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20th of July 2010
A Success...
Explorers, Adventurers, Climbers, Ocean Rowers, Cyclists, Runners, Open Water
Swimmers, sponsors, ladies, gentlemen, friends, trustees, donors, distinguished guests
and assorted media and armchair explorer scum. I rise to my tender feet, one inflamed
with only three toe nails, on this occasion with a due sense of the honour.
In the press, in much of television, in magazines, various outdoor forums all over the
country and world, success only usually features when the expedition is branded a
success having reached its objective or concluding pinnacle. The flag is planted, the
stance is made, the smile unleashed and collar and tie adjusted accordingly. The
failures are grudgingly tolerated, faintly patronised, clumsily misunderstood or
cheerfully ignored.
This expedition, the Mongolia 2010 Expedition, I consider, is one of the great honours of
my life. Time spent planning, preparing, training, sweating, grafting, typing, sweating,
looking at pictures, reading text, researching the works of other illustrious expeditions
with the deepest pleasure was worth every drop of time. It was an absolute success.
During my walk I did a lot of thinking. What else was there to do?
I often thought and questioned how far I could walk before I could catch up with myself.
I trekked across Mongolia without glimpsing my own back. Since I became a father, life
has taken on a new dimension. Perspective has shifted, showing how delicate we
human beings are when deprived of our environment.
The Mongolia 2010 Expedition taught me a lot. When I look back at the expeditions I
have undertaken, I see that I managed to make many of my dreams come true, goals
that originally seemed impossible, even labelled as impossible to achieve. But with
resolve, I always managed to push forward. Maybe not in the direction I originally
intended, but self-discipline and motivation remained stronger than failure.
I have had loyal, comforting support from many people who seemed to share my
ambitions to engage and experience my vision to walk across a country alone. Without
each of them, I would not of gotten very far.
Our lives are often governed by habit. My greatest concern is losing my ability for living
for the moment. I fear that my motivation will be watered down. I am only human. But
if I make one good decision every day and go without things when I can and do what I
said I would do, to follow through even in the face of possible failure, it would be a good
achievement.
I learned some valuable lessons in Mongolia and those I will share with you all. The
point is that things are different when we look at it from a different angle. Mongolia
reset my mind and offered another chance to reboot my thoughts and teach me thing
or two about many things.
In such a world our appetite has never been greater for the complex, the uncertain, the
challenging, the uncultivated, the razor-sharp, the unusual, the unpredicted, the
dangerous, the soiled, the difficult, the untameable, the intangible, the unsafe and the
unknowable.
When we are in the limelight, we can all be proud, we can all turn our eyes to the sky
and encounter problems and demons fearlessly, with humour and grace and zest and
not a trace of embarrassment.
I will do my utmost to continue to learn, inspire, educate and touch people delicately
inside and never give up pursuing my dreams and experiencing this beautiful world.
Mongolia was the adventure of a lifetime and there are few better places in the world in
which to embark on such an adventure than in Mongolia. I intend to return and help
others see the world as I did.
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
8th of July 2010
What is it like to be the wife of an adventurer? by Laura Davenport
Allow me to give you a brief picture of my world and who I was before I met Ripley?
I lived in Denmark’s metropolis: Copenhagen. Just a stones throw, with my arm, from
the city center. My life was surrounded by material items and meaningless gossip with,
so called girlfriends, in an uptown café every Sunday. It was our girls get together but
quite simply a brunch. I could go on weekend shopping tours to London or any other
city, whenever I wanted. I could spend my time in the museums or concerts at will.
Whatever, wherever, it was all forgotten the next day.
At that time, I thought I was happy and didn’t want to change my life in any way. It
seemed to fit. One day, it all changed.
I was on a course, one of many yawn filled lectures, with my work colleagues and at
the very hotel where we were staying, Ripley Davenport was giving a presentation
about his adventure in the Namib Desert. His picture, displayed in the reception, caught
my eye and having nothing to do for a few hours and without thought, I purchased a
ticket to see what it was all about.
The room was full with all walks of life and I was surprised at the turn out.
After an introduction, I saw this tall, bald and very confident man giving an amazing
speech. The room was silent and I sat, like everyone else, overwhelmed by his story.
That was the quickest hour of my life and I just had to speak to him after the event.
That evening, we talked, we laughed. Three 3 months later, I quit my job, moved out of
the city to the Danish countryside. Four months later we were expecting our first child.
A whirlwind romance you may say but one that still blossoms.
Ripley changed my perception of what is really important in this life.
Adventure? I didn’t know what it meant before I met him. To be honest, I had a
stereotype of adventurers being strange, bearded and old people. That was my first
lesson: Never judge a book by its cover and every story has two sides. Ripley taught
me these two minor but important rules. He lives by them, so do I?
What is like to be a wife while your husband is out on an expedition?
In a way, I’m on my own little expedition but only here, in Denmark. I’m a mother of
two small children, Ripley’s secretary and coach. I run his home base and remain ready
for any emergency call 24/7. I take my mobile phone everywhere. Every time hear
Ripley’s Satellite phone ring, my heart misses a beat and my mouth dries up.
Obviously, I’m worried about him. It’s my first time and experience being alone while
Ripley is away on his expedition, so I’m still learning.
My daily routine consists of strong cup of coffee with milk, getting the kids ready for
kindergarten and then getting back home to the office and updating Ripley’s news. Once
done and few coffees later, I find ways to promote the Mongolia 2010 Expedition further
on top of my normal job (I’m glad that’s only 4 hrs/day). Then I trudge out to get the
shopping for dinner, pick up the kids and try to figure out what and how to cook
dinnersJ. I can’t cook and given the chance – won’t cook. It’s always been Daddy’s job,
but it’s now a role reversal. Scott, our oldest 4½ years old, repeatedly says, “Mummy,
daddy cooks much better dinners, why?” What can I say except laugh and find excuses?
The hardest psychological challenge was definitely the first 2 weeks. When he called me
on the 3rd day of his expedition and told me about the torrential rains and
thunderstorms, his equipment being drowned and his body shivering from being cold
and wet, I felt hopeless. I contacted every adventurer and endurance athlete that
Ripley knew to ask for advice and support. Each helped a great deal.
That night, I had a dozen cups of coffee just to stay awake. I felt like it was a duty to
stay up with Ripley through his tough night. I believe, it was harder for me.
We were on different sides of the planet and different time zones so I adjusted my
clock to suit his and tried to keep in his routine.
We have experienced many difficult situations together and got through each a lot
wiser. I know that future challenges can be overcome. We have been through so much.
I have learnt not to worry so much. I’m more focused and calm now and learn to stay
rational in the extreme situations.
I thought I was ready to take over the family duties on my own and run home base
while Ripley is in Mongolia. I guess you could never be ready for anything until you’re in
the actual situation. Out of my comfort zone.
We don’t have any family support in Denmark. My mother has passed away and my
father has little contact. Ripley’s parents live in England and contact with them is very
scarce.
I could honestly say, that we’re on our own. It’s not easy, but we do what we have to
do and never moan or gripe about our situation. It makes me laugh, when people
complain about small petty things. I could write an endless list of examples.
We haven’t been out for as much as an evening dinner or drink in four years. So what!
We still have our time together, when kids are asleep and that’s what is important.
Being an adventurer’s wife teaches you to be happy with what you’ve got and stop
comparing what your neighbour has and maybe take a cooking class once in a while?
Laura Davenport
29th of June 2010
Day 36
Gobi-whisky-happy-dance
I’m sad. The Gobi Desert is slowly giving way to the foothills of the Altai Mountain
Range and the terrain is changing – for the worst.
The Gobi was so tranquil and surreal and I wish it could off continued longer but like
most things, at some point, it must come to an end. I intend to return here sooner
rather than later so watch this space…
Perhaps I took this desert for granted. The flat, hard ground that I have been, almost,
waltzing over, was a walkers dream landscape. Molly hardly jolted or shrugged and at
times, Molly felt as light as a feather. The desert crunching beneath the sole of my
boots was actually a lovely sound. Molly bangs and clunks in rhythm and my thoughts
can run wild in all this space. I like the sound of the crunching and grinding sound from
the Greentyre’s wheel treads as they roll over the loose gravel.
