Cross Lake Baikal,
in the heart of Siberia
do you like it?
Photo credit: Julie Monière
A trained biologist, camerawoman and talented photographer, Julie Monière has traveled the world for more than 20 years to discover new cultures and landscapes. She makes exceptional documentaries on the wild beauty of nature and makes us aware of its fragility. She has participated in the production of many mainstream films, notably for English television, the BBC and Disneynature, to name a few...
But this time, Julie decided to embark on her own adventure in February 2020: crossing Lake Baikal alone and independently from North to South. As she explains to me, it is the 6th largest lake in the world. It extends over a length of 636 km with a width varying from 24 km to 79 km for a total area of 31,722 km.
Photo credit: Lionel Thillet
Julie, I would like to know more about this lake... What is so extraordinary about it ?
Located in southeastern Siberia, Lake Baikal is one of the largest freshwater reserves on the planet.
It alone represents a fifth of the existing fresh water on the surface of the Earth and would be more than enough to meet the needs of the world's population for 50 years.
The Baikal is not only the oldest lake in the world, its age being estimated at around 25 million years, but also the deepest with its 1,700 m. The transparency of its limpid and crystalline waters are incredibly rich in oxygen and allow perfect visibility up to 40 m deep.
The immensity of the lake is such that its first occupants, the Buryats, a people established in Central Asia about two thousand years ago, considered it an inland sea. The name “Baikal” comes from the Turkish “Bay Köl” which originally means “rich or sacred lake”. It is still considered today as the “Pearl of Siberia”.
Lake Baikal has also been listed as a natural world heritage site by UNESCO since 1996, as it is the most exceptional example of a freshwater ecosystem. It is also surrounded by a set of incredibly rich protected areas. The most important is the Baikal-Léna nature reserve (6,600 km2 north of Irkutsk) created in 1986; there is also in Buryatia to the south the Baikal nature reserve (1,657 km2) created in 1969, to the east the Barguzin nature reserve (3,740 km2) created in 1916 to protect sables, this small species of carnivorous mammal become quite rare, because hunted for many years for its beautiful fur. Finally, in the northeast, we find the nature reserve of Djerguine (2,380 km2) created in 1992. To these reserves are added the three national parks of Zabaikal, Pribaikal and Tounka.
Photo credit: Lionel Thillet
Surrounded by high mountain ranges, this marvel of nature made me happy throughout my expedition, but for a long time it has also been the pride of Siberians. From the forest, to the dense taiga and the sparse tundra, we pass through semi-desert regions and rocky steppes of Asia. This mixture of landscapes has contributed to the development of a fauna and flora of inestimable value for naturalists and constitute a good knowledge base for the sciences of evolution: there are more than 2,600 animal species and more than a thousand plants, more than half of which only exist here. For example, more than 250 kinds of freshwater prawns have been found in Lake Baikal, which represents a third of all prawns known to date. The lake is also home to one of the rare species of seal living exclusively in fresh water: it is called here the Nerpa or more commonly the Lake Baikal seal; we can say that it is the super predator of the ecosystem of the lake.
The hydrology of the lake is also very interesting to study: more than 300 rivers flow into it, while only one has its source, it is the Angara River. The volume of water in the lake and the mountain ranges surrounding it have created a very specific microclimate around it. Many hot springs are also found on the North and South coasts. The average air temperature can thus vary by up to 10˚C compared to the average observed in the large city of Irkutsk, which is only 60 km away. Generally speaking, Lake Baikal is warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Above the lake, the sky remains clear most of the year and sustained rain is relatively rare.
Lakeside temperatures can sometimes soar to 17˚C in summer, with an annual average of just 4˚C. At the end of June, beginning of July, some will even be able to witness, if they are lucky, the magic of a lunar rainbow, this unique phenomenon caused by tiny particles of water raised on the surface of the lake by the lunar attraction.
October and November are not very recommended times to discover the lake, as well as April and the beginning of May, due to very unstable weather conditions. During these periods, the roads around the lake can often be blocked, especially in winter, when this “Siberian inland sea” is covered with a thick layer of snow. The pack ice begins to form at the beginning of December for a period of about 4 months.
I just decided to put my feet on the lake in February when the ice would be the strongest. At this time, it can measure more than a meter deep in places.
Photo credit: Lionel Thillet
Why did you decide to go so far and in full winter conditions?
I have always appreciated remote areas and large snow-covered expanses. Each time my work had taken me into frozen spaces, whether in the Arctic or Antarctica, I had felt an inexplicable relief. No doubt that I was transported by the supernatural beauty of this nature still virgin of any human activity. In this pure wild environment, my mind is freed and slowly set in motion. I am as if carried by a natural force that is beyond me.
This trip on Lake Baikal therefore appeared to me in my dream as obvious. I like these vast white spaces as far as the eye can see, they help me find a certain inner calm and serenity. After a very active professional period, I wanted to take a break and find myself in timeless landscapes in order to open a new parenthesis in my life. I wanted to feel like a child, without fear and with fresh eyes, more in connection with my senses and the world around me. I also wanted to get to know myself better through this sporting challenge. I wanted to put myself in danger, to live to the full as at the first breath. I wanted to find the time to meet Lake Baikal face to face to guide me to a new path.
