a week after the death of north korean. state television shows thousands. stay with us here on r.t. . every road to cope with the snow. anyone has. to make their way through snowy forests over the rivers and legs in the old days local people. it was the only reliable means of transportation. people managing.

the joy of the together with the. expedition with many extreme challenges. the goal is to call the way from tamed snow to a designated point in the arctic circle. will they cope with the rigors of the journey to reach their destination. the small village of color valor is the starting point to the arduous expedition it stretches along the bank of lake quito in the north of the republic of korea. early in the morning twenty people driving five dog teams and nine snowmobiles are ready to set off season travelers and thirty sled dog huskies are joined by journalists and extreme tourism enthusiastic the snowmobiles will take the lead.

their task is to look for a convenient track and pave the way over deep snow dr james then follow in their wake. today we have a difficult day today is the first day of the expedition so we need to learn to work together temperatures will drop to thirty below so will be difficult this is the lead dog cheyenne and this is amadeus these two dogs are also experienced this is chinook and this is. the graham cross on the shore of lake quito symbolizes the start of the expeditions first stage it serves as a good omen for those who have safely returned to from a journey across the lake and for those who are about to set off the crosses there for a reason as the lake has an ill reputation you're going to get shit that legend has it that the lake take separate feiss if it doesn't in any particular here then it

takes two or three people in the following year. the trail winds through remote parts of korea's north the long history of this land gives it a mystical or. the expeditions destination is a point in the arctic circle sixty six degrees thirty three minutes and thirty nine seconds north of the equator it is situated in the thick forests of the ancient land of popular ruled by a witch by the name of. robert. today is quite extreme but we have a lot of difficulties to deal with. too much snow and pools of water on the ice and with the low temperatures today our job won't be easy at all which.

a great job guys nicely done. color viola was deliberately chosen as the expedition starting point. this village has special significance for both karelians am finn's. it was here more than a hundred years ago that finland's famous for knowledge asst l e s learn root collected numerous ancient finnish poems known as runes. a folk at picture called color is based on them. most of the rooms reflected the everyday life of koreans and finns their joys and sorrows they also sang songs about their native land. drivers let their dogs have

a rest each time they cover ten to fifteen kilometers but huskies are too boisterous to stand still for long quite often they kick up a fuss urging their driver to get a move on. sled dogs were bred by the indigenous to chief of northeastern siberia and the eskimos of alaska the word husky is a distortion of esky which is the word americans used to describe eskimos but huskies a distant relations of the wolf from time immemorial they have lived side by side with humans in the north. distinguishing features of the husky speed exceptional insurance the ability to cover long distances without much effort and their devotion to humans their desire to always be on the move is in their blood. yeah but a good voice came going. the expedition makes its first long stop over in his salmi house the drilling and several out houses are in the midst of

a forest. nicholai to the hermit lives here alone without the perks of modern life. the good thing about life here is that you don't have to worry about electricity or heating again cut off i take water from a nice hole in the top far wood to keep me warm. is a finn by nationality and a russian citizen he is also amount of the forest as he calls himself he became a legendary figure in karelia in finland a long time ago. nikolai turned his life around when he was a young man he bade farewell to friends and family left his village home and settled down in the woods. but we're not so quiet here everything is clean and calm the forest is so beautiful especially now during sunset. in the summer there are a lot of people oh how slow and bustle i have already begun to forget all that. i

had been here for twenty years already. nicholai relies on subsistence farming like many others before him he hunts and fishes dogs are his best friends nikolai likes being a hermit but he has not been completely alone throughout the twenty years of his life outside civilization. that's why has a philosophical view of his lifestyle tourists come here to visit him hunters know they can always count on help a. fellow well hello. many make a point of going to his house to spend the night there rather than in a tent pitched on the snow. here i brought you something to keep you connected i didn't want to lose it so i kept it in my pocket but it's a battery that's right and

a charger this is very good but dusk only the snowmobiles have reached his sell me the sled dog teams arrive later well into the night. early in the morning of the dog driver begins preparing his dog team for the next passage he had been training his first piece for quite a long time before the expedition had shown the best performance during the initial stages. this is a special meant for joints we use it on the dogs before and after racing to prevent their limbs for making and to make running easier. but what these dog routes are designed to protect their paws from the ice. they look ridiculous but the dogs can't do without them you shouldn't replace them i took them off for the