The horizon displays the peaks of higher hills and mountains. They are in the post. I
know the day will come when I will have to dig deep and suck up the changing terrain
but hopefully I can find a route through the Altai’s that will grant some leniency on my
old body. I hope.
Today was day for the books. It was tremendous. The weather was a gentle and calm
20’C with a little breeze. The flies were nowhere to be seen and the terrain, although
tough at times, gave me no real stress. I admit to some sweating and swearing but
nothing near like previous days in the shit. I covered a superb 40K today and I am
elated and in need of celebrating. So it’s a bonus Mars bar day and extra creamy hot
chocolate all round. The day was complimented when, on reaching for my dinner, I
heard a glass like ting sound!! On further inspection, 1 miniature bottle of whisky
presented itself, neatly tucked away between a bag of cous-cous and tomato and herb
pasta bag. I never put it there, honest.
The wife admitted to this wonderful surprise and morale booster and I was so happy, I
screamed and danced like a little jiggery thing, doing my kind of Gobi-whisky-happy-
dance. I tell you, I jiggered and held my bottle high!!!
Unless you have been in such a situation, you’ll never know what it is like to discover a
simple pleasure and the feeling it can give you. It touches you deep inside and the joy
explodes! So, I will crack the seal on this little gem as the sun sets and toast to my
great and wonderful life! I am content. A man re-born. A new being in this spectacular
world!
40K’s, whisky, bonus Mars bar, hot chocolate and the Gobi.
Wow…Yeah baby!!!
Enuff Zed. Cheers mate!
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
24th of June 2010
Day 31
Bob and odors
I am clean. As clean as a shiny thing on a silver-plate gleaming in the sun. At least for
a little while. For the last 30 or so days, I have been sweating and panting profusely
and no doubt, releasing potent body odors behind me. I am accustomed to my
fragrance so I don’t detect any sort of odor. It might be that you also smell like me, the
kind of early warning stench that Biological Scientists spend their lives searching for.
Perhaps you smell of roses and fragrant perfume. Maybe not. It may be that you are
quite happily to go a few days without a shower or bath or sheep dip and are sit reading
the traditional way – naked – as I am right now, sweating like mad man in thermals just
about tea time yesterday.
To the point. I found or located a small spring yesterday and decided to replenish the
water supply and take a well-needed stripped wash, in cold water, in the midday heat of
the Gobi. Standing in my birth costume, letting it all hang out freely, I relished the cool,
or should I say, frigg’in freezing clear liquid. It was so refreshing that perhaps I spent a
little to long bathing and caught the sun. Not to bad but still – enough for me. Water, to
me, is so sacred now. I see it differently and not just the stuff that trickles from the tap
at home.
It was a hot day. When is it ever cooler? As I write this, the temperature is casually
suspended around 37’C. Inside the tent it is far worse so I hunker down under Molly, on
my belly, writing this and being plagued by flies that have managed to find out where I
am hanging out today.
There is a chance that this flat terrain will soon be behind me and the Altai Mountains
will dominate the landscape giving me hell and one to many difficult days. It’s in the
post, I know it. I may get cooler weather as I climb…
I met a lone young camel today. Probably an orphan, who knows? He munched a
chewed whatever it was in his gob for a few hours keeping me company until I decided
to get my head down. I named him Bob. No reason really just the name Bob seemed to
fit. This morning, he was gone when I woke up. Nowhere to be seen, vanished like a
fart in the wind or a camel in the Gobi. Sad. He was kind of cute but at least I got
several snaps of him.
Another day tomorrow and another day at the office. I can’t believe that 1 month has
passed.
I am pretty excited to have discovered my next expedition while I have been deep in
thought every day, walking. There’s nothing else to do over the 10 to 15 hours that I
walk except conjure up a list of expeditions, some feasible – some dame right
ridiculous, and plan each to detail in my head.
Any adventurer would have to be very peculiar, and a liar, if he or she claimed that
there was an absolutely no thought on future expeditions while they were either
walking, skiing, snow-shoeing, climbing, sailing, rowing, cycling, rafting, running etc. It
is of course perfectly okay not to be nuts about any adventure and to choose another
path while you are on a path.
Is it premature to announce my next while I am in the throws of my current expedition?
It matters not. Rest assured, you will know in due course.
Enuff Zed. Bob where are you?
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
22nd of June 2010
Day 29
Naked and thinking of something flame grilled
Yesterday, I managed to take a stripped wash and get rid of 28 days of sweat, dirt,
grime, crusty bits and no doubt a stench that could off been sold to science. Given the
heat and the fact that it has been a while since I washed, it was so wonderful and
refreshing that I also took the liberty in washing a pair of socks of skiddies. I’ll save
you the details here, I think, on how they looked and the odour they released. Anyway,
I treated myself to a clean pair of each and relished in the delights of being clean, if
only for a short while.
I had a shave and tended to some long toe and finger nails and cleaned the ears from a
ton of sand and, I think - mushrooms? Who would of thought it? There I stood
completely naked, in my birth costume, in the middle of the Gobi scrubbing up my body
and smalls miles from a Burger King. I mentioned that because I have been dreaming
of something flame grilled and that popped into my head. I’d like that to go please!
Today, I staggered and sweated like a madman in a sauna who forgot to remove his
thermal tights. Temperatures climbed into the 30’s and at midday the thermometer
peaked at 33’C with a little breeze. No real release from the heat but that’s all part of
the game. The body has, I feel, adjusted to the heat as best it can and I find myself in
a trance as I walk now. That’s what I was looking for. The mind must be set in forward
“suck it up and walk mode”, now and, it seems, I’m in the zone.
Inside the tent the temperature peaked at 39’C. There is no way of bearing that heat so
I laid under Molly, on my NEMO sleeping mat, trying to ride out the rest of the day and
drifting in and out of a shallow doze.
It must look funny from the outside seeing a pair of feet sticking out from underneath a
small trailer in the middle of the Gobi. Thank god there’s not a soul in sight.
I am heading towards a lake called Mandal-Ovoo. Although I don’t plan on heading
straight for it or plan on drinking its liquid, as it is a salt lake right smack bang in the
middle of this landscape, I intend to cross my first river, which feeds it. I have no idea
how the river crossing will turn out or how fast or wide it is but I’ll take that when it
comes. However, I will take a dip in the river, fully clothed, and enjoy the delights of
being clean again. I should of packed my fly fishing rod and a few nymphs or dry flies.
Enuff Zed from the Gobi.
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
20th of June 2010
Day 27
Bigous Dickous...he had a wife you know...
I’m not complaining. The last few days have been a joy. Apart from the heat, hauling
Molly Brown, which I estimate is around 180kg – give or take a few, is actually not that
bad. I often think about the tough days I had a while back and smile to myself.
The Gobi is truly spectacular. Just lately, she’s been displaying her true colours and
being quite gentle with her lone walking guest.
In the evenings, I sit and watch the sunset and watch the desert change colours.
Sometimes a gentle breeze caresses the whiskers on my rather disgusting beard and
the air smells really potent with life. Of course, sometimes it’s blowing a double six and
rattles the tent walls like a thousand zombies on acid.
Walking in this heat is normally tolerable with a wind but today it was as still as a still
thing in a graveyard. This means the heat was magnified a great deal even if the
thermometer read 28’C. I think it was more. It felt like it anyway.
I was especially delighted to hear that a fellow adventurer and business / coffee
entrepreneur contacted home base recently to relay his admiration. I know he’s
watching from afar and mentioned that enjoys watching me suffer and wriggle in pain.
That made me laugh, which is something I don’t seem to do a lot of off. I can’t
remember the last time I laughed. I mean really laugh and not the “huh” type laugh
that says – that wasn’t funny but I’ll be polite and pretend you were funny.
I’ll have the last laugh when the roles are reversed and I can sit, from the comfort of
my home, and watch him wriggle and squirm in pain. I imagine, I hope, it will be soon!
I'm also glad to hear he's picked up his plans again.
