Where the podkamennaya tunguska flows into. Combined tour "podkamennaya tunguska

After Baykit, in 1-2 km, rocky outcrops begin directly to the water. Here is one of the most picturesque areas on Podkamennaya Tunguska - Pillars. If most people know about the Krasnoyarsk or Lena pillars, or at least have read about them, then unfortunately, and perhaps fortunately, few people know about the Pillars on Podkamennaya Tunguska, except for the locals, although this is a truly unique creation of Nature ... An amazingly beautiful workshop stretches for 250-300 km. Openwork stone compositions on the right and on the left, with a certain amount of fantasy and imagination, changes in illumination and angle of view, take on different shapes. Either a seated eagle, now a grandmother with a granddaughter, a tent, a rearing bear - and next to it a hunter with a palm tree (an Evenk hunting knife on a stick) is ready to repel an attack. Magnificent laces fascinate and cause genuine admiration. We can safely say that here is one of the most attractive places on Podkamennaya Tunguska. The first officer of the self-propelled gun was right: "You will not regret it!" I was lucky to see a lot in the vastness of our Motherland, and Pillars on Podkamennaya Tunguska, in my opinion, deserve the right to be included in the list of "Miracles of Russia".

Pillars of the Podkamennaya Tunguska. (With a certain amount of imagination, a lot can be seen here)

"Looking to the sky"

"Conversation of women"

The wind parted the storm clouds, the sun came out - and we managed to capture this wondrous work of Nature against the background of a blue sky with cumulus clouds that only set off the wild beauty and primitive power of the Pillars. However, all this beauty is guarded by obstacles on the river. There are large rifts and rapids here, most of which have their own names: Stone rift, Gorlyshko shivera, Grandfather rapids, Velminsky rapids, Sheki.

The video filmed an amazing, in our opinion, phenomenon. Ahead, in 1.0-1.5 km, a thundercloud was advancing with a downpour coming from it. There are already 80-50-20 meters left. We swim in the sun, we shoot a thunderstorm, and before the rain coming in a wall - less than ten meters. A cellophane bag has long been prepared for sealing a video camera. There are 5 meters left - the furious noise of large drops is heard not only by the ear, but also by the microphone built into the video camera, and now we float into the storm veil, barely having time to hide the equipment. Such are the contrasts of Siberia.

We swim in the sun, until the rain is five meters. Contrasts of Siberia

Grandmother, Grandfather, Seven Verstny, Overkil, in a simple way - a coup!

We spent the night near the cheerful and noisy, haryuz river Gaingda. The next day we sailed in clear sunny weather and enjoyed the surrounding taiga beauties and amazing Pillars. The long-awaited meeting took place here. We noticed a bear wandering about on the shore. They began to shoot on camera. He saw us too. Local hunters say that the owner of the taiga sees rather poorly, probably, therefore, in order to better see us, he stood on his hind legs. He stood there for a few seconds, but, apparently, we did not really interest him - and he calmly continued on his way. But how else: he is the "Master", and we are only guests in his domain.

In the afternoon we entered the "Grandmother" threshold. Located at 443.5-442 km. For navigation, especially for vessels going upstream, upstream, it is rather difficult. Narrow, 60-70 meters, winding: at 500 meters - 3 bends, a fairway and a very strong current. The water was large, and we flew by on our "frivolous boat" almost without any peculiarities. Only the powerful, like explosions, outlets of the bottom water, hitting obstacles invisible at the bottom, kept in suspense all the time. We collected only 1-1.5 buckets of water.

After about 2-2.5 km another rapids - "Grandfather". "Grandpa" turned out to be less affectionate. The shafts are 1.0-1.5 meters high, and the bad thing is that the kayak does not climb the waves, but pierces them - they began to flood us. One of the shafts not only covered his head but, having rolled over the boat, left 50-60 liters of water in it. We rafted without kayak aprons, and it will end badly for us, but more on that later. Now an additional ballast, lowering the center of gravity, only gave stability to the kayak. Having passed the threshold, we landed on the shore. They unloaded the boat, dragged it ashore, turned it over and poured out all the water collected during the passage of "Grandmother" and, of course, "Grandfather", water. Further, the mountains part again - and soon we saw on the right bank a rather large, according to Evenk standards, settlement Polygus: about 200-220 inhabitants. According to the 2010 census, there are 23 municipalities for the whole of Evenkia, and the total population does not reach 20 thousand - 16.4.

Passed the threshold Grandpa

Settlement Polygus

We have enough food and everything on the farm, we are going further. The nights became pretty cool, people went to the sleeping bag in woolen socks. At 2-3 in the morning, someone big was noisily wandering not far from the bivouac. I had to go out, knock cups and bowls, whistle. The rest of the night passed calmly.

In the morning - heavy fog, and only closer to 9 o'clock the opposite shore began to be seen. In the channel of the Podkamennaya, islands began to appear, sometimes quite large, 2-3 km long. We are waiting for the "Flour" threshold, which we were warned about in Baykit - "we will have to torment ourselves there." The threshold was passed well and even almost dry, although 2-3 times cutting through the shafts, which were up to the chest of the person sitting on the first room in the kayak, scooped up 10-15 liters.

On the second trip - again a pleasant, exotic meeting. A bear with two young of the year was walking on the shore. It was 50-60 meters to the friendly company, the current was quietly carrying the kayak. We sit still holding the oars at the ready. In case the mother does not like us and she starts to showdown with us, to have time to give a fight. The family wandered along the shore, and the little ones were still starting to catch up with each other. For 5-7 minutes we enjoyed the family idyll, filming it with a video camera. But the wind carried our smell to the "mistress". She froze motionlessly and rather cautiously, peering at the structure floating on the river, giving a sign to the kids, who quieted down, immediately stopping their games, and then continued their exercise with the cubs. However, after 2-3 minutes she decided to take her family away from the shore, under the taiga cover, away from harm. Unhurriedly, the family disappeared into the coastal taiga.

Bear family

We sailed to column 325! A very important column. From the stories, descriptions and directions they knew that the most powerful rapids on the Podkamennaya Tunguska were the Seven Verstny, or, as it is more often called here, the “Big Threshold”, located at 324-317 km. The river near the threshold flows in a deep canyon. The channel is a disorderly heap of stone ridges and shafts, rocky side streams and spits, has a number of rocky ledges and is the most difficult for navigation. In the threshold, there are three sections with characteristic slopes and the highest flow rates: Upper, Middle and Lower discharge. We landed in the catch before the threshold. We need to have a snack, relax physically and mentally and, most importantly, prepare for the passage of the Seven Verstny. We packed all the photographic and video equipment in advance in hermetic bags with money, documents, descriptions, a diary, and sleeping clothes. Well, with God - let's go!

The first step was passed well, only a little breakers splashed the water, but no more than a bucket, however, on the middle drain, Bolshaya Voda and rather large, disordered shafts made themselves felt. The waters had collected well, and on the lower drain they were already so low that the sides were almost at the level of the river. At the exit from the threshold, we were completely flooded and gently laid on our side.

