Ketoi, the first Kuril Island that we saw once we had crossed the Sea of Okhotsk from Sakhalin Island.  A group of Russian vulcanologists was dropped off here for three weeks.

Unloading the inflatable boat that we used to ferry us to the islands and back.

Looking down the beach on southern Urup Island from our base camp.

One of the few nice days on Urup.  Walking over the island between sites.

Clearing a space in the chest-high vegetation at the Ainu Creek site on Urup.

Getting down into the 2x2m test pit.

Continuing to excavate down at Ainu Creek.

Looking down at one of the small river valleys on Urup.

Cataloging artifacts at our base camp on Urup.  Note the outhouse with a view.

Looking for tsunami deposits on Urup near Tokotan Lake.

Fishing at Tokotan.  I picked up this salmon as it was moving up a stream from the ocean to Tokotan Lake.

Test pit on Matua island with our camp in the background.

Evidence of Japanese WWII trench systems on Matua.

Remnants of the abandoned Japanese WWII airstrip on Matua.

Abandoned Russian coast guard station on Matua.

Hiking down off the beach terrace at Simushir.  The archaeological house pit sites are located on the tops of the terraces.

Taking a dirt nap on Simushir.

Small cove on Shiashkotan.  House pit sites on the terrace above the cove.

Engraved boulder on the beach at Shiashkotan.  Translated as a message from the Japanese Navy that landed there in 1942.

Finding our ship, the Gipanis, in the fog.  GPS points are a good thing to have.

Living and working under close quarters on the ship.

Abandoned landing boats on Paramushir island.

Remnants of an abandoned fishing village on Paramushir that was wiped out by the 1952 tsunami.  The tsunami was caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake off the coast of the Kamchatka peninsula.  The tsunami wave that struck Paramushir had a height of 18m (59ft).

A good day is hitching a ride from the work site back to the beach in a Russian tank on Paramushir island.

Watch where you step.  Unexploded ordinance near a Japanese WWII airstrip on Paramushir.

Bear print on Paramushir.

Bear print owner.

Our ship the Gipanis from the coast of Paramushir.

The town of Severo Kurilsk on Paramushir island.  The 1952 tsunami wave that struck the town was 15m (49ft) high.  Most of the town was destroyed and rebuilt further inland from the coast.

A sunny Sunday morning in the harbor at Severo Kurilsk on Paramushir.

Volcanoes in the sea.

Small points found in a deflation zone.

Nice obsidian point found at a surface site on the north end of Paramushir.

Various points.

Drying ceramics in our make shift lab in the hold of the ship.

Heading home, last views of the islands.