I understand your trip didn't go as planned?
It's like life, no matter how much we want to plan everything, fate sometimes decides otherwise. We must then learn to adapt to changes and events as soon as they arise.
I initially set myself a far too optimistic goal of 30 days to connect the north of the lake to the south. It was simply the duration of my Russian visa! In fact, it was a big mistake on my part, because I put too much mental pressure on myself when I left, including logistics.
I was first surprised by the abnormally high amount of snow for this season due to too mild a climate, which considerably slowed down my progress with my Pulka, that's the Swedish name given to the sled that I used to transport my 80 kg of survival equipment, my food, my tent, etc... At this time of year, in February, there must have been much lower negative temperatures, around minus twenty degrees, which should logically have limited snowfall.
From the first kilometers, having to face so many unforeseen events, fear and my emotions completely invaded me. My heart started beating at 300 per hour, when I sank into this white immensity that enveloped me both body and mind. Lake Baikal put me to the test of doubt. I quickly realized that the distance of the 700 km I had planned to cover could take much longer than I imagined. So rather than turning my dream into a test, or even a nightmare, I told myself that what really counted would now be the steps I would take day by day, hour by hour. Then I'll see where it all takes me...
If I had persisted in pursuing my initial objective by projecting myself from the start on the finish, then I would have prevented myself from having fun and fully living the present moment.
Completely resigned to my fate, so I decided to return to my original starting point to join my support team. Once safe at base camp, Ice Captain Valeria wanted me to call on a Siberian shaman to bless me and my Pulka. It's a tradition there: you will never be allowed to walk alone on a frozen lake without protecting you from evil spirits. As I absolutely wanted to leave as soon as possible, I followed this shamanic ritual. I did well because if I had given up, I would never have been able to go back because of the pandemic linked to the coronavirus: the borders being closed a few months later to foreigners.
In the end, this second start was the right one, even if I still kept in mind my sprained ankle which had occurred a few weeks earlier during my training and which could wake up at any moment. Despite my injury, my doctor still let me go, because he had considered that the route of this long walk was flat and therefore safe for my health.
Taking into account this physical fragility, each day of this expedition was a new challenge for me to find my balance and the right pace of walking. Through my various documentary shoots, I knew the Great Cold well, but on this expedition, I knew that my professional experience alone would not be enough and that I had to surpass myself both physically and morally.
I usually walked from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. Gradually, the steady effort of walking gave me new strength and energy. Every day, I followed the same routine: getting up, getting ready, and unpacking my tent in freezing temperatures and freezing wind. Every evening, I also had to prepare my essential water supplies for my survival the next day.
Photo credit: Lionel Thillet
Can we say that for you it's a kind of spiritual journey ?
I did not choose this place at random, this lake has long attracted me. It is for me a very spiritual site. I would even say that it is a place that is both magical and alive.
I loved treading the frozen lake day and night. I felt his heart beating with each step I took, carried away by this particular noise produced by the resounding and continuous cracking of the ice. It's frightening, although we know it's a meter thick, we can't help but fear that it will break at any moment. You have to have the ear of the Siberians to detect the noise announcing the danger. Despite everything, at the end of each day's walk, I waited impatiently for the moment to land in my tent for a night lulled by the mysterious song of the lake. At nightfall, I also heard the cry of wolves and the flapping of birds' wings.
Beyond surpassing myself, it's true that my first motivation was to expose myself and immerse myself in this wild nature to find the fluidity of my thoughts and a new flow of energy. For almost fifteen years, in England, I was shooting wildlife documentaries for the BBC and Disneynature. I worked a lot, maybe too much, and paradoxically I felt more and more disconnected from the nature I was filming. I ended up going back to France, to find myself and be closer to my family. Very quickly, at the beginning of 2017, the idea of a walking trip through Siberia came to me.
In fact, this adventure was born from a meeting with the French travel writer Sylvain Tesson who had just spent 6 months on Lake Baikal as a hermit. His story had fascinated me and the images brought back had literally transported me. I think that from time to time, you shouldn't think too much before taking action, you just have to accept this strong desire that transcends us in order to be able to live the strong and extraordinary moments of our existence.
By putting one foot in front of the other in this mystical environment, I told myself that my body as well as my mind would naturally get back in motion.
Moreover, lakes have always been natural spaces with a strong spiritual meaning for Aboriginal peoples. With their large expanses of water, the lakes represented for them the reflection of heaven on earth, Tengri the Sky God being the supreme deity of Tengrism, the once most influential religion in Central Asia. As a result, Baikal is cited many times in the various ancient texts left by the Turks and Mongols to become even today one of the most sacred places in Asia.
For thousands of years, the powerful energy of the lake has drawn many people to seek help from nature. Stone carvings and the ruins of traditional Baikal ritual monuments can still be seen today on its banks. The heart of the lake is Olkhon Island which is also glorified in many legends. It is the largest among the 30 islands of the lake and is home to 143 unique archaeological pieces: tombs, remains of ancient ruins, monuments of shamanic worship, and many more... According to the inhabitants of the region , it is on this island, on the famous Cape Bourkhan, that the powerful spirits of the lake live. In the past, only shamans were allowed to enter the sacred cave there.