Overkill - in a simple way, a coup. They swam 400-500 meters, holding on to the kayak and trying to press it to the shore, with the other hand holding the hermetic bags so that they would not be carried away by the river. I managed to grab the chalka. I had to take a risk, leave the kayak and swim to the shore with a roach. Then, firmly resting your feet on the stones, with a pendulum, press the boat to the shore on a rope. Having moored it, they put it on the keel and pulled out everything that did not float ashore. Then they began to scoop up the water with galoshes that remained on their feet, and when the kayak became lighter, they drained part of the water and completely drained it, turning it upside down on the shore. While we were swimming in our clothes and then we were busy rescuing the kayaks, hermetic bags, and equipment - they froze quite a bit. We unpacked the hermetic bags, took out photographic and video equipment and changed into a dry sleeping area. Warmed up a bit. Loaded into a boat, sailed in search of things carried away by the river. 315 km remained to the Yenisei. "NZ" food, was half a loaf of bread and two cans of canned food. We will survive.

After Overkil - in a simple way, coup - in the Great Threshold

They began to collect along the river what did not drown and what they could find. They caught up and pulled out an "iron" backpack with a fire farm, dishes, and in it - a bag with a "five-day" meal, however, half empty and the cereal in it was all wet, but nothing, not to fat, we will eat that too. The backpack was afloat thanks to an almost empty canister of sugar and plastic bottles of jelly, oil, gasoline - all together they played the role of floats. Later they even caught a bag with a snack, with three handfuls of wet nuts, raisins and dried apricots - they ate everything at once. While we were actively rowing in dry conditions, we warmed up, we slightly moved away from the stress of the coup, and then finding the right things added to our mood. By evening, the wind had completely died down. We saw a winter hut at column 295. Since water continued to drain from our tent, and we have a lot of wet clothes, we decide to spend the night in the winter quarters and dry out.

Brothers in the Spirit

During the rafting, they spent only 4-5 nights in the winter hut. Sleeping in a tent is much more comfortable in terms of insects and cleanliness. Now we didn’t have to choose - and we took advantage of the winter hut with pleasure. They fired up the stove, cooked porridge from wet cereal, dried the "walking" things and the tent, and lay down in the warmth on animal skins. It was a difficult and very busy day. A meeting with a family of bears, an overkill in the Big Threshold, a successful capture of things, a good winter quarters with a stove, a warm dinner - what else is needed for Happiness !? Despite all the events today, we have swum "our 60 km".

We fell asleep under the sound of rain, which by morning turned into a downpour. After breakfast we tumbled around for a bit, and then, deciding that we would get wet on the next rapids anyway, we set off at 11.30. There is fog on the river, but visibility is 100-150 meters, you can swim. It looks like clouds with rain are floating on the river. Sometimes they clung to the coastal rocks, and in the emerging "windows" they saw: a cloud lies on the river, and the tops of the mountains rise above the bad weather.

We got to the Velmovsky rapids, formed by a pile of stones and rocky ridges. At this point, the Tunguska sharply, at a right angle, turns to the right. The current in some places reaches 17 km / h, inconsistent, there are maidans and catches. Gone well. At the first stage, a small shaft threw 5-6 liters of water, and the second and third stages passed dry, only a column on the shore showed that the Velmovskys were already behind. Below the rapids - a column "245", a winter hut and near the coast - 4 catamarans. We got to chat with brothers in spirit. It turned out that a group of Muscovites, 15-20 people from the Azimut club, led by the famous associate of tourism, Valentin Abramovich Lurie. Rafting from Baykit to Yenisei. We drank tea with the "brothers", had a snack, shared their mutual impressions. Nina, the manager, gave us a packet of sugar. Very handy, because they drowned their own. While we were having tea and having a rest, a motorboat with three men came up. They said: "A little lower, near pillar 235, there is a winter quarters," and, which made us especially happy, "there will be no more serious obstacles and rapids on Podkamennaya." We decided not to embarrass the "Muscovites" with our presence, it would be cramped in the winter quarters even without us, we sailed on. After 1.5 hours, we found the winter hut described by the peasants, carried our things, had supper and went to bed.

Kuchumdek - the village of Old Believers

By morning, the rain did not end, but somewhat subsided. Leaving a note of gratitude in the "notebook of visits", they sailed away. They got wet pretty quickly: "there are no jackets that don't get wet" and began to freeze, especially hands on the oars. I had to put on canvas gloves. Although they get wet, they keep warm. The clouds are still lying on the river, they do not want to rise in any way. Every 5 km column is like a small reward, but after 60 minutes. By 16 o'clock we got to the village. Kuzmovka. Purchased food for the rest of the journey. Life becomes wonderful and wonderful again, only cold. We learned: from Kuzmovka to the settlement of the Old Believers Kuchumdek, 8 km were left. We still have 3-4 hours before dark, we will have time to deliver a note from Nikolai and Lyuda to the Gustomesov family.

It is drizzling from the sky and the wind has become oncoming, we are sailing under the very coast, where it is a little quieter. At the very least, by 19-20 o'clock, they saw Kuchumdek's hut on the high bank.

They pushed on and asked how to find the Gustomesovs. "Walk a little, there will be a house with a blue roof." They found a hut, knocked. Poured out 5-6 small children. For the eldest - Lizaveta is 10 years old: “No tya, he left for Krasnoyarsk. Mom went to the village. " About twenty minutes later, mom Anna came - and everything began to spin right away. We were given a place in a large workshop, there is already the son of the Gustomesovs - Zhenya, 12 years old, lit the stove. While we were carrying things and placing ourselves, children’s heads were constantly peeking at us, then a man with a thick beard, Alexander, the brother of the owner of the house, came up. It seems that the whole Kuchumdek already knew that the Gustomesovs had guests with Big Earth... “Do you need anything from food? - No, thanks, we bought everything in Kuzmovka. But only if there is bread? " While we were talking and hanging things up to dry, an offer was made to us, which it was impossible to refuse - to wash in the Bath. "Now the bathhouse will warm up, they have already melted it." While we were warming up, steaming and washing in the bath, fresh cucumbers, milk, curd, green onions, two loaves of homemade bread miraculously appeared on the table.

Then the porridge arrived. At dinner he told and showed on a video camera a meeting with a she-bear and cubs. I don’t know what sparked more interest, the date with the bear family, or the "little movie". The hostess came to inquire, "Do you need anything else?" In total, the family has nine children - four girls and five children, and Anna (30-35 years old) is 7 months pregnant, she will be the tenth in the fall. Asked permission to shoot. Anna herself refused, like Alexander, but they were allowed to take pictures of the children. Soon, the male part of the Gustomesov family appeared at home - Zhenya is 12 years old, Kolya is 8 years old and Maxim is 6 years old and Pasha is 4 years old, dressed in festive clothes. I took pictures of the guys, and then not only the girls came up, but also the children of Alexander. They calmly answered the questions and then watched themselves with interest - “at a small cinema”. For the night, Zhenya brought us a "bed" - a huge elk skin about two by two meters. Alexander came in. The conversation, accompanied by the crackling of logs in the oven, about life in the taiga, about the lifestyle and customs of the Old Believers, about rafting, meetings and events that took place dragged on long after midnight.

Elizabeth - 10 years old

Maxim - 6 years old

Pasha - 4 years old

Anyuta - 8 years old

In the morning, blue windows began to appear in the sky. While we were having breakfast, packing and loading, we had already collected sour cream, cottage cheese, various greens - "it will come in handy along the way." The entire male part of the Gustomesov family, brother Alexander and his three teenage sons came out to see off.

