On March 29, 2019, the participants of the local history expedition of the center “Arktika” set off on the path of the Russian polar pioneers Vasily Pronchishchev, Khariton Laptev, who participated in the Great Northern Expedition of the mid-18th century.
The length of the route along the Severnaya Zemlya will be about 1.5 thousand km, TASS President Vladimir Chukov told TASS.
The Great Northern Expedition was organized on the initiative of Emperor Peter I in 1725, the actual start of its preparation was given by the decree of Empress Anna Ioannovna in 1731. The mission of the expedition was mapping the shores of the state.
“The expedition’s route starts from the Lena River delta near the village of Tiksi. This is a circular route with access to the lower course of the river, entering the area of the village of Ust-Olenek, where the grave of the Russian explorer Arctic Prishchishchev is located, then returning to Tiksi. One of our tasks is walk along the path of the Russian polar pioneers of Vasily Pronchishchev and Khariton Laptev, who participated in the Great Northern Expedition of 1733-1742, “said Chukov.
According to him, 18 people participate in the expedition, including employees of Tula State University, who were involved in the preparation of the Toros-M all-terrain vehicles to ensure their work in arctic conditions. “We will travel on two all-terrain vehicles, there are snowmobiles, two sled dog teams, skis. It all depends on the conditions for movement in a particular part of the road,” the center president said.
The total length of the route will be about 1.5 thousand km, it is planned to complete the expedition on April 26. Chukov said that the training began in December 2018, initially three routes were considered – along the path of the Ushakov and Urvantsev expedition in 1930, to Bolshevik Island, where Vilkitsky’s expedition took place in 1913, as well as at places associated with the Great Northern Expedition.
As of April 8, 2019, the expedition members continue to move up the Khara-Ulakh towards the pass. Further, the expedition will move up along the Laptev Sea coast, passing the Bykovsky Peninsula to the Lena River Delta.
The expedition center “Arktika” was created in 1992 on the basis of a scientific and sports expedition, which was engaged in the preparation and conduct of travel. The founders are the Moscow Center of the Russian Geographical Society (RGO) and the Association of Russian polar explorers. The center cooperates with the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Polar Research Foundation and other organizations.
Source: TASS
Site expeditionary center “Arctic”
Translation: Google
