With dogs on the hay

The Volga Quest race -520 kilometers in the snow on a dog harness at -20. The convenience is minimal, all expenses are considerable - from their pocket. Who needs it and why?

I am lying with a temperature in the Cossack settlement near the city of the Bulgarian. Today is the sixth day of the Volga quest dog sledges, and it seems to me that for me it can be the last.

There are many participants - volunteers, organizers, riders, judges, veterinarians. And not a single human doctor. Because this race is an event where the main ones are dogs. And people are secondary.

One of the assistant assistants, taking pity, offers me a medicine. Powder for "shaking the immunity." It is called "vet", invented in the Koltsovo science city, used for cattle. “We use it for dogs,” she says. - We fall asleep into the mouth. He is sweet, very good, try. ”

I agree to powder for dogs, birds and fish. For anything, just not to die. I take a powder (“dosage of 50 mg per 1 kg of live weight. For veterinary use”) and fall asleep “into the mouth”. I don’t know what exactly the case is, but ... after two hours 38.8 turns into 36.4, and I begin to wag the tail.

Life in the stable

“Volga quest” is the only one -of -the -kind race for dog sledges in the European part of Russia for long distances. 520 kilometers through the territory of three Volga regions: Samara, Ulyanovsk regions and the Republic of Tatarstan. Participants are professional cabins (riders) from Russia and abroad. All of them, having caught their breath and passing the distance, assure that there is no second such complexity and unpredictability.

Husky puppies who sleep with their mother and Semenov in one room photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD Semenov dogs in their booths before bedtime photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD

The organizer and president of the Semenov race almost does not use cosmetics. Once she made a permanent makeup of the eyelids, so that in any conditions the eyes were brighter. That's all. Together with her husband and son, she lives in the stable in the middle of the forest, not far from Togliatti. In Togliatti, the family has an apartment, but there they are less often than in the forest. They come to wash and use a quick Internet when it is very necessary.

Part of the stable is relatively well -maintained - there is electricity, a fireplace, a knocked table with stools, a sofa. Part are empty stones for horses, stone floor and very cold air. Toilet, bathroom and warm water for this place - luxury.

Once upon a time, Sveta lived in Moscow-we left with her husband there in her youth from Togliatti. She worked as a makeup artist at Mosfilm, a photographer, publisher of the magazine. Her husband Sergey graduated from VGIK, worked in the operator group with a glass - made films. But one day, Sveta woke up and realized that she did not want to live in Moscow for all this social life in Moscow. And he wants to get a dog’s harness and go to the wilderness. And they left. First, the Siberian Husky was brought to the north of Karelia. And then they returned with them to Togliatti - to do the Volga Quest. They picked up in camp sites, the owners of which were offered terrible conditions, forced to roll drunk guests on dog teams and did not allow them to get to their feet. And then the couple settled in the village of Yagodnoy.

Sergey and Svetlana Semenov photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD

“We laid eyes on the abandoned stable in the forest,” says Svetlana. - We learned that the land was drawn, went to the foresters, ask how to occupy it. They advised them to get there in tents and apply to the ground. We defeated the tents and began to live in them. And they lived like that from June before the start of winter. Then, having received permission, they finally moved to the stable. There were many difficulties, many shook money from us, drove, crushed. But now, it seems, it has subsided. ”

To the left of the entrance to the house - dog booths. Each Husia has its own, registered. And their names are Indian. Manita (Great Spirit), Shayenn, Ayia (she-wolf silver ghost), Mishka (Ney Mi-Makva Leader two blows). Dogs sit inside, at the entrance and even on the roof.

The living room is warm, the fireplace is on fire. In the middle of the room, two dogs lay down, the third unceremoniously occupied the sofa. When asked where you can wash your hands, Sveta nods to the room in the far part of the corridor. Laughs: "Caution, there is tin." In the room on the floor of blood and meat are dog food. Gently moving my legs between the bones, I get to the crane sticking out of the wall. Cold water leaves a white trace on a pink from blood pink.

The Semenovs are used to living in not the most pleasant conditions. In their bedroom (one of the insulated money in the stable), from the benefits of civilization, there is only a bed, knocked out with their own hands. And there is a corral with puppies - recently Siberian and Alaskan Husky were born. Sveta and Sergey are perfectly falling asleep under their squeak, having previously kissed everyone in the muzzles.

