Latest Update: July 18, 2001 by Ben Marcus

18:00 PT WEDNESDAY JULY 18, 2001 ALONG THE FRASER RIVER, BETWEEN CLINTON AND WHISTLER

ODOMETER: 58562
TRIP METER: 3485.10

MONEY
Scratchers at gas station: Candy bar and water

Oh well, after several safe and happy days Chez Schwartie by Sheridan Lake, itÍs back to ñStupid fricking cat!î mode. I just stopped for a minute to get out and walk around and let Ike out for a run. He was fine. Walked down, poked around then came back up, all friendly-like. I fed him a little on the hood and then put him in the car and slammed the door on something: probably his tail. He howled and didnÍt like it. I let him loose, opened my driverÍs door and he jumped over my head and bolted off into the bush.

So now IÍm stuck by the side of Highway 99, overlooking a substantial river I donÍt know the name of. It is big and brown and running toward the south. It looks like the Yukon a bit and when I looked at my map I figured out that it must be the Fraser. ItÍs an important-looking river. I am heading for Whistler which is about 270 KÍs away but I am in no hurry. There are several packages heading toward the home of Dano Pendygrasse, and they probably wonÍt be there until Friday. IÍm also waiting for Evan to deposit my check for the Jay story and that money probably wonÍt be available until Saturday, so IÍm cruising.

I got booted out of the safe and happy abode of Don Schwartz and Lee Erickson this afternoon, when they took off to drive to a wedding in Calgary. They spent the morning cleaning up the house, all around me, while I furiously typed and sent e-mails and made phone calls and got things hopping.

After speaking with the lovely-voiced Natasha at Magadan, and reserving six seats for Sunday, the 19th of August at $1312 a piece, on NatashaÍs suggestion I sent an e-mail to her boss at Magadan. Maybe it will work. Maybe it wonÍt.

Mr. Melnik
Magadan Air
Anchorage, Alaska

July 18, 2001

Mr. Melnik

I am leading a combined fishing/surfing expedition to the Kamchatka Peninsula during the last week of August. We will be going for two weeks, and will have a photographer named George Nikitin who speaks Russian, myself and four professional surfers: Brock Little, Keith Malloy, Perry Miller and Anthony Ruffo.

We don't know exactly what we are getting into, and that is part of the fun. I know a little about Kamchatka fishing and Kamchatka bear and Kamchatka volcanos, but almost nothing about surfing. I have seen photos of the east coast beaches and a video called "Yankee in Kamchatka" but it's all still a mystery. We will be exploring the coastline by helicopter most likely, looking for rivermouths or points or beaches where there is good surf.

I will be writing a daily journal for a website called swell.com and also a magazine article for Surfing Magazine. I am also hoping to interest some American fishing magazines in a well-photographed and well-written article about fishing in Kamchatka.

This trip is going to be expensive, especially with the helicopter time, and I am hoping to save money wherever I can. Perry Miller is getting us free round-trip airfares from San Francisco to Anchoarge on Alaska Airlines, and that will save some money.

I have just booked $8000 worth of seats on Magadan Airlines, and I wonder if your airline might be willing to give us a reduced rate on those seats-or on baggage, which will be substantial-in return for promotion in the magazine articles that are produced.

I don't know if surfers will begin flocking to Kamchatka because of our expedition, and I don't even know if Kamchatka wants surfers flocking there, but any money we can save will go toward helicopter time and lodging and renting vehicles during our two weeks there.

I am in British Columbia right now and traveling toward Alaska.

I am best contacted by e-mail at: TheBenM@AOL.COM.

And please let me compliment you on Natasha, the Russian woman who answered the phone. She was very helpful and nice. I wish all airlines were that good. When I called AeroFlot about trips from Seattle to PetroPavlovsk, the man on the other end said, "Huh! PetroWhat? Could you spell that for me?"

Yikes.

Thank you for your time.

Ben Marcus

So that e-mail is out there percolating somewhere, and maybe weÍll get a break on the seats. Like I said, every bit we save on airfare will make the expedition that much better.

I sent other e-mails. I sent e-mails to every TV News channel in Anchorage, pitching the Turnagain Arm tidal bore expedition.

They all kind of read like this:

KTUU 2 Anchorage, Alaska

July 18, 2001

To whom it may interest,

I am planning a surf trip to the Kamchatka Peninsula of Eastern Siberia for the last week of August. I will be traveling with a Russian-speaking photographer and four professional surfers: Brock Little, Keith Malloy, Anthony Ruffo and Perry Miller.

As a sidebar to this pioneering surf trip to Kamchatka, I am also hoping to get these guys to surf the Turnagain Arm tidal bore. I saw the bore last year on October 28, and was impressed and a little spooked. It wasnÍt a big wave, but it was a wave that KEPT ON GOING, up a sound, a hundred miles from open ocean.

The tides for Friday and Saturday, August 17 and 18 are the most extreme of the month. I'm hoping to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday, spend two days surfing the bore, then leave for Russia on Sunday.

I wonder if your station would be interested in doing a story about a visit by some of the world's best surfers. Brock Little is one of the best big-wave surfers in the history of the sport. He knows how to fall, that guy, and he has turned that ability into a second career as one of Hollywood's best stuntmen. He did stunts for Pearl Harbor and is now working in New York on a movie with Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock. Keith Malloy is a good surfer and pretty boy who was recently featured in Sports Illustrated.

Perry Miller and Anthony Ruffo are rogues. But charming rogues.

Let me know if you are interested. CNN loves anything to do with surfing, and they might take the story, too.

I am best contacted by e-mail: TheBenM@AOL.com.

Thank you.

Ben Marcus

I do think CNN will run the Tidal Bore story if the wave has any size. I wish I could compare the tides on Friday and Saturday with what the tide was last October 28, when I saw a decent little two-foot bore. IÍve read things that said it got as big as six feet. If we can chance into that with Ruffo, Little. Malloy and Miller, it will be all time.