Tunguska Cheeks

The sky was overcast again, it started to rain - Autumn! Passed the column "160". The finishing race has begun again. Snacks and rests canceled. We stayed in the kayak for 3-4 hours, pestering only when needed. Now there is another excuse: "you have to swim to victory, so as not to stretch the pleasure." Who needs it, why should it? Trying to shorten the distance, they began to walk not along the ship's course, but straight ahead. “Maybe it's better along the fairway, because the current is faster there? - No, the hypotenuse is shorter than two legs !? What is axiomatic in mathematics does not always happen on the river. On one of the "hypotenuses" they simply ran aground - and this with our draft of 20-25 cm! We got out and began to pull the boat forward, in a straight line. When they finally sat down - and the water level poured even over the galoshes - they stopped. We turned the kayak 90 degrees and began to drag it across the river - to the ship's passage. Soon she swam, were able to sit down and continue the rafting. We sailed in total for about 10 hours. Electronic, "waterproof" watches could not withstand the Russian extreme - and even after overkil on the Big Threshold they had to be thrown away. We spent the night near the column "125", having walked 75 km in a day, in an abandoned winter hut, very dirty, with a dilapidated stove.

Podkamennaya from the 110th km narrows to 90-120 m. We approach the Sheki rapids. Perhaps the Cheeks present difficulties for navigation due to the great tortuosity and powerful current, but we passed here calmly. From both sides, fancy stone lace-Pillars again went along the banks. Finally, the sun came out - and the bewitching beauty of the wild rocks covered with taiga was a reward for the inconvenience. We took up photo and video hunting, enjoying the amazing beauty of the surrounding landscape. In the Cheeks themselves we saw a column "99" - here it is, reaching the finish line of the journey. By Siberian standards - "it's near, around the corner."

After Shchek, the mountains receded, the river widely and freely spreads up to 1.0-1.5 km and the vastness and immense expanse of Siberia can be seen far away. Soon we saw the huts of the village. Sulomai. They did not go in. We have everything, but 1-2 days left to get to the Yenisei. A little lower we caught up with an inflatable kayak, reinforced with wooden logs for rigidity, with three men from Krasnoyarsk. We talked. They come from the Velmo river. Our frame Salyut-3 is clearly faster on the move than their inflatable Pike-3. The men went to the shore: they were planning to have a snack, we swam further.

We stopped for the night near the pillar "35". When they set up a tent and set up a bivouac, from the bottom of the Yenisei from the village. Bohr approached the motorboat. In it - a bearded man, a guy of 14 years old and two girls 4-5 years old. Small world - this is Andrey Gustomesov, the owner, with whom they stayed in the settlement of the Old Believers Kuchumdek. Returning from Krasnoyarsk, he recognized us - and how this news is transmitted along the river, it is incomprehensible to the mind! He began to ask if we need something to help us: "Can I give you a lift to Bor?" They thanked: "We have everything - and tomorrow we plan to swim to the Yenisei." We said goodbye, the motorboat went up, we had dinner and went to bed.

August 12 - the last day of the rafting, we got up late, when the fog began to break away from the river. Finally, we are in no hurry. We will go 35 km anyway, but still spend the night in the village. Bor, where we will wait for an opportunity in Krasnoyarsk. The day was sunny, small clouds only emphasized the splendor around us. There is practically no wind, it only gently blows goodbye. The river spreads widely, for 3-4 km, you can feel the backwater of the Yenisei. Behind the stone spit, we saw the houses of the last on Podkamennaya or the first small village from the Yenisei, boats near the coast. The village has the same name as the river - Podkamennaya Tunguska. They decided not to bother, but to take advantage of the fact that there was no wind and the Batiushka-Yenisei is kind, quiet, dignified and calm.

We will move to the opposite - the left bank, where you can see the village. Bor and the pier of regular ships Yenisei Shipping Company... The width of the Yenisei is about 2 km, and we know how changeable the weather can be here, and the wind can play out in earnest in 10-15 minutes. And joking with Batyushka-Yenisei was not at all part of our plans. 20-25 minutes of nervous tension and active rowing. The houses of the village appeared on the high bank. Bor, many motorboats, and just below the landing stage river vessels... We landed at 17:34 - that's it, the rafting on the Podkamennaya Tunguska from its upper reaches to the Yenisei on the 44th day is over.

To the mainland

The last of the three great sisters Tunguska, the mighty right tributaries of the Batyushka Yenisei, the Podkamennaya Tunguska, was passed. Farewell photos, videos, sketches - and went to the pier, to find out the prospects for getting to Krasnoyarsk. It turned out that the motor ship "Lermontov" is the most a budget option, yesterday went down to Dudinka and will return only in six days. "Krasnoyarsk" is a high-speed motor ship, tomorrow it will come from Krasnoyarsk and the next day at 7.30 am it will go back. The landing officer on duty offered us a 2-bed cabin with bunk beds for 300 rubles. per person per night. We decided that these 1,200 rubles would be better. we will spend on tickets and baggage, and we will sleep in a more familiar way for us. After spending almost a month and a half on a hike, spending the night in a tent and a winter quarters, it was somehow dumb, paying money for dubious benefits in order to sleep. We set up a bivouac on the shore, dined with the usual comfort, and the pacified went to bed.

The next day at the box office they took tickets for the high-speed motor ship "Krasnoyarsk" = 2.545 rubles. to the city of Yeniseisk. The "Kazachinsky" threshold has become shallow - and the ship cannot pass to Krasnoyarsk. Plus tickets for the bus Yeniseysk - Krasnoyarsk = 398 rubles. We went to get acquainted with the village. Near the center, on the information board, there are leaflets about the sale and purchase of movable and immovable property. Our attention was drawn to two adjacent ads. At one, the village council administration asks residents to restrict access to the taiga to pick mushrooms and berries: “Be careful: a bear with a teddy bear walks in the forest,” and just below the local fashionistas are invited to visit the “nail extension” office. Civilization!!!

Yesterday's acquaintances arrived in an inflatable kayak. They also abandoned the 2-seater cockpit, pitched a tent nearby. We united for a farewell tourist banquet with Krasnoyarsk residents by the fire on the banks of the Yenisei.

In the morning there are 20-25 people on board. We were accommodated on the ship, paid extra for overloading baggage in excess of the norm of 385 rubles. (15 rubles per 1 kg) - and went up exactly on schedule. Under the measured roar of the engines, almost the entire cabin, which looked more like the cabin of an aircraft, fell asleep. Gathering passengers at stops to the city of Yeniseisk, people sat and even stood in the aisles. Having spent half a day in the seat of a high-speed liner, with a delay of 1.5 hours due to bad weather and headwinds, at 19.00 we arrived in Yeniseisk. We shouldn’t have worried that the tickets we had taken for the Yeniseisk-Krasnoyarsk bus would be lost. The bus not only waited for the arrival of the ship, but also drove up from the bus station directly to the pier. Apparently, the Yenisei people knew perfectly well the whims of the Siberian weather, and the flight delay by 1.5 hours was not a surprise. Another five hours of half-nap in the bus chair. At 2 am we arrived at the bus station in Krasnoyarsk. Although, I remember, when in 2005 they returned from Dudinka in a similar way, the bus first stopped at the railway station. It was very convenient, most of the passengers got off there. I had to look for a taxi at 2.30 and move with payment at the night rate to the railway station.