Such a little wild life gradually bears fruits. The stable is completed, turning into a hotel (some of the dunks are already very pretty). And the race gains world fame.

The dog team on the first day of the race runs along the Volga photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD Muscovite team Vyacheslav Demchenko Photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD On the left: the dog harness of the Czech kayura Indra Zelenka after the start. Right: teams pass the track along the territory of Samara Luke - the largest bend of the Volga, in which there is a national park with the same name photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD

This time, in 2017, there were difficulties with finances. Crisis, there are almost no monetary sponsors. The authorities help only organizationally. They collected money in the whole world, a familiar entrepreneur allocated a prize fund of 100 thousand rubles. Screwed away. But then Sergey broke a stroke. A healthy, strong man could not get up one evening. While we reached the hospital from the forest, the condition became very serious.

“In the hospital, we were told that Seryoga also has cirrhosis of the liver and diabetes,” says Sveta. - And that everything is very bad. It just killed me. I went to the nursery and sobbed onto the wilderness (fool - Svetlana's beloved dog). I did not know how to live on, what would happen to me if Serega dies. And she told Glash about it. A few days later, he died, his kidneys and liver turned off. He loved me the most and left for me. Quietly, without agony. I think he went to Seryoga. And Seregina was not terrible diagnoses. ”

Today, Sergei Semenov looks awake, works with dogs, as before. And even boasts of "updated skin." He says that after a stroke, the skin on the whole body became like a baby.

Cold reception

Despite the fact that the Volga quest is a very significant event for the region and turns the day of every village in which racers stop on vacation, on holiday, the attitude of the rural administrations is ambiguous.

- And what do you have, foreigners will be there? - A few days before the start of the deputy head of one of the rural settlements, the left eye squints.

- Well, yes. Here, from the Czech Republic, a racer. And, it seems, from Germany.

- Here they are, like, came to the race, and they themselves will draw a map of the area while they go.

- Why is it?

- To conquer our lands, why else?

The director of the rural school is also straining, hearing about foreigners.

- Foreigners? One hundred and fifty children are studying at our school!

“And how will they stop them?”

- What if there are terrorists? We arrived under the guise of riders!

Muscovite Muscovite Yulia Konopeltseva before the start of the second day photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD

Organizing the warm reception of riders is not easy. But it turns out. However, the "warm" he is very relative. You have to sleep, for example, in the assembly hall of a village school - a huge, unheated room. Right on the stage, behind the scenes. In a hat, mittens, in a jacket, panting under the hood, because it cannot be stuck out the nose - it will freeze at the moment.

Children and dogs

There were three participants from the Volga Quest from Europe, but only Kayur from the Czech Republic arrived. The Poles on the way on the race fell ill with the dogs, I had to turn back. So the Czech Indra Zelenka and his flock of mestizos “fought” with the Russians alone. There were seven teams from Russia. Only the most experienced cabins arrived. Someone is involved in the stage of the "Middle Volga" (230 kilometers), someone dared to a large race (all 520). In Russia, people who are ready for such a complex race will be set up from strength. And those who come are amazing. Similar to the Semenovs, setting up their lives under the dogs, devoting their time to them and devoting their souls. For example, Julia and Arseny from Moscow.

The spouses come to the race not for the first time. Last year, Arseny of the Belarusian was held by the Middle Volga, and his wife Julia Konopeltsev was his handler. Hendler is an assistant, right hand. Anyone who digs steak-outs (places of rest for dogs), feeds and cares for animals, launches the kayura into the race. This is one who almost does not sleep, works a lot and is very worried about the one who is on the sled. This year Julia went to the Middle Volga, Arseny became Hendler. And in parallel, he worked as a nanny - the family comes to the race not only with dogs, but also with children - two -year -old Misha and six -year -old Roma.

Husky from the team of Alexei Perevoschikov (Udmurtia) during a short rest photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD On the left: Husky from the harness of Alexei Perevoschikov. Right: Dmitry Smirnov with his dog leader Daisy at the start photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD

On the first day, Julia came to the finish line late at night, very tired. The highway turned out to be difficult, loose snow, the dogs fell into snowdrifts, Julia had to endlessly leave the NART and help the animals go.

“Mom,” hungs in Julia Roma. - Mom, hug me!