I also sent an e-mail to Vickie Achee at Patagonia, blatantly asking if Patagonia would give us some swag to take to Kamchatka and give away as presents and bribes, after we had used the gear.

Vickie Achee
Patagonia

July 18, 2001

Vickie

I am organizing a combined surfing/fishing trip to the Kamchatka Peninsula of Eastern Siberia for two weeks at the end of August.

This trip will be for a daily journal on swell.com and a feature in Surfing Magazine. Brock Little, Keith Malloy, Anthony Ruffo and Perry Miller will be the surfers. The photographer will be George Nikitin, a San Francisco-based AP photog who speaks Russian.

We are flying from Anchorage to Kamchatka on Sunday the 19th of August. Prior to that, we are going to attempt to surf the Turnagain Arm tidal bore, which breaks up a fjord south of Anchorage. The tides are extreme and perfect that week.

We'll be in Kamchatka for two weeks, exploring a pristine wilderness for surf and steelhead. No one has ever surfed this place before, and few outsiders have ever been there.

It's going to be a blast, if we aren't kidnapped or eaten by a bear.

Why am I telling you all this? I want to go to Kamchatka like Santa Claus, with a bag full of swag I can use for presents and bribes. The Russians love high-quality American gear, things they could never afford on 6 roubles a month.

I'm wondering if I could work some kind of deal with Patagonia where I would get a reduced rate on boots, waders, vests and whatever else you think the Russians might like. I would probably use the gear during the trip, then strip it off as I saw fit and give it all away.

In the past I have given a Patagonia surfboard to Anton Figg, the drummer for the David Letterman show, and I gave another Patagonia surfboard to Roberto Moura, a Brazilian gazillionaire who showed us ridiculous hospitality in the Angra Islands of Brazil. I left another Patagonia longboard in Norway a few years ago.

I like spreading the Patagonia gospel. I'll be taking a Patagonia longboard to Russia, and you might want to send us some gear for a potential photo for the catalogs. Keith Malloy just got a beefcake photo in Sports Illustrated, and Brock Little photographs well, too.

Let me know by e-mail.

Thank you.

Ben Marcus

Vickie said there was nothing she could do for me and referred me to Andy Marker. I sent the same e-mail to him, and this was his response. My responses are IN ALL BOLD

In a message dated 7/18/2001 1:24:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time, andy_marker@patagonia.com writes:

So let me get this straight...you want me to give you a deal on stuff so you can give presents and bribes??? What's in it for us???

UMMMM. BLATANT PATAGONIA PLUGS IN ALL INTERNET AND SURFING AND FISHING MAGAZINE ARTICLES CONNECTED WITH THIS TRIP???

WE'RE GOING TO ATTEMPT TO SURF THE TURNAGAIN ARM TIDAL BORE IN ALASKA. CNN WILL PROBABLY FILM IT. I'LL TRY TO GET SOME LOGO AND SIGNAGE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA.

INTERNATIONAL GOODWILL AND THE FURTHER DEMOCRATIZATION OF THE WORLD, AS OUR RUSSIAN FRIENDS UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF EXCEPTIONAL EQUIPMENT IN A FREE-MARKET ECONOMY?

SPIRIT OF HANDS ACROSS THE SEA?

SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE? FIRST SURF TRIP TO KAMCHATKA?

POSSIBLE EXOTIC PHOTOS FOR THE PATAGONIA CATALOGUE?

HEY, I JUST SENT VICKIE ACHEE A KILLER AD CAMPAIGN IDEA, FREE OF CHARGE. YOU SHOULD USE IT. I'VE INCLUDED IT BELOW

I DID A GREAT INTERVIEW WITH YVON IN SURFER MAGAZINE MANY YEARS AGO WHEN HE INTRODUCED THE UNBREAKABLE SURFBOARDS.

I JUST PITCHED AN INTERVIEW WITH YVON IN GRAY'S SPORTING JOURNAL, AND THEY ARE INTERESTED.

I'M A LIKABLE PERSON. I LIKE PATAGONIA EQUIPMENT. I'M LOYAL

I certainly respect the blatant aspect, just want to make sure I understand what you're after...

FREE SHIT, BASICALLY. OR REDUCED PRICE, ANYWAY. IT'S NOT FOR ME, IT'S FOR RUSSIA, WITH LOVE.

hmmmmm...

WAS THAT CONVINCING ENOUGH?

YVON KNOWS ABOUT THS TRIP, I THINK. ASK HIM.

Andy

So maybe that was convincing enough. I left the SchwartieÍs around 15:00 after thanking them profusely and giving Lee a silver and gold box I was using to store my oatmeal gorp in. She was grateful and said it was unnecessary. IÍm hoping the other Conspiracy plan will gain momentum, and something will happen that will be really unnecessary.

Don drew me a map of a scenic route to Whistler which I promptly lost, but I think IÍm on it now. I took 24 west to 97 south, and turned onto 99 at Lilloet. I think that is the Fraser running below me, or one of its tributaries.

The terrain here is odd. It looks like desert, but then I realized it isnÍt desert, itÍs denuded hills from all the logging. It looks bad, like a shorn poodle, but the trees will all grow back eventually. Sue Schawartz will see to that. During the season she over sees five tree-planting teams, which follow along behind the lumberjacks and reforest the scars.

Ike is back. I just started the van to charge the battery, then went outside. He was sitting up in the wheel-well on the left-rear tire. Stupid cat. Good thing I didnÍt roll forward.

16:33 PT THURSDAY JULY 19, 2001 ALONG THE BIRKENHEAD RIVER NEAR PEMBERTON

ODOMETER: 58708
TRIP METER: 3630.

