Taiga in Chara

Talking about the taiga, as something generally difficult. Mountainous terrain with different solar and rain exposure slopes, a variety of microclimate, soils and vegetation do not like taiga landscapes, not only at different altitudes, but in different valleys. For example, try to cross the Kodar taiga on the most likely route: the river Chara - Lake Oron. Height above sea level of 700-800 m. Lowland boggy larch. Rather, the "domino" of wetlands, and larch forests on sandy massifs. Sometimes, choking all vegetation, the sand forms a wasteland, sometimes long, but low (0,3-0,8 m) ridges, like dams, cuts through the marsh. Walking on a ridge, "cased" clean young larches, as the mall, then again vyaznesh ankle-deep in rusty cold slush. Unpleasant, tedious, but not dangerous: at the bottom of the swamp reliable - frost. Only occasionally come across sites with no sand and marshes. They hay, so necessary for chartsev, whose economy is kept to a certain extent on animal husbandry. Closer to the mountains the landscape changes dramatically. Individual ridges, covered with shrub forms of birch and willow grow in thirty or fifty meters elongated ridge of hills - the ancient moraines, forested lichen larch forests with an undergrowth of alder, birch and thickets of wild rosemary, and bilberry. Between the hills of the picturesque lake of up to half a kilometer. Where smaller and shore popolozhe, peresvistyvayutsya grouse. Increasingly come across granite boulders - gray and pink boulders, lightly covered with a touch of lichens. After a kilometer or two stone prevails: mnogosotmetrovy southeast reset ridge dissects the taiga to the narrow language that she valleys Apsata, Middle and Upper Sakukana, Syulbana rises to char. These valleys, and can only penetrate from the Enchantment of Kodar. Taiga valleys (altitude 850-1300 m) is significantly richer than in the foothills. Top soil, good drainage allow here along with Dahurian larch pryuizrastat birch, aspen, willow, are sometimes eaten, but in flood-poplar chozenii. By mid-July start to keep up with sorrel, raspberries, rose hips, blueberries, and mushrooms. Above the valleys blossoming lawn - Elan covered with thickets of sweet-sour rhubarb. Valley Kodar pretty steep drop in river reaches twenty or thirty meters per kilometer. Krupnoglybovye talus or rocky shoulders of the trough sometimes comes close to the river and wedged taiga vegetation. But in the short extensions of the tributaries, they form, speaking on the Siberian, "chaschevitye, stramnye paddy, where not only did not hear the cries of the birds, but can not find a trace at all frequent here bears. The dry larch swooped down: in their living friends from everywhere hanging blue-gray beard lichen vyvorochennye roots of brushwood block the way, the old rubble crumbling into dust under the foot. Silence, darkness, no speck of bright greens. In the upper half of mining and taiga forest belt is gradually diluted. The undergrowth larch growing cedar. Between ugly flagoobraznymi trees expanded sections ernikov and terrestrial lichens, to the delight of the deer and mountain expedition horses break their legs in the stone, hidden lichen carpet. Above 1700 - 1800 m vegetation of the southern slopes becomes alpine in nature. Interestingly, the descent from the ridge to the river Sygykte. Does not give back the picture changes with the height of the taiga, as with similar structure of the altitudinal zonation of northern and southern slopes Kodar they differ markedly, and the boundaries and species composition of plants. This difference is largely explained by different continental south-east and north-west ridge. And, obviously, of particular importance for vegetation north Kodar has thick snow cover in his windward slopes. Therefore, cedar elfin, who prefers the rocky soil marshes, and in winter loves and knows how to dress well snow coat, is widespread in the basin Sygykty, starting with the upper limit subgoltsov lying at an altitude of 1400-1500 m (altitudinal belts are "reduced" by sraveniyu with southern slope at 200-300 m) to the level Oronskogo lake. Mostly elfin completely covers the left tributaries of the ravines Sygykty and makes them irresistible to the caravan. Walking the researcher can squeeze through the fence Drunk springy stems, only made like in his movements bear and monkey. Speed ??on a cedar bush - in the form of attractive three-five-meter poludereva shrubs, pubescent with long needles and decorated with dozens of tiny buds with tasty nuts - less than