“Ma, me,” Misha pressed against Yulina's leg. - Ma!

Julia wandered into the dining room, hung with children. I ate two spoons of a soup, Misha turned the rest. Mom-kayur is used to fatigue-no irritation. At the end of January, Julia was on the race, launching Arseny, and Misha was born on February 22. And with Romka in her stomach, she launched her husband at the Russian championship on March 12-her son was born on the 21st.

Julia wanted a dog from childhood, but instead of a dog, mother gave her an encyclopedia about dogs. There Julia stumbled upon a photo of Husky. I decided: I will certainly buy this for myself. Many years passed before Julia grew up and accidentally ended up on the Husky-forum. I met the breeder. “I want a red bitch,” she told her. “There will be a red bitch,” the breeder answered. “Six months later.”

The breeder showed up a month later. “Yul, they returned the puppy here. The male is steep, there will be gray. - Ol, a red bitch. - Come, come on! "

“I arrived, the aviary opened, a red sun with pistachio eyes ran out from there,” Julia recalls. - rushed to me and licked her cheeks. Olya said: "Everything is clear, I went to draw up documents." So I got the first dog. And then I saw an announcement that Sergei Sobov, one of the leading Russian specialists in riding sports, was recruiting people in a group for training in a park with dogs. I decided to go with my "Pole". "

Sobov put Julia in a pair with Arseny Belarusian. By that time, he was considered an experienced cabin, led seminars. While pushing the sleds on the snowdrifts, they got closer. They got married, united their dogs.

Six and a half years later, Arseny and Julia have 20 dogs and two children. From the center of Moscow, they moved to the country in the Domodedov region. They first lived in a bathhouse, built overcolors, then a house. Happy.

Now Arseny, a psychologist by profession, every day goes to work in Moscow for 30 kilometers. And when he returns back, the first thing he goes to the dogs: how are the fluffs? He says if he knew what his desire to start a Husky dog ​​would turn out, he would have thought a hundred times. And now it's too late.

“The girl and I had a cat. Once we went with her to the veterinary clinic and saw Husky there. I immediately realized: I want. A month later I bought the first. ”

Kayura team Maxim Lyubavin during the second day of the race photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD On the left: the second day of the race. Right: Kayura team Alexei Perevoschikova rises up the mountain photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD

All the dogs of Arseny and Julia are Siberian Husky. Part of the workers, part of the exhibition. They are not very different in appearance. Both of them are very fond of running. And the races for them are the main dog joy.

Both Arseny and Julia have been participating in a variety of races for many years. And this means they train dogs, take a lot of them, spend a lot of money and time. Arseny cannot answer the question of why he was all suffered.

“First you start fluffs, you begin to participate in something and understand that you can’t see prizes. Something looks inside, and you think that you need to buy working dogs. And now you took the dogs, and the lifestyle must already be changed under them. But dogs make it possible to feel alive. You are sitting in the office, like many, but after the office you have the opportunity to touch a living life. ”

Seven tons of dog food

Another participant in the race, Arseniy Tyryumin, arrived with dogs on a minibus from Irkutsk - this is five thousand kilometers and four days of the journey almost without stopping. Seine is 20 years old, his handler Vika is as much. In 2014, on the Volga Quest race, Pope Arseniy Oleg Tyurimin, known in soda sports Kayur, injured his leg. Something cracked right at the start. Already at the finish line, when more than 100 kilometers were passed, it turned out that Oleg broke the berets. This time he sent his son to the race.

At night, Arseny and I stand in a snowdrift near a steak-out. In one hand I have a recorder, in the other bag with minced meat - I help Vika. While Arseny was on the way, Vika dug in the snow a trench half a meter and ten lengths. Shovel. One. I sketched hay, applied water, prepared meat for feeding. But Arseny is barely talking to her - he is upset by the results of the day. Indra Zelenka went around it, and the dogs are very tired. They don’t even bark, they just lie quietly on the hay, curled up.

