The turquoise lake
9 Apr 2014 | Baikal, Irkutskaya Oblast, Russia
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I just cannot leave the area without spending a few days around the Baikal!
I found out that the transsiberian railway used to follow the Angara river from Irkutsk until Port Baikal, and then followed the lake to join the current route at Slyudyanka. When the dam on the Angara river was built in Irkutsk, the line was put underwater and the current route was built. So the bit from Port Baikal to Slyudyanka is now almost disused, with only a few trains a week that serve that dead end. That would make a great hiking pathway, some one hundred kilometer along the lake.
So here I go, with no preparation whatsoever, and of course I forget to take food (I thought about taking some on the way, but didn't find any shop on a frozen lake...), and enjoy three days of freedom with very little civilization, and a few great encounters! The lake turns more and more amazing at each turn, wonderful views and wonderful colors, I will need to come back!