MONEY
Meat pies at 1:30 AM last night: $4.00
Meat pies at 12:00 noon today: $6.00
Year-long fishing license for BC $58

Dear Diary: Dano Pendygrasse is fishing the Birkenhead and IÍm not, really. ItÍs a nice stretch of river but itÍs fast and a little milky, and I need to catch up with this. I also need to take a shower. I need to jump in a river.

I have a lot on my mind, since yesterday. I left The Cabin with a lot of e-mails hanging in the air and a lot of details uncertain: Would Magadan give me a break on airfare? Was George Nikitin going to go? Would Perry get us free tickets on Alaska Airlines? Would Smith Optics and Patagonia bend to my charming e-mails and send us some swag?

There were lots of details, some of which were solved this morning, most of which were still hanging. Here are some of the e-mails I got this morning, the first from Steve Hawk:

All,

Swell.com won a big award last night: the Webby for best sports web site on the Internet. We beat ESPN and CBSSportsline, among others. The few of us in attendance in San Francisco got to hear a several thousand people cheer our work, then moan at my unwarranted five-word assault on Sam Donaldson.

A trainload of people deserved to be on stage with -- or instead of -- Doug and me to accept the award. And a great many of them don't even work for the company anymore. So if you're one of the scores of people who poured a piece of your soul into Swell, please set aside your cynicism and allow yourself a moment of pride. The Webby means that a lot of smart people who know what they're talking about just acknowledged that you helped produced one of the best web sites on the Internet. Now, I know what many of you are thinking right now: this award and $2.25 will get you a latte at Starbucks. And I know that the whole thing will probably have negligible tangible impact on Swell or your lives.

But still. Man. We won.

Thank you all.

Steve

Hot dog! We won a Webby!!! Can I cash in my stock options now!!!!! Oops, I was supposed to set aside my cynicism. Hard to do.

I also got a somewhat discouraging response from the company that will be guiding us in Kamchatka. I had been dealing with Yegor Churakov all along, but now that I need him he is out of the office.

Dear Ben,

Unfortunately, Yegor now is not present in city, he will arrive only in the beginning of August.

We hope, that at you all will be Ok and we shall go on Kamchatka.

BR from St.Petersburg,

Nick

My response.

WILL YEGOR OR SOMEONE FROM YOUR COMPANY STILL BE ABLE TO GUIDE US IN KAMCHATKA? IT APPEARS OUR RUSSIAN-SPEAKING PHOTOGRAPHER IS GETTING COLD FEET.

LET ME KNOW IF YEGOR WILL STILL BE AVAILABLE. I WILL SEND THE $970 GUIDING FEE, AND WE MAY NEED AN INVITATION FROM YOUR COMPANY TO OBTAIN VISAS.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT ON THIS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP

Here was the response to my ñblatant plea for swagî from Andy Marker at Patagonia.

I think I can arrange a one-time deal on some gear. Put together a list of what you're looking for, including sizes and colors and I'll see what we can dig up.

Do you have any documentation on this trip or is it a pretty loose trip?

Thanks,

Andy

This was my response to Mr. Marker.

ANDY

WE'LL BE IN KAMCHATKA TWO WEEKS AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE ARE GETTING INTO. I KNOW THE FISHING IS GREAT, BUT NOT EVEN YVON COULD TELL ME IF THERE IS ANY SURF THERE. ("THE EAST COAST LOOKED CLIFFY TO ME," HE SAID, THE RIVERMOUTHS ARE YOUR BEST BET)

SO, WE'LL MOST LIKELY BE EXPLORING BY HELICOPTER, FINDING LIEKLY SPOTS AND THEN GETTING DROPPED OFF.

WHAT DO WE NEED? COLD-WEATHER CLOTHES, BUT I''M MOST INTERESTED IN FLY-FISHING GEAR, BECAUSE THE STEELHEAD FISHING IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD.

WADERS, BOOTS AND VESTS, AS MANY AS YOU CAN SPARE, I GUESS. I'M XL IN WADERS, SIZE 11 OR 12 IN BOOTS. I LIKE THOSE BACKPACK/FISHING VESTS YOU GUYS MAKE. THAT WOULD BE XL ALSO. SEND XL AND L AND THE OTHERS WILL BE ABLE TO USE THE GEAR. I'M BRINGING TWO STEELHEAD RODS AND A TROUT ROD, AND GOERGE WILL BE SUITABLE EQUIPPED AS WELL.

I HOPE TO USE YOUR GEAR DURING THE TRIP, LET OTHERS USE IT AND THEN GIVE IT AWAY TO OUR GUIDE OR SOME LUCKY RUSSKIE AT THE END. IT IS GOOD TO GIVE PRESENTS AND SHOW APPRECIATION.

ALSO, IF YOU HAVE ANY CLOTHING OR JACKETS YOU MIGHT WANT PHOTOGRAPHED IN AN EXOTIC LOCATION FOR THE CATALOGUE, SEND IT ALONG. SOME OF THE MEMBERS OR OUR EXPEDITION ARE ATHLETIC AND COMELY, AND WILL PHOTOGRAPH WELL.

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS.

THIS COULD ALL BLOW UP AND NOT HAPPEN BY THE WAY, BUT I THINK IT IS GOING TO PROCEED.

AND RUN ALL THIS BY YVON, HE KNOWS KAMCHATKA AND A LITTLE ABOUT THIS AND WILL MOST LIKELY SUPPORT THE IDEA.

BEN MARCUS: THEBENM@AOL.COM

And here was very discouraging news from George Nikitin.

Dear Ben: I told u that I wouldn't hang u up for long with my decision about Kamchatka. I struggled with this decision, but regrettably will not be going. I would be happy to be your point man concerning visas etc. at the Russian Consulate here. Let me know if I can help u with that. OK? I know I'm a schmuck about this, but I did do a lot of soul searching about this trip. If for some reason u don't go, u know where I'll be and are encouraged to join me.

Your Pal, George

Pal? Pal! This was my response to George. I wasnÍt as pissed as I sounded.