Dogs are fed once a day with a special mixture of food and meat, which they have enough for a whole day photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD On the left: Julia after the finish of the second day of the race. Right: Julia Arseny's husband makes dogs a massage photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD The sons of Julia Roma and Misha meet mom after the race photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD

Vika lives in Irkutsk, like Arseny. But he spends all his free time in Listvyanka, a village 70 kilometers from the city. There the family of the Thunders has a nursery in which 60 dogs live, 12 horses, two cows, four bulls, 15 rabbits, one raccoon and God knows who else. Arseny remembers the names of all his dogs, but most often he repeats two: dates and vocabulary (infinity and Lexus). Arseny in Listvyanka trains and cares for dogs. And Vika volunteer. When Senya decided to go to the race so far, he threw the cry: "Hey, who wants to become my handler and go to hell with the horns for two weeks?" There were no wishing, except for a small, thin Vika.

- Senya, they eat, look! - Vika persuades animals to eat.

- Great! So, we’ll run well tomorrow, ”Arseny rejoices.

- How much feed is eaten by 60 dogs?

- Seven tons per year. But we also give fish, broth, scar ...

- And how much money did you spend to come here?

- Two hundred thousand rubles.

- He will not repel it!

- There is no such goal. There is a goal to pump dogs, chat with other riders, gain experience.

- Why are dogs running? Why do they need this?

- This is their whole life - just to run. I don’t even force them, I just direct them.

- And if they get tired? Well, strongly, you will see that it is hard for them. Will you go further?

- No, I’ll shoot. Dogs are most important.

- Who will win?

- Czech. He has fucked dogs, and he runs perfectly.

- No, Senya, you have to compete for the first place! - pulls the racer Vika.

Dog decision - law

Already on the third day of the race, I completely knock me out of reality. The world is compressed, leaving very few of all - the howls of dogs in the morning, the frozen bread, the same phrases that say everything around: “Czech in front”, “Tyryumin overtook”, “What is there with the highway”, “I want to sleep”, “I want to eat”, “internet, bitch, no”. Dog packets intended to my boots - not to slide. I already eat pasta with a stew of someone else's, not a very clean spoon. I tear raw sausages with my teeth and find it tasty. Bones whine from sleep on a solid floor. For some reason, the stomach hurts. Already somehow it’s normal not to look at yourself in the mirror, to think only about dogs and food (I want to eat constantly) and perceive each corner as a place to sleep.

Racers are part of the Owan Gulf photo: Ksenia Ivanova/Schschi for TD

Everyone asks each other: "How is Julia?" Judging by the tracker, the racer stands in one place for a long time. She walked in the tail and fell into the snowstorm. What now?

“Let's go already, please! Here is one hill, one turn, and we are at home! " - 30 kilometers before the finish, Julia is exhorting dogs, but they refuse to go.

The blizzard is so strong that the track is not visible. The wind, on the parking lots of dogs shakes from the cold. Going down from the next hill, Julia finds himself in a ripe. Here is a parallel world: quietly, calm, slowly circles fluffy snow. “I’ll rest a little, I’ll go through the blizzard and go on,” Julia decides. He climbs into a sleeping bag and falls asleep. Two hours later, the dogs wake her barking. A flashlight shines directly in the face - Julia came to visit one of the organizers of the race. He says the snowstorm did not lie down, the track is bad. But dogs wag their tails, they are vigorous. Julia harnesses the flock. A few meters, and the leader of Windy's teams rises. It turns into Julia and goes to Nart. Julia is exhorting Windy, trying to run her forward, the dog quietly bites her hands and says on his dog: “No, I won’t go anywhere.” Some 30 kilometers out of 200, some kind of purge. Julia falls into the snow on his knees and cries from resentment and fatigue. As if apologizing, the dogs lick her tears.

“I was most offended by the dogs,” Julia says later, sitting on the bed at the camp site. - They rummaged so much! Two hundred kilometers! And this is their inexplicable behavior ... It finished me off. Now I understand that Windy just felt a blizzard and danger, so I refused to go. Собаки чувствуют перемену погоды, весь наш питомник работает барометром. Если не слышно собак, лежат по будкам, значит, потепление… И эта ее реакция была на давление. Вставать на трассе не характерно для нее, она будет идти, пока надо, идти медленно, пробивать сугробы шаг за шагом, но не встанет. А вчера она сказала: “Мы не пойдем, мы остаемся здесь”. И ее решение для меня — закон».

По словам Юли, главные в гонке — собаки. И этим гонка на собачьих упряжках отличается от любой технической. Человек будет выжимать из своей машины все, а из собак никогда.