I am so happy that I have made it so far. When I think about what I covered so far,
and what I have been through, I sit in a daze finding it hard to comprehend. The
distance ahead of me is huge. I try hard not to think about what lays ahead but when
you’re walking in all this, thoughts run wild.
I think about funny things, strange things, Monty Python type things. Bigous Dickous –
that makes me laugh. Today I thought about sausages. No reason really. I am far from
hungry and even if I were, sausages would be the last thing I would go for but for some
reason the very word – sausages – struck my funny bone and found it amusing. I think
about cold drinks often. Cold beer, cola, bitter lemon and plain old water. Nothing more.
I believe home base has resolved the tracker problem and hear that it’s working
smoothly. That makes me happy, as I have absolutely no way of checking. I also
receive the odd message; email and facebook note from, it seems, regular fans. Thank
you.
Enuff Zed from the land of milk and so much honey.
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
16th of June 2010
Day 23
Boogie on the Gobi Dance floor
My blogs are normally pieced together in the dead of night. When I mean dead of night,
I mean at stupid-o-clock. When I mean stupid-o-clock I mean about 01:30 to 02:30. For
some reason my body clock wakes me about that time and I normally lay, yawning my
head off, releasing awful gas, until I can summon the energy to lean over and pour a
coffee and vent the sleeping bag and tent.
I normally can’t sleep after that. I wonder why..?
When I say coffee, I mean the quick instant type loaded with sugar and cream powder.
It’s good enough for me. I would imagine it would make some coffee connoisseurs
cringe and violently shake. Todd Carmichael, the only coffee expert I know, would
report me to the coffee police in an instant. Instant!
What I wouldn't give for a decent cup of coffee and chocolate muffin.
The last couple of days I have been engrossed in walking, which has been extremely
tough. So what’s new? It’s tough every day and every day brings new challenges and
new pains.
I am sat, in nothing but skiddies, surrounded by magnificent canyons. Not the Grand
Canyon type but canyons enough for me. They are remarkable in size and colour and
offers a Moon, perhaps, Mars like terrain. The ground is hard, which is nice when you
get at least a few feet of it to enjoy, but littered with stones, rocks, boulders and tufts of
knee length grass in places. The canyon walls are steep, brutal and very crumbly.
Hauling Molly through this maze is impossible and my day is spent unloading and
reloading the trailer. It’s a good job I carry rope or I would be stuck. I have to haul
Molly up the steep sides and lower her down as the rock walls are just to high for me to
throw her up and over.
So, I am also climbing my way through this landscape, as well as walking, and in this
heat, it is unbearable.
I thought the terrain would level out but no such luck I am afraid. It seems to get
worse. The other theory would be that I have just picked a bum route and seem to be
paying for it – big time. Incidentally, I ripped the crotch right out of my trousers (that’s
pants for you US citizens), and have sewn it all together with 0,14mm fishing line. I tell
you, fishing line is the business when it comes to sewing because it is strong, flexible
and clear. If it can take a 3,5kg fish, it’s good enough to be used as a thread.
My ankle is sore as hell and slightly swollen. I keep it raised in the evenings and do
what I can to alleviate the pain. I strap the ankle up with a good tight bandage, tighten
the boots and take a couple of tablets. Normally, I am GTG for the day until I stop and
take of the boots then the pulsating begins.
My shoulder is giving me gip. A few years back I broke my right clavicle, planting a few
hundred trees for an environmental project, and it never fused back together properly.
I can use it sure enough but every now and then it reminds me that its there. Sticking
out like a small golf ball on my shoulder, it seems to get in the way of hauling Molly,
especially when the going gets tough. Blisters are evident but I can deal with them.
Painful as they are!
I am doing an average of 28km or so a day. I am happy with that given the terrain and
heat but hope to do better and increase that distance if I aim to get to the other side of
Mongolia, which seems like forever away, within the next 2 months. If my calculations
are correct that gives me around 31km a day, every day for 60 days to crack. No less.
Home base informs me that I am about a quarter of the way across and hearing that
really sucks. It feels like I have been doing this forever and the end is far from near.
The heat still plays havoc with the battery and laptop and now the sat phone has
decided to turn off whenever it likes.
Home base sent me a question: What music do I listen too when I’m walking?
Well, I only have 22 songs loaded on my cheap MP3 player so I near enough know
them of by heart now and to tell you the truth, I am sick of each track but the one track
I enjoy, which is on repeat, that still lifts me up is and sets my mood on fire is: Fade
by Kimblee. A good dance track that can set me to jigger and boogie in the desert.
Good no one can see…
I also dig this track: Honey by Erykah Badu.
Enuff said from the Gobi dance floor…
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
13th of June 2010
Day 20
Sausages and wind
My rest day was uneventful. In fact it was dam right boring.
I rested far too much and spent too much time thinking about things that deflated my
mood. The stench rising from the depths of my sleeping bag and the mild aroma from
my hanging socks created a suffocating atmosphere.
I slept a little, which was followed by a series of weird and wonderful dreams of cold
drinks, cold showers and sausages with HP brown sauce were the highlights of my rest
day.
I did some personal admin consisting of sewing the crotch in my pants, a hole in my
socks and rip in the right arm of my shirt. I wet wiped my feet, powdered them -
spilling the talc all over my sleeping bag – and cut my finger and toe nails.
Riveting stuff!
When I was free of the above chores I read. Unable to get into the book, I spent a vast
proportion of the time reading the same line several times sunk in a deep daydream.
I woke at 01.30, made a hot chocolate and waiting for first light. I was eager to start.
My day started calm but as soon as I began to break camp the wind kicked up and sand
started to fly. I knew what I was in for as home base warned me of a pending puff of
strong wind.
Indeed it was. A puff that still lasts as I write this. Tent walls vibrating, jiggering,
shaking and whining like a thousand hands slapping the tent. It’s really quite
claustrophobic. The noise is deafening.
The day was tough. Visibility was nil and if I was lucky, I would get a brief glimpse
about 10m or so in front of me. Tagelmust, googles, socks on hands shielded me from
the sand blasting. It was spooky. Not knowing where your going takes some getting
used too. Following a compass bearing, which was just visible, was my only view. I was
flooded with a mixture of thoughts.
I decided to make camp early rather than loose another layer of skin. It was difficult to
push my way through the flying sand and wind and was glad to be protected by a thin
layer of fabric of the tent walls. Sand everywhere.
The 16km was no picnic and I was, I suppose, glad for the effort. It was better than
nothing. Undressing, I laid naked, skin half burning and stinging from the flying sand
and wind.
For some reason, Molly was a bugger to pull today. Maybe it was the wind, sand or just
the fact that I am tired and totally exhausted. Who can say?
Home base informed me about the result of England Vs USA in the world cup - 1:1 and
the unfortunate or planned action that lead to England’s goalie letting the USA score.
Good ole Green!
Apparently it’s just as windy in Denmark right now complimented by rain and chilly
weather. The Danish summertime makes me laugh. It gets worse and worse every
year.
Enuff said from the sandy side.
Sandy bottoms!!!
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
10th of June 2010
Day 18
A Zebra and cheetah
Considering this is the Gobi Desert and it ain't arf hot Mum, the ground is full of life.
Almost, and I mean almost every step, startles a lizard type creature and it scurries off
in any direction faster than Road Runner with an Acme Jet strapped to his tail feathers.
They come in brown, green, yellow-blue, black and spotty golds’. Averaging about
10cm in size they can pack some speed. Reminds me of the opening scene on Jurassic
Park (I think number III), with the child on the beach.
The ground is also swarming with the standard black beetle that I see, normally in my
daughters hand and sometimes mouth, at home in Denmark. Numerous other creatures
litter the floor all going about their daily insect business. For a desert - it's packed with
life.
I also experienced this in Namib. Regardless of opinion, deserts are normally full of life.
It's just a matter of stopping and looking with different eyes.
There are several species of grasses and some rather funky looking white, blue and
yellow looking flowers. I am no flower man but these are really something special. They
blossom in this heat and radiate fantastic colours.
Today was a toughie. I was plagued with ditches, washes, gullies and potholes
throughout the day. I lost count how many times I loaded and unloaded Molly. I have
better things to do - like sweat and swear - than to count loading/unloading times.
