冬季シベリア横断自転車ツーリング報告書 Ｐａｇｅ ６

　

　

　

　

９． REPORT in ENGLISH

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A Bicycle Odyssey across Winter Siberia

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Hiromasa Andow

　

A 33-year old Japanese cyclist Hiromasa Andow has completed a solo winter crossing of Siberia by bicycle, began September 1, 2002 from Murmansk, a city on the Barents Sea which borders on Norway, arrived in Magadan, the Western coast of the Okhotsk Sea -- chalking up 14,927km on his odometer in 248 days. He reached his destination on May 6, 2003.

　

Siberia - Wonderland for extreme travelers

Think Siberia and think cold, the taiga forests and the icy wastelands of the tundra in its inhospitable snowbound vastness - it takes up nearly one third of the northern hemisphere - and the uninhabitability makes it a rewarding challenge.

Consult a map of Siberia, which is close to our country geographically but little known, there is only 40km from north-tip of Hokkaido (Japan) and south-tip of Sakhalin (Russia). However, Siberia was closed to “western countries” during Soviet times. It is possible to travel Siberia individually now, but we cannot get enough information about the deep area of taiga because of the inadequate infrastructure after the collapse of its social economic system.

　

History of Across Siberia by Japanese

The Russian Emperors and Academy of Science sent several expeditions to the Far East Siberia, including V.J.Bering, for their advance into East. Russia arrived in Okhotsk Sea in 1639. Shogunate Japan was a closed country at that time. But many Japanese wrecked ships floated on current and washed up on the shore of Siberia. Drifter Tatekawa Denbei was sent to Europe in 1702, probably he was the first Japanese crossed Siberia. Another drifter Captain Daikokuya Kodayu and his sixteen sailors washed on Aleutian in 1782, then traversed Siberia to St.Petersburg in 1791. He was granted an audience by the Empress Ekaterina II, and asked her to arrange a ship to go back to Japan. She granted his request. However, most of members were already dead because of severe winter journey. Only two of them could return to Japan in 1793.

After Meiji Modernization Restoration in 1867, new Japanese governments sent the first ambassador Enomoto Takeaki to Russian capital. He traversed Siberia in 1878. Kuroda Kiyotaka, who became Japanese prime-minister later, also crossed Siberia in 1886. Colonel Fukushima Yasumasa traversed Siberia in solo on horseback in 1891-92. Tamai Kisaku traversed with tea caravan in 1892. After Trans-Siberian Railway completion in 1903, no Japanese have traversed whole Siberia without motorized vehicles. However some adventurers traveled partially in Siberia by dog-sled, kayak, horse-back or bicycle.

　

Cyclists in Siberia

It is not clear that who was the first cyclist to cross Siberia. The first cyclists from “western countries” were American Mark Jenkins and his teammates. They crossed Siberia in 1989 summer.

Winter Cyclists, a kind of extreme traveler, love severe and chilly weather, heavy snow, frozen trace and beautiful sceneries. Winter biking is more difficult but interesting than summer for us same as winter climbing. Already　some cyclists had challenged winter biking partially in Siberia. For adventure cyclists, it is one of the ultimate target to complete traverse Siberia in chilly winter. It was important for me to travel alone without any escorted assistance. And also all the route had to be traversed only by myself. It was not allowed to use any other vehicle even for 1 millimeter on the way.

　

The Purposes of My Journey;

1. Complete a bike touring across winter Siberia in solo.

2. Contribute international grass rooted friendship between Japan and Russian people.

3. Promote for Bicology (Bike & Ecology). Research grovel warming effects in Siberia.

4. Research the nature, animals, plants, climates etc. Record and introduce those results on magazines and books.

5. Improve winter bicycling technique under the extremely chilly condition.

　

Preparation and Training

As well as before challenging Siberia, I have crossed chilly Tibetan Plateau alone by bicycle in 1995 winter when I was a student of Yunnan University of China. First Tibet touring was from Katmandu – Lhasa – Kunming. Next touring was from Kashgar – Mt.Kailash – Katmandu. Total distance was 6500km. I have also run Hokkaido for several times and chilly Alaska for training and testing the equipments.

　

Crossing From West to East

Calling my trans-Siberian journey, the last challenge on the Eurasian continent, I headed east from Europe. I started Murmansk in the Arctic Circle on September 1, and continued my touring with 15 kilograms of baggage on bicycle, camping out along the way. I pedaled across European Russia via St.Petersburg and Moscow then crossed Ural Mountains, the border of Europe and Asia, in the middle of October. The road was already covered with packed snow.