one kilometer per hour. After creeping and with almost no trails on the northern slopes Kodar old taiga burning perceived as paved roads. In addition, they are usually an abundance of blueberries and cranberries mixed with vivid bouquets of golden rhododendron. Below 800-900 m begins the spruce-birch taiga. The closer to the middle reaches Sygykty, the calmer and more majestic forest. First, the islands of the floodplain, and then above, on the banks appear vysokostvolnye poplar, willow and aspen. Birch thick girth sometimes form pure stands. Spruce, fir, pine, and in some places and "Laz" cedar are spacious and confident. Taiga little cluttered, bright and without a passable trails. In the quiet backwaters, the beaches, sea trout asleep on the shoals of "playing" grayling. Everywhere along the banks of "grazing": blueberries, rose hips, mountain ash, wild cherry, the mass of mushrooms - white, boletus, aspen. Sphagnum larch appear only in the mouth of the river, wetlands prioronskih terraces. What can we discern a general nature Kovarsky taiga after this brief itinerary? Summer taiga, particularly larch, silent. No singing birds, rustling the beast. Who is alive, he lay low. In a rare weather somewhere in the creek you can hear a little of Ptah, the nightingale of the taiga-lentils, but closer to the brook trout spugnet sudden silence hoarse cry hacking nutcrackers. But look close - on the sand imprints of hooves goats through alder on the line, probably elk, Dig trail, from the land (except as a bear) vyvorochen huge boulder - Taiga lives. Summer colors are not bright. Dominated by dark green and bluish hues. But especially mountainous terrain of almost any kind of taiga "show" on the background of a gray-mauve izzubrennyh ridges, and the fore cast a bright spot running water. In the second half of August, taiga change green "robe" in golden autumn dress, and crowned with snow-crowned mountains - the top is already coming winter. By Autumn colors undoubtedly the best season in Kodari. A weak area of ??exploration has created a difficult section of the local view of the taiga. Since I can not agree. On the contrary, wind-fallen trees, brushwood there were far fewer than, for example, yuzhnobaykalskoy taiga. Marshes distributed only in some places (in Conde, Syul-Bani, Chara). Although the river and form a deep gorge, but not insurmountable canyons. Rocky areas and talus almost always living cost for shoreline or water. Really serious natural obstacles are elfin, and even river crossings, if necessary through them. As to taiga bloodsuckers, you have to fight them by conventional methods: the mosquitoes at night to lubricate the face, hands, gauze canopy tents di metilftalatom or if the night held in the screener, incite dymokur. Day against lice-slimy use the cream "Taiga", and from raids Pout at midday hours to defend a strong branch of a larch. Otherwise, a walking tour through the taiga presents no special difficulties, although іne forget that it is poorly studied area and sparsely populated. The name "Ridge Kodar and the general outlines of Enchantment Basin were first plotted on a map of the famous scientist and revolutionary, PA Kropotkin less than a century ago, and then rassprosnym data without block shots - in Kodari Kropotkin himself was not. Before the revolution, life went around the edge side. Gold fever that gripped the last century Vitimskii taiga, passed for Chara basin almost completely - miners have not found their "luck". Range of Vitim seething passions over the "gold mine" faced the fate of a ruined farmer and Varnakov, experienced taezhnika and urban adventurers, and closer to Kodar - by Oron to Mue - a life thrown away those who ozhegshis on gold, we turn to subsistence farming. Together with the inhabitants of Enchantment and Kyust-Camden, who were involved, in addition to hunting, breeding, horse breeding (Yakutia), reindeer (Evenki), and they were all "okolokodarskoe" population. The very same array of mountain taiga Kodar was completely uninhabited. Because of the cross-country in Soviet time, the first expedition traveled here from Chita six or seven weeks. Now lives in Chara is quite different. In the villages their clubs and shops. Evenki and Yakut listen to radio newscasts, receive new magazines, watch new films. And winter is still sent into the forest for the squirrel, sable, red fox. Summer Hunting - Grouse, grouse, ducks (spill Enchantment), fishing - trout, grayling, flax, golden minnow in a lake sand massif - are not character special fishery.