It is simply impossible to haul Molly's weight up and out of these craters and trenches
as the sides are just to steep. It's tedious work and I gain no real ground, distance
wise, by doing this but there's no way around. I also sweat like a crazed African Zebra
with a Cheetah on it's six.
The heat is really something and what little energy I do have is zapped right out of my
body. The sweat leaks into my eyes and the salt within each drop stings my eyes. The
tagelmust is soon soaked and fine desert dust sticks to each fibre turning it a dirty
creamy brown. My feet slip and slide in my desert boots and my ankle is still tender
when I apply weight to it.
The RailRiders clothing: www.railriders.com is just superb. It seems to wick away the
moisture and regardless of the dampness, it feels comfortable next to my skin. I wish
they would make underwear as my cheap skiddies stick to my wedding tackle and ride
up the crack of my sweaty bottom. To much information for you?
I think, there's no way telling accurately, that I have done about 17km. It was a tough
day and I can't bear to think about tomorrow. It's an effort to make and eat any food
as my hunger has vanished and I can't be bothered. I have just thrown down a handful
of salted peanuts, a few fruit biscuits and flake out. The water is Luke warm and I would
do anything, absolutely anything for a cold one.
I am keeping a check on my urine colour. If the urine is clear, then I am well hydrated.
The problem is when the urine is a dark brown in colour. This is a good indicator that I
am badly dehydrated and need water.
Dark and smelly then drink plenty - clear and bright then you're alright. At the moment
I am halfway in between with a dark yellow tint. Nothing a good cup of tea with three
sugars can't solve.
I am really adjusting to the Gobi now but still the hauling is tough work in the heat. The
clavicle fracture I obtained some years ago aches as the harness rubs right on the point
that didn't fuse properly. In the mornings it is sore and holding my right arm up causes
some discomfort. I'm still walking wounded in many ways.
I haven't calculated yet but I think I am approaching the 700km mark. I may be even
over that figure. Anyway there's still a fair amount of distance to cover yet an I can't
bear to think about the gap between me and there - the finish.
Molly is holding up well, tyres: www.greentyre.com and wheels are doing a cracking job.
The harness made by Ski Pulk: www.skipulk.com is as strong as an Ox.
The Rab Expedition bags: www.rab.uk.com are just amazing. They actually keep the
fine Gobi sand out of my gear and food. The toughest bags I've ever used!
The only problem is the heat on the electronic equipment. It causes the Netbook to
prematurely shut down and there's simply no way to cool it. SPOT is not functioning.
Even though I changed the batteries it doesn't work. Home base should have a solution
by the end of the week to keep you updated with my current position while maintaining
my tracking history.
Tomorrow is a rest day. I intend to indulge in a little extra sleep, have a shave, and do
nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Enuff said...
9th of June 2010
DAY 17
Frustrated thing.
Regretfully I have been unable to connect with any sort of orbiting satellite for a couple
of days. Don't ask me why. My guess is that the heat is playing with the inner guts of
every electronic item that I have and the moment I turn it on, it all goes pair shaped
and either:
A. goes banana shaped.
B. goes bonkers and then freezes or
C. All of the above with added frizzly bits.
My computer over heats within a second and refuses to cooperate and shuts down
leaving me, normally, as frustrated as a frustrated thing on a hot Sunday afternoon jut
about tea time. The thing is the microscopic fan doesn't seem to work. As my notebook
is about the same size as a slice of stale bread I can only guess that the fan is the size
of a crumb from this slice. How it can cool anything larger than a knits left love muscle,
is anyone guess.
So blogs may be brief and irregular at best unless I blow like a madman on the back of
the computer for a few extra seconds. I'm dizzy enough as it is!
Finding water has been a great deal of stress for me. The few wells I did locate were as
dry a dry thing on a Sunday afternoon just about tea time. One looked as if the entire
camel population of Mongolia had visited it in the last week and taken a dump by and in
the water. I had no intention of sampling the bacterial delights that lay in wait in the
silky film on the waters surface. The stench was another thing but that could of been
me. Who knows?
So this afternoon I managed to find myself a quiet piece of water, in fact it was a
natural spring parked right smack bang in my walking neighbourhood and it tasted
good. I topped up my water canisters with billions of scoops with my small SIGG
thermos flask style cup: www.sigg.com, with 80L of the clean cool nectar, washed my
socks and skiddies and took a cold but - O MY GOD - refreshing cool stripped wash in
the Gobi. My dogs were barking!
I felt fantastic if only for a short while. The heat soon sapped the good feeling away and
after a fw minutes, I was left feeling sweaty and rancid again.
Anyway, the water was cold. For the last few days I have been drinking luge warm,
verging on boiling, water and it is horrid. No escape from the heat. The cool water
trickled down my throat leaving me feeling like a penguin with glazed eyes on a cold
winters morning.
It's just as well that I found this spring. I had 4L left and I was beginning to think about
stopping and calling in an evacuation. At a stretch I could of rationed the water making
a good two days worth but that's a dangerous game. From now on, I gained a valuable
lesson here, I will not go below 10L unless in an emergency.
Locating a well or spring using just a map and compass is like finding a needle in a
giant stack of needles on a Sunday afternoon just abut tea time. Remember, I have no
GPS. I am relying on map and compass to navigate my way through this land. Did I say
land? I mean frigg'in huge land.
I am gaining ground now but that may of been because I was almost dry of water. Now
I have charged the water canisters, I have 80L, which is 80kg back on board and I feel
it. I am slower again and managed to knock out a little under 30km. Terrain is
improving, levelling out, but that sand isn't. It's hard work and my shoulders, ankle and
feet hurt like hell.
For 17 days I have pulled 240kg up and down hillsides and mountains, across soft sand,
through unbearable heat, against headwinds into sand storms and thunderstorms that
crackled the air. I am in top condition and trained hard for this but nothing can prepare
you for the actual event.
To mimic the conditions is hard at the best of times. Denmark has no such hillsides and
mountains, soft sand, unbearable heat, strong headwinds, sand storms and
thunderstorms that crackle the air. In all honesty my 40 year old body is finding it hard
to maintain this tempo and the colossal strain of all these things combined and I haven't
even touched on the mental pressure.
90 days is simply not enough and reaching 35+km every day is just to extreme. The
largest obstacle is gravity and that can't be beaten. One impossible task!
The physical challenges are so great that, I believe, even the boldest and agile
adventurer would struggle. The distance is another factor. I will continue to plough on,
keep the head down and put one foot forward at a time and see what happens.
Home base is offering a solution to rectify the tracking problem. Until then I will just
send my position.
Enough from the far side...
4th of June 2010
DAY 12
I am officially in the Gobi!
Tomorrow I head out at 2am. The weather will be cooler and and I will be added by a
NE wind. That's actually in my face but that's good, isn't it?
This walk would be very uncomfortable if I didn't have the right clothes. The toughest
clothes on the planet - RailRiders: www.railriders.com are the order of the day. They
indeed are robust, lightweight and ideal. I can't fault them. Heat, sweat, snot and gunk
all get embedded in the fibbers but who cares. The clothes are designed for this terrain
and I am proud to wear them.
My average daily distance is increasing again. I am popping put an average of 39KM a
day. I feel this will increase now as the ground is hard sand with no elevation. The Gobi
is a babe too! She might be flat breasted but I never was a breast man. Ask the wife.
The Gobi has far better good bits that no man can refuse. She's dishing it out daily for
me and I wanna more - Mamamia!
Morale is a good 7/10. Its good to be back in the desert. I am heading in a NW direction
up into the heart of the Gobi and crossing her for the next month to month and a half.
3rd of June 2010
DAY 11
Although it wasn't quite a full moon, I had enough light to walk. It was actually quite
pleasant. After a while the easy adjust and it's actually not that bad. Temperatures
were easy on the body and I managed to get buy with just 2L, which is quite a
difference from 5 to 7L!
I don't think I can continue to do this every night but a few nights here and there will
add some spice to the walk.
I must be making footprints on the fringes of the Gobi now. The landscape has changed
a great deal and the elevation is slowly falling away. Mountains have become hills and
hills and become dirt bumps and dirt bumps ave become small dollops of animal crap.
