!!!Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Part 1
by Dmitry Moiseenko and Stanislav Sedov,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\
26 December 2013
with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]
The Kamchatka Peninsula is located in the northeastern part of Russia.
It has a total area of 270,000 square km with three wildlife refuges, 5
national parks, 8 federal and 23 local nature reserves, 105 natural
monuments, 2 sanatorium-resort zones, and many other protected areas.
Kamchatka's main attractions are volcanoes. Images of the volcanoes are
even depicted on the flag and coat of arms of both Kamchatka Krai and
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, the main city of the region. In total there
are more than 300 Kamchatka volcanoes, but only 30 of them are active.
Since 1996 Kamachatka volcanoes and adjoining territories are listed as
UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This area is known for beautiful landscapes
and a huge variety of biological species. Uzon volcanic caldera in
Kronotskiy Wildlife Refuge offers one of the most amazing sceneries
you'll ever see.
[{Image src='01_Lake Eight, Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia.jpg' caption='Lake Eight, Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='441'}]
Uzon Volcanic Caldera (a cauldron-like collapse) was formed about 40,000
years ago on the site of the volcano that was destroyed by a series of
eruptions. Powerful explosions left a crater with a diameter of about 10
kilometers and total area of 150 square kilometers, framed by steep
ledges, sometimes reaching 800 meters high.
Since that time Uzon never erupted: it is not an active volcano, but not
a completely extinguished one either. Just like an open air museum, this
unique volcanic territory offers you almost all Kamchatka places of
interest: both hot and narzan mineral water springs, mud pots,
volcanoes, lakes, and streams.
There is Lake Dalny in the eastern part of Uzon caldera. The lake fills
one of the largest explosion craters with diameter 1.65 km. Central
Lake, one of the biggest and coldest lakes of the region is located in
the western swamped part of caldera. One more lake called Bannoe is
located nearby as well. It never freezes and its water temperature can
reach as high as +40°C, even during wintertime.
[{Image src='02_Dalnee Lake, Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia.jpg' caption='Dalnee Lake, Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='863'}]
The most prominent hydrothermal activity is evident in the central part
of Uzon caldera, which has a shape of a narrow strip only 400 meters
wide and 2.5 — 3 kilometers long. Boiling liquids of many different
types erupt from tectonic cracks. There are 100 springs and over 500
other hydrothermal manifestations.
One of Uzon caldera famous sights is "Sculptor" mud pot. This unique hot
mud pot literally "sculpts" rose-like formations every few seconds.
Moreover, in 2008 active geological processes led to the formation of a
new geyser — Mutny — with water shooting up to 6 m high.
Uzon caldera is open to tourists, but with certain limitations.
Naturally these places are very dangerous: you can easily fall into the
boiling clay or inhale poisonous fumes. This is why special walkways and
paths are made for tourists. There are also special helicopter tours
available for visitors.
[{Image src='03_Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia.jpg' caption='Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='417'}]
As you can imagine, above mentioned adventures require visiting
Kamchatka in person, whereas our panoramas allow you to fly over its
major attractions in a very easy, fast, and safe mode!
And the story about our amazing journey to Kamchatka will be told, for
the most part, by our producer and pretty muse Alina Trigubenko, who has
already participated in AirPano projects, such as the one in Hong Kong.
I will also add my comments to her story.
Stas and I instantly fell in love with Kamchatka when we first shot
Tolbachik volcano eruption in December 2012. Nature, people, and even
cold weather (-25 degrees Celsius) — everything around us was friendly
and sincere. Since then I have been thinking about going back to
Kamchatka all the time. And so when my phone rang in early August and a
female voice said, "Hello, I'm calling from The Kronotsky Biosphere
Reserve" I knew that it was an opportunity that I couldn't miss.