night to let them dry. for. each dog has its own character physical strength alone is not enough for a long run the driver needs to motivate his team to do their job as best as they can. the dogs need to feel his affection. a lot depends on dog drivers they need to make sure they have full contact with their dogs it's not right my beauty i mean while the expedition is heading north towards the arctic circle. hundreds of thousands of years ago this land just outside the arctic circle was rocked by earthquakes lover spewed out of ruptures in the earth's crust later to rain created by fiery elements became submerged under the fake armor of a vast placid. they didn't melt until the onset of the stone age when humans first

made their appearance here according to archaeologists and anthropologists the rigorous climate kept the number of people in each tribe down to approximately thirty members those people lead reclusive lives there was little contact between tribes. the centuries that have passed since then of course about little change the climate is still as unforgiving as ever few people ever in the small villages there are a few roads right here the route of the arctic circle expedition lies. we trade that way. life in villages in karelia as north is still almost the same as it was hundreds of years ago winter in these parts last long that brings in its wake lots of snow and freezing temperatures any true karelian needs a solid wooden house a fireplace and several objects made of birch tree bark. in the old days it was

used to make all sorts of objects by kitchen utensils bags and shoes it was also used to make talismans to protect people from the witch lo he and the evil spirit servants did because they made all sorts of toys for children out of birch bark one of them was called sure cannot kids would play with it and it was also thought to be a charm that would ward off evil spirits those bark is the top most layer of a bitch tree in the northern people spend all their lives surrounded by things made of birch bark the ancient karelians even buried people rolling them in layers of the bark. one of the oldest villages in karelia is called soft. it is on the bank of the saw finger river the waterway links to lakes it is famous for the fact that it is constantly changing flow at the most softly and the river links to large lakes any this place is unique because the river changes direction

when it fills one of the lakes the water flows into the other meaning when that one has failed to capacity it flows back into the first lake. where. even in the twenty first century when many villages have tap water locals prefer to take it from rivers for their daily needs just as their fairytale ancestors from the color of allah folk are picked it when the rivers are covered with ice in winter people make holes in it with an axe. the water of creating lakes and rivers is so clean it is safe to drink straight from the source even the lowest temperatures can do nothing to bridle the mountain streams the hills are not high they are almost entirely overwhelmed with trees in of them the good the region's highest point is over there beyond the horizon with a chance that according to the caliber of folk epic that's where the old and vicious from which low he lived. a

good go go go go mush mush great job guys nicely done. low he the which has given the expedition a frosty welcome bitter cold on a grey sky and developed in snow a shroud a recent snow for delays the dog teams. go. the timetable is now in tatters well. the sleds have to cover the distance to the next stopover over packed snow. so it was quickly lifted quickly we shut off time the.

this time expedition members set up camp in the forest they waste no time pitching tents and making a bonfire at night they hold an emergency meeting. and the ducks cannot get to by such a route there will be a mass of snow on the way to the arctic circle it is ok for the snowmobiles but the ducks will go slowly any school take a lot of time to cover the route. before they reach the arctic circle the expedition will spend two days going across mt norton in the highest mountain in karelia as north they will then pave their way across the ice of lake pani out of it the largest lake in the region the weather forecast is not looking good freezing temperatures unpleasant so the wait. whether you dive from high or to the depths to.

catch the power of the wind or drift in the beauty of the currents. being well prepared is a must and if you're lucky enough you'll never forget your experience we only need them a screen that's going to be havoc. in the white sea of poles and below the ice on our t.v. . oh . please. don't.

people riding in dog sleds and snowmobiles will cross the pony of the national park before they reach the arctic circle they will make a stopover on the shore of pony on the lake the expedition heading that is taking a short cut because of the bad weather. expedition members driving snowmobiles resolved to go across mt new warren and karelians highest mountain

a demanding route by all accounts according to the folk at big. this place is the gateway to the mysterious land of paul hill and. the area is covered with thick forest of the kind you find only in sub-arctic regions pine trees and spruce is fed better than other plants on ice covered ground here the wind bring snow and cold weather from the arctic moisture and warm air from the atlantic this is why the foothill trees are topped with big caps of packed snow. in the old days local is pretty small and sonoran and it's more than a symbol lashon has a diverse inhabitants of this place feared it the mountain is a mass of pure ping granite with droplets of quartz crystals a beautiful sight but when i would start a training the mountain turned to block to rent locals who were scared by that unusual sight they thought they got to a crime because people had. done something wrong to anger them.