Dried animal crap everywhere crunching under foot. It's a good job it is baked and
hardened. What a difference a day makes...24 little hours.
The stars were in their full glory. Polaris was my wing man as I headed in a SW'erly
direction. It was nice to see so many stars, more than in Denmark, with regular
displays of shooting stars.
I am going to fall into a routine that will set my stride in good form. I will just walk
without prolonged rest and just take cat naps as and when required when the
temperature fits. I can't change the heat and weather so I will just have to mould my
footsteps around the Gobi's routine.
I did practise and old Air Tuareg tradition that I observed in Niger back in 1999. They
kneel before the desert before sand extended crossing and ask that it will allow them to
pass safely. I find that truly touching. I did it back in Namib before and after my walk
and in the Karakum. I also believe that Carla Perriotti, a true desert adventurer and
explorer also practises this ritual.
I too, got on my knees, kissed the ground and gave a small offering of water and asked
the Gobi to let me pass, safely. On completion, I will again do the same but thank the
desert for allowing me to pass and give an offering of water.
Enough of the spiritual stuff...
My toothache seems to have subsided. Good.
2nd of June 2010
DAY 10
The heat is on...
Don't ask me why I like deserts. I hate the heat. Really, I can't bar being hot but ever
since I first stepped out into the Namib. I have felt at home in the desert. Something
lures me to experience it's beauty and until you have spent a considerable amount of
time in these dry environments you'll never understand.
Rest day? Yeah right. In a way I did rest and in a way I didn't. I have to move. The
horizon means forward an sitting still is a hard way to live. It's boring.
I only took a well earned rest at midday and what better place (at first) than under
Molly laying on my NEMO TUO matres. She's a babe. The strongest babe I know. She
carries my life and never moans. She provide shelter and support and never answers
back. She may not be much to look at but she's a stout model!
The heat was unbearable. I used 7L of water and swatted like a rampaging bull in the
heat of the Spanish sun. Even so, I was dizzy throughout the day. Flies are everywhere.
Huge ones, small ones, green, blue, black, ugly looking ones and weird ones. I hate
them. They drive me nuts and Molly offered no comfort. There is no escape.
I took care of a few repairs today, only minor but better to keep on top of them. I took
care of some basics, as we say in the military - Admin. Yeash. I did my admin and
turned around my gear, aired some stinky clothes and organised the food. I took a
shave. The beard might be a good thing in polar regions but in the dry desert, it sucks.
So, I took it off and - holy crap - I felt better. Clean is the word I think?
I had a wet wipe wash. Under arms, face, neck and between the dangly bits. The feet
were aired. They needed it!
My toothache is still kicking but I must admit not that much. Last night I took a butchers
in the mouth with mirror, carefully positioned torch, a needle and thread.
In the very area where the pain had been giving me grief was a microscopic piece of
food. After a bit of surgery and thumbling around I managed to lift the item out.
Perhaps this rouge piece of food was causing all the stress and pain? We'll see...
I am covering a fair amount of ground and I can see that in the distance the terrian is
lowly leveling out. The land is changing. As I get ever closer to the boundaries of the
Gobi, there is less and less grass. It will slowly give way to the famous Gobi and level
out but will still offer a challenge.
I am aiming for Saynshand in the south west and ten will skirt my way up toward
Mandalgov crossing a tough part of the Gobi. I will have to decrease my food somewhat
and take on board more water in order to make the crossing. I am nervous but that's
nothing to fear as it only heightens the senses and allows one to evaluate every risk
more carefully. Anyway that's a couple of weeks away.
Due to the rain a while back, I am crossing about 200km of terrain without map or GPS.
I bear the thought. Home base will be informing me of my position and hopefully I can
pin point Saynshand in about 10 to 14 days. Fear not - I am not entering Sayndshand
just merely bouncing on it in order to cross the Trans Mongolian Railway and fill up on
water from a few wells to the north of the town before I cross the Gobi. Can I hear the
unassisted / assisted issue again? The wells are natural water sources just like ice and
snow the polar regions, Who cares anyway. My life is far more important right now than
these stupid rules and regulations governing adventure and exploration travel. It's
important for me to do this safely adding my third desert crossing to the list!
I had a double portion of noodles to boost the morale with a side of broken digestive
biscuits and sweet cup of tea. Where's that ice cold coke with slice of lemon and if that's
not much to ask, throw in a choc-ice and side of spag-bol!
I will never ever ever ever ever waste water again. Here it is a precious commodity
and I vow to use it wisely in future and drink more of it. I accurately log every ml of
water I use and think of it constantly. Food is not of any interest to me right now, not
that I wouldn't mind one of my daddy burgers or egg and chip sari's or a hearty roast
dinner. I find I'm not that hungry in this heat. I just need to drink water.
Tomorrow is another day and no doubt a difficult one. More mountains and tough
ground and I dread it enormously. I have a few songs on my MP3 player, which
remains my only source of release during the hard climbs with 230kg in tow.
I want to thank the following people for supporting Laura, the wife, at home base. I do
get all the messages you send.
Soren Braes from PILOTUR.DK: www.pilotur.dk for providing me with communication
support to allow me to stay in touch.
Mikael Strandberg for his kind words and messages of support. I hope the baby and
misses is doing well? I think about you guys a lot.
Cameron Smith for supporting Laura with valued information and encouragement.
Matt and Michelle Nelson from the Endurance Trust: www.endurancetrust.org for helping
Laura, and me, with much needed support.
To Steve Pickering for his (actually quite funny) jokes. I am trying to remember a few
Steve! I can't wait to hear more...
And thank you to anyone I haven't mentioned. My brief daily conversations are
compact with news from home. It's hard to remember all!
And to home base. My wife provides me with the backbone to be able to complete this.
Send any messages to her and she will relay them all.
My wonderful kids that I think about every minute of my daily walk. Scott and Stella, as
I promised, we will all go camping when I return - on one condition that Molly Brown is
left at home?
Family, close friends I love you all and can't wait to come back home.
1st of June 2010
DAY 9
Walking Wounded.
I will get straight to the point. I am wounded one way or another and today could of
been fatal if I had not read the signs.
The human body is not designed to haul 250kg and even if someone would like to argue
that then I would add - but not up sheer mountain sides in 30'C heat.
That what's I'm up against every day and it get no better for the next week or so.
Mountains as far as the eye can see. It's, without doubt, the hardest thing I have ever
done in my life. Gravity really works against you and leaning over at a 45 degree angle
most of the day trying to gain a good foot hold in the dust and fine stone sometimes is
futile.
I have no decided to increase my water intake because 4,5L was not enough. I am now
on 6L a day but even still I spend half an hour in every hour dizzy and almost blanking
out. The heat and tough physical pressure on my 40 year old body is relenting. I try
hard to haul my life up a mountain but sometimes it gets the better of me like today.
After spending 2 hours leaning over, almost kissing he dirt, hauling Molly up hill made
me dizzy. In fact I can't remember anything much about what happened until a passing
Shepperd kicked my feet (I hear someone screaming - it's not unassisted then. A
person kicked your feet). It scared me. I was so dizzy that I must of passed out. It's
never happened before but it sent alarm bells off in my head. I couldn't stand for about
an hour. I used 10L of water today and my rations are going down. Two watering holes
were dry.
I was up all night with severe toothache. This gives me stress. I can't eat out of one
side and the pain is chewing through my supply of painkillers. Blisters are OK. I've
drained them and dressed them. My sunburned hands are bad. I have cut one sock up
to act as a glove-cum-sleeve. It works for now but it's sweaty in 30'C heat.
Tomorrow is my rest day. I need it. No walking. I have some repairs to do to Molly.
One of her welded joints is cracked and her back extension is bent and hanging.
I have just had my wet wipe bath (I would prefer a cold shower and a beer), and taken
care of dinner and the bodily care routine. I am wasted mentally and physically and
remain at a low ebb.
As I sit here looking south west - my route - there are nothing but more mountains. I
can see it now. Leaning at 45 degrees and pushing hard to gain altitude. I am trying to
stay focused but there's no real solution at present. At this rate I will nearly get half
way before my time is up.
