Lake Baikal, Russia

Dani and I arrived in Irkutsk and were collected by our host, his amazing dog, and his best friend.

We drove straight to Lake Baikal - the holder of many records including world's oldest, deepest, and most voluminous lake on earth. From it's southern shores we drove into the forest, leaving the car at a picturesque location and proceeding on foot.

After a solid hike up into the hills, we came across the cabin our hosts had built the previous two Autumns - a rustic roundwood timber construction cleverly notched together in a style traditional in Russia.

It was a really nice base to explore the surrounding forests, and we spent quite a bit of time just hanging out on the verandah, drinking tea, and enjoying the serenity.

One of the days we did climb a nearby mountain, for views over Baikal and the surrounding valleys, but it was incredibly steep and there were no paths. This picture was taken by our host while we took a break.

Baikal was a ridiculous size, stretching far beyond the horizon and appearing like an inland sea.

A few days later, we made the journey from Irkutsk back to Baikal, this time to the western shore and a town called Listvyanka, where crazy Russian men dive into it's icy waters for a few moments.

It was a good place to see the expanse of water - even at one of the narrowest points it appeared monstrous.

Listvyanka was also a great place to explore the Great Baikal Trail - a network of paths around the lake through stunning birch and pine forest. We were lucky to see the colours at their peak, and have the place almost to ourselves.