Maps are so last century. These days, adventurers clutching GPS devices are conquering new territories map coordinates. In the Russian winter wilderness you can tread where no one has been before, for example, to 59 degrees north, 35 degrees east.
There are certain sounds that a cross-country skier definitely doesn’t want to hear, especially when the day’s destination lies 15 kilometers (nine miles) away across the snow-covered Russian wilderness.
The roar of a brown bear hunters shot two not far from here just this past fall would be one such sound. The growl of a wolf would be another.
But Vladimir Chernorutsky is prepared for wild animals. He’s brought along a small stungun, several skyrocket fireworks and a dozen firecrackers of a brand called "Black Death." He plans to use them if necessary to scare away predators.
But an especially unpleasant sound, one that Vladimir isn’t prepared for, is a crack like a branch breaking, and it comes at exactly 59°01’01.8" north latitude, 35°03’57.9" east longitude, on a dreary Saturday afternoon. It’s the brittle snap of a ski breaking through the middle, directly behind the heel.
March 11, 2009