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Kamchatka
2000

In the fall of 2000 I had the good fortune to visit and fish one of the worlds last remaining refuges of pure strains of salmon, steelhead and rainbow trout. I kept a journal and took several hundred photos, I'd like to share some of the images and thoughts.

While the habitat is not truly  “pristine”, it is close. The opportunity to experience a nearly natural river and riparian habitat was both illuminating and disheartening given the contrast to the rivers and streams of my home. What began as a fishing trip became much more as I became more aware of the fertility of a healthy river.

Arrangements for the trip were made through the The Wild Salmon Center  a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving native fishes.
Questions?  Contact me at salmo@teleport (remove).com   (Remove (remove) before sending)

Small thumbnail images can be clicked on for a larger view.
Notes from my journal are in this color and italicized.

Getting There:

While chasing the sun west does make it possible to leave Portland, OR at daybreak and cast a line in the Zhupanova River before nightfall I took a more leisurely approach and arrived in Anchorage a day early. With only one flight a week missing the plane is not advised. From Anchorage it’s off to a brief refueling stop in Anadyr and then on to Petropavlovsk. From Petro it is a thrilling helicopter ride to the river.

 …3:45 PM- Over Seattle
– Must have been a beautiful place for fish before urban sprawl. See Bill Gates house and the Boeing complex. Realize these sources of sprawl are also the very things that permit me to make this trip…(I work in hi-tech and am flying in a Boeing jet)
...Anadyr, “Pit Stop”. Pilot decides to stop at ancient Soviet airfield on Siberian coast to pick up a few gallons. First stop on Russian soil. Rotting runway, buildings and MIGs.. Pit Stop in Anadyr: The military base at Anadyr was cold, windy and worn. Tundra fires burned unchecked
Just out of picture to the left is fire a truck, windows down, both occupants are smoking and tossing ashes this way.

MIG spare parts depot:

One of several decaying MIGs scattered about.

Petropavlovsk:

Sub  bases and airfields nearby. High unemployment since collapse of Soviet military infrastructure.
See: http://www.kamchatkapeninsula.com

MIGs at the ready:

 
 …8:15pm (local time) Land, clear customs, Russian Bureaucracy is sloooow. Confusion reigns as people and gear are loaded into vans for mad dash to helicopter. Getting late, foul weather. Pilots are eager to get going. Pull up to helicopter bone yard, pick one and away we go. Most thrilling aircraft ride in my life. Poor weather, fog, getting dark, rusty helio, big mountains! Fantastic! The ME8;
A workhorse. Crew of three (pilot, copilot, engineer), a bit rusty, a leak or two, plywood seats and few working seat belts.

 

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