Our Chinese department:
At 01:00 we will meet at the railway station in Kem.
We are met by instructors, they are easy to recognize, they will have a sign.
Our adventure will begin in the morning, but for now we will take buses to the starting point of the rafting — Lake Muezero (167 km).
The road is long (depending on the condition of the road, we will spend 4-5 hours on the way), so we arrange a snack with dry rations right on the bus.
We'll be there early in the morning: We set up camp and go to bed for a while.
We wake up, during a delicious breakfast, the instructors will acquaint us with general information on the upcoming route, answer all your questions.
After breakfast on the shore, we begin to prepare for going out to the river: we inflate rafts, instructors conduct mandatory instruction on water safety and rowing techniques.
We get helmets, life jackets and paddles, and pack all personal and general items in waterproof bags.
A little bit about the Okhta River, on which we are rafting.
The ancient name of the river "Okhta" means "guiding river". Natural obstacles on the route are rapids and lakes.
Artificial obstacles are trays at the river exits from lakes and at the confluence of the river into lakes. The tray is a wooden dam structure built to raise water during logging.
There are 46 rifts and rapids and 6 timber dams on the river.
We launch our vessels into the water, and already in practice we consolidate the theory — training sessions on the water.
The rafting route on the Okhta River for today: Lake. Muezero (from Karelian — Ryapushkovoe) — O. Trinity Lake. Yulyaozero, 24 km.
We pass through several narrow channels and exit into Lake Muezero.
On Muezer, we go out to Trinity Island, where an Orthodox monastery existed in the XVII century.
In its place, not only the church of St. Nicholas (1602) has still been preserved, but also a sacred grove with fir trees in three girths, ancient graves and a wooden crypt.
In the chapel next to the church, a very rare phenomenon is a cross on the root.
At the exit from the lake, the first obstacle is a dam, then several rifts and a very interesting section of the river with a swampy shore and dead forest, called the Pohjela edge.
According to the Karelian epic, the land of Pokhela is an "Evil place".
We stop on one of the banks of the Yulaozer to set up camp among the pines, cook dinner and get to know each other better.
If we have enough strength, we swim, play volleyball or more relaxed board games.
A long day puts a pleasant weight on your shoulders, it's time to go to bed and gain strength for tomorrow.
