KAMCHATKA LAND OF MYSTERY AND MISTS - Page 6

Uzon Caldera is the large, fairly flat-floored crater of a collapsed, long-dormant volcano. For the most part, it is open meadowland with many wildflowers and several lakes and ponds, but there are also bush covered areas and some trees. The first thing which attracted our attention after we got off the helicopter was a group of three large brown bears, a sow with her two cubs at least ½ mile away, on the far side of a pond. The cubs were having a fine old time playing and splashing in the water. To my sorrow, they were too far away to be seen well without binoculars or to be photographed. When the bears left, there was a nature hike along a boardwalk in a loop past different types of terrine and plant communities. Near the beginning of the walkway, there was a large deck with benches around the sides overlooking a lake, where groups could sit for talks on the geology, flora and fauna of the caldera. I managed to miss most of that because just after we started the walk, I realized I had left my extra film in the helicopter and went back for it. Not far beyond the overlook was a narrow fissure with steaming hot springs and bubbling mud pools. Plants grew to the edges of the hot water or mud. After this, the walk turned away from the lake, going through flower filled meadows and past clumps of bushes and small groves of trees. Of all the flowers I saw, my favorite was the tiny Chocolate Lily, perhaps 6-8 inches tall.

We flew to the Valley of the Geysers from Uzon Caldera. This is a narrow steep-sided, V-shaped valley with many, mostly small, steam vents and geysers on each side of the stream running through it. A boardwalk led to viewing platforms at the rim of the valley and down near the largest geysers beside the stream. One of the larger, and several small, geysers erupted while we were there. Both the valley and the surrounding scenery are truly spectacular! After our geyser viewing and a walk up the valley floor a short way and back along the loop path to the top, we ate lunch at the visitors center - - - at 6 PM. The last people in had to rush their meals because the weather was threatening and the heliport was to close soon. The pilot was quite anxious to leave before the rain started and wanted to get back to Petropavlovsk before the heliport closed. He did.