Hi All, I received a very interesting email from Natalia today and I am forwarding it along with photos.
"Hello, Jim.
We saw you photos and are missing about spring. Especially today - 40 F with wing. If I rightly understood you, there are not enough water on the west side of your mountain. What species of big trees was on a fhoto, are you hiked in national park? This rout is equipped with planked footway.
Today I translated Sergei's journal from Naroda. I think it will interesting for you.


Wolverine on “Wolverine’s creek”

Once during this winter holiday I drove a man on a snowmobile. The man had an interest: winter climbing on Naroda (the highest top of Ural mountain 1894 m). During the way we visited lodge “Sana-vozsh”. “ Sana” is komi world, means wolverine; “vozsh” means tributary.
We arrived without invitation, but watchman was very glad to keep him a company. And was a reason for this glad. Sana-vozsh is not a small shelter; there are 20 constructions, besides I saw that all wickets, entrance between houses were fenced off. It looks like defence in depth. At first we warmed, drank a little. And watchman began to story.
The name’s Sasha. He had 2 dogs. He went to walk and took one dog. The second dog staid on the lodge. The first dog suddenly ran back to shelter. He returned immediately after his dog and saw wool backside in hut. Sasha grasped a stick (for breaking ice, we call “peshnya”) and rush forward. His second dog made hold and bitted this backside. The backside moved reverse from hut and he saw a big wolf (70 cm in withers). The wolf sprang on the dog but saw Sasha with stick and turned to the forest. I think it was a female. During next 40 minuets Sasha set up traps near killed dog. Unawares Sasha saw the second wolf. The second was bigger than the last 80 cm in withers (31 inches at shoulders). (I believe Sasha because he held hunter dogs all his life). The wolf was broadset, powerful and grey, it ran by the way towards another shelter. Sasha began to clean snow may be for relaxation and calming. The second wolf returned. Sasha couldn’t keep and closed with the dog in the lodge. (He held the dog on a rope 1 month else). Next morning the wolf fell into the trap and delivered.
This Day Alexander fell himself like wild fowl. He went to the creek for water. Не put on knees and tried to mortise water but the creek has frozen. He stood up and chirped. It’s worth seeing! Full-grown wolf was in a jump on him. When Sasha chirped the wolf turned off to the road and went. Obviously the wolf saw Sasha’s fur cap flashing in snow and mistook for wild fowl, hence jumped. If Sasha didn’t stand up in time, what will happen? It’ll dead certain the wolf will kill him. After that Sasha melted snow for food. His dog barked all night – wolfs knocked about the lodge. In the morning he saw wolf’s traces around his house, on the rubbish heap, near the toilet 20 meters from his house. They slept near the toilet, at 10 a.m. Sasha scared away them. All following week wolfs pastured Sasha. After that Sasha decided to do snare from toilet, when he hanged killed dog. The snare worked on the next day. Aha, the wolf is inside!
No, it was wolverine. Sasha tried to slaughter it by stick. Uselessly, it was very nimble and then the wolverine hid in a next section. Sasha took generator and put on tailpipe with rubber hose and sat to wait. After 20 minuets the wolverine stopped to rustle. It gasped. Sasha opened a door. But it threw on himself. He slammed the door. It takes 1,5 hour to throw upon toop on it’s neck. Sasha took out wolverine from toilet and his dog helped him to “suppress” it.
Then peoples and cars arrived. And wolfs didn’t disturb.
But history wasn’t end.
In the evening when we listened to this history I went to look wolfs traces. I decided to howl or, rather, to lure. Well, I lured and we went to sleep. Early in the morning we (my client and I) leaved the lodge to start our trip to Naroda. After 3 days we returned. On the way we visited another lodge Zchelanny a bit bigger,situated between Sana-vozsh lodge and Naroda. Mans (workers) told us that saw 2 dogs running follow us when we were toward to Naroda. But then they had some doubt were it dogs? It didn’t behave itselves like a dog. It didn’t turned to Zshelanny to theirs dogs. We said goodbye to them and went on. And I saw traces on my snowmobile way. Old traces were on the way with us, new traces – backwards. Well, pair of wolfs after my howling went behind us on snowmobile’s traces. The traces are hard, it is easy to run. When wolfs heard us and when we were near they ran to the forest. Wolfs traces started from Sana-vozsh. 2 days later after our returning new watchman from Sana-vozsh told in call time wolfs appeared again.
11, January

On the fhotos:
- we travel by snowmobile in winter,

- Balban-U River valley where Zshelanny lodge and Sana-vozsh lodge situated,

- on the Naroda top,


- the toilet where wolverine was killed,

- frozen wolverine,

- wolfs trace on snowmobile route.

Sincerely, Natalia
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These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.