GEORGE

HOW CAN YOU NOT DO THIS? IT'S THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME, AND IT WAS YOUR IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE?????!!!!

WE'RE GOING TO SURF A TIDAL BORE, WHICH YOU CAN PHOTOGRAPH. WE'RE GOING TO GO TO RUSSIA AND CATCH MEGA-STEELHEAD AND BE THE FIRST TO SURF THE PLACE.

YELLOWSTONE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE, YOU CAN DO IT NEXT YEAR. WHERE IS YOUR SENSE OF ADVENTURE.

THIS IS NOT A DANGEROUS TRIP. AIRLINES FLY ACROSS THE BERING SEA ALL THE TIME.

COME ON GEORGE. WE NEED YOU. WE'LL HAVE A RUSSIAN-SPEAKING GUIDE ANYWAY, BUT WE NEED YOU.

RECONSIDER. IT'S TWO WEEKS OUT OF YOUR LIFE, YOU'LL BE GETTING PAID BY SURFING AND OTHER FOREIGN MAGAZINES, YOU'LL PROBABALY GET PHOTOS IN THE PATAGAONIA CATALOGUE, YOUR TIDAL BORE PHOTO MIGHT BE PUBLISHABLE.

AND I'M PITCHING THE FISHING MAGAZINES TODAYY T

HINK ABOUT IT. CHANGE YOUR MIND. GEEZ ALREADY, THIS WAS YOUR IDEA!!!!!!!!

FLAME: THIS MIGHT NOT WORK WITH GEORGE. CAN YOU THINK OF ANYONE ELSE WHO MIGHT WANT TO GO? SHIT.

And this was another e-mail from Russia.

Dear Ben,

Yes, Yegor can go with you to Kamchatka. He will arrive in St. Petersburg at beginning of August, and then will go with you, so all ð�. The visa support and all documents before Yegor's arrival will be made to you by we. We can make the invitation and vaucher, but for this is necessary yours Trip Application Form filled for all members of group.

A sample in the attachment.

Taking a helicopter is not a problem, there are some Mi-8, russian heli, can take up to 20(maybe more?) people. It cost approx. $500-600- $700? per hour. Also there are some small heli, but I don't khow details.

I email you later with more info.

BR, Nick

I spent the morning reading and returning e-mails. I did a lunch run to the meat pie place while Dano did some business the other way.

I did this check-list just before we left for fishing an hour ago, which should give you some idea of the status of this Russia trip.

RUSSIA CHECK LIST

1. GEORGE NIKITIN DOESN'T WANT TO GO THREATEN HIM OR FIND ANOTHER PHOTOGRAPHER.

WHO ELSE WOULD WANT TO DO THIS?

A GROWN-UP PREFERABLY.

2. MAGADAN AIRLINES

I'VE RESERVED SIX SEATS AT $1312 A PIECE, LEAVING ANCHORAGE ON AUGUST 12 AND RETURNING TWO SUNDAYS LATER

IF THEY DON'T GIVE US A BREAK ON THE AIRFARES, THEY'RE GOING TO WANT $8000 WITHIN A WEEK

CAN EVAN GET THAT CHECK CUT WITHIN A WEEK?

CAN HE PAY FOR EVERYONE AND THEN BE REIMBURSED?

NEED TO SEND EVAN THE ADDRESS FOR MAGADAN $2600 IS FOR ME AND PHOTOGRAPHER, PAID BY SURFING.

THE REST WILL BE REIMBURSED BY THE SURFERS.

THE AIRFARES ARE $1312 EACH, SO ALL THE SURFERS GOING ON THE TRIP SHOULD START SENDING THAT MONEY T TOWARD EVAN, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

3. ALASKA AIRLINES

PERRY MILLER (HERO!)IS TRYING TO GET FREE STAND-BY SEATS ON ALASKA FLIGHTS GOING UP TO ANCHORAGE, MOSTLY FROM SAN FRANCISCO.

IDEALLY, EVERYONE WILL GET UP TO ANCHORAGE ON TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY, AUGUST 14-16.

I'LL BE ABLE TO PICK UP PEOPLE AT THE AIRPORT, AND WE SHOULD GET A HOTEL ROOM DOWN NEAR DRIFTWOOD, WHERE I SAW THE TIDAL BORE LAST YEAR.

IF PERRY CAN'T GET US FREE STAND-BY TICKETS, THEN WE NEED TO KNOW THAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SO PEOPLE CAN BOOK AS FAR IN ADVANCE AS POSSIBLE.

I HAVE ENOUGH FREQUENT FLYER MILES ON UNITED TO GET ONE PERSON UP TO ANCHORAGE, IF UNITED FLIES THERE.

4. VISAS

ONCE WE KNOW FOR SURE THAT WE ARE GOING, WE NEED TO

GET CRACKING ON VISAS. THERE IS A RUSSIAN CONSULATE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND THE APPLICATIONS NEED TO BE MADE THERE. I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE AN OFFICIAL INVITATION FROM A TOUR GUIDE, AND I THINK WE WILL GET THAT FROM YEGOR CHURAKOV OR HIS ASSOCIATES.

THERE IS A CHARGE FOR THE VISAS THAT GETS MORE EXPENSIVE AS TIME GETS CLOSER.

I WONDER IF WE SHOULD SAY THIS IS FOR A FISHING EXPEDITION, NOT A SURFING EXPEDITION. SURFING MIGHT MAKE THE ALARM BELLS GO OFF: HIPPIES, DRUGS, ETC.

EVERYONE SHOULD CONTACT THEIR NEAREST RUSSIAN CONSULATE AND GET THE DETAILS ON WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO GET A VISA FOR TWO WEEKS.

THEY'LL PROBABLY NEED FLIGHT INFO FROM MAGADAN.