Arriving, we immediately took the tickets. I am in Orenburg in 1.5 hours, and Vladimir Fedorov - in St. Petersburg, wait for the train 6 hours. I bought food for the trip, said goodbye to my partner, with whom they shared their joys and sorrows for 47 days. Almost a day spent on the ship, then on the bus and waiting at different stations had an effect: I fell asleep as soon as the bed was given. Two more days drive - and Orenburg. Summer 2010 is over, another interesting and fascinating wandering page has been closed.

You can do it too !!!

Conclusion

Summing up the preliminary results of the trip to "Summer-2010", it seems that the rafting on the Podkamennaya Tunguska can be conventionally divided into three sections. They can be distinguished and recommended as independent travel.

First segment: along Katanga from the confluence of the Kuusman tributary to the place designated on the maps as the village. Ugoyan (uninhabited, burnt out). ≈ 250-270 km.

More athletic and more difficult to kayak. Depending on the water level, not all rapids can be walked through the water, sometimes a cast-off is needed. Especially worth noting are the rapids - Delakonsky, Chulakansky, Ugoyansky. Although there are descriptions of the passage of all rapids through the water, in battle, by kayak, rafting on a catamaran is a more optimal option.

Second segment: From the village. Ugoyan (nezh.) To the regional center Baykit. ≈ 1.000 km.

You can get to Ugoyan from Ust-Ilim along the logging tract, quite close: about 5 km. Most suitable for kayaks. There are no particular difficult obstacles, although rifts and rapids are not such a rare occurrence. Through 140-160 km there are settlements where you can replenish your food stocks. The largest of them are Chemdalsk, the regional center of Vanavara: there is an air connection with Krasnoyarsk, a local history museum, the center of the Tunguska Meteorite Nature Reserve is located, Osharovo, Baykit - there is an air connection with Krasnoyarsk. This part of the Podkamennaya Tunguska river gives an idea of Evenkia, the breadth and expanse of Siberia, a complete impression of the taiga belt of Russia. If you want and have time, you can visit the place of the alleged fall of the Tunguska meteorite. It is not particularly suitable for catamarans, quite often there are quite long stretches for 3-5, or even 7 km.

Third segment: From the village. Baykit, which can be reached from Krasnoyarsk by plane, to the village. Bor on the Yenisei, from where you can go to Krasnoyarsk by motor ship ≈ 545 km.

On this site there are settlements Polygus, Kuzmovka, Sulomay, where there are shops and you can replenish food supplies. There are rifts and rapids on the river, some of them are quite serious: Kamennaya Shivera, Gorlyshko Shivera, Babushka Shivera, Grandfather Rapid, Poligusovskaya Shivera, Flour Threshold, Big (Seven Verstny) Threshold, Velminsky Threshold, Shcheki Threshold. Their permeability depends on the water level. There is a complete set, and the beauty of the Siberian region, and the complexity of the rafting, and the exotic landscape. Not to mention the settlements of Old Believers on the river and its tributaries. Especially remarkable and surprising are the Pillars, which, in my opinion, deserve the right to be included in the list of "Miracles of Russia". No wonder this part of the Podkamennaya Tunguska is the most popular among water tourists. It is held by kayaks (always with aprons), and by catamarans.

Until next time !!!

Nikolay Kuznetsov

Russia, Orenburg

Email: [email protected]

People now meet more and more often, the field camps of mowers sometimes flaunt along the banks. Now is the most hay time. Already on the approaches to Vanavara, we even had to work out with a private cab. A man stands on the left bank and shouts loudly, trying to attract the attention of those who are on the other bank and are probably sleeping in the tent. He saw us, asked for help, you say, bother these idlers there, let me be transported to your place. Yes, what is there, we ourselves can transport. So they made money for lunch, fed us delicious borscht.

On this day, we did not go to the village, it was already late. All necessary establishments are probably closed. We got up for the night almost three kilometers away. But the village is visible from here, stands on the rise of the right bank. We went there in the morning, the catamaran was left in the boat parking lot. The boat owners take turns on guard, sitting in a beam, set up for this here, on the shore. Here is today's attendant and asked to look after our farm. We have nothing special to do in the village, just call our relatives and buy food. Almost at the entrance to the village, its name amused the cafe "Meteorite", sorry to be closed. Yes, its glory overshadowed this, still not understood phenomenon, the river itself. It was not far from Vanavara that this terrible explosion took place over the taiga in 1908. If it were somewhere in America, Vanavarians would live happily ever after and the cafes would not close, but only open. Spin the car of the travel industry. It may be for the best that not America is here, but Russia, therefore, not only corners that have not yet been touched, but simply huge territories have survived. But local residents have to survive at the expense of the taiga. Actually, like for many hundreds of years and earlier. And apparently, they do not live so badly. The village is clean, there are enough shops, everything you need is available. Communication with the world is also established, we got through without any problems. The main difficulty here is the delivery of the necessary fuel. And without this there is no way, electricity is provided by a diesel power plant. Delivery is not easy, in the spring from the bottom of the river, but it is far away and the rapids get in the way. In winter, when the swamps are frozen, winter roads open. Vanavara, too, for many years, from time immemorial, the Evenks set up their camps on this place. And then one Russian family, Vanya and Varya, seemed to have settled. This is where the name Vanavara came from. But this is only a version. Now there is a mixed population, but there will probably be more Russians. And only about three thousand live. The AN-24 flies to Krasnoyarsk, three times a week. But I have already been here. In 1999, our plane made an intermediate landing at the Vanavar airport on its way to Tura.

All city affairs did not take long, it was time to return to the shore and go further. The man on duty at the boathouse, although he did not forget about the hospitality, treated him to tea, but also showed vigilance. He asked to wait a little, and he went on a motorcycle to the village, supposedly he needed something there. He returned quickly, and five minutes later, as if by chance, the hunting inspector showed up. Do we have unregistered weapons? Yes, we do not have any, instead of guns, only tripods, which we demonstrated.

Directly opposite Vanavara, on the opposite bank, there is a kilometer mark. And she announces that there are 1145 kilometers left to the mouth. The path is not close already passed, the distance is about a third. Now the second third awaits us, this is just from Vanavara to Baykit. The two largest settlements on the river are conveniently located, they divide it into about three equal parts.

I must say that the second third turned out to be the most monotonous and uninteresting. Therefore, it took the least time. It took only two weeks for this 600-kilometer stretch. And the river is not moving badly, it helps. The current is almost everywhere, and sometimes the rapids are not very difficult. The landscapes do not impress with anything special, all that remains is to catch some rare conditions. So this part was not even remembered somehow, as if everything was done in one day. And consciousness has already been rebuilt and the perception of time has changed. What seemed unusual and unusual has become natural and commonplace. It is clear why locals they are surprised that people from afar come to them. But still some impressions were remembered. The first residential village after Vanavara is called Oskoba. They did not enter it, but stopped for shooting and for tea on the higher opposite bank. And they were amazed that for an hour, while they were there, they did not notice a single local resident on the streets. Complete silence. They say that Old Believers live there.

