12-Feb-2025 – We arrived in Arkhangelsk from Moscow on February 10, 2025. We got to the village of Nizhnyaya Palenga by car, located on the bank of the Pinega River. In 2025, the winter in the European part of Russia was frost-free, but despite this, large rivers and lakes froze in February, which allowed us to reach the required coordinates.

We had to walk on snowshoes through the forest for about 16 km to the confluence point 64°N 42°E. Most of the way we moved along the Palenga River along a clearing in the forest. At a certain point, we had to cross the Palenga itself, which remained unfrozen that winter. We located the narrowest section and crossed via fallen tree trunks.

The confluence point lies on the swampy shoreline of a lake, surrounded by deadwood. The nearest living trees grow 50–70 meters inland. This location is only accessible in winter across the frozen lake surface.

We spent three days searching for the confluence point (February 10–12). We camped in the forest for two nights using cold-weather sleeping bags. We were lucky and the frost did not fall below 10 degrees. In one day we returned to the village of Nizhnyaya Palenga, where a car was waiting for us. We went to rest and explore the caves in the village of Golubino, where a wonderful hotel is located.