local people who are known to use rooftops the expedition runs into a veil of snow and ice foothills here people refer to it as the middle of no heat to which. visibility is poor and the soft snow does not support the sermon deals nevertheless expeditions participants decide to scramble to the mountains top. despite the priest blessing on the expedition the evil forces of popular still managed to claim a sacrifice one of the snowmobiles has broken down. below the steering wheel is broken near the base. that the connection is entirely broken. all right we'll fix it a little should be ok for now.

another snowmobile tows the broken one back home the main convoy of snowmobiles heads for lake partly out of a. take over most of the distance by going through the narrow strip that was once the old border between russia and finland. the old border divided the lake almost into directly opposite the famous loose skin color yellow cliffs. the lake was formed by one hundred twenty eight meters deep take tonics fischer in the earth millions of years ago partly out of a is a word from the language that was spoken by laplanders who lived him many years ago the word means road. for a long time the lake served as a link between the west in the east there was a time when convoys of dog sleds would take goods from sweden and finland to korea and russia over the lake smooth ice this year if this is where smugglers used to

store contraband they would make arrangements for smuggling them across the border there was two way traffic in those days people bought it things money played almost no role here and most of the trade was done by exchange and gets you. one of the outposts of the national park is on the lake shore here the expedition will make its last stopover before a final thrust towards the arctic circle drivers rarely leave their dogs on attended during the stopovers huskies demonstrate a much higher degree of and durham's than people do. they're full of energy even after a long haul the hyperactive behavior often results in scuffles between teammates. that. will go. various it looks quiet

huskies never attack people no matter whether they're people they know or strangers this is a remarkable distinguishing feature of the breed they show absolutely b.d. and to their drivers they see the driver as the lead dog. yes sometimes they like behind but then this is not a race it's an expedition there isn't a right sweetie but sometimes we have to discipline them sometimes we have to be kind this one for example needs comforting but. it is up to the driver to choose which one he wants to train for the role of lead dog a lead dog needs to be quick witted keen on hard work and how the ability to inspire other dogs with its zeal. in the evening the expedition's dog tribe has decided to hold a dog sled race special finnish candles are used to mark out the route on the lake shore young women are entrusted with the job of driving the sleds.

people use their voice to control dogs during the speed race they don't use sticks or lashes a goodly dog has no difficulty carrying out told us by anyone commanding a sled. gather for granted all the guys. good go go go go. season sled dogs are unlikely to stray from a straight line even if they're to this is especially the case of the short distance having passed the finish line they could keep running. good. kid growing. up another day of the arctic expedition is coming to an end. in the morning dog drivers gather together to discuss an important matter they need

to decide whether the dog teams will strive on towards the arctic circle we won't make it on time we have to generate a signal from this point before monday so we have to look and see if it's possible to even take the dogs this way. we should go here then by the lake to get there on time and. with seventy kilometers still ahead of them the expedition decided to use name of eels to cover the remaining distance the dogs to save the trouble of crossing the harsh terrain. the arctic circle comes across to different points around the globe the aim of the expedition is sixty six degrees thirty three minutes and thirty nine seconds north of the equator there is only one way to reach this geographical point any deviation from it will instantly change the figures.

that were looking. to receive the masses that we have been registered. excuse me what does it mean it means we have done it and we are here. never gators pinpoint the right coordinates in a forest age old pine trees following a six hour marathon in snowmobiles the group checks their position within the arctic circle with a special satellite navigation device they're the first to come here and register their coordinates. that it is sixty six degrees thirty three minutes and thirty seconds longitude is twenty nine degrees fifty three minutes and forty one seconds sure when we made it last. if the others make the same journey later all they need to do is simply retrace the route taken by the pioneers before them. finally done it it's great that we're here trying to argue that dogs are

a match for hardware is pointless we must combine both dogs and emotion to the expedition's dogs have lots of advantages those warm shady creatures would be showing their joy if they were here now of course they wouldn't understand the meaning of what has happened but they would simply be jumping and showing their enjoy. being sick so.

he gives. you.

the week's top stories on our team tens of thousands rallied peacefully in the russian capital demanding a revote of the parliamentary elections the president had better vows bold political reforms. international pressure mounts on the syrian regime to end its crackdown on protesters has violence intensifies across the country with people struggling under a heavy set of western sanctions. and the end of an era while north korea mourns the death of its longtime ruler kim jong il his youngest son steps into power hailed as the news.