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Natasha Canada's presentation on whitewater trips in Russia brought gasps at the sight of boiling whitewater during the November meeting.
She said she began her first whitewater trip in May of 1978 while she was in college, using a folding kayak.
She capsized in icy cold water, had her first shot of vodka, and says, "Needless to say, I was hooked."
But the serious trips (class 3 to 5) came a little bit later when she
started to work. There was a very strong tourist club in the company where she worked.
The club had hiking, mountaineering, and white water sections.
"I tried hiking and skiing but my heart belonged to water."
"During the 1980's I made at least two trips per year (it was common in our club): a
week trip during May holidays and a 2 to 3-week trip during summer
vacation. Our company encouraged employees to participate in these kind of
activities so it even paid for our tickets. This is why we went not
only to Karpaty, Karelia, and Caucasus (popular destinations in the European
part of Russia) but Siberia and Kamchatka as well. I need to mention that
all our trips were expedition style: sleeping in tents, cooking over a
campfire, taking all necessities with us because we were in uninhabited
wilderness for the most part... Briefly speaking, survivor style."
"Perestroika drastically changed the life of the people in USSR. There is
a big gap in my water trips in 1990's. In 1995 I moved to the US. Four
years ago I joined HCC and learned American way to enjoy the river. I
liked it! But at the same time I missed the expedition style trips. So in
summer 2002 I took part in white water trip (class 4 to 5) on Kola
Peninsula. It was new (and very interesting!) region for me because during
Soviet time it was close to the general public."
Natasha showed photos from some of her expeditions in class 4 and 5 whitewater.
Most of her trips are in wilderness areas with either folding kayaks or inflatable ones packed in to the site.
She described picking berries and catching fish to supplement the porridge packed.
One of the more interesting segments of her talk was a description of a wilderness sauna using heated rocks and plastic drapes.
Recently she opened a Bed and Breakfast in St. Petersburg. She takes a few hardy souls on treks in Russia during the summer months, combining sight-seeing with a wilderness paddle.
Her introduction to the geography and scenery was fascinating.
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