NPR Does Russia By Rail

It's no secret that I think rail travel is still one of the most romantic and interesting ways to travel over long distances. I'd love to take a cross continental train-trip, stopping in various places along the way, and soaking up the scenery from a comfortable car, while chatting with friends and other passengers.

Someone at NPR obviously agrees with me, as they've sent reporter David Greene and photographer David Gilkey on a 6000 mile odyssey across Russia By Rail. They two Davids started in Moscow and end their journey in Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean, covering the entire length of the famous Trans-Siberian Railway. Along the way, they got the chance to experience modern Russia in all of its glory.

This special report kicked off yesterday and will continue through tomorrow. It features a number of great stories about how Russia's tumultuous history has shaped the country even today, and takes a look at where it is headed now that twenty years have passed since the fall of the Soviet Union. Greene's words introduce us to the Russian people and give us a glimpse of their daily lives, while Gilkey's amazing photographs capture moments in time from their epic journey.

Russia By Rail is equal parts travelogue, investigative reporting, and photo journalism. It all comes together very well, and will likely inspire some thoughts of making the journey for yourself.

Dutch Adventurer Explores Remote Siberia

Dutch adventurer Yuri Klaver recently competed a 45-day, 1000km (620 mile) solo journey through a remote region in Siberia. Along the way, he explored the Indigirka River between Oymyakon and Belaya Gora, not far from the Arctic Ocean. Klaver also spent a lot of time climbing in the Porozhny Mountains, exploring a part of the world that is seldom visited by westerners.

Yuri has started to post updates on his website, sharing his experiences from this journey, which began back in August. During his time in Siberia, he embarked on the first solo descent of the Indigirka River. It had been years since anyone else had traveled that direction, so Klaver was unsure of what to expect on the river, which featured dangerous whitewater, along with plenty of rocks and debris. He also discovered the region had unpredictable weather and plenty of wild animals, including regular encounters with wolves and bears.

The Dutch explorer intends to make a documentary of his adventure, sharing plenty of footage from his time in the wild. You can get a sample of that in the video below, which was shot in the early days of the expedition, but still gives you an idea of the conditions there and how beautiful and remote the region truly is.



Part 1 An early surprise at Suntar River from Yuri Klaver on Vimeo.

London2London Update: Sarah Reaches Japan

Sarah Outen has reached a major milestone on her attempt to circumnavigate the globe under her own power. You may recall that Sarah set out in April on her round-the-world adventure, by paddling down the River Thames and across the English Channel. From there, she climbed on her bike and has spent months peddling across Europe and Asia. Now, she's made it to Japan, where she plans to take a break before attempting to row across the North Pacific in the spring.

Sarah, and her companion Justine Curgeven, were not allowed to paddle out of Russia, but were instead put aboard a boat that would take them out to sea where they could drop into their kayaks for the crossing to Japan. Once that happened however, the ladies actually paddled back to the Russian coast, where they tagged Sarah's last waypoint, before turning towards their eventual destination. This added an additional  24 miles to the trip, but ensured that Sarah stayed true to her goals to cover all the miles under her own power.

Now, she's safely in Japan where she'll travel some parts of the country by bike, before taking a much deserved rest. In the spring, she intends to climb aboard her row boat (Sarah once rowed across the Indian Ocean) and row across the Northern Pacific to Vancouver, where she'll once again take to the bike and begin a long ride across the U.S. and Canada, before the rows across the Atlantic, and back up the Thames, to end the expedition where it started, back in London.

Congrats to Sarah for closing off this leg of her journey and good luck in the spring. Hopefully for now, she's enjoying a warm bed, good food, and plenty of rest.

Endangered Big Cats Making A Comeback?

Some of the world's most endangered big cats may be making a comeback, as two of the more elusive species, living in remote areas, have been spotted recently, leading some to believe that their numbers may be better than previously suspected.

First we have this story courtesy of the Adventure Journal, which brings news that researchers have discovered a population of snow leopards that is alive and well in a very mountainous region of Afghanistan. The cats were captured by camera traps that were set throughout the area and wired to automatically snap a picture of anything that wanders by. This particular population was an unexpected find, and bodes well for the species, which is thought to number somewhere between 4500 and 7500 cats across all of Central Asia.

A similar story comes our way from TreeHugger as well, but in this instance the cats in question are the even more rare Armor Leopards, found in rugged forests in Russia's far eastern wildernesses. These cats are on the "critically endangered" list and it was believed that fewer than 50 of them still existed in the wild. A new survey, that once again uses camera traps, caught 12 unique individual leopards on camera however, which lends hope for that species making a comeback as well. Check out video footage of these extremely rare and beautiful creatures below. (Big thanks to Outside Online for this story!)

Both stories are good news for animal conservationists. While far from out of danger, it is good to know that both cat species are doing better than expected. Perhaps they can each be brought back to healthy, thriving numbers once again.

Mountain Hardwear Summer Expeditions

Earlier in the week, Mountain Hardwear announced a host of expeditions for the summer, with a number of climbers heading off to the Karakoram to take on some of the big peaks there. The gear company has some excellent sponsored athletes under its banner, and has always been ready to help them go after some big goals. Here's a few of the things they have planned in the weeks ahead:

Saser Kangri II: Freddie Wilkinson, along with Mark Richey and Steve Swenson, will make an attempt on the second tallest unclimbed peak in the world – Saser Kangri II. The peak, which is located in northern India, is 7513 meters (24,648 feet) in height and remains one of the last major challenges in the Himalaya. Richey and Swenson attempted to climb the mountain back in 2009, and return for another go. The team is hoping to make history.

K7 West: Climbers Pat Goodman, Will Meinen, and Matt McCormick have set out for Pakistan where they'll be attempting to make the first ascent of the 6200 meter (20,341 foot) southwest pillar of K7 West. The team will go light and fast, alpine style, up the new route, and hopefully reach the summit in just four days.

First Ascent In India: Mountaineers Janet Bergman, Emilie Drinkwater and Kirsten Kremer will attempt a first ascent of an unnamed peak along the borders of India and Pakistan. The ladies also hope to make the climb in an alpine style, making a single push to the summit.

Exploring The Russian Arctic and Climbing in Afghanistan: Moving away from the Karakoram,  Mike Libecki will begin his summer with a journey to the remote island of Franz Josef Land, where he plans to climb several big walls. He'll travel to his destination by sailboat, then explore by ski and kayak to find some major climbing challenges.

When he's done in the Arctic, Mike will then travel to Afghanistan where he'll attempt to climb the Ibex Horn, a 3000-foot tall tower that he discovered while scouting the Koh-e-Baba Mountain Range in the Bamyan province last year. If successful, this will be the first ascent of that rock pillar as well.

Good luck to all of these expeditions. It seems like its going to be a very busy and adventurous summer.