The Great Baikal Trail: Irktusk

It will be preferable to start construction at two different points along this trail. The first project will begin at the trailhead, on the left bank of the river where an alrea dy existing trail needs "modernization". Then on the right bank, further up the river, a new trail will have to be built.

The route for the trail has been officially approved, and it adheres to the five year (2001-2005) management plan for the Baikalski Nature Reserve. This trail will serve as a model trail, one that will show the potential for low-impact recreation and tourism within Russian nature reserves and national parks. During the summer of 2003 we intend to make way for the first half of this trail, a modest 5 kilometers that will hug the right bank of the Osinovka.

The work this summer on the left bank will have volunteers clearing an existing trail, removing fallen trees, and then constructing a 10 meter bridge across the river. One campsite will also be built, and it will be equipped with an outdoor barbecue pit, a picnic table, a toilet, a rubbish container, and a cleared area for setting up tents. There will also be several stops with informational bulletin boards along the trail. Volunteers at this site will be accommodated and fed in a small tent compound on the lower Osinovka River, very near to the town of Tankhoi.

The bulk of the work here will be in preparing the trail itself---clearing brush and undergrowth in the forest here, as well as building a few rest stops along the way. In addition to the ca mping site there will be at least one rest area with a table and information boards. The trail will be built with the help of volunteers from the Tankhoi High School and with the participation of international participants. All food and tents will be provided to all volunteers by the project organizers.

All the work on this trail, the design and the provision of materials and equipment will be coordinated on the spot by a joint team of the Great Baikal Trail Association and the staff of the Baikalskii Nature Reserve. In the end, the trail here will be owned and maintained by the Nature Reserve.

The trail in question will connect the town of Severobaikalsk with the village of Baikalskoye. The overall length of this trail will be some 40 kilometers (or 25 miles) when completed. It will run through some of the most beautiful spots along the northwest shores of the lake, areas that are experiencing the heaviest load of recreational visitors, and therefore in dire need of a trail to accommodat e these visitors and keep them from damaging outlying areas of the environment.

It is proposed that construction will begin at two separate points: 1) the first starting in the village of Baikalskoye, and 2) the second running through the area of Slyudyanski Lakes. In addition, it is our intention to create a 200-300 meter stretch of trail within the town of Severobaikalsk itself, on land belonging to the School of Tourism and Environmental Education (the STEE). This will be a top-standard trail for learning all construction techniques; in the future it will be used to prepare volunteers for their work on other parts of the trail.

This trail section already has official approval, as part of the infrastructure that was deemed necessary under the so-called "General Program for Tourism Development in the Severobaikalsk Region from the years 2003 to 2010." Accomplishing this first step of building these trail sections will be useful not only in order to create a model that will show what rational tourism can mean in a intensively used recreational zone. It also will create a precedent for successfully establishing a partnership between both the city and the county administrations in the region.

It is proposed that some 5 kilometers (3 miles) of trail will be built during the summer season of 2003. In all, some 3 kilometers will be built in the recreational zone around the Slyudyanski Lakes, and another 2 kilometers will be created from the village of Baikalskoye to Point Ludar'.

At Slyudyanski Lakes the trail will pass near the shore of Baikal through a belt of land that has many small rocks and gravel on the surface, as well as through the taiga forest itself. The main work to be done w ill be to clear the trail route, as well as leveling and filling in of holes and other obstacles along the ways. A small bridge (10 meters long) will also need to be built, as well as two campsites (with barbecue pits, picnic tables, restrooms, waste-collection bins, and level areas for tents). There will also be a stop along the way with informational kiosks. This portion of the trail will be built by a brigade of volunteers from the STEE, working side by side with volunteers from other countries. These volunteers will be housed and fed at the Echo Tour Base, located right on Slyudyanski Lakes.

The trail leading from the village of Baikalskoye will pass through high steppe country, a forested area with some mountainous inclines. The main volume of work here will be as follows: clearing out the trail path, removing trees where necessary, building rest areas (with one table and two seating benches at each), as well as informational stops with displays. This part of the trail will be built by volunteers from the Baikal Middle School, along with international participants. Housing and food will be provided in the Middle School itself.

Overall direction for this project, covering all questions of planning, logistical arrangements, and delivery of provisions will be the responsibility of the GBT Coordinator for northern Baikal. For coordinating the work on the ground, there will be a team leader in the town of Severobaikalsk, and a deputy team leader in the village of Baikalskoye.

Once these stretches of trail are finished, they will be offered to the STEE and the Baikal Middle School, for them to use in leading excursions on this trail. Collection of all rubbish and other wastes from this trail will be the responsibility of the Municipal Garbage Services.

Work Plan

The stretch of the GBT along the Slyudyanski Lakes to Point Tonkii will be comprised of:

1. An information stand with two sectional pieces will be constructed at the trail head.
2. Camping site No. 1 will be set up, with a picnic table and two bench seats, with a restroom and campfire structure.
3. A bridge will be built across a stream, and will measure some 10 meters in length, and 1.4 meters in width.
4. A second campsite will need to be cleared, leveled, and equipped with a camp-fire, a picnic table with two bench seats, a restroom, and several open and level spaces for tents.
5. Some 760 meters (or @1/2 of a mile) will need to be cleared of branches and fallen logs as well as some low-lying brush.
6. Another 760 meters will need to be leveled along the trail, by filling in various depressions and holes and by shearing off mounds and other obstacles.
7. Trail markers will also need to be put in place.

Along the trail from Baikalskoye t o Ludar Point and the mouth of the Ludar River (2 km)

1. To begin with, a 400-meter (1/4 mile) stretch of trail will have to be carved up a slope, with switchback turns and the placement of gravel along the edge of the trail.
2. An information stand with two sectional pieces will be constructed at the trail head.
3. Some 450 meters will need to be cleared of branches and fallen logs as well as some low-lying brush.
4. Another 400 meters will need to be leveled along the trail, by filling in various depressions and holes and by shearing off mounds and other obstacles.
5. Trail markers will also need to be put in place.
6. A camping site will have to be set up, with a picnic table and two seating benches, a restroom and a special campfire.

The trail under consideration is located on the eastern shores of Lake Baikal, and has been officially approved by the Zabaikalski Park. It is to be used by tourists and local r esidents who live in the nearby towns of Kurbulik and Katun'.

There is already a general plan for the use of this site, with a trail included along the route planned. There is also some infrastructure here, such as trailheads (with parking), camping sites, and rest stops for hikers.

Historically, a trail of sorts has existed here for years, leading from the town of Monakhovo to the Zmeyevy Springs. The route of this make-shift trail starts from Mohakhovo, through Katun' and then onto Kurburlik, and finally ends at Zmeyevy Springs on a Bay of the same name.

Work Plan

To build the trail, we will need to overcome the following obstacles or provide for the following construction engineering:

1. Trees and other obstacles have fallen across the route that will need to be cleared.
2. A switchback trail will need to be constructed along a steep slope, to be equipped with rope fencing and flags to keep people on the trail.
3. A support wall made out of rock masonry will need to be built at one cliff-side.
4. A wooden platform section of the trail to have to be built across a swamp-like area.
5. We also plan to equip one camp site along the way, with five permanent campfire barbecue pits.
6. Finally various trail interpretive and directional signs will need to be installed.