«Собакам в радость бежать, это для них интересная прогулка. Но мне не верится в то, что пятьсот двадцать километров они воспринимают, как развлечение. И почему они продолжают бежать, не может сказать никто. Я думаю, что они понимают, чего ты от них хочешь. И продолжают идти вопреки усталости потому, что любят и доверяют. Они знают, что я никогда не попрошу от них больше, чем они могут мне дать. И я никогда, ни на какой гонке, с каким угодно призом, не попрошу».

Двадцатилетний каюр Арсений Тюрюмин после дистанции на 60 километров в первый день гонки Фото: Ксения Иванова/SCHSCHI для ТД

Победителем Средней Волги стал москвич Дмитрий Смирнов, на Большую Волгу (это еще 290 километров), идут пять гонщиков. Один из них, Максим Любавин из Тольятти, снимается с трассы, потому что попадает в водяные поля (вода между льдом и снегом). Мог бы просушиться и пойти дальше, но жалко собак. Позже с гонки снимается чех Индра Зеленка. Он потерял двух лидеров — собаки травмировались и сильно устали. А с молодым лидером (собакой из упряжки) стая не пошла. Страсти сразу утихают — всем ясно, что, если ничего не случится, победит Арсений. И все равно с нетерпением ждут финиша. Потому что 520 километров — это очень много и сложно даже для таких тренированных и сильных собак, как из Листвянки.

«Деньги — стресс. Приедут люди — не приедут — стресс. Погода — стресс. Волонтеров хватит или нет — стресс. Гонщики — стресс. Все время стресс… — Света Семенова рассказывает, каково делать гонку такого масштаба. — Семенов говорит, гонка — смысл его жизни. А я каждый раз, когда все заканчивается, долго пытаюсь врубиться, что это и зачем. Да, развитие туризма, да, развитие ездового спорта, да, единение человека и природы… Но сил нет, эмоций нет, есть только смутное понимание, что сделано большое дело и сделано хорошо».

А еще она пытается ответить на мучающий всех вопрос: «Почему собаки бегут?»

«Я тоже все время думаю: почему они бегут? Ну, вот что их заставляет? Пока сам на упряжку не встанешь, этого не поймешь. Собаки в упряжке становятся с тобой единым организмом. Это симбиоз природы и человека. Они тебя чувствуют, а ты — их. Это такой кайф, когда твоя собака понимает тебя с полуслова!»

За 30 километров до финиша Юле приходится сняться с гонки Фото: Ксения Иванова/SCHSCHI для ТД Юля: «Я поняла, что сейчас, ночью, по этим сугробам и в чистом поле 30 километров я буду идти очень долго. Добью себя и собак» Фото: Ксения Иванова/SCHSCHI для ТД Юля: «Принимаю решение закончить гонку досрочно. I'm shooting. На ветру меня начинает колотить» Фото: Ксения Иванова/SCHSCHI для ТД

Арсений приходит поздно вечером. На финише, на берегу Волги, толпа людей, флаги и цветы. Вдалеке мелькает фонарик — осталось пара километров. Вот из темноты уже видно собак и слышен голос Тюрюмина: «Родненькие мои, ну пожалуйста, ну еще немножко совсем, мы почти пришли!»

Финишная черта. Собаки по инерции бегут дальше. На занесенных снегом мордах недоумение. «Кто все эти люди, зачем так орать, не надо фонариком прямо в морду, мы что, больше никуда не побежим?» У псов заледеневшие усы, с шерсти свисают сосульки. «Вы мои милые, вы ж мои молодцы», — Арсений опускается на колени и целует победителей в замороженные носы. Кто-то слева от меня громко всхлипывает. Я и сама на грани нервного срыва.

Тюрюмин доезжает до базы, укладывает собак и заваливается спать. Накаченная «Ветомом», пробираюсь к его стае и плюхаюсь рядом на сено. Как только псы поняли, что гонка закончилась, позволили себе устать. На свернувшиеся клубком меховые шкуры падает снег. Разгоряченные тельца трясутся — прохладно. Аккуратно трогаю ушки, глажу по голове. «520 километров, 520, вы понимаете, да? Вы крутые, вы ваще!» — говорю им всем. Один из псов откликается на ласку — утыкается мне в ладонь теплым носом и замирает. Я боюсь убрать руку, может, ему так лучше, носом в моей ладошке? И мы долго лежим на сене, полушепотом воя на луну.

journey