It was a cold and somewhat breezy start to our Lake Baikal Expedition today.

Temperatures hovered around -18°C and the wind added a brisk feeling to the wintry atmosphere.

Brecht phoned after the team established their first camp to report an excellent daily progress of 19 kilometres. Their current position and progression details may be found at Expeditions Unlimited with its LiveExplorer feature.

The grandeur of Lake Baikal is difficult to describe. Photos provide us with a glimpse of its unique beauty, but Nessim, Marc-Olivier and Max can now attest to its magnetic attraction.

It always takes a bit of time to establish a cadence in any expedition. The first night is an especially challenging adaptation as one does not have any previous experience to prepare for sleeping directly on a frozen lake. Our team was quite tired from the excitement and exertion of the expedition's first day, so we hope that each man was able to find a cozy spot in his sleeping bag for a deep restorative rest.

Tomorrow they will continue on their trajectory that will eventually lead to Olkhon Island, a destination that lies approximately 170 kilometres away. If all goes as planned they expect to reach their goal in 10 days.

For now, we await more stunning imagery and expedition anecdotes as we vicariously meander with them in their little slice of Siberian paradise.