It is the 23rd of December, a day after that the darkest day of the year appeared, and it is relatively mild out there, a mere -40°F, and Srednekolymsk is at peace. Hidden in, it feels like, a never-ending darkness. Those southerly winds which briefly struck the area a couple of days ago, brought this heat wave. Then again, it is still cold out there!

At the moment, we find it hard to know what is day and what is night. Since all the windows in the apartment we’re occupying are covered by ice and snow, both on the outside and inside, we live in a permanent dimness. And the only daylight the area is experiencing at the moment, is a combination of a long sunrise and a long sunset. However, this does mean, that the little light we do have is magic blend of red, yellow and intense blueness. And I suppose it would be easy to imagine that this is the perfect time for the troll’s and elf’s to move around, busy before Christmas, in the dense taiga which is surrounding Srednekolymsk. If they’re not scared away by this enormous cloud of coal smoke which covers most of the skies above us. But than again, heating is on everybody’s mind and we all have the same aim, to avoid freezing too much. There’s hardly any people moving around on the rickety streets. Mainly kids on the way home from school. All of them covered from top to toe by fur. Talking about school kids, the other day when we explored the settlement when the temperature was -61°F, we met a lot of them walking with their backs to us, just to avoid getting frostbites in their faces. An odd sight I can say, and, the truth is, if these sturdy people have to walk like that, it is cold!

We feel a bit heavy in mind at the moment. Maybe because it is Christmas and we’re far away from our beloved one’s. Maybe, due to the fact, that we haven’t recovered fully from the last months freezing trip. Neither physically or mentally. Maybe because this continuous darkness makes us people somewhat less cheery. Almost everyone we’ve come across since our arrival, have made us note that, soon, we’re heading for better days, with more daylight. A fact which seems to cheer everybody up. Still, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to clear away this temporary sadness. It is just a question about having the right attitude! A way of positive thinking that my neighbor taught me the other day, when I as a matter of fact pointed out, that there were plenty of cockroaches in our flat.

“Do you know what the problem with you is?” the yakut said somberly, “you’ve got the wrong attitude towards cockroaches. It’s far better to consider them as friends, as a pleasant company in this darkness, and than they’re no problem at all!”

Or, one can always think about the yakut hunter Valodja we met halfway between Zyryanka and Srednekolymsk. This is the story about him. And his wife Elena.

“You’re extremists, right?” Valodja asked us when he’d made his way down the steep slope, taken his fur glove off and shaken our hands: “I’ve heard about you people. Fanatics which like to suffer. Good to see what people like that look like. Come with me inside where it is nice and warm.”

Valodjas wife were waiting on us at the top of the slope, sitting down on a bench in front of their neat little settlement, covered from top to toe by fur clothes, and when I reached out to shake her hand, said my name, she looked down but took it and looked up again, smiled and said:

“Elena.”

She quickly stood up and hurried away into the traditional yakut cot called balagan. When we entered the cot, the stove was going at full speed, but the neat and tidy room was still somewhat cold. We than realized that they’ve probably discovered us from a long distance, hurried into the cot, swiftly chucked firewood in stove, filled the pots with water, started to cook and than, when we were just a couple of hundred meters away, they’ve walked out to greet and invite us. Entering this cot was one of the highlights on this trip. After two weeks of freezing nights in the tent, the feeling of entering this warm, nice cot and sit down on thick warm moose bull furs, which covered the walls and benches, quickly hang up all our icy and sweaty gear to dry, well, I imagine this must be how it feels like entering into heaven! Then the earthly saint, Elena, immediately served a hot fish soup. It was schirr, the white salmon, whose broth is probably the tastiest to be found. On top of this, she served us fresh bread and a bowl full of fried fish cutlets made on shuka. (Northern pike) We behaved like swine’s at the table. That’s how big our hunger was!

”Which way are you heading?” Elena asked at the same time as Valodja entered the cot with firewood and fuel for the oil lamps.

”To Ambarchik Bay” ,we said in chorus, “and we plan to be there sometimes in May.”

“So far and for such a long time!” Elena exclaimed and added; “And you already look so freezing cold and tired!”

Valodja smiled and laughed softly. Elena as well. There was no doubt that they enjoyed each others company.

“Yakut or even?” I asked and Valodja answered: ”I’m a yakut, but Elena is even.”

The even is traditionally reindeer owners and, regarding traditions, spiritual life and culture, they’re the one group of these northern native people, which has most in common with the Scandinavian Sámi people. (You have Sámi in Russia too, in the region called Karelia, bordering Finland) But hunting and fishing is also a major part of their lives nowadays.

“Are there any reindeers around in this area now?” Johan wondered.