I hear you say - Go around the mountains!
Yeah right! You come here and show me and then I'll follow you. Don't forget to bring
230kg on wheels strapped to your back. Did I mention the soft sand and monstrous
sizes of rock that compliment every minute, every hour, every day? I hear you TC!
I am barley doing 22km a day. If you do your math then you'll know I can't make to
Olgii within 90 days. Today was upsetting and after 12 hours of walking I crawled in my
tent, toothache giving me hell, sore, down and I'm missing my family enormously. I
dream of a icy cold coke with slice of lemon. I think of various cold drinks, chilled
sandwiches, swimming pools, air conditioned cars and ice lollies. I want it all - twice.
Enough said I think. Time for a pain killer.
30th of May 2010
DAY 7
The last couple of days have been tough and confusing.
So, where does the tough come in?
Well, hauling 230kg at the best of times is hard work. Over a hard surface it is possible
to cover up to 50km. I have tried a tested that theory.
Soft and uneven ground is the toughest. The last couple of days I have had both almost
constantly. It's gruelling work and deflates the morale considerably. Anywhere between
15 and 25km is a good day.
Uphill? There's a thing. My route has taken me up hill sides and at times is heart
breaking. Today has seen 6 hours of hauling 230kg uphill on uneven and soft surface. It
is near impossible and at times I wonder how I manage. I am no muscle bound hunk of
English meat. I am far from that but today I think was my limit. I could do no more to
gain ground and today I managed 25km. How do I know?
Home base has checked for me.
I have no maps, GPS or way of telling how far I have come. The rain ruined my only
source of navigation. The maps are far from accurate anyway. The distances are wrong
between points and today I found out that I have still about 28km to go until I head SW.
I thought it would only take me 3 days to cover 77km but it seems it will take the best
part of a week.Its a real soul destroyer to find out you have more to walk than
expected, especially uphill with soft uneven ground to boot. I am so wasted and tired
and pain now screams from every part of my body.
3 ripe blisters, a very red raw and sore crotch and inner thighs. Hands are sunburned
badly and my back aches.
I will make a pair of gloves from my spare socks and I have taken care and drained
the blisters.
Its all part of the game I know. The physical pressure on the body is immense and it
doesn't help with temperatures soaring into the 30's. I find it hard to breath and the
throat is constantly dry. I remember Namib. The same thing every day but his
expedition is harder because no camel is carrying my supplies. I am hauling it.
I will give it my best and hope to adjust and overcome the assorted pressures on the
body. I can only hope. My weight is dropping and I feel hunger every second.
Water is the toughest. 5L a day, including cooking, is what I allow. Its not enough. My
throat is always dry and at times get very dizzy. I know these signs well, being an Ex
Medic, and what they mean. Today I have 50L on Molly. That's 10 days worth. I need to
replenish before then or I'm in trouble.
After the last two days I feel low. With no means of navigation, except a compass,
which is no use without a good map, I am walking blind. Home base are my eyes.
The killers are the heat, vast terrain and the weight hauling.
Enough for now. We'll see how things pan out
27th of May 2010
DAY 4
Position: 35km bearing 254 from Baruun Urt. Altitude 1000m.
Hell unleashed.
Last night was an event that didn't require a suit and tie or casual clothing. It just
needed nothing but skiddies, a couple of t-shirts and a tagelmust.
Let me explain.
The heavens opened and with it the full fury of the wind. I already mentioned that the
small NEMO tent went airborne and divided itself into two pieces. The second tent, a
rather dude orange nut type seemed strong enough to withstand a nuclear bomb blast.
For the first hour all seemed well. The rain hammered on the thin fabric and the wind
pushed at the walls. Just as I feel asleep I felt a drop of water on my head. So, on went
the torch.
Water was dripping in from several seams and the floor was experiencing a high tide.
Everything was soaked. And still the rain kept coming. I spent 10 hours, without sleep,
in my undies mopping up the water. No sleep. I was cold, wet and very tired after the
previous day walking. It was a long night and one I will remember. Who said that
Mongolia has very little rain? Who said it was dry as a dry thing on a dry day? 12 hours
of rain and damage, mentally of course, was evident. Two ripped seams that resembled
Victoria falls. I patched it up with duct tape but it was no use. Water still ebbed its way
in my little orange nut.
I shivered all night but that's to be expected bailing out water for the best part of 10
hours in the wet blackness of the Steppe.
Once day light came I wanted out. I wanted to get out of that tent and walk. So, on with
wet clothes, that did my morale no good at all, and of I went hauling and Molly loaded
buts and pieces. An extra few kilos maybe in water?
I managed to find a good route through the rolling hills making my way through the
valleys. No hill climbs, no mountains, no nothing. Just flat grassy valleys and
surprisingly - hard ground. It turned out to be good and the wind dried my clothes as I
walked. I managed to air the sleeping bag and take most of the wetness out of it but I
think the first few minutes getting in it tonight will be another story.
I managed to hit my target today, as I planned weeks ago and get to Baruun Urt, or
near enough, within a few days. Not bad. However, I am making the most of it as it's
not all going to be plain sailing from here on. As I turn and face west, a long home
straight, I am so overwhelmed by this country. The size, the beauty and the sheer
harsness it can deal. I was thinking today to do this again but in a traditional way, with
camels. I'll think more on that. Namib and/or the Atacama also plays a lot on my mind.
So, hopefully, and it looks good, I'll get some sleep tonight and push on hard tomorrow.
I see hills, or are they mountains, before me. A hard day I guess but we'll see.
Thanks to Darran Scott for calling me last night as I was bailing out water in my
skiddies. And thank you Laura for giving me a little boost during a hard time. A voice,
your voice carries with it, hopes and thoughts of returning home soon.
I also believe the SPOT is working. Finally!
In a welsh voice, "There's something wrong with this yoghurt"
"It's not yoghurt, it's mayonnaise"
"O, right that explains it"
Classic!
Enuff said me rinky-thinks.
26th of May 2010
DAY 3
March or Die, like a mad man.
Position: 42 KM, bearing 012 degrees from Baruun Urt. No I don't have a GPS. I love
the map and compass and trust it more. SPOT still refuses to function.
I woke up to the sound of munching, snorting and footsteps. At 04:00 I was aroused
from my sleep to find a hoard of wild Gazelle grazing around the tent. The zip on the
tent being opened signalled that a bald headed man was about to grab the camera and
it was time to flee. Taking some words from Brave heart I should of run out, arms held
aloft, and screamed "Wait Gazelle, do not flee. Wait until we have negotiated!".
They were history before I could grab the camera out from the bag and all that
remained was dust.
The sun was just rising. I had my breakfast and was on my way by 05:00. I felt
refreshed and the air was cooler so walking was perfect.
Did I speak to soon. Perfect? For the first few minutes and then someone threw a hill or
two in my way. 1000m peaks lay before me and I knew I was in for one great day -
NOT!
Up and down, up and down. I'm telling you hauling 230kg of weight up a hill is no fairy
tale world. I worked hard and sweated like a mad man but still one after another the
hills just kept on coming. Then just as I was about to break Molly into pieces and send
her to India, I stood on the final crest looking down into a valley of green. 20 to 30 km
of flat grassland without a bump in sight. I was elated and released myself from Molly's
harness and jumped for joy and had my version of small party minus drink, people,
food, music and flashing lights. My party was a handful of peanuts, a swig of water and
a little jigger around the dirt yelling like a mad man.
The wind began to stir and before I knew it sand was being blown around like a mad
man. Straight in the face. I grabbed the goggles, tagelmust and put the head into the
wind and fought like a mad man for the rest of the day.
Sand or dust storms engulfed the terrain often and wind dropped to 200 to 500m or so.
I was growling work but there's no stopping it. If you can't change it then deal with it.
It's a hostile land full of dead carcases - goats, horses, camels, sheep, lambs and birds.
It's just a reminder how cruel this land is. Nothing is exempt.
I made camp in the howling wind - howling an understatement - and the NEMO tent
ripped and became airborne as was gone in the dust and sand storm. I must admit, I
laughed. Not at the circumstance but the vision of the tent heading west ahead of me.