Between Oskoboi and Miryuga there is a large section of the river called the Krivlyaki tract. And indeed, the river here grimaces, winds great between the peaks. Surprisingly, it was here that not a single winter hut was noticed along the banks, it would seem, in the most remote hunting place. And not a single motor boat was seen, now it is no longer a rarity in other places. In general, more and more often it is possible to spend the night in huts. It is very rare to come across winter quarters that are locked, but mostly, please, come in and live. Sometimes the houses are not even bad, even if you move to a permanent place of residence. I am used to this from the experience of other travels, but Kirill never ceases to be amazed at such communism. But in fact, there is no point in hanging locks. A good person will not take anything and leave everything in perfect order, and a bad one is not an obstacle.

Immediately after the next village Miryuga, we spent the night at the mouth of the right tributary called Podporozhnaya, passed just above the threshold, therefore it is called that. The morning pleased us with a dancing fog over the surface of the water. Probably, at the confluence of two rivers, air currents of different temperatures were formed, which caused a local condensation center in the form of a cloud of fog, constantly changing its configuration.

Just below the confluence of the Northern Tokura, we met the so-called ecological camp. With the money allocated by the administration of the Evenk District, children from Tura were taken here, ostensibly to familiarize themselves with the traditions of their ancestors. An impromptu chum has been set up, something is being made of birch bark. At the time of our arrival, most of the children had already been taken back to Baykit, and from there to Tura. Only a few adults remained, a girl of about five years old and still quite a toddler, chubby and amusing, but looking at the guests seriously. With him, his grandmother, says that in these places was once born and this is the territory of her family. At one time, there was a trail to the Angara.

At the mouth of the Kamo we went to visit the operating weather station. We, of course, were treated to everything that was on the table. And there was a pan full of fried meat. And while we were treating ourselves, we heard from the already elderly head of the meteorological station the usual speeches about how bad life is now and how good it used to be. But as soon as he found out that we were from Moscow, Muscovites were to blame for everything. I am not surprised at this for a long time, in distant lands it is customary to find fault with and blame for their troubles not only the government inhabiting Moscow, but also the inhabitants of this city themselves.

Baykit was approached on the 7th of August. Rather, just like on Vanavar, we stopped to spend the night just above the village. More precisely, right at the mouth of a large right tributary called the Chunya. This evening presented an unforgettable sunset, a worthy decoration of our Tunguska photographic collection. We got to the village the next day, and even on the outskirts of it they had an unexpected acquaintance. We moored to the shore to take pictures of Baykit from the side, and then a truck stopped nearby. There is a small section of the road along the bank to Chuna for hayfields. A tall man got out of the car, found out who we were, why and where from, and then asked if we knew Vladimir Koval. At that time he was not personally acquainted, but what landscape photographer does not know the Kovalei brothers. It is on Chun that the elder Koval, that is, Vladimir, has already spent many photographic seasons. And he stops in Baykit, as it turned out, just at this person. Well, what about Baykit. The village is not at all small, about five thousand inhabitants, almost a real city. And they were able to call where necessary and buy the necessary products. The catamaran at this time again remained on the shore, under the supervision of the watchmen in the boat parking lot.

Ending. Beginning in the previous three posts.

The first outlier complexes worthy of serious attention, or the so-called pillars, begin already 20 kilometers below the village and stretch for five kilometers. Unlike those that were found at the very top, on Katanga, these outliers are composed of basalts and therefore have a slightly different appearance. Those were still monolithic and with smooth shapes. These ones seem to be made of bricks, even slightly resemble the structures in the children's game "Lego". They stand on the banks as guards, as if they are guarding the river. Or fortress walls will suddenly appear, or else something wonderful is guessed. Particularly rich in outliers are small canyon-like gorges formed by short side streams, in which they spent days in search of favorable angles. But the weather did not really allow to reveal all the possibilities. At one such parking lot, where we spent a couple of days, I was lucky enough to get to know the local inhabitants relatively closely. As soon as we landed on the shore, it immediately became clear that a bear family lived here. Everything is trampled around, heaps are piled up, eloquently telling about the diet of the owners of this gorge. Apparently, a mother with two cubs is registered here. On the second day, the weather decided to give unlimited opportunities for work, and we scattered from the camp, each in search of his own, the best perspective. Rather, Cyril remained somewhere closer to the entrance to the gorge, but it seemed to me that there was something better somewhere further away, and therefore gradually, with work, began to shift up the gorge. And the higher he went, the more signs of the presence of local inhabitants he found. So I got almost to the very end of the gorge, it will not be more than two kilometers. It was then that they made themselves felt. It looks like they saw the intruder for a long time, but did not disclose it. And then, one might say, pinned to the wall. The bear family, of course, could climb the hill and leave quietly. But such an alignment, probably, did not seem fair to them. At some point, about a hundred meters from me, behind the stream there was a rumble of crumbling stones, then a bear roared menacingly, and the cubs began to squeal with displeasure. It was not possible to see the dissatisfied, the dense forest thickets that hid them did not give. I did not dare to go further, having stood a little for the sake of order, I retired. So the sovereignty of the inhabitants was respected, but we were also quietly allowed to work in the lower part of the gorge.

Podkamennaya Tunguska below Baikit.

As a matter of fact, the mouth of almost any tributary, both small and large, turned out to be interesting here. A long working stay was at the mouth of the Big Nirungda, a beautiful right tributary. They came to the place soaked and frozen. The weather does not allow to relax, here again today I amused myself with a cold rain with a headwind in addition. And the harbinger of this disgrace was an unusual silky cloudiness, which was not even too lazy to capture. The discovered object, that is, the mouth of the Great Nirungda, left no doubt about the need to pay attention to it. Along the Tunguska itself, a long and high wall at the very coast, right up to the mouth of the tributary, is lined with outliers, and along Nirungda they are. And at the head of this whole row of statues is one bizarre stone structure, reminiscent of either the head of a rooster or a man in a hat. It is amazing how this figure, folded from separate blocks and seemingly completely unstable, still holds on. It is doubtful that it will stand for a long time in this form. But a suitable parking space was not immediately found. As it turned out later, there is a hut just below the mouth, but they did not know about it then, and they wanted to stay higher, because this is where all the beauties are. In search of an acceptable place, we went a little deeper into the forest and stumbled upon a path that led to a well-hidden, but solid hut. If there is anything that brightens up the harsh everyday life of such travels, then these are the surprises presented at the right time. The catamaran, along with all the belongings, was dragged up the Nirungda, closer to the hut. Now you can light the stove, dry yourself calmly, cook dinner, dine at the table and lie down to sleep on the spacious plank beds. In every journey there is some moment, some point of the route, the memories of which then warm the soul for a long time. On Podkamennaya Tunguska, this place turned out to be here, in a wonderful hut at the mouth of the beautiful Big Nirungda. And this is despite the fact that they came here on the thirteenth on Friday.

The right bank of the Podkamennaya Tunguska at the mouth of the Big Nirungda. Here, in addition to landscape charms, you can observe an interesting geological section. The remnants themselves are composed of basalts. And at the base, a strip of white rocks is noticeable. These are limestones. As you know, it is a product of marine sediments. Further, the area rose and became dry land, where later there were volcanic eruptions... As a result, basalt covers were formed.