5. GEAR AND BAGGAGE

NOT SURE HOW MUCH WE ARE ALLOWED TO TAKE, BUT WE ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO HAVE SOME GEAR: CAMERAS, FISHING, SURFBOARDS. CAMPING, CLOTHES, PRESENTS.

NOT SURE IF WE'LL GET HASSLED AT CUSTOMS FOR COMPUTERS, CAMERAS, PRESENTS, ETC. NEED TO ASK YEGOR ABOUT THIS

6. TIDAL BORE

THE TIDES ARE PERFECT ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. WE SHOULD ATTEMPT TO SURF IT. SCOTT LISKA HAS FRIENDS THERE THAT SURF IT AND I WILL TALK TO THEM.

I'VE CONTACTED LOCAL TV NEWS STATIONS ABOUT THE TIDAL BORE, BUT HAVENT HEARD ANYTHING BACK.

I'M ALSO GOING TO SEE IF CNN IS INTERESTED IN IT. I CALLED AND E-MAIL ERIC NELSON TO SEE WHO HIS CONTACT IS, BUT I HAVENT YET HEARD BACK.

7. YEGOR CHURAKOV

OUR GUIDE WON'T BE BACK UNTIL AUGUST 1 AND I AM DEALING WITH SOMEONE ELSE (NICKOLAY ZAG) FROM HIS COMPANY. WE NEED TO SEND HIM $970 AS A GUIDE FEE.

I WONDER IF WE COULD JUST BRING IT TO HIM IN CASH WHEN WE GET THERE?? YEGOR?

8. KAMCHATKA

LET'S SAY WE ACTUALLY GET THERE. THEN WHAT? I'M ASSUMING WE'LL BE MAKING AT LEAST ONE EXPLORATION BY HELICOPTER. I HAVE A 1943 NAVY MAP WHICH TELLS ME WE SHOULD FLY UP THE COAST FROM PETROPAVLOVSK AS FAR AS THE MOUTH OF THE KAMCHATKA RIVER, ALTHOUGH I DON'T KNOW HOW FAR THAT IS, OR HOW MANY HOURS IT WILL TAKE.

THERE IS A SMALL HELICOPTER WHICH TAKES TWO PEOPLE AND A LARGER HELICOPTER WHICH CAN TAKE MORE THAN A DOZEN, I THINK. I'VE FORGOTTEN HOW MUCH THESE CHOPPERS ARE AN HOUR, BUT IT ISN'T CHEAP. THE MORE MONEY WE HAVE FOR CHOPPERS, THE BETTER

ONCE WE GET A LOOK AT THE COAST, WE CAN FIND PLACES WE WANT TO GO AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THERE. MAYBE WE CAN HIRE A BOAT OR A MILITARY VEHICLE TO GET THERE, OR WE MAY NEED A HELICOPOTER TO DROP US OFF AND PICK US UP.

AND IF THERE ISN'T ANY SURF, WE FISH. WE'LL TRY TO PICK LIKELY SPOTS THAT ARE NEAR RIVERMOUTHS, SO WE CAN DO BOTH. 20-POUND STEELHEAD BABY, AVERAGE.

I'VE GOT A COOK STOVE AND PROPANE AND POTS AND PANS AND SOME EXTRA SLEEPING BAGS AND SOME EXTRA TENTS. ALSO HAVE THE COMPUTER AND DVDS AND MUSIC AND ALL THAT. I HAVE LIGHTS AND LANTERNS AND SUCH.

I DOUBT THEY'LL LET ME BRING MY SHOTGUN. MAYBE WE CAN BUY OR RENT SOME SKS'S PR KALISHNAKOVS OR AK 47S OR A GOOD RUMANIAN SNIPER RIFLE. BEAR ARE SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT THERE. IM MORE WORRIED ABOUT BEAR THAN PEOPLE. AND SIBERIAN TIGERS, MAYBE.

9. BRING SWAG

I WANT TO SHOW UP LIKE SANTA CLAUS, WITH LOTS OF QUALITY AMERICAN STUFF TO GIVE AWAY AS PRESENTS AND BRIBES AND TIPS. SMITH IS KINDLY SENDING ME SOME SHADES FOR BORIS THE CHOPPER PILOT.

ANDY MARKER AT PATAGONIA IS ON THE VERGE OF SENDING ME SOME FLY-FISHING GEAR, WHICH I HOPE TO USE THEN BESTOW ON SOME LUCKY RUSSKIE WHO TREATS US RIGHT.,

I RECOMMEND LOOTING YOUR SPONSORS FOR AS MUCH GOOD STUFF AS YOU CAN GET. NOT JUST T-SHIRTS, BUT WARM CLOTHES, WETSUITS, COOL CLIFORNIA STUFF. I HAVE A SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS JACKET I'M BRINGING TO ROCK SOME KIDS' WORLD.

BRING GOOD SWAG:THE LOCAL COMMISAR MAY HAVE TEENAGED KIDS.

10. BACK TO ALASKA

WE'LL BE BACK TO ALASKA TWO SUNDAYS LATER (DATE) TRY TO SET UP FLIGHTS HOME FOR THE NEXT MONDAY OR TUESDAY.

THAT'S ALL I CAN THINK OF FOR NOW.

IF OTHER PEOPLE WANT TO GO, THERE MAY BE SEATS ON THE FLIGHT. I'VE ASKED A JAPANESE MAGAZINE IF THEY WANT TO SEND ANY SURFERS.

THE MORE THE MERRIER, I GUESS. IT'S GOING TO BE LONELY OUT THERE, AND IF BEAR EAT ALL THE TALENT, WE WON'T HAVE A TRIP.

PLUS, MORE PEOPLE = MORE MONEY FOR HELICOPTER RIDES. WHEEEEE!

BRING BEAR SPRAY.

DON'T EVEN DREAM OF BRINGING DRUGS. PLEASE!

