The color of cold

Yakutia is the largest constituent entity of the Russian Federation in terms of territory, surpassing Argentina in area. Almost half of the territory of Yakutia is located beyond the Arctic Circle. The region is known primarily for its extreme climatic conditions. Summers are very short here, and winters are long and cold. On the territory of Yakutia there is a «cold pole» of the Northern hemisphere – Oymyakon, where the absolute minimum temperature reaches – 71 degrees Celsius.

My trip to Yakutia began in the winter month, when the lowest temperatures are kept here. I wanted to learn more and tell you how people live in this harsh and cold region. I was on my way to the Oymyakon district, popularly called the «pole of cold». My journey took place on winter roads (frozen rivers that are used as roads) and mountain serpentines. Hundreds of kilometers of snow-capped mountains, forests, cold and lack of civilization. Only rare and small settlements where people live. In the evening, when the sun was setting, for a few minutes everything was covered with an unusual blue color for me, I called it «the color of cold». The region was plunging into the night cold, from which I wanted to hide faster.

Mammoths and permafrost are the real symbols of Yakutia, animals that have died out, but their spirit has remained here forever; and eternal ice that never melts, even in summer. Due to global warming, scientists are concerned about the rapid melting of permafrost, which can lead to the destruction of man-made infrastructure and the strengthening of the greenhouse effect on earth.