[{Image src='04_Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia.jpg' caption='Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='594'}]
The tourist season is very short in Kamchatka: July, August, and
September. The most "delicious" time is the fall colors at the very end
of the season. This is what we planned to capture. After a month of
negotiations, phone calls, and approvals we finally bought our tickets.
We had 2 days before departure!
Alina: Our expedition to Kamchatka began in Elizovo, a small far eastern
town. I noticed metal sheets covering walls of some houses to protect
them from severe weather conditions.
I remember a thought, or rather a hope, popping up in my mind: what if
the weather has already been preparing a surprise for us, which would
catch us off guard? That would give us a chance to shoot powerful
dramatic pictures.
Surprisingly, in spite of my stereotypical expectations, early September
in Kamchatka turned out to be very warm, much warmer than it was in
rainy Moscow.
[{Image src='05_Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia.jpg' caption='Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='564'}]
Still sleepy upon arrival we were taken to meet the director of The
Kronotsky Biosphere Reserve, Tikhon Igorevich Shpilenko. We received
instructions, signed the papers, and went to see
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city. The only way to overcome jetleg is to
stay awake until local evening time. To keep us in even better shape
they scheduled our first flight for the following morning. We were going
to see bears on Kurile Lake.
A: Our crew was very lucky. We had an opportunity to spend a night at
Travyanoy cordon, where an arrogant clever fox posed in front of our
cameras. In the morning, drawn by the smell of my cooking, it would hang
around the kitchen trying to get a piece of our crew's breakfast. Rivers
surrounding Travyanoy cordon are literally a bears' lair!
The only thing that separated us from these massive and seemingly
dangerous wild animals was a light electric fence, but it did its job!
When a wet bear's nose touches a stretched wire, it gets a rather
painful shock.
However there was a case when precautions turned out to be a hindrance
to a human being. Several years ago, a famous Japanese photographer came
to Travyanoy cordon and decided to live in his tent, not in the house,
to be closer to the surrounding wild nature. A bear took its chance, and
the incident ended tragically.
But in most cases, according to ranger Konstantine, who accompanied us
in this trip, it's the animals that need protection from humans, not the
other way around. Of course, we carried protective ammunition to every
photo shoot, but our ranger's main weapon was his knowledge of bear
psychology, its behavior, and its habits. Apparently, if unprovoked,
bears are not aggressive. Four "bipedal erectus" creatures and a strange
flying thingy with a camera couldn't compete with a fat fish only a paw
away from its mouth. Spawning season brings millions of red salmon, full
of eggs and a death wish. Sounds horrible, but it's true: salmon dies
after spawning to provide all the necessary nutrition to their
offsprings!
We had a chance to photograph fishing bears, islands, and most
interesting Kuthiny Baty Cliffs in good sunlight. Although it rained on
the day of our departure, I can surely say that AirPano team is very
lucky!
[{Image src='06_Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia.jpg' caption='Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='397'}]
We didn't want to leave Kurile Lake. Where else could you see 10 bears
roaming a few meters from you and ignoring your presence? (Perhaps the
ranger could command them with his powerful stare?) It was a very
thrilling incomparable experience. On the way back we stopped at the
"Khodutka" hot springs. However instead of taking a deep in 40-degree
healing water, we decided to take pictures. One can't omit any details
when describing Kamchatka!
A: Our next stop was the Valley of Geysers. This is a truly amazing
place, one of five similar places in the world and the only one in
Eurasia. During a massive landslide in 2007 some geysers ended up
underwater, but nobody was hurt: mudslide stopped a meter from a
residential house. Photo panorama of the Valley clearly shows the scale
of the disaster.
Fortunately, many geysers survived underwater and eventually turned the
lake emerald, making it yet another signature sight of the Valley of
Geysers. Our first shooting day was marvelous. Getting used to the local
conditions, the following morning we were going to shoot a 360-degree
video of the "Grand" geyser in all its glory: a 12-meter water pillar,
clouds of steam and all...