Photo credit: Lionel Thillet
What is your message through this long walk?
We must constantly remember that walking has played an essential role in the cognitive development of humanity. Walking is the foundation of the human condition. When the child stands up and takes his first steps, he discovers the world and goes towards others. He then feels an intense happiness. However, walking has become, in the eyes of adults, so natural that we no longer realize its importance. Yet it is such a great source of pleasure and allows a direct connection with our environment. Walking invites us to be more attentive to the outside world. Walking long distances also allows for introspection, we walk towards ourselves whether we like it or not. We see more clearly in ourselves and we sometimes find solutions to our problems. Walking helped me to think better, to collect my thoughts and to refocus on the essentials. Walking has allowed me to make better decisions at precious and important times in my life.
It's finally a way to rediscover the silence on these great white expanses out of time. Hearing yourself breathe makes the journey even more intense and unique. For me, the magic of the lake did its work, its song soothed me, the Spirit of the forest guided me. I regained possession of all my senses: listening, feeling, contemplating... It's one of the rare activities that makes me so free and close to my true nature.
Yet on this great ice road, I was often confronted with my doubts, my fears, but little by little, I rediscovered my strengths and was able to push my limits to have this feeling of being vertical again. by myself. This expedition taught me to trust myself more, to reclaim time and to rediscover a certain anchoring. I hope, through this walk, to inspire other women to help them face their demons and move forward. You have to persevere on your path, even if the path is sometimes difficult to follow, because the journey and the commitment always end up transforming us. I've been thinking about this adventure for years, but I didn't really dare to take the plunge. The great English explorer Felicity Aston strongly inspired me and gave me the courage to take the plunge. I hope that my expedition will give other people the audacity to believe in themselves and in their ability to live their dreams, to tell themselves that everything is finally possible: just try, fate will do the rest...
The decision to carry out this expedition was also strongly motivated by my questions about the human, societal and environmental issues we all face. Right now I'm so disarmed by everything I see on TV and the internet that I feel like I'm getting lost in a world in which our basic needs have been diverted. Our connection to nature has been completely broken. Today I feel the need to ask myself a lot of questions about our pace of life and our connection to our planet. We don't give enough time to self-reflection in a fast-paced world that spins our heads in a frantic dance toward overconsumption. I think there is no determinism and that we are all in motion and becoming on this earth.
Lake Baikal is dying under the weight of pollution and tons of plastic waste pouring into it. Faced with environmental threats, it could soon be inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
In the end, I really ask myself the question of how to take better care of ourselves and our environment in order to live well together and try to leave a better world for future generations. I am not alone in this fight, many of us ask ourselves existential questions and seek answers to give meaning to what we live and what we observe with helplessness. This is the case of Lionel Thillet , my director and cameraman friend, who accompanied me to Siberia to reflect on all these subjects. Through the production of a documentary "letter to Baikal", we tried to make the general public discover the exceptional but fragile beauty of this remote region, in order to make people think about the direction of walking, our relationship to nature and at the time. I want to share my vision of the world to live in a more harmonious way. It is above all a story of sharing. I hope to transmit dreams to the children of today and tomorrow to make them want to take care of our planet.
The film "letter to Baikal" was sold to the French television channel Ushuaia TV and broadcast in January 2022 during the month dedicated to explorers.
More informations
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Who is Julie Monière?
She is a documentary filmmaker, but also a French explorer and photographer. Ever since she was little, she has always been fascinated by cultures and landscapes from elsewhere. It is not surprising that at the age of 17 she left France to live and study alone in Ireland, then in Morocco. She then moved to England to work for 15 years in the fascinating world of wildlife reporting.
With her 20 years of experience in cinema, she specialized in remote and extremely cold environments. She was able to travel in this way to unique and the most incredible places on our planet.
Camera operator on major animal documentaries for the BBC ( Seven Worlds One Planet and Wild Alaska live ) Disneynature ( Polar Bear , Penguin _cc781905-5cde-3193_cf-584-badetc ...), she decided in 2019 to create her own production company in order to make films on subjects that are close to her heart.
In 2021, she co-directed with Lionel Thillet her first documentary "Lettre au Baïkal" broadcast in January 2022 on Ushuaïa TV. She is preparing for 2022 a new project "Realise Your Dreams".
To extend this article, I quote a passage from the book "Dans mes pas" written by the French explorer Jean-Louis Etienne: "To walk is to travel, to discover, to think, to survey, to run away, to migrate, to manifest, to wander. To walk it's being alone, in a crowd, free, it's reaching for a goal. Walking is movement, rhythm, breath, presence in the world. Walking is being alive._cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ It's tracing your own path..."
Buen camino :-)
Lionel of Compostela
You will find on the following pages, all my long distance hikes with descriptions of the stages and photos. Coming soon... so, subscribe to the site here or on my Youtube channel. Buen camino!!! Lionel of Compostela
