“Here and there from the soil was pulled out clouds of steam, rising in calm air curly columns… then the Silence was broken by a sharp whistle, then hum some holes… Here it is, valley of a Thousand Smokes! V. A. Obruchev.” Sannikov Land
Could be assumed is the author of “Sannikov Land”, which after years on the edge of the earth Russian, on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula, discovered Valley of geysers in the image and likeness of the one described in his science fiction novel? And it happened in fatal Russia 1941, when in these places organized an expedition led by the geologist Tatyana Ivanovna Ustinova.
Steaming earth! Dozens of large and small hot springs, vypleskami from earth’s hot water!
To reach the Valley of geysers in the short term is still possible only by helicopter, although the trail that stretches along the Pacific coast from the village across the river Zhupanova Noisy, still alive. You can go to the Valley and estuary from Selectstage to the volcano Uzon, but this way through the passes and gorges, with constant ascents and descents, crossing streams and rivers will take a few days.
On arrival to Kamchatka, I met with the writer Mikhail Y. Zhilin, a well-known journal “the Anthill”.
— First, the Valley of geysers, and then everything else, he said from the doorway and all my “but” on the vicissitudes of the weather resolutely stopped: — Wait departure. The weather should get better!
And after agonizing days of waiting, we finally ended up landing on the runway. A slim number of Mi–8 helicopters. Our Board extreme. The whole way to the helicopter, I thought that the fog will return and the flight will be delayed, — such an unusual and unpredictable in these parts the weather. And blame waters of the Pacific ocean, Okhotsk and Bering seas that engulfed the Peninsula. My anxiety about the flight finally lifted, only when our helicopter took a course on the Kronotsky reserve.
In the window flickered a winding ribbon of the river Avacha and the beds of rivers, white veins by numerous mountain creeks stretches the snowfields. The top of the massive volcanic cones towered above the shaggy ridges of cloud sea.
While flying to the Valley of geysers, I carefully peered down, wanting to see at least one contour of the road. Sometimes, it seems, and has seemed meandering stitch, but, barely begun, was cut off, lost in the foothills of the inconvenience.
Maly Semyachik is a blue pearl, brutal cut.
After half an hour I realized that the only transport you can rely on in these places, was a helicopter. Roads in Kamchatka — a luxury. Even the only one on the entire Peninsula highway “Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy — Ust-Kamchatsk” is the primer. Because of the Peninsula on the rights of the island: connections to the mainland only by air.
The silent peaks of the volcanoes were seen off our rotary-wing Board, and only awakened volcano Karymsky Volcano greeted us with a huge pillar of black smoke. The cone of the volcano and its snow-covered slopes were covered with volcanic ash. Mikhail Zhilin said that in the mid 60-ies of XX century Karymsky volcano Hill so we got that covered with ashes Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky than extremely troubled residents. Unpredictable volcano! It seems to be dormant, but an eruption could begin at any moment. Overflights Karymsky Hill, the helicopter was oriented to Maly Semyachik. This volcano special. After he died, in a huge crater acid lake to get to which is not easy as preventing the sharp ledges of the crater crater. With the helicopter on the lake offer incredible views: from the blue mirrors in the depth of the cavity is funnel eye-catching…
Helicopter-in that case the hill hot Spring, began to decline and soon sat on the top of the canyon where the trail led straight to the cordon protected the Valley of geysers. Another of the porthole window, I saw over the Valley swirling whitish haze. It was clearly seen as they rise from the depths of the gorge, from the river…
The helicopter we were greeted by the inspector cordon with a hunting rifle in his hands.
— Not depart from me. Strictly follow the wooden boardwalk. Possible encounter with a bear.
Estate cordon of the Kronotsky reserve is situated in the valley of the geyser river. The landslide that came down on 3 June 2007 from the left hillside and filled the valley of a stream Waterfall, nearly blew the cordon, but fortunately, the mud stopped a meter away from the house. Everyone expected vanishing of new landslides, but nothing happened.
Having blocked the Geyser river, a landslide in 2007, got
the Firstborn — of the geyser, open the first Tatyana Ustinova and driver Onisiforou Pavlovich Krupenin.
Floorings from the runway — something the reserve is necessary. The fewer steps a person does on conservation land, the more chances to preserve for future generations the pristine beauty of the Valley of geysers. From the wooden planks there is another benefit: they help the group to disperse.