PERRY MILLER, THAT MEANS YOU!!!! (KIDDING. PERRY'S CLEAN)

BEN

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN. JUST GOT TO GET IT TOGETHER IN A MONTH.

The one thing I forgot to include in there is: Where is Brock? I havenÍt heard from him yet, and heÍs probably dodging me because he doesnÍt want to go. Oh well, neither does George, but maybe he will bend to my phone and mail pleas.

I sent all that from the Mac G3 owned by Dano Pendygrasse, from the house on Archibald Way in Whistler which is owned by none other than Don Schwartz. I showed up there yesterday afternoon after a long, very scenic drive from the Cabin. DanoÍs incredibly very red truck was parked out front and there were a number of young Canadians inside.

Dano rents the house with two others and there were people hanging out when I got there, watching Casino. Great movie. One of DanoÍs roommates, Colin, took an immediate liking to Ike, and supposed that Ike was a ñNorwegian forest cat.î I said I had no idea but I thought Ike might have some quality breeding. Colin showed me what a Norwegian Forest Cat was online, a breed of cat that used to run wild in the Norwegian forests and are known for being friendly and mellow. Some of the cats online looked a bit like Ike.

Ike and Colin hit it off right away. I went back and forth between watching Casino and sending and checking e-mails from DanoÍs computer. After midnight I drove into Whistler looking for a late-night snack. Whistler is a fancy, prosperous ski area; one of the best in North America, I am told. After driving all around forever I found a meat-pie stand called ShakespeareÍs, which Colin recommended. I got a beef steak pie and it was so good I wanted to run home and smack my grandma. Really good.

I slept on a cot, woke up around 10:00 this morning and checked my e-mails. There was good news and bad news.

IÍm too busy looking forward here and not back. Yesterday I had a very scenic drive which got even better after I slammed IkeÍs tail in the door. From Lilloet (which I got to after writing that e-mail, not before) the road left the Fraser and ran along Seton Creek, a nice-looking stretch of clear water which drains into the Fraser. There were a zillion places I wanted to fish, but I just drove on, not sure how far Whistler was or how long it would take me to get there.

Yesterday was one of those ñscenic shockî days like IÍve had in Alaska and other parts of B.C. The mountains and trees and rivers were so spectacular and overwhelming, I donÍt remember much of it. I remember seeing a lot of rivers I wanted to fish. I remember seeing a lake with a huge log jam at one end. I remember getting stuck behind a Lincoln Town Car stretch limo and wondering what it was doing, where it was going and who was in it.

I picked up a hitchhiker in Pemberton and took him to Whistler, then found Dano and moved into the condo for a little while, wondering how long I would be there and when all my packages would arrive.

There was one package when I got there, from brother Dan, a pair of new boots, plus. He had a pretty good little Care Package for me and Ike, which included a new pair of $14 boots, some socks, cat snacks, a book on western fly hatches, a solar-powered flashlight and radio which someone in Russia is going to love. There was a portable compass and a map of B.C. and a bunch of other knick-knacks, most of them useful. IÍll put together a whole inventory soon. It was a nice thing for him to do. At least someone is still on my side.

Dano just came up from the river. ñHe got another one,î but weÍre moving on. IÍm letting all my e-mails percolate and hopefully when I get back to the house things will have improved.

00:37 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2001 DOWNSTAIRS AT THE DANO HOUSE, WHISTLER

ODOMETER
TRIP METER

MONEY
Meat pies for Dano and I last night:
Two meat pies this morning:

IÍve got to get caught up with this and then get to other business. Yesterday I tried to update while Dano was fishing, but he would quit just as I was getting started, and I never finished.

We fished three different places on the Birkenhead, and I didnÍt catch a fish in any of them. The Birkenhead is a different kettle of fish, so to speak. This isnÍt a lazy, easy Montana/Idaho river. This is a fast-moving, cold British Columbia river, and it ainÍt easy. This river was flowing fast and it was tricky to get to, and at places it was impossible to wade across. This is the kind of river that occasionally drowns fishermen whose waders fill with water.

I wasnÍt wearing waders, just wading around in pants and sandals, and getting barred in most spots. The river was roaring, which is both good and bad. The fast current makes it harder to catch fish, but when you do catch them, they are strong, tough, cold-water fish who have been swimming hard upstream all their lives.

Unfortunately, I didnÍt get to experience that. We fished near the bridge, then drove up a rough road to the ñpiggyback hole,î then off a big rock by the side of the road, then a nice-looking pool that was a good climb down the mountain.

All of this water looked nice, but I never got a bite. Dano caught a couple of fish, but mostly he flogged it and tried to get his fly on the bottom. It reminded me of steelhead fishing: hard and not always fruitful.

But it was a pretty river and nice and cold. I mostly watched Dano fish and thought about all the things I had to think about. I was eager to get back and see if Magadan had given us a break on airfares or George had had a change of heart or Brock had finally shown up.

At our last stop some dirt-bikers stopped near the van and I started walking up to make sure they werenÍt looting. They were just watching Dano cast, and later they said they saw a fish jump.

The Birkenhead feeds into the Fraser which runs to the ocean near Vancouver, so it is a salmon river. I saw one big, red Chinook holding in a bit of calm water, looking like a submarine. Dano said he saw a more silver one, also. I guess this river fills up with salmon a little later in the year. That I would like to see.

On the way out I had a bathe and a shampoo in VERY cold water, then drove back to Whistler. We stopped at that Shakespeares Pie Shop on the way back, and I got the scoop that they are opening a Shakespeares in Santa Monica. IÍm going to send an e-mail and suggest Sun Valley, Santa Cruz and San Francisco. They make great meat pies and they would sell a zillion of them in all those places.

Back at the house, there were a few e-mails and some good news: I called Evan and found out that Brock had called him and was eager to go.

I also got some crank e-mail from someone in Santa Cruz. In keeping with my policy of fighting fir with fire, here are his insults and my responses.