Luckily I had a back up designed for this. Thank you Darran Scott! I now sit in the
orange nut, drinking tea while the wind kicks up a fuss like a mad man. Early night me
thinks and thoughts of tomorrow push already plague the mind. A slight deviation of
bearing and slow turn westward. Yippee!
25th of May 2010
DAY 2
The first two days are behind me now but many more are in the post.
Communication. Everything seems to be working fine except the SPOT tracker. For
some reason the unit can't seem to find a satellite to transmit my location. For me, it's a
bit of a bummer. Eager eyes bearing down on my website and not a track in sight. I
wasn't sure if the first one was good until home base confirmed that it was received.
After that, things went pair shaped.
Still, I am sure it will wake up sooner rather than later as my progress has been good.
First day was a short day but I still managed to clock close to 48km. I admit, I was
exhausted at the end of the day and didn't have the patience or energy to write a blog.
It was lights out immediately the head hit the sack.
The heat is something to moan about and it really zaps the energy right out of you. It's
funny that I actually hate the heat but I like deserts. Catch 22 situation. Today was just
the same but complimented by a warm wind. That's good because once you stop, the
flies swarm and I hate flies. Catch 22 situation.
I managed to knock of close to 50km again today but it was no picnic. I worked hard
throughout the morning and slowed down in the heat of the afternoon. Walk half an
hour and stop for 5 minutes. That's my routine.
So as it stands, and if this keeps up, I will be turning and heading west in three days
and rounding Baruun Urt. I am 105km out of Choibalsan and another 100km on this
course. Not bad really for a start.
Molly is doing well and so are her wheels. I was slightly nervous but the terrain is full of
ditches, washes, gullies and rocks and despite the banging around and wrestling with
the weight, Molly is doing me proud - not literally of course!
Everything is functioning as it should. I am happy for that and my morale is of the chart.
It's great to be back in this landscape. To witness this amazing land is something that
can't be put into words so I won't bother trying.
I am slowly getting into some sort of routine especially with the loading of Molly.
Balance is crucial. Too much weight at the back and she pulls up. Too much at the front
and she pulls down all her weight on my hips. Balance calls for a smooth ride and
probably the reason why I knocking out the KM's. She's no problem to pull at the
moment!
So, that's it for now. It's sack time as my body is screaming for rest. If I fell up to it I
may do a 24 hour push and grab cat naps so I can begin to head west. I'll keep toying
the SPOT tracker and hopefully it will kick into life. In the meantime I will just relay my
location and distance to home base.
Later...
May 23rd 2010
DAY 1
"Spartan! Come back with your trailer - or on it."
Well, I've touched down in Ulaanbaatar. I'm finally back in Mongolia and primed in all
respects to embark on the longest solo and unassisted walk ever completed across the
vast land mass of Mongolia.
The country has been through a mild transition over the last month from a cold and
dusty wind swept land to a warm and still dusty wind swept land but with a slight shade
of assorted green colours. Winter has moved on - one of the coldest in many years -
and spring has moved in, unpacked its bags and put th kettle on. A delicate warmth has
blanketed the land and the rains have begun to fall. It's far from a monsoon downpour
but it's enough to replenish the land and rejuvenate the soil.
After spending two days in the nations metropolis, I am flying east bound again,
courtesy of Eznis Airways: www.eznisairways.com, to Choibalsan, which balances on
the fringes of the Mongolian Steppe. I hope be starting sooner than I previously stated
and from where I came to a grinding halt on April 16th.
My first SPOT message will be the official signal that the Mongolia 2010 Expedition has
started so keep the eyes peeled on the route map: http://www.mongolia2010.
com/route.html around the 24th.
Attempting this walk alone is a substantial challenge, especially hauling, pulling or
yanking 247kg of supplies on a wheeled trailer while confronting a smorgasbord of
brutal desert climates, and I've no doubt that over the next 80 days or so, I’ll grapple
with some significant mental and physical challenges that are worthy of my finest effort.
I would like to say a big thank you to all the people that helped me to get this show
back on the road or on the dirt as the case may be, a never endling list of individuals
and organisations that immediately contributed towards getting me back here for the
second attempt. I salute you all!
Last but not least I would like to thank my wife Laura for lifting my spirits back up from
the depths of despair and for giving me a royal kick up the backside when I deserved it
and when she felt like it.
"Ripley, the sand storms will blot out the sun."
"Then I'll walk in the shade."
I'll be blogging via satellite phone, and you can follow my progress on the expedition
website: http://www.mongolia2010.com.
Alternatively, you can follow on the following applications:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ripleydavenport
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=329337105021&ref=ts
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ripleydavenport
Kind regards,
Ripley Davenport
N.B. this is the first of what I'm sure will be a irregular sequence of updates at best. I
will make an effort to make them as punctual as possible. If you'd like more
information then feel free to contact the home base on: support@mongolia2010.com.
Mongolia 2010 Expedition
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
For more information, please visit: http://www.mongolia2010.com
Media enquiries, please contact: support@mongolia2010.com
MAY 18th, 2010
DOUBLE YIPPEE!
My four weeks of hibernation has come to an end. I am returning, yippee, to Mongolia,
double yippee, to complete what I originally set out to do. Walking solo across the
Steppe, Gobi and Altai in fact. I know some people will instantly yelp in shock at the
idea of someone, that’s me, going to Mongolia to, in essence, walk. This usually comes
from those who either have never done something like this or been there themselves or
who don’t know the place well.
Let me just say the country suited me perfectly. It fits like a glove. I was on the
perimeter of the Steppe, just below the dusty town of Choibalsan. The position I will
start. The weather was ever changing and fascinating. The people are truly cordial and
tolerant. Mongolians are the prime example of how we, in the western world, should be.
I’ll walk all day, from the very early mornings, from about 6am till early evening
around 6pm. In my sleeping bag by nine if I can and then the same the next day and
the next and the next until the walk is done. A peculiar life, but it seems to be the only
way to coax a book out of me.
In that walking period I will tweet, daily, rough messages and perhaps the odd blog in
my style, that may interest my fans. I can resume a tweeting walking life, but I hope
too that I will be forgiven if I do not instantly retort to every request, tweet, retweet or
like and comment. I have no time to gaze at facebook or twitter and remark on the
many messages that flood the circuits. I am sure homebase will relay any news.
I shall be hitting the ground running. I also have various chores to attend to for the
causes I support and shall be busy filming, writing, snapping images and generally -
walking for the coming weeks and months. So, once again, I hope those who are
looking to buttonhole me and beg for some of my time will be aware of the fact that
while I may be back in Mongolia very, very few of emails will be written by me. So far
as this expedition website is concerned, mongolia2010.com will be run by Laura at
homebase.
Well, I must go and pack. The plane leaves on Thursday and I should hate to miss it. I
will be in position and ready to step out, at first light, on the Steppe on the 26th.
MAY 17th, 2010
ESSENTIAL KIT
Keeping track of the time is crucial to Ripley’s success. Ripley must make satellite
phone calls to home base and support teams at specific pre-arranged times to let
everyone know that he is safe and sound.
Being an enthusiastic fan of the map and compass, Ripley will also use his watch to aid
his navigation and for keeping a regular pace - imperative if Ripley expects on reaching
Olgii in western Mongolia within the allotted time limit!
There is only one watch in the World that will keep operational consistently in extreme
climates. A timepiece that has been tested in a variety of conditions including Antarctica
and the South Pole. A watch evaluated and tested from well below -40C up to 55C and
Ripley is fortunate enough to own two.
Pilotur/North of Denmark watches are genuinely resilient and Ripley is proud to take
both the Endurance series and a Sub Zero GMT to Mongolia.
Win a Sub Zero GMT Expedition watch! Click here for more details.
MAY 3rd, 2010
DRESSING UP
In the end it all comes down to preparation. I have decided to delicately touch on this
issue after my first attempt came to a grinding halt.
Preparation.
Well, it’s a subject worth thinking about at any time and because fewer things appeal to
me quite so much. There are so many questions and issues still banging and rolling and
colliding in my mind that I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head, let alone list
them. It’s excitement I feel.
