River of No Reprieve

In a custom-built boat Jeffrey Tayler traveled some 2400 miles down the Lena River from near Lake Baikal to high above the Arctic Circle re-creating a journey first made by Cossack forces more than three hundred years ago. He was searching for primeval beauty and a respite from the corruption violence and self-destructive urges that typify modern Russian culture.. His only companion on this hellish journey detests all humanity including Tayler. Vadim Taylers guide is a burly Soviet army veteran whose superb skills Tayler needs to survive. As the two navigate roiling white water in howling storms they eschew lifejackets because the frigid water would kill them before they could swim to shore. Though Tayler has trekked by camel through the Sahara and canoed down the Congo during the revolt against Mobutu he has never felt as threatened as he does on this trip.