

Written by Maria Simanova. The paper 'Headliner' № 17, 27 October 2006.

The track of the trip received from Alexandr Ovchinnikov is in format Garmin MapSource