We descend to the Valley among the thickets of Hogweed, dog rose and alder thickets. I occasionally look at looming over the opposite valley dense cloud of fog. It’s still Napping above the bowl of the valley, and only his fringe lightly smoked, leaning on the top of a hill. Make it in time?
Until I notice that the groves of cow parsnip and cedar jammed, and in dense grass thicket punched wide trails. Obvious traces of the presence of a bear!
Even going down the decks, we understand how difficult it is to get to the Valley of geysers. In one of our conversations Mikhail Y. Zhilin said that once, along with writer and journalist Vasily Mihajlovich Peskov, without waiting for a helicopter that dared to go from the Noisy river Valley on foot. Their journey resulted in ninety miles. It was risky business! Fortunately, everything worked…
We finally got to the manor of cordon. The main building sported a sign “Kronotsky reserve”. The stairs cautiously descended to the main part of the Valley that was spared by the landslide, and to our eyes appeared the steaming gorge, scree slopes with sparse, creeping towards the river… vegetation and geysers. Large and small. Barely steaming and ones through steam which is not visible given. As soon as we approached the lookout, saw the huge size of the bear. Before him was little more than palusot meters. It was on the descent to the river, a short distance from the pedestrian deck, and blocked the way. Master!
To go on the bear was dangerous, and we stood, waited, when it will yield us the way. Our armed guards tried to fend off the clumsy “at home”. “Come on, come here!” the beast only raised his head and stared at the guard, violated his rest. Usually heavy, with a languishing glance, bear, sterledeva through and at the same time detached, a person everything inside gets cold, and if a man without arms, the beast are clearly stronger and his last word with him. Here’s our bear was in no hurry to leave. Only after the shot into the air he settled down, but immediately stood up on his hind legs, paused for a few seconds, fell in front, turned to the slope and began to depart. Slowly, looking back at the troublemakers, the bears climbed up the mountain a little higher, where there were a huge of Kamchatka birch, and lay down among the flowering grasses, substituting the sun, huge brown back. While we were in the Valley, the bear lay there, occasionally raising his head and glancing in our direction.
Slopes, steaming geysers, were skillfully painted with mineral deposits and algae in the locations where the release of hot water in different colors: yellow, orange, brown, blue, green, purple. On the tops of hills which bordered the valley, there was still snow, and a little below was the greens. Grass, eschewing the hot springs, sliding down, and it seemed that the whole hillside is dotted with green patches. That’s where winter meets summer!
Over the valley hung the white. Making a couple of circles over a distant spur of the mountain range, above the maze of rocks and canyons, he had disappeared from sight as suddenly as it had appeared.
The geysers is pulsating sources. Some of them are small, hardly soaring, and huge, with noise emit a powerful pillar of hot water (Giant and Large). There is a roaring geysers, such as the Gates of Hell, and even smoke Smoking, such as the geysers of the left slope, called Stained glass. There is pulsating, gurgling mud pots and even round ponds, filled to the brim with hot water. Many of them called Tatyana Ivanovna Ustinova. “It was convenient to work,” she explained in her memoirs. The names of the geysers really justify their appearance and habits: a Dual, Fickle, Pearl, Fountain…
I happened to see a Large erupting geyser. It seemed, nothing foretold of a powerful release, a geyser was Smoking light a smoke. But in a matter of seconds everything changed. In the geyser’s vent fluttered, buzzed, and time and again the pillar of ejection of hot water became higher and higher. Splashes of boiling water flew in all directions. Around the geyser was hot. Spewed water ran down the slope into the river. The eruption lasted five minutes and stopped suddenly. The pillar of water fell. The geyser died down. Like it fell asleep. And so every forty minutes…
We are once again over the valley. The alarm for the crash behind. The mist really began to cover the Valley, but through the porthole on the starboard side was still visible with the gorge rising from his smoke, yellow, the slopes of the slopes. The helicopter straightened the direction of steep turn, took the opposite course. Goodbye, Valley of geysers! Maybe we’ll meet again!
PS After our departure from Kamchatka, I was informed that it was bad weather, which lasted for several days. Side to the Valley of geysers was not sent, and waiting all departures have complained of falling bad weather. And then we realized how lucky we are.