It began to snow thick and fast. I pedaled across taiga forests covered with hoar frost that took me through the depths of winter. The leaves of ice were glittered in the morning sun, and the air was shining itself by the diamond-dust phenomenon.

The daytime was getting shorter and shorter. Since a high latitude location, the sun rose from forests late in the morning, and did not rise so high, then drifted lower above taiga, finally the forests were covered with the sunset red. I had to run at night also to earn the distance. The Polaris was sparkling higher in the sky than anywhere else.

　

Chilly Minus 42 degrees Centigrade

I intentionally chose severe wintertime for traveling. I was undaunted by freezing temperatures, preferring to see my exhaling breath wax crystalline. But it was too cold for me at that time.

It was happened near Tomsk of Central Siberian Plateau in early December. Cold air mass hit me. It was -42C which was the first time in my life. I knew -30C to -35C in Tibet and Alaska. It was 10 degree lower than my experience, but I was so surprised how different it was! When I was running on bike, chilly -40C was not so serious problem because my body was always generating the heats. The problem was at night when I was not in physically active. I had to stay awake for several nights while camping out in a cold snap that drove temperatures down to -40C. The problem was the vapor from my body. It made my sleeping bag and tent like a rock of ice. I sometimes woke up in the middle of the night from the cold, and wondered if I might be freezed.

Fortunately, this -42C was the coldest on this journey. I was near Lake Baikal in January and February. It was not so cold there because the huge amount of lake water prevented the air from becoming extremely chilly.

Irkutsk was the halfway point of this journey. From Europe to Irkutsk, there was a good road beside the Trans-Siberian Railway, so there was nothing special to mention, because the route was already in a driving map. However, my “real” challenge would start from here to Far East Siberia.

　

Lake Baikal -the clearest ice in the world-

The Baikal – it has the clearest water, the oldest history, the deepest and the biggest volume of pure water in the world. The local people call this lake “Sea”. The lake will be frozen in winter and passable by bicycle. I started to cross frozen Baikal with studded tires from south to north tip in the middle of January.

Ice cycling was very comfortable. I ran anywhere freely as I wanted. But the Lake was not yet completely frozen, so I had to be careful for the crack and thin ice. If I fall into the chilly water, I would sink to the bottom of the lake, 1637m under the water of the deepest in the world. I actually got my front tire trapped in a crack two times. When there was a lot of snow or heaps of ice debris, I pushed my bike or carried it on my shoulder. If lucky, I could use trace of truck on the snow.

I sometime stayed in local houses when there was a village. The local people Buryat believes Tibetan Buddhism same as Mongolian. I had a chance to stay in Buddhism temple. However, most of the nights, I slept in a tent on the ice. I was fearful to hear the ice cracking sound. The ice was always cracking to diffuse the stress of icing. But I got used to it, and then started to think that this sound is “a breath of ice”.

I arrived in Nizini-Angarsk, the north tip of the lake in the end of February. I had run almost 1000km on the lake for one month.

　

Bike River Cruise on Winter Roads -ZIMNIK-

Far East region of Siberia is almost permafrost land. In a short summer, these frozen soils change to muddy wetland, and become almost impassable by vehicles. It is quite difficult to make a road on such a wetland. But the road comes into existence in winter on frozen river or trace after some trucks run on the ice or snow. These winter roads are called “ZIMNIK” in Russian.

From Baikal Lake to Yakutsk, I had run 3000km on such ZIMNIK on Lena River and taiga forests. Lena River will be frozen from October and most part of Lena have ZIMNIK. If some part of Lena do not have ZIMNIK, I have to take another ZIMNIK in the forest. These ZIMNIK are not mentioned on the map. Of course, there are no traffic signs on ZIMNIK. I could get detailed information only from local drivers.

There was no village for hundreds kilometers in some part of taiga. Only ZIMNIK and frozen forests continued as boundless. So I carried a lot of foods. There are rare traffics on such ZIMNIK, but I met helpful local drivers –some of them gave me food and vodka. I did not have to worry about starvation. Mutual cooperation is essential to survive in this severe nature. Almost all the drivers could not pass without helping me. It was regulations of the wilds!

　

Minority Nationalities in Far East Siberia

I arrived in Yakutsk, the capital of Saha Republic, in early April. Local Yakut people have very similar faces to Japanese. Many cars stopped to greet me on the way. The rumor spread like a wildfire. Everybody knew who I was and asked my autograph.

In many villages, people welcomed me because I was the first Japanese to visit. They let me stay in their houses. I was invited to schools then I talked about my travel and Japan to children. They listened to my story with shining their eyes.

　

The End of the Road

I left Yakutsk in early April for the final destination, Okhotsk Sea. There was a road called Kolima. Sometime I had to run at chilly night to avoid muddy road or ice melted river in warm daytime temperatures. I had to hurry to complete my travel before spring comes.

