Exhale

Around 3:20 pm today, we made to Bolshoe Goulostnoe – our goal, our destination. Without knowing the distance or the right trails to take – only knowing we had to get back to Irkutsk for our July 3  train  – we made it. From Lisvyanka where we started the Great Baikal Trail, past Bolshoi  Koty and another unnamed town (at least on the map it’s unnamed) to Goulostnoe. And we probably had the best weather – sunshine, blue skies, and an ever-filling moon. The lake has been crystal clear. From the trail, a great vantage point as it was always above the lake, we could see the sunlight shimmering on the surface and the blueness of the water change from light to dark to darkest. We spotted seals on both days of the hike. And always, we were surrounded by wildflowers. Scott said it was like being in a bouquet.

There were some tricky parts but most of today’s eight-hour hike was gradual and easy. As we approached Goulostnoe, we started to see tent after tent. Hundreds of people were taking advantage of the sunny weather by car camping. Most of the set-ups were elaborate with a walk-in tent, outdoor chairs, a grill or a fire going, and the smells of great food wafting through. On our jaunt around Baikal, from our tour of Olkhon Island to this hike, we’ve noticed that Russians like to get their tan on. They like walking around in skimpy outfits and exposing their skin to sun – a natural desire when it’s so sunny and you’re near a large body of water and you’ve recently survived another Russian winter.

When we finally reached Goulostnoe town proper, we found a shop. Other folks were there as well stocking up on beer and food and  then, undoubtedly, driving back just out of town where all the sunning was taking place. Scott and I had similar goals. We got a liter-and-a-half of cold beer, a smoked omul fish, a carton of juice, some snacks, and hightailed it to the sun. Only we stayed in town. We joined a few others in sitting by the lakeside. We put our heavy bags down, plopped down on the grass, took our shoes off, and exhaled. The only thing left to do was drink beer, snack on fish, and soak in the sun (or cover one’s self from the sun as Scott did).

Now we’re above the town, high on a hill, spending a final night in a tent. Our plan is to wake up early and catch a bus to Irkutsk.