Big Nirungda before flowing into Podkamennaya Tunguska.

A stone idol at the mouth of the Great Nirungda.

The silky sky is a harbinger of bad weather.

Then we walked down the river for several days without days, but we didn’t hurry either, we paid attention to interesting objects... Immediately beyond Nirungda, there are two easy rapids with funny names- Grandmother and grandfather. Here on the banks, here and there are scattered pieces of jet. Further the village with unusual name- Polygus. They tried to get in touch with Moscow, but it turned out that there was no such possibility, either temporarily, or always like that. Immediately beyond the rather nimble threshold of the Muchnaya, we watched a large river transport, tug of barges. People were scurrying around him, they say, they sat down here in the spring, and they still have not been able to drag them into the water, but this must be done before freezing. That is why this threshold is called that, because at one time many barges with flour lost their cargo here, they let fish feed. Below is very big island Kochenyatsky spent the night in a small company at the mouth of the left tributary of the Dyagdagli. This couple from Sverdlovsk, rafting from Baykit in a rubber boat, have been met for a long time. Periodically catching up, then again lagging behind, busy with work. And the island of Kochenyatsky, from the word numb, seems to be so named because someone here froze to death, not having, for some reason, the opportunity to get to the shore.

Settlement Polygus. Skyscraper - administration building. A friendly woman is the deputy head of the administration.

The catastrophe before the threshold of flour.

Kochenyatsky Island.

Morning is somewhere behind Kochenyatsky.

In the same place.

River.

Then came the time of the Great Threshold. The severity of this obstacle was difficult to gauge from the meager descriptions from old travel reports. But the locals scared a little. Indeed, the threshold turned out to be the most significant in the entire river, so I had to strain a little. But in fact, this obstacle is not dangerous for rafting on a catamaran. It just turned out that the threshold was two-stage, which they did not know about. The second, no less powerful stage, took us when we relaxed and looked ahead victoriously, but then we had to duplicate everything. However, the obstacle was left behind without causing any damage, apart from a little water that swept over my right leg. The imminent end of the route became more conscious from now on. Ahead only a series of Velminsky rapids loomed, and then there was even water to the very Yenisei.

Once we spent the night, not reaching three kilometers of the mouth of a large left tributary called Velmo. We noticed a comfortable hut on the right bank. Nearby flows into Nizhniy Baikitik, a small rivulet. They occupied the dwelling in a businesslike manner, and a little later the real owners appeared, a man with a big beard and a boy, his son. Sailed on motor boat Probably, they were going to spend the night here, but they did not drive out the guests. Not only did they leave us what products were, they also shared the grayling caught right there. Here, at the mouth of the Nizhny Baikitik, their net stands. In general, these are residents of Burny. Above Velmo, seven kilometers from the mouth, there is a village with that name. In the same place, the river of the same name flows into Velmo. And real Old Believers live there, it’s not bad, they say, they live. Now it's not even a bad thing to be Old Believers, young people are not taken into the army.

Velmo brought a fresh stream into the waters of the Podkamennaya Tunguska. For several kilometers, they seem to flow side by side, without mixing - the clear and greenish Velminskaya water and the brown water of the Podkamennaya Tunguska. A series of Velminsky rapids did not surprise with anything, they passed calmly.

Old Believers from Burny.

Checking networks.

Haystacks at the mouth of Velmo

Maigungna is a right tributary of the Podkamennaya Tunguska.

Flood at Maigungn.

Maigungna.

At the mouth of the Maigungna.

And then, in working order, they began to slowly move to the exit from the river. Slightly higher than the village of Sulomai, higher than the Black Island, the mountains, as if saying goodbye, squeeze the Podkamennaya Tunguska in their arms, so that later they can let them go all the way to the Yenisei. This place is called Cheeks here. Farewell banks delight the eye with their stone sculptures, the river meanders beautifully in a narrow and deep passage. In Shcheki we also spent the night in a small hut. It stands on a steep bank, high from the water, about twenty or thirty meters vertically, but, apparently, in the spring the water rises directly under this hut. So narrow is this stone neck, which serves as a kind of gate on the way to the Yenisei.

Podkamennaya Tunguska in "Cheeks".

In "Cheeks" stone sculptures were also pampered with their subjects. This one is clearly an Indian in profile.

Group self-portrait. Cyril in the foreground. Somewhere before the exit to the Yenisei. Someone, looking at this picture, said: - well, you are like brothers here. Well, yes, two months together, in taiga conditions. Overgrown slightly.

We reached the Yenisei on August 28, safely crossed this huge river from the right to the left bank and stopped at the pier in the village of Bor. Here we had to wait a couple of days for the passing steamer to Krasnoyarsk, and here our long journey along the Podkamennaya Tunguska ended, a river worthy of dreaming about it, worthy of a dream come true.

Well, for a snack - berries, mushrooms.

Stone berry.

Currant is an oxalis.

Karpukhin Sergey.

In the middle reaches, the third largest tributary, the Podkamennaya Tunguska, flows into the Yenisei. The porous river is notable for its unique wild beauty.

On the right bank of the Podkamennaya Tunguska, high wooded cliffs of the Yenisei ridge stretch. The most beautiful and majestic of them - the Sulomayskie Pillars, approached the river itself. They got their name from the nearby village of Sulomai, where representatives of one of the smallest peoples on Earth, Keto, live compactly.

The Sulomayskie Stolby Natural Park is located in the Evenki Municipal District (north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory). Represents mountain canyon with huge slopes, the height of which reaches 120 - 150 meters. Vertical pillars of various shapes, with a diameter of 6 to 10 meters, the height of which ranges from 30 to 80 meters. Occupies an area of one thousand hectares. The unique ecosystem and the shape of the pillars, which are composed of basalt rocks. Their outlines resemble human figures and have their own names "Grandmother", "Mother", "Granddaughter", etc.

Traveling along the Podkamennaya Tunguska and Yenisei, you can get acquainted not only with nature, but also with the ethnic world, way of life and traditions of local residents.

PROGRAM OF AN ACTIVE TOUR in Podkamennaya Tunguska and Yenisei:
The first day
We will begin our journey in Krasnoyarsk, a large cultural and historical the center of Siberia. Let's take some time for an excursion around Krasnoyarsk. We will admire the main symbols of the city - the chapel of Paraskevna Pyatnitsa on Karaulnaya Gora with a beautiful view of the city. In addition to the architectural monuments of the 18th-19th centuries, we will climb the chair-lift, from where an even more magnificent view of the city, its surroundings and, most importantly, the Stolby reserve opens up. Let's go for a walk. Next, we have an excursion to the Museum of Local Lore, which is rightfully considered one of the best museums history and ethnography of Siberia.
Did you know that you see Krasnoyars every day ?!

Second day
After an early breakfast, we will say goodbye to hospitable Krasnoyarsk and proceed to international Airport"Yemelyanovo", from which we will fly to the Evenk village of Baykit. In just one hour and forty minutes of flight, we will find ourselves on the shore of the taiga beauty - Podkamennaya Tunguska. From here we have to make a 545-kilometer journey along the wonderful river to the very mouth by motoraft. (route of the II category of difficulty)
Training. Departure, and now we are already slowly cutting through the water expanses of Podkamennaya, admiring the untouched panorama wildlife, stone placers, bizarre rock ledges. Overnight in a tent.