I visited Oymyakon village, the coldest place in the northern hemisphere. They have the coldest record -71.2C in 1933. Even it was already in the middle of April, I could enjoy -30C at night. In mountain region, it was snowing every night and the road was covered with heavy snow. So I had to push my bike. It was the last obstacle.

Finally, I reached my destination Magadan on May 6. The Okhotsk Sea was still frozen. I made final camp on the ice of the sea and spent silent night.

Two days later of my arrival, the first rain began to fall and the snow on the ground started to thaw. Local people said “real spring has come!” ZIMNIK on the lake, river and taiga would also disappear like an illusion. My winter journey was also destined to finish.

The Siberian winter climate was more severe than I had imagined, but I had met many people who encouraged me, and that had made my journey enjoyable. I was treated with a kindness that is unique to those who live in a severe environment – and that enabled me to realize my dream. With my mission now a reality, I felt a little bit sad as if I had completed "a small life journey”.

　

　

　

　

ITINERARY from Murmansk to Magadan

AD2002

Aug.20: Flight from Tokyo to Moscow. Visit Russian Cycle Touring Club.

  Move to Murmansk by train.

Sept.1: Start Murmansk, the city on Barents Sea near border with Finland.

  Republic of Karelia, The Arctic Circle, Aurora,

  World Heritage KIJI island

Mid-Sept: St.Petersburg on Baltic Sea

End-Sept: Moscow

Early-Oct: Republic of Tatarstan, Republic of Bashkortostan

Mid-Oct: Ural Mountains, Entered to Asia

Early-Nov: Western Siberian Lowland. Omsk.

End-Nov: Central Siberian Plateau. Novosibirsk

Early-Dec: Tomsk. The coldest day on this journey. Minus 42 Celsius.

Mid-Dec: Krasnoyarsk

AD2003

Early-Jan: Arrived in Irkutsk. Repair bike for good condition.

Mid-Jan: Departure Irkutsk, start traverse on frozen Lake Baikal.

Middle part of Lake did not freeze. So landed and wait till complete frozen.

End-Jan: Visit the head temple of Tibetan Buddhism at Buryatia Republic

Early-Feb: Lake Baikal completely frozen, Re-start across Baikal touring.

End-Feb: Completion of across Baikal from south to north tip.

Early-Mar: Across Zabaikalsk mountains. Winter road on frozen Lena River

Early- Apr: Arrived at Yakutsk and start on Kolima road

Mid-Apr: Far-East Siberia mountainous region

  Oymyakon, the coldest place in the north semi-sphere

May 6: Okhotsk Sea at Magadan Total distance 14927km, 248days

Mid-May: Flight to Khabarovsk. Biking to Vladivostok on Sea of Japan. Extra 900km

Early-Jun: Return to Tokyo Japan via Moscow

 

　

　

Equipment:

Clothes: T-shirt, Underwear, Arm warmer, Thin Fleece Shirt, Thin Fleece Jacket, Down Vest, Outer Jacket (Gore-Tex), Down Jacket, Under shorts 2, Under Tights, Sweat Pants, Bicycle Pants, Fleece Pants, Inner Pants, Knee Supporter, Mittens (Thin Fleece, Thick Wool), Down Mittens, Over Mittens, Head Band, Muffler, Handle cover, Heavy Winter Hat, Face Mask, Ear Band, Muffler, Bandanna, Sunglasses, Goggles, Socks (thin 3pcs, thick 2pcs), Vapor Barrier Liner Socks, Double Arctic-boots, Long spats, Over Boots

Camping: Tent, Tent sheet, Roll Mat, Air Mat, Sleeping bag (dawn), Tent shoes, Bottle for urine, lighter, LED Head lamp, Aluminum bottle 1L, Thermos500ml, Pot 1L, Cup, Spoon, MSR gasoline stove, Gasoline bottle, Gasoline maximum 4L, Emergency methanol, Axe, Knife

Photo Equipment: Camera 2 (single lens reflex camera Pentax MZ-3, compact camera), Lens 28-200mm, filters, film (Kodak Ektachrome 100pcs), Small tripod,

Instrument: Map various kinds, GPS, compass, shortwave radio, thermometer 2, Wrist Watch with altimeter, Batteries, Palm Top Computer, the bicycle computer 2, Russian guide book, Sets of documents, passport, Tooth Brush, Some medicine, Pepper spray, Harmonica

Bicycle: Mountain bike (SPECIALIZED ROCKHOPPER) modified a lot for winter cycling, Spare parts, Repair tool, touring bag 6pcs, Sled