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The facts about Lake Baykal
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First about my Siberian treks, the more boring part, the facts.
Lake Baikal is located in the south of Eastern Siberia, in the Buryat Autonomous Republic and the Region of Irkutsk, Russia.
It covers 31,500 sq.km and is 636 km.long, an average of 48 km wide, 79,4 km at its widest point.
Its water basin occupies about 557,000 sq.km. and contains about 23,000 cu.km. of water, that is, about one fifth of the world's reserves of fresh surface-water and over 80 per cent of fresh water in the former Soviet Union.
The average water level in the lake is never higher than 456 m.
The Baikal is the deepest lake in the world.
Its average depth is 730m. and its maximium depth in the middle - 1,620 m.
It would take all the rivers of the world - Volga, Don, Dneper and Yenisei, Ural and Ob, Ganges and Orinoko, Amazon and Thames, Seine and Oder - nearly one year to fill lake Baikal's basin, and it would take four hundred years for all the rivers, streams and brooks now flowing into the Siberian lake-sea.
The Baikal area is a veritable treasure trove of mineral resources. Sables thrive in the taiga around; valuable fur animals live in the surrounding mountains and valleys; birds and fish in the forests and rivers of the area. The near Dauro-Mongolian steppes are very fertile. There are hot springs in the vicinity of Lake Baikal, the water of which is of excellent qaulity. The Lake acts as a powerful generator and biofilter producing this water.
Now that that is over, lets get to the fun!
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My first trip to Lake Baykal
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My older brother went to Russia twice during its days in communism, the knowledge he brought back filled my mind with images of great churches and heavy tanks. Since his trips I dreamed of going to see Red Square and the kremlin, then one summer, I got my chance.
A program called REAP came and offered the opportunity to not only go over to Russia and spend one month during of the summer there studying it. I jumped on the idea with both feet, it would give me a chance to see the wonders of Moscow for a couple days then let me spend four weeks in Siberia at Lake Baykal.
When it was decided me and four of my friends set off on a bus trip to Mineapolis to meet the groups from South Dakota and Minesota. (We where the first group ever to go with the REAp program from Montana) After a grueling two day drive followed by a couple hour flight, we were in new york and starting on the twelve hour flight that would take us over the artic circle and drop us in Moscow. By flying so far north it was allways dark on one side of the plane and light on the other side.
After a couple days of cruising Moscow (which could have an entire page in itself whichI shall add later) We set off on a seven hour flight to Ulan Ude. After our arrival and a short dealing with the police we got on our way on a hydro-foil which took us all the way up the lake in ten hours.
I have to go, but I will finish the first year later tonight. The first year will have alot less detail then the second year in the studies because I have misplaced my notes and logs. It is easier to actually tell then to write, but right now we dont have that option. Email me if you would like to know anything specific or if you have any questions. I shall now leave you with the one thing every page needs to have, a quote.
~"Your young still, you have plenty of time to catch me"
"Catch hell, I plan on surpassing you!"
A conversation between my brother and I after I got back the second year when he heard about my plans to try and visit Siberia again.~
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