Mongolia/Siberia June 2019

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LAKE BAIKAL KAYAKING TRIP JOURNAL 1

JOURNAL  1Amtrak from Klamath Falls to Union Station downtown Los Angeles. Then a 12-hour direct flight from LAX International airport to Moscow, 5-hour layover then a 5-hour flight to Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia.May 17th Friday day 1 of traveling: Angie picked me up at Steve’s place where I had been staying for going on 5 weeks, which I really appreciated. It gave me time to recuperate from the Appendix operation and finalize getting my gear together. She dropped me off at the [...]

LAKE BAIKAL KAYAKING TRIP JOURNAL 2

Mongol Ujin Ger Camp Khatgal, MongoliaMay 31st Friday 15th day of traveling/waiting: I spent some of the day going thru all of my gear again, repacking and packing. Then I had Dawa’s husband help me put the kayak on top of their car and he ran me down to the lake so Stormy and I could paddle around the open water there was and then on down to the outlet of the Eg River.Dawa, had mentioned that if I wanted to, her husband and a horse handler/guide would take me on a 5-day 4-night [...]

LAKE BAIKAL KAYAKING TRIP JOURNAL 3

Mongol Ujin Ger Camp Khatgal, MongoliaJune 7th Friday 23nd day of waiting/traveling:June 8th Saturday 24th day of waiting/traveling:June 9th Sunday 25th day of waiting/traveling:June 10th Monday 26th day of waiting/traveling: I will run all the last four days together. After all, absolutely nothing was different on either of the days. Just being patient, started to exercise again, we walk every morning and evening down to the lake, about a mile down and back. Looks like this morning the ice [...]

LAKE BAIKAL KAYAKING TRIP JOURNAL 4

Khuvsgul LakeJune 14th thru June 23 9 DaysKHUVSGUL LAKEYounger Sister Of Lake BaikalThe most scenic destination of Northen Mongolia, Khuvsgul Lake (Khovsgol Nuur, also spelled 'Hovsgol') is the largest freshwater lake in Mongolia by volume and second largest by area holding 2% of the world's fresh water. Located near the Russian border, at the foot of the eastern Sayan Mountains, it is nicknamed "Younger sister of the Sister Lakes (Lake Khuvsgul and Lake Baikal)". The area of Khuvsgul Lake, [...]

LAKE BAIKAL KAYAKING TRIP Journal 5

Return to Khatgal On the West Side of Khuvsgul Lake

June 24 Sunday day 10 on the water: Usual time we are crawling out of the tent. Fog, fog and more fog. Everything stays damp, wet an it is a damp cold especially when there is a wind or even a slight breeze.I had spent some more time late in the afternoon, despite being so tired, to once again repack everything, consolidate and basically start getting ready for putting on the Eg River. I am going to be load with food, I don’t want to have to stop and deal with any villages for weeks [...]

LAKE BAIKAL KAYAKING TRIP JOURNAL 6

2nd Part of the Trip

The Eg River – The Drive Up Out of the River Canyon-The Two Days in Erdeinbougane-The Drive to the Russian Border-Two Days at the Hotel Before Putting on the Selenga RiverEg RiverThe Eg River (Mongolian: Эгийн гол, Egiin gol ) is a river in the Khövsgöl and Bulgan aimags in northern Mongolia. It is the only outflow of Lake Khövsgöl and a tributary of the Selenge river. Wooden bridges exist near Khatgal and in Tünel sum, and a concrete bridge has [...]

LAKE BAIKAL KAYAKING TRIP JOURNAL 7

The Selenga River to Lake Baikal

July 8th Monday day 20 on the water:As usual we were up at the break of dawn and I made sure I had everything ready to load up, just in case the guy who helped me across the border shows up at noon like he said he would to take us down to the Selenga river, about 20 miles East out of town.There were several things I had to do to make sure we were ready to go and in control. I needed to go to a bank and get some rubles. I needed to make sure that I had purchased all the supplies/food on my [...]

LAKE BAIKAL KAYAKING TRIP JOURNAL 8

Lake Baikal

July 17th Wednesday day 29 on the water:We were on the Baikal at last and headed north and that is what we did by 6 in the morning. Wind now was the only factor I had to deal with and of course the monotony of paddling. When the weather is good about all I can do is 20 miles a day without being able to sail. That is about 8 hours on the water in the kayak with stopping 2 or 3 times. Now that leaves 16 hours of the day left, tough for the Energizer Guy to sit around like that day after day [...]

LAKE BAIKAL KAYAKING TRIP JOURNAL 9

Lake Baikal

July 22nd Monday day 33 on the water:I left really early. I contemplated spending another day but why. I had bought more groceries, was all packed up ready to load the kayak and I saw no reason to sit around. I don’t do that very well.I carried everything out the back gate down to the lake. Pulled my kayak out the gate and down to the lake and I was packed and paddling by 5:30. Not having a problem getting up early has been serving me very well.The folks there treated me good. I do [...]

LAKE BAIKAL KAYAKING TRIP JOURNAL 10

Lake Baikal

July 29th Sunday day 40 on the water:I was ready to go by 8. Put everything up underneath a roof over a large picnic table, it had continued to rain all morning long. So, I put my chair up on the table and Stormy and I just sat there and were patient.Waiting for my ride out of the rain.He showed up about 8:30 and said he had to go to work, but a friend of his would come and take me. True to his word, at about 9:45 his friend showed up and we loaded up, put the kayak on top, tied it down good [...]

LAKE BAIKAL KAYAKING TRIP JOURNAL 11

Lake Baikal

August 4th Saturday day 45 on the water:The guys and the kids went to bed early so that was nice that it got quiet before 10 PM. They had told me they hadn’t seen any bears in the area since they had been there the last 10 days, so I went to sleep without bears on my mind.We were up before the sun once again, even though it is getting so smoky it is hard to tell when the sun comes up, plus we are on the East side of the lake so one doesn’t see the sun till later anyways. No [...]