In a message dated Thu, 19 Jul 2001 5:45:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time, "Ben Marcus" writes:

> It's been a while since we last conversed.

YOU WERE IN AN AA MEETING FOR THAT LONG?

As I remember you thought I may have been Josh Pomer or Kloph. That's cool. Sorry, I can't make it that easy for you.

YOU'RE TOO MUCH OF A COWARD TO MAKE IT EASY FOR ME.

But I will pass on themessage about the quality of videosto Pomer for you.

YOU'RE PROBABLY MORE MEANINGLESS THAN POMER IS.

I understand you worked on a video with dumb and dumber.

I GAVE THEM THE TITLE AND SOME OF THE MUSIC. I'M ABOUT TO WATCH IT NOW, AFTER I'M FINISHED WASTING TIME WITH YOU, YOU DICKLESS WHITE-TRASH LITTLE ASS-KISSER.

That's cool, it all makes sense now. That video was about an hour too long.

WHO GIVES A SHIT? IT'S A SURF VIDEO. NOBODY CARES. EVERYTHING THAT IS IMPORTANT IN THE WORLD IS GOING BY A THOUSAND MILES OVER YOUR HEAD WHILE YOU WORRY ABOUT SURF VIDEOS AND SEND CHICKENSHIT E-MAILS.

YOU'RE A MORON. YOU'RE MEANINGLESS.

I hope they added your name to the credits, it's good to be associated with major fuck-ups .So were you able to do some of the editing under the bridge? Did the other trolls help you? Good work Ben. You are one fucked up dipstick.

I DIDN'T DO ANY OF THE EDITING.

I get it now, you don't mind getting bad emails as long as you are getting or having someone speak with you at all. Aft

I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE YOU GOT THE TROLL THING.

er a while even trolls get tired of fucking with people. They need a little love too. I'll do my best to stay in touch. So let's do a quick recap, your a loser,

NO, I BELIEVE IT IS YOU WHO ARE THE LOSER, TRYING TO MAKE YOURSELF FEEL BETTER BY BAGGING ON OTHER PEOPLE.

you are associated with a fucked up video, you bagged on other video makers, your wife booted you for over porning out on the net, Hawk has dis-owned you for breaking and entering his email,

I DISOWNED HAWK, HE SAID HE WANTS TO BE FRIENDS AGAIN. I DONT CARE. JUST ANOTHER SURF INDUSTRY IDIOT, LIKE YOU

BLAH BLAH BLAH

the Mav's guys are on your trail, and the Santa Cruz boys are going to rape you with a baseball bat.

LIKE YOU, THEY ARE TALL TALK AND CHICKENSHIT.

Evan doesn't pay you for your work and everyone in the industry has received an email from you indicating that you have pretty much lost your mind for good.

THAT WAS A GREAT E-MAIL. ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I'VE EVER WRITTEN.

And that was by your own hand mind you.

I THOUGHT IT WAS WELL-WRITTEN. PEOPLE HERE WHO HAVE READ IT ARE LAUGHING.

Oh, I almost forgot, I spoke with your best friend Bill Sharp and he has a shitstorm coming down the pipe for you but I let you wait and see that for yourself.

IVE GOT A SHITSTORM FOR HIM, TOO. MINE IS BETTER THAN HIS, BELIEVE ME.

So I hope all is well and I hope to write you soon. Get back to work, the forums on mavsurfer, surfer and swell need you.

YOU'RE A CHICKENSHIT, GIVE ME A NAME AND I'LL INTRODUCE YOU TO SOME OF MY MONTANA TOYS.

WHO COULD THIS BE

KEN COLLINS
ADAM REPLOGLE

IF I'M SUCH AN IDIOT, WHY ARE RUFFO AND KEITH MALLOY AND BROCK LITTLE SO EAGER TO GO TO RUSSIA?

IF I EVER FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE YOU ARE IN FOR A GIANT SURPRISE.

BUT YOU'RE TOO MUCH OF A SPINELESS LITTLE SANTA CRUZ KISS-ASS TO SAY WHO YOU ARE.

YOU MUST BE VERY PROUD.

DonÍt know who sent it. Hawk thinks IÍm pulling a Sybil and sending it to myself. Nope.

Now itÍs Friday and IÍm downstairs watching TV, finishing this up. I spent the morning on DanoÍs computer, sending more e-mails. IÍve got someone out there sending me crank e-mails, but IÍve been enjoying trying to figure out who it is.

I also got a form from one of Yegor ChurakovÍs associates, and filled it out like this.

WILD RUSSIA Mokhovaya 28, 10, St.Petersburg 191028, Russia

Trip Application/ Questionnaire

Name: Benjamin Michael Marcus

Trip:_Kamchatka Surfing/Fishing Expedition Date: July 20, 2001

Address: 111 Dryke Road #75

City, State, ZIP: Sequim, Washington 98382

Home Phone: 360-582-0061 Work phone: 360-582-0061

Fax: _______________________ Email: TheBenM@AOL.com

Occupation: Magazine editor and freelance writer. Dilettante.

Age: 40 Birthdate: 08/ 28 / 60 Citizenship: American

Height: 5Í 11îî Weight: 200 Vegetarian? No (see next page)

Passport Number:__034279763 Place of birth: San Francisco

Issue Date: April 23, 1992 Exp. Date:April 22, 2002

Climbing experience (for climbing expeditions only): High Altitude(circle) Advanced Intermediate Novice Ice Climbing (circle) Advanced Intermediate Novice Rock Climbing (circle) Advanced Intermediate Novice

Riding Experience: (circle) Advanced Intermediate Novice

Rafting Experience ("Bears and volcanoes" only): (circle) Advanced Intermediate Novice

Wilderness Camping Experience: Lots Some None

Please staple a photocopy of the face page of your passport to this application.