Day three
We continue our journey along the winding and rocky river. Rock massifs stretch either along the left or along the right bank. Solid mountains alternate with "feathers". Stop. Climbing one of them. The panorama of the Tunguska floodplain is truly reserved. Overnight in a tent.

Day four
We overcome a two-stage rapids without any special shafts, but with a powerful flow almost along the entire river. The mountains around are overgrown with forest. After one of the turns, following a fairly powerful rift, we arrive at the first village on our route, Polygus, located on the slope of the mountain. Acquaintance with the indigenous inhabitants of the village. Overnight stay.

Day five
We overcome the one and a half kilometer "flour threshold". The river here makes a wide turn, bounded on the right side by a high rocky "circus". Full width in a large number- low, but sharp multidirectional shafts, with a very powerful pressure. After the Flourish threshold, the mountains part again. Overnight in a tent.

Day six
We follow the "wide" arm along the large island. In the distance you can see high misty mountains - a real Siberian landscape. Tunguska continues to wind between the mountains, whirlpools appear. Overnight in a tent.

Seventh day
We overcome the seven-kilometer Big Rapid. It consists of two steps. The shafts are up to one and a half meters high, sharp and disordered. The river gradually calms down, becomes wide. We reach a forest hay meadow, which stretches along the right bank. We are located in the winter hut. We are making a day. Let's heat the bathhouse! We are resting.

Day eight

We arrive at the mouth of the left tributary of the Velmo River. We climb eight kilometers along it and visit the village of Burny. Place of residence of Siberian Old Believers ("Kerzhaks") We get acquainted with the history, way of life and way of life of the Old Believers. Overnight stay.

Day nine
After the confluence of the Velmo River, the Tunguska becomes like Mountain Lake... A calm, mirrored, mirrored surface. Overnight in a tent.

Day ten
We arrive at the Old Believer village of Kuzmovka. Acquaintance with the inhabitants, the history of the settlement of the Siberian lands by ethnic Russians. We will find out why fellow believers support the "old way" based on reverence for elders, hard work and respect for nature. Why do they not accept modern church and secular laws? How faith helps you survive in harsh climatic conditions... Eight kilometers later, the Old Believers' settlement of the “other branch” is Kochumdek. Acquaintance with the inhabitants, history and life. Full immersion in the environment of the 17th century. Only a few details of our century are brought back to reality. Overnight stay.

Day eleven
We arrive at the borders of the Yenisei Stolbovoy state reserve... Exit to the right bank is prohibited. We follow to the mouth of the Stolbovaya river. Walking excursion along the river bank to the waterfall. Overnight stay.

Day twelve
We are approaching the culmination point of our journey - the Sulomai Pillars. The Tunguska is shrinking, and along the banks there are many stone pillars with terraces leading to them from the water itself. Six mountain ranges consistently approach the Tunguska from different shores. Climbing the pillars. Only from here you can feel the truly greatness of the mountains around you, between which the Siberian river flows quickly and powerfully. Afternoon. Overnight stay.

Day thirteen
We pass a wide pebble beach, framed as before by high, beautiful stone "feathers". Several Yet sharp turns between the rocks and the Tunguska again spreads to a one and a half kilometer width and continues its way to the Yenisei among the low mountains. We arrive in the village of Sulomai. Acquaintance with representatives of the indigenous small people of Keto, history and crafts. We will taste Evenk dishes national cuisine... Whitefish, Chir, Muksun in slightly salted, dried and dried form. Chuken cooked over the fire. Tea made from medicinal herbal infusions. Overnight stay

Day fourteen
Completion of the active part of the trip. It will not be sad, but this evening is farewell. Farewell to Podkamennaya beauty. For two weeks of secluded stay in nature, we have already connected with the rhythms of sunrises and sunsets. Already enchanted by the beauty. The memories of the stories of the inhabitants met on the river and its banks are still so fresh. The adrenaline that stood out on the thresholds had not yet completely disappeared, but the gray-haired Yenisei hospitably opened his arms. Overnight stay.

Day fifteen
The journey continues. Entering the Yenisei. Crossing a three-kilometer river bed to the village of Bor. Late in the evening, loading onto a motor ship next to the polar port city of Dudinka.

Then we travel along the lower Yenisei, in the first class cabin of the three-deck motor ship "Alexander Matrosov". How nice it is after "living in nature" to feel the first benefits of civilization. Take a warm shower, visit a restaurant or bar on the second or third deck, enjoy the landscapes of the Yenisei taiga passing by, slowly turning into the forest-tundra.

Day sixteen
The motor ship smoothly plows through the expanses of the Yenisei. Few villages are left behind. Stop near the village of Bakhta, which gained worldwide popularity after the exit documentary"Happy people". Fishermen and craftsmen of ancient Siberian crafts live in Bakhta with a strong spirit. If you are lucky, you can get to know some of them.

In the evening, arrival in the village of Turukhansk, which is at the confluence of the Lower Tunguska. Visit to the Holy Trinity Monastery with its almost four hundred years of history. On this day, there will be an acquaintance with another religion rooted in Siberia - Orthodoxy. Now the worldview of the Siberian man is the most complete. This is how pagans (Samoyeds), Old Believers (Kerzhaks) and Orthodox (baptized) coexist in the remote taiga wilderness.

Day seventeen
In the middle of the night (in the midst of a polar day) we will cross the Arctic Circle. The sun, high above the horizon, reflects on the waves. The river and the village of the same name Kureyka. Where did the link "father of all peoples" I.V. Stalin
In the afternoon we arrive in the port city of Igarka. Visit to the unique, the only museum in the world "Permafrost". We descend to a depth of 12 meters and look in a block of ice, relict trees frozen into the soil, whose age is a little more than 65 million years.

We arrive in Dudinka late in the evening. Sea gate the Taimyr Peninsula. Huge icebreakers and nimble tugs, as well as bright, colorful houses on the permafrost and original national culture indigenous small-numbered peoples of the Far North. Farewell to the Yenisei. Overnight at the hotel.

Day eighteen
Visit to the Museum of Local Lore, the Center of Folk Art. Moving to the city of Norilsk, the pearl of the Arctic. The northernmost city on Earth. The world's northernmost factories and mines. Who has not seen this city, wants to visit it, who has visited will never remain indifferent.
Transfer to Alykel airport. Direct flights to the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
So our journey across Siberia ends. Behind the already traveled thousands of kilometers along the Podkamennaya Tunguska and the majestic Yenisei.

The impressions of the landscapes seen, the stories heard, will warm you for many years with the warmth of Siberian hospitality. All the best, dear travelers. Welcome to Siberia!!!

We arrive at the beginning of the program on June 8 in Krasnoyarsk, we fly home on June 29 from Norilsk,
We're catching tickets!