The Mongolia 2010 Expedition is now being salted, spiced, pickled, seasoned, braised
and served up to you bearing all the delights of more endless hours of preparation,
planning, blood, sweat and tears mixed with buckets of frustration and excitement. The
Mongolia 2010 Expedition entertains every minute.
I can dress it up or I could dress it down into something raw. Bitter. Bare. Simple. For
me it’s hard to dress it down into something ragged and feeble. This expedition and the
Mongolia out there, I consider belong to me and it is a piece of who I am, perhaps even
the defining piece. In my case it is in part a classical masterpiece and inherited stones
of past thoughts and ideas. Mongolia is also pleasure. A physical and mental pleasure.
The very words Mongolia 2010 Expedition are silken words and pure words and
drenched words and saturated words and crackling words that quiver and wobble like
jelly. The M2010X, to me, sounds like a rapid firecracker that oozes like a lake of lava.
Mongolia and the expedition are my birthright. All the power of it was in me from the
moment the idea began.
So if you’ve got an idea, a dream or plan, do it. Don’t be afraid of it, don’t believe it
belongs to anyone else, don’t let anyone intimidate you into believing that there are a
set of laws and secrets of expeditions that you are not entitled to. Don’t be humiliated
by dinosaurs, armchair explorers, or people with silly bow ties and round glasses into
thinking yourself inferior because you can’t spell broccoli or moccasins or utter a slight
incorrect sentence. It’s Impossible. It can’t be done.
Just let the dreams fly from your mind. Give them rhythm and depth and height and
silliness. Give them filth and form and noble splendor. Dreams are free, light and
frothy, firm and sculpted as they may be, bear the history of their passage from lip to
lip over weeks, months and years. How our dreams feel to us now tells us whole stories
about who we really are. When you are asked if you have a dream. Less of the silly
responses. Reply - Of course I have. Then put the wheels in motion (literally) and do it!
This morning, I was possibly the first person in Denmark to see the sun rising. There’s
a proud boast. I was just finishing my daily dose of hauling a rather over-sized tractor
tire across the sand, broken shell and rounded pebbles on the beach at Wedellsborg
Hoved on Fyn. Gawking out across the water at a beautiful, picturesque sunrise,
dripping with sweat and panting like a cheetah in the African heat, the sun stretched its
head and there was a memorable silence. Something inside – clicked. I like to think
Wedellsborg styles itself the easternmost point in Denmark. I know it’s not but I can
dream. There didn’t seem to be anyone else alive in the world so I allowed myself to
believe that I was indeed back on the Steppe. I’ve missed training a great deal.
I really take pleasure in training for this expedition. Fearsome hard work, punishing the
body, brewing pain but still, it’s deeply satisfying. I collapsed on my tractor tire, veins
bulging, heart racing and feet stinging thinking of Mongolia and how I will feel after each
day as I stare at the sunrise or sunset across it’s barren landscape.
I know that there is more to discover in a land over there, far from the eyes of the west
and rush hour traffic of the cities. Mongolia will change me, move me and test me and
keep me on my toes! I know I’ll feel insignificant and a minuscule spot on the surface of
the Earth but I can’t wait to return. I’m wiser through my mishap and stronger than
ever to continue this walk – whatever is thrown my way.
APRIL 29th, 2010
THE COUNTDOWN HAS STARTED...
I sometimes think that when I die there should be two graves dug: the first would be
the usual kind of size, say 2 feet by 7, a pair of old walking boots and a glass of my
favourite whisky but the other would be much, much larger. The gravestone should
read: OVERWHELMED AND BLOATED WITH APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE.
By now, I suspect most of you will have heard about the awful circumstances that
enveloped my shivering body the day I discovered that the inner guts of Molly’s wheels
had died. I stopped and picked over the carcass of that epically ill designed wheel (not
designed by me, I would like to add, but another individual called Chris). After the
incident in question and more or less 24 hours after my superb and shockingly
unexpected Steppe tantrum, which included screaming my head off, punching the air,
spinning around like a lunatic and kicking the Mongolian dirt, I have calmed. And rightly
so. What a waste of energy!!!
If I were to really express gratitude for the few people that have taken it on as their
duty to find a means and way of getting me back out Mongolia, some of you might think
I had gone soft in the head. You hear about sympathetic, generous and warmhearted
individuals that take it on as their duty to help you by any means possible. This
minuscule set back opened another door for me and I have been extremely fortunate
to have crossed paths with several of these charming people that understand and
believe I should just get back out there and do this – gracefully. They each ask to
remain a silent partner, a distant voice, and vertebrae in my upright backbone and
nameless with a simple request to get back out there and do this.
It’s difficult for me to remain hushed as people like that need to be acknowledged but I
value their requests but will never forget their efforts. They know who they are and I
thank you all.
Very soon I will revisit the disaster site, where I came to a grinding halt, and plan to
continue this epic walk. I dare say I will tell the world just how this was made possible.
Made possible by a few individuals that are a credit to mankind and a reminder how we
all should be.
Such set backs always end with thought-provoking questions, in this case concerning
the future of the expedition itself if it is to be left in the hands of the firebrands,
hysterics and naysayers possibly sinister forces that make the rounds as arm chair
explorers in front of the internet. I feel sorry for these naysayers because I know they
are a monumental ass. For them, to find the road back to normality must be
unachievable. I know all too well what it is like to be loathed and some of you have
been kind enough to share your experiences with naysayers. I share the same boat
and we row together in the same direction.
Without, I hope, too much self-pity, I do seem to have made myself a target. People
who don’t understand what adventure really is (the overwhelming majority) will use my
name as a kind of shorthand for the service.
This whole thing has just grown up around me and now I cannot help wondering if,
despite my preference for pain, turmoil, isolation and possibly failure, I have found
myself in a new adventurers assembly, willy-nilly hailed as some sort of a hero by
friendly people on one side and being yelled at by unfriendly people on the other. I am
not cut out for the hurly-burly of choral politics. I am not qualified to represent anyone
nor, I cannot repeat often enough, do I wish to. So I should shut up. That seems to be
the only sensible thing to do. I should shut up.
It all seems rather unfair, I wail piteously. I joined in the spirit of adventure and
curiosity and fun way back in 1998 and emerged as a real force. I am, despite my lack
of hair and crooked teeth and lust for keeping on socks until they stick to the wall,
classed as an adventurer and I like to plan ahead and have a lots of thought for any
consequences. Adventure is the unknown and it’s exhilarating to pop my toe in its water
to see what the temperature is like. It was not part of a clever commercial plan to
“build my brand” (whatever the arse that means) nor ready myself for government, nor
to broadcast a point of view nor to raise my profile in the media. I plan on traveling
across Mongolia, on foot, and other spots around the globe in the future and I thought it
would be an interesting way of sending little messages to anyone who might be
interested. Nice idea eh?
Well, I contend that I do not wield influence. I insist that my fans are not sheep but
living, dreaming, thinking, and hoping human beings with minds, opinions and
aspirations of their own. Of the 1000 or so who follow me the overwhelming mass are
too self-respecting, independent-minded and free-thinking to have their opinions
formed or minds made up for them in any way.
Well, all kinds of futile scenarios are possible and that makes this whole expedition an
invitation to accept. How am I going to find out if it’s possible if I don’t at least try?
Meanwhile what of me? Hundreds of requests (OK, a slightly over exaggerated figure –
a hand full more like) pour in every day asking me to cancel, postpone or continue.
Some seem to think I have a duty to continue at all costs. Indeed they are right. I am
going to continue and soon. Very soon.
I hope you will find the opportunity proudly to spread the word about the Mongolia 2010
Expedition and the ceaselessly magnificent footage, images and blogs that I aim to
transmit to your computers and homes. A story we will continue to share with such
never-ending marvel and astonishment.
The countdown has started yet again and I am back, no matter the odds, to step out
and do what I have claimed I would do.
No pain, no gain. Stay tuned…
APRIL 25th, 2010
INCREASINGLY SMELLY
Well bless my cotton socks and ding-a-ling-a-doodle. This is the first time I’ve felt