[{Image src='07_Karymsky volcano, Kamchatka, Russia.jpg' caption='Karymsky volcano, Kamchatka, Russia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='609'}]
A: During our first attempt to shoot an erupting geyser from above, a
powerful jet of steam hit our helicopter. Losing control it crashed into
a mud wall on the opposite bank. Our pilot Stas had to go on an
equipment salvage expedition: first he had to climb rocks, and then dive
into the murky waters of the lake where hidden hot springs caught him
off guard. Despite of the dangers all parts of our photo unit were
collected and Stas got off with noting more than a burned heel.
I would tell you more about our photo experience, but it so happened
that a natural disaster took us by surprise, and we were trapped in the
Valley of Geysers with almost no food and no communication.
A: It was a powerful cyclone that killed dozens of people in Japan few
days earlier. Our wooden hut, a "guest house", was shaking from wind
gusts. It has rained for three days in a row. By a fantastic
coincidence, a helicopter with wealthy tourists landed in the valley
right before the cyclone. They had a good supply of food, and moreover,
they brought a professional chef! Thanks to Dmitry who shared his
hand-made candies with us after our crew finished last chocolate bar
from our supplies. On the fourth day even they ran out of food, and so
we proudly contributed a bag of oatmeal.
On the fifth day the cyclone disappeared along with three meters of
water in the lake! Of course, our team was the first to photograph this
extraordinary event and to fly over shallow lake with a video camera. We
were the lucky ones who saw and, of course, documented several geysers,
previously hidden under water, coming to life. We saw how a geyser
pushed through the mud: a stream of boiling water literally breaks the
soil destroying everything on its way up! What a fantastic spectacle.
[{Image src='08_Lake Eight, Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia.jpg' caption='Lake Eight, Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='905'}]
Yes, the sky cleared, helicopters brought more tourists, Alina returned
to mainland, and Stas and I headed to Uzon volcanic caldera. You will
read about it in the next article, and here I want to share only the
emotional part of my story.
It was a celebration of colors in Uzon caldera: yellow birches, red
blueberry and cranberry bushes, green spruce groves, and blue waters of
thermal lakes. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I call it one of the most
beautiful places on the planet, especially when seen from the air.
It was a filming location of a famous Soviet sci-fi movie called
"Sannikov Land".
Everywhere you look you see something seething, bubbling, and smoking.
The underground kitchen knows no rest: boiling mud volcanoes of
different colors, jets of steam shooting from the surface, hot springs
and lakes... I guess this is the way our planet looked at the very
beginning.
[{Image src='09_Bear at the Uzon caldera.jpg' caption='Bear at the Uzon caldera' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]
On the way back from one of our photo shoots Stas spotted a big bear
harvesting blueberries thirty meters away from our trail. The beast paid
no attention as we walked by. I rushed into the hut to pick up my
telephoto lens. No, the bear didn't notice people: eating berries before
hibernation was much more important to him than a human with a tripod.
Later on rangers told us that such a calm behavior was rather deceptive.
"Two leaps" they estimated the distance between the bear and myself when
I showed them the photograph.
One day in Uzon caldera flew by unnoticed. The weather forecasts talked
of another storm. There was a good chance to be cut off from the outside
world, just like in the Valley of Geysers. We didn't want to push our
luck and returned to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the next flight.
Virtual tour "Uzon caldera, Kamchatka, Russia" is in the trilogy of
aerial photo shoots of Kamchatka. Other virtual tours from the trilogy
are "Valley of Geysers" and "The Land of Bears, Kurile Lake".
AirPano team would like to express our gratitude to the Russian
Geographical Society for their financial contribution to the creation of
this virtual photo tour and to the admistration of the Kronotsky
Biosphere Reserve and personaly its direcror Shpilenok Tikhon Igorevich
for perfect organization of the photo shoot, and warm welcome.
\\ \\
[13 Panoramas of Uzon_caldera|Geography/Asia/Russia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Uzon_caldera]
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