“Nope” ,said Valodja at the same time as Elena stood up and silently left the room, “they’re up the mountains during the winter. The same applies to the wolves. They follow the reindeer closely.“

Valodja, as the case is regarding most people along the Kolyma, had a wide knowledge about the world at the present. He told us about the problems which have arisen in the Ukraine and, as most other people along the Kolyma, he was truly sad that Russia had been split up into fragments since the arrival of perestroika. He listened to the radio at least an hour every day. And he asked us a lot of penetrating questions about our expedition. And showed a great interest in our modern polar equipment. But in comparison to all the other people we were to meet, and will meet in the future, he did clearly understand our choice of equipment. Most others cannot understand, some of them even think we’re stupid beyond belief , why we don’t use light valenkis (felt boots) on our feet and the rest of the body covered by thick fur clothes. Not thin bright colored Gore-Tex clothes, a thin head cover and heavy ski boots. But than again, Valodja skied himself. At least 10 km:s every day to check snares, traps and trap holes. He was lean and fit. When Johan started to work on a skin which had fallen of his ski, Valodja went out and came back with his own ski. A thick, short wooden ski which was covered by a thick fur from the moose bull. A true skin for the ski!

“Our major problem” ,I explained, “is that we’re neither Siberians or yakut. Look at you, you’re made for this cold! Your eyes, your little flat nose and your dark skin is free from body hair. We’re hairy and our toes, fingers, cheeks and noses are too weak for this cold.”

“I can see” ,he laughed, “Johan most be suffering badly with a beak like that!”

Since Johan is only 20 years of age, he still haven’t learned how to laugh at oneself and one’s bodily errors with irony. He felt offended, which Valodja also noticed, so we quickly changed the subject and talked about hunting rats instead. But every time Johan looked away, he made fun off his nose (By the way, the size of Johans nose is normal by western European standards!). That’s the kind of person Valodja is. Easy to get along with, humorous and fun and laughter was close by all the time. A warm human being and a true hunter. And a man of nature.

”How in earth do you get your hands on flower and other such basic necessities out here?” I asked, “since you live this far away from any kind of civilization?”

“Well, planning is of great importance” ,he said, “there’s a boat passing on and off during the summer months and they always stop so we can buy what we need. It is not a lot. Petrol, lamp fuel, matches, cigarettes, tobacco, flower, spices, sugar and other standard necessities. If it doesn’t last until the first boat appears the upcoming year, I just ski to the first place where there’s a snowmobile. And ask these people to buy what we need, next they travel to Srednekolymsk. Elena’s brother lives close by.”

“Do you prefer living here to Srednekolymsk?”

“I am not big crowd person. I like it out here. The smell in Srednekolymsk is awful” ,Valodja explained, “and, anyway, what’s there’s to do in Srednekolymsk? I’d don’t like to sit and roll my thumbs.”

Suddenly Valodja stands up and walks out. He returns an hour later with a pot full of hare casserole mixed with spuds and, in addition to this, more fresh bread! I take a few photos of him and ask him if I can take a photo of his wife as well. She is, after all, the first woman we’ve come across in the bush, since we left Sweden! Valodja walks off, but returns slightly bothered and says:

“She doesn’t have the time right now, she’s skinning a few hares I caught today. But, there would be no problem tomorrow.”

I don’t have the courage to ask if I can go into their small cabin and take a shoot of her working the hares. So I drop the subject. That night, we sleep better than ever before since we left Zyryanka. In the light of a oil lamp. Valodja wants us to keep it on to keep all evil spirits at a good distance. It is pure pleasure, to stand up every second hour to shove some wood in the stove. Most of the time, Johan does it, since he has to urinate three or four times every night. He’s got the smallest bladder I’ve ever come across in this business!

“Elena wants me to tell you, that there’s no point in taking photos off her, since she’s nothing special” ,Valodja tells me with some hesitation when entering the balagan at 5.30 a.m. whilst we’re cooking our daily porridge. Big mistake, since Valodja has brought more casserole and fish cutlets.

“It’s really cold out there today” ,he says, when we’re starting to gather all our equipment and getting ready to set off, “it’s almost -62°F. I ain’t going out there today, that’s for sure.”

I would lie, if I would say anything else, than it felt like entering a nightmare when we stepped out of the warm cot. And realizing, we have another two weeks of freezing nights in the tent ahead of us. Just becoming conscious that it was -62°F chocked us badly. Until we realized, it’s probable been those temperatures for the last couple of days, but we hadn’t known. Why then worry now? Elena joined us, when it was time to leave.

“The easiest way over this broken up ice” ,Valodja explained, “is going in this direction.”

We set off the wrong way immediately and ended up in some heavy ice. This is when Valodja turns up and runs ahead of us for at least a couple of miles to show us in the right direction!

Here is the film https://vimeo.com/451752697