July 5-- Irkutsk, Siberia

Our arrival in Irkutsk on the southwestern shore of Lake Baikal marked the beginning of the Northface/Global Giving expedition. We flew all night through five more time zones. The next few days were going to be very busy trying to organize all the logistics of the upcoming expedition.


photo by Nikki Kelly- Loading Alex 2's van with 7 kayaks, 15 paddles, 8 people and all their stuff to head to the airport



photo by Nikki Kelly- We arrived at the airport with 4 hours to spare so why not a game of hacky

We are very lucky to have David Burghardt. He is an American who works for the Russian government as a liaison officer between Russia and groups like ours. He is very good at getting things done, such as negotiating helicopter contracts and arranging lunches with the governor of Irkutsk. John, David and Nikki have been busy with the transportation logistics. Victor and Alex found us an apartment to rent for the month as a base. Tanya, Jules, and Fred have been shopping for overnight river trips in the Russian markets. It certainly has been busy. We plan to put on the Kitoy River in a few days. John will be taking a helicopter to scout the Onot River. If it looks good the Global Giving/Northface Expedition will take place here. We have high hopes for this river.

photo by NIkki Kelly- John posing with the MI-8 in the background



photo by John Grace- Nikki with the owner of the heli operation trying to bargain the price down

Some thoughts about Irkutsk

photo by Nikki Kelly- One of the many statues in the city. The most impressive is the huge one of Lenin

“As England created London, France – Paris, Siberia created Irkutsk. Siberia is proud of Irkutsk, and “not see this city” means “not to see Siberia”
--N. Schelgunov

photo by Nikki Kelly- Churchkeeper in Irkutsk

Irkutsk city is a central location for kayaking in the Eastern Sayan region. It is a convenient place to base ourselves during the North Face expedition. The city has struck a cord with us all, with artistic handcrafted architecture, youthful and colorful culture, and the feeling that will not be hassled by the occasional overzealous police officer.
photo by Nikki Kelly- This guy looks very proud of his building

Sightseeing in Irkutsk along old streets can take you on a fantastic journey into the culture of the ancient Siberia.photo by Nikki Kelly- Lots of cool buildings and architecture

photo by Nikki Kelly- Who is that masked woman? What style they have!!!!