Volcano, bears lure paddlers abroad

Bill and Debbie Pierce of Spokane have a reputation for bringing home their far-flung outdoor adventures to share in sharp photographic detail.

Their latest program debuts Monday, 7 p.m. at Corbin Community Center, with a repeat on Nov. 24.

“Kamchatka: A Hiking and Kayaking Journey in Russia’s Far East” stems from their 2½-week July guided trip, which involved a helicopter flight to the active Karimsky Volcano on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula and 20 rugged miles of game-trail backpacking and bushwhacking to the Zhupanova River followed by 80 miles of kayaking to the Pacific Ocean past grizzly bears and Steller’s sea eagles.

Debbie summarized a few trip highlights as follows.

Most vivid memory: “Flying over Karimsky Volcano with steam and ash rising from its crater, and the bears swimming across the river in front of our kayaks.”

Tensest moments: “Two come to mind.”

•“The river was mainly a Class 1, but on the third paddling day we had a Class 3 rapid to negotiate — in Feathercraft (packable fabric) kayaks. That was a thrill!”

•“I had my face buried in a camera taking pictures of a (grizzly) cub crossing the stream. I heard grunting and splashing to my right, but ignored it to get the picture. When I finally took the camera away from my face, I realized that my kayak had floated in between the cub and the mom. Oops!”