13-Aug-2016 -- We were a group of 33 colleagues from Dodo Pizza who traveled by 9 cars to the village of Nebdino from Syktyvkar. We initially planned to split into three teams and reach the confluence by different routes because we thought that the group was too big. Then we decided against it since not a lot of team members had real hiking experience. Based on the map we had to hike about 13 km. We also picked a spot close to the river to camp and spend the night.

We walked fairly easily for about 3 km on a sand road that extended from the highway. Occasionally we passed the waste dumps (that signature of civilization). We got into the mixed forest and begun moving slower. Our chain stretched. The ground was heavily covered by moss. When we crossed the same ditch three times we realized that we were going in circles and had to analyze the GPS readings more carefully.

Finally we figured the correct path and walked out of the forest into the marsh. We jumped from one moss hummock to another for about an hour and then walked into the forest again. There were birch trees, pine trees, larch, briar. We also picked up some blueberries, bog whortleberries and cowberries.

Judging by the map there should have been the glade to lead us close to the confluence but we kept missing that glade until we understood that the narrow marshy path was actually the glade. We kept close to it occasionally diving into the forest when it became too wet. Surprisingly we weren't attacked by mosquitoes although the air was quite humid.

By the time we got to the point where the route to the confluence and the route to the camp parted, we covered 22 km. We left our backpacks and traveled light to the confluence point. When couple of us asked the distance to the confluence, the answer was 550 meters, but when we had that same answer three times in a row it became quite suspicious.

Altogether our travel from Nebdino surroundings to the confluence point took 25 km and about 7 hours.

We then travelled 8 more km to set up a tent camp and 12 km back taking the shorter route.