Budget for active tour in Siberia: 53,700 rubles.
Included in the price:
Accommodation in a hotel in Krasnoyarsk - 2500 rubles
Flight Krasnoyarsk - Baykit settlement (7800 rubles)
Rafting on a motoraft on Podkamennaya Tunguska, three meals a day, accommodation in prepared hiking conditions - 29 300 rubles
Travel by motor ship in a class I cabin in Bor - Dudinka (9900 rubles)
(Meals on board the ship at your own discretion are paid separately)
Accommodation in a hotel in Dudinka - 2500 rubles
Transfer to Norilsk - 1700 rubles

Additional costs during our active walking tour:
Meals on the boat and in the mountains
Flight from home to Krasnoyarsk
Flight from Norilsk to home
Personal expenses

Tours with Sergey Kuznetsov:
-
-

So, another third of the total distance has been covered, only one of the three remains. And as it turned out, and as expected, this is the most photogenic part of the river. Now we know our capabilities, we know that the remaining distance is not so great and will not take too much time. Therefore, you can change your tactics a little and allow yourself to stay longer in some of the most interesting places. And this part of the river is famous for its pillars, that is, outliers. And if you have the task of simply filming beautiful landscapes certainly on Podkamennaya Tunguska, while not straining yourself with an extended route, then for this you have to fly by local plane from Krasnoyarsk to Baykit and start your rafting from here.
The first outlier complexes worthy of serious attention, or the so-called pillars, begin already 20 kilometers below the village and stretch for five kilometers. Unlike those that were found at the very top, on Katanga, these outliers are composed of basalts and therefore have a slightly different appearance. Those were still monolithic and with smooth shapes. These ones seem to be made of bricks, even slightly resemble the structures in the children's game "Lego". They stand on the banks as guards, as if they are guarding the river. Or fortress walls will suddenly appear, or else something wonderful is guessed. Particularly rich in outliers are small canyon-like gorges formed by short side streams, in which they spent days in search of favorable angles. But the weather did not really allow to reveal all the possibilities. At one such parking lot, where we spent a couple of days, I was lucky enough to get to know the local inhabitants relatively closely. As soon as we landed on the shore, it immediately became clear that a bear family lived here. Everything is trampled around, heaps are piled up, eloquently telling about the diet of the owners of this gorge. Apparently, a mother with two cubs is registered here. On the second day, the weather decided to give unlimited opportunities for work, and we scattered from the camp, each in search of his own, the best perspective. Rather, Cyril remained somewhere closer to the entrance to the gorge, but it seemed to me that there was something better somewhere further away, and therefore gradually, with work, began to shift up the gorge. And the higher he went, the more signs of the presence of local inhabitants he found. So I got almost to the very end of the gorge, it will not be more than two kilometers. It was then that they made themselves felt. It looks like they saw the intruder for a long time, but did not disclose it. And then, one might say, pinned to the wall. The bear family, of course, could climb the hill and leave quietly. But such an alignment, probably, did not seem fair to them. At some point, about a hundred meters from me, behind the stream there was a rumble of crumbling stones, then a bear roared menacingly, and the cubs began to squeal with displeasure. It was not possible to see the dissatisfied, the dense forest thickets that hid them did not give. I did not dare to go further, having stood a little for the sake of order, I retired. So the sovereignty of the inhabitants was respected, but we were also quietly allowed to work in the lower part of the gorge.

Then we walked down the river for several days without days, but we didn’t hurry either, we paid attention to interesting objects. Immediately after Nirungda, there are two simple rapids with funny names - Grandmother and Grandfather. Here on the banks, here and there are scattered pieces of jet. Further there is a village with an unusual name - Polygus. They tried to get in touch with Moscow, but it turned out that there was no such possibility, either temporarily, or always like that. Immediately beyond the rather nimble threshold of the Muchnaya, a large river transport, a barge tug, thrown ashore, was observed. People were scurrying around him, they say, they sat down here in the spring, and they still have not been able to drag them into the water, but this must be done before freezing. That is why this threshold is called that, because at one time many barges with flour lost their cargo here, they let fish feed. Below the very large island of Kochenyatsky, we spent the night in a small company at the mouth of the left tributary of the Dyagdagli. This couple from Sverdlovsk, rafting from Baykit in a rubber boat, have been met for a long time. Periodically catching up, then again lagging behind, busy with work. And the island of Kochenyatsky, from the word numb, seems to be so named because someone here froze to death, not having, for some reason, the opportunity to get to the shore.

Once we spent the night, not reaching three kilometers of the mouth of a large left tributary called Velmo. We noticed a comfortable hut on the right bank. Nearby flows into Nizhniy Baikitik, a small rivulet. They occupied the dwelling in a businesslike manner, and a little later the real owners appeared, a man with a big beard and a boy, his son. We sailed on a motor boat, probably, they were going to spend the night here, but they did not drive out the guests. Not only did they leave us what products were, they also shared the grayling caught right there. Here, at the mouth of the Nizhny Baikitik, their net stands. In general, these are residents of Burny. Above Velmo, seven kilometers from the mouth, there is a village with that name. In the same place, the river of the same name flows into Velmo. And real Old Believers live there, it’s not bad, they say, they live. Now it's not even a bad thing to be Old Believers, young people are not taken into the army.
Velmo brought a fresh stream into the waters of the Podkamennaya Tunguska. For several kilometers, they seem to flow side by side, without mixing - the clear and greenish Velminskaya water and the brown water of the Podkamennaya Tunguska. A series of Velminsky rapids did not surprise with anything, they passed calmly.

Behind the rapids I liked the mouth of the right tributary, under the difficult to pronounce name - Maygungna. A nimble and rapids river flows beautifully and noisily into the Podkamennaya Tunguska. Just caught the flood, the heavy rains tried. We can say that before our eyes, Maygungna swelled with yellow water and with a frenzied stream tried to quickly dump the excess load into the big river. On the Tunguska itself, this flood did not have much effect, the water level almost did not rise. Not far from the mouth, of course, they found a hut for our comfortable stay. Small at all, you literally have to crawl into the doorway. It should be noted that in this part of the river, where Old Believers live, for some reason all the huts are so small. Really, really asceticism is inherent in them. In the hut, the two of us were somehow accommodated, but then we also had to make room, the guests arrived by boat, carrying some cargo down the river. We left two men on a fishing trip, and then went further and took them on the way back. Well, in tight quarters, but not offended. We shared with each other what we could. We spent three days on Maigungn, still the weather did not allow to reveal the creative potential of this place. And the wind was blowing so that a standing tripod easily knocked down to the ground. But nevertheless we grazed several interesting moments, and waited for meager glimpses of the sun.
And then, in working order, they began to slowly move to the exit from the river. Slightly higher than the village of Sulomai, higher than the Black Island, the mountains, as if saying goodbye, squeeze the Podkamennaya Tunguska in their arms, so that later they can let them go all the way to the Yenisei. This place is called Cheeks here. Farewell banks delight the eye with their stone sculptures, the river meanders beautifully in a narrow and deep passage. In Shcheki we also spent the night in a small hut. It stands on a steep bank, high from the water, about twenty or thirty meters vertically, but, apparently, in the spring the water rises directly under this hut. So narrow is this stone neck, which serves as a kind of gate on the way to the Yenisei.
We reached the Yenisei on August 28, safely crossed this huge river from the right to the left bank and stopped at the pier in the village of Bor. Here we had to wait a couple of days for the passing steamer to Krasnoyarsk, and here our long journey along the Podkamennaya Tunguska ended, a river worthy of dreaming about it, worthy of a dream come true.