We require a $200.00 USD deposit to hold your place on the trip. You may pay via bank wire transfer. Wire transfer information:

SWIFT ICSPRU2P

INDUSTRY & CONSTRUCTION BANK, ST.PETERSBURG, RUSSIA, ADMIRALTEISKY BRANCH, 24 GALERNAYA STR., 190000 ACCOUNT # 42301840951005003048 ATTN: CHURAKOV GEORGY

CORRESP. ACCOUNTS:

BANK OF NEW YORK # 8900060166

CITYBANK # 36023095

Signature:________

Continued on next page

How did you hear about Wild Russia?

Found it on the Internet when I plugged in ñKamchatka.î

Are you a vegetarian? If so, describe in detail what you will and won't eat.

I donÍt like beets or broccoli or cooked peas or cooked carrots.

The beets thing could be a problem in Russia. You guys eat a lot of beets, IÍve seen.

Special interests during the trip?

Surfing and fishing.

Bear wrestling.

Drinking.

Espionage.

And Girls. Russian girls with dark hair and dangerous eyes and high cheek-bones.

Previous travel experience?

Alaska, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Tonga

A bit of background (hobbies, avocations, fixations, high adventures, pets) ƒ

I am the organizer and will be the writer on this expedition. I am hoping to find an Internet connection in Petropavlovsk that will allow me to send back daily words and photos that describe Kamchatka and our adventures there.

I was an editor at SURFER Magazine for 10 years but am now over the hill and can only fish, and just barely.

I will be writing a magazine article for Surfing Magazine and also hope to write some articles for fishing magazines.

I am also hoping our group will make a good impression on the Russian people. We want to bring lots of present and be generous with them. If there are schoolkids who would like to meet a bunch of American surfers, let us know and we will go see them. IÍll have videos and DVDÍs to show them of the surfers in our group.

I have a cat named Ike who is an excellent cat. He wants to go to Russia and chase mice. Would this be allowed?

Here is how the trip will go:

We will leave from Anchorage, Alaska on Magadan Airlines on Sunday, August 19. There will be at least six people in our group: Ben Marcus
Keith Malloy
Anthony Ruffo
Perry Miller
Brock Little
A photographer to be named later.

We will be in Kamchatka for two weeks, and are hoping to explore the east coast from Petropavlovsk to the mouth of the Kamchatka River by whatever means possible: helicopter, boat, horseback, tank.

We will be looking for beaches, rivermouths, points and reefs for good, rideable waves.

We also are hoping to catch some of KamchatkaÍs world-famous steelhead.

We will leave Kamchatka two Sundays later, during the first week of September.

I also sent an e-mail to the CNN people in San Francisco, who are busy covering the Condit scandal in Modesto. Modesto in July. Lovely.

Rachelle Reinhart
CNN, San Francisco

July 20, 2001

Ms. Reinhart

I got yout name from Curt Myers and Eric Nelson, who recently sent you some surfing footage they had shot at Mavericks.

I am planning a first-ever surfing expedition to the Kamchatka Peninsula of Eastern Siberia this August. We are going for Surfing Magazine and swell.com and I will be updating the trip daily on swell.com and writing a magazine article for Surfing Magazine.

Professional surfers Brock Little, Keith Malloy, Perry Miller and Anthony Ruffo will be traveling with me to Russia, by way of Anchorage, Alaska.

I have timed the trip to coincide with the most extreme tides of the month in Anchorage, and as a prelude to the trip we are going to attempt to surf the Turnagain Arm Tidal Bore. This is a natural phenomenon I saw last year (thesame day Peck Euwer was attacked by a shark at Mavericks). The tidal range in Turnagain Arm is more than 35 feet-the second largest in North America-so when the tide comes in it comes in as a wave.

I just happened to be driving by when I saw the tidal bore out my window. It wasn't a very big wave this day, but it was a wave that JUST KEPT GOING up this beautiful, steep fjord, and which brought the whole ocean in behind it. You could see the tide come in as if someone was filling a glass. There were whirpools and weird currents and it was all very spooky. People have died out on Turnagain Arm, getting stuck in the quicksand-like glacial silt as the tide comes in. WE do no intend to die.

Our plane leaves for Kamchatka on Sunday, August 19 and we are hoping to catch and ride the tidal bores on the afternoon of Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th.

I know that CNN likes quirky surfing stunts, and I wonder if CNN would be interested in covering this? I don't know exactly how big or exciting the Tidal Bore will be that day, but I have heard it can be as big as six feet, and the tidal range on these days is as high as +35 and as low as -4.

I think the Tidal Bore combined with the first-ever Kamchatka surf trip could be interesting, as are the people on the trip.

Brock Little is one of the best big-wave surfers in the history of the sport, and he now has a booming second career as a stunt man. He did many of the hairiest stunts for Pearl Harbor and has very quickly risen to the A list for Hollywood stuntmen.

Perry Miller is featured in the opening spread of a Mavericks article in the latest issue of Surfer's Journal.

Keith Malloy is a pro surfer who was featured in a beefcake shot in a recent issue of Sports Illustrated.

Anthony Ruffo is a rogue.

Let me know by e-mail if you are interested. I am in British Columbia now, slowly driving toward Alaska for that middle of August expedition.

I have contacted a number of TV stations in Anchorage to see if they are interested in this story. Maybe they could package a show that CNN will run.

Thank you for your time.

Ben Marcus
TheBenM@AOL.com

So thatÍs where it all stands now. IÍve got about $100 in the bank and another week before more is coming. I have a means-spirited e-mail heckler, who I call ñFan-mail from some flounder,î but who is entertaining anyway.

IÍve got a bunch of plates spinning in the air, but I think I have enough lead-time to make this work.

The big worry now is the visas. We have to get on that as soon as possible. IÍm going to sign off here and send some money information to Evan and Erin Foote. I need to get checks cut for the airfares and the guiding fee.

Fun, fun, fun no? Wish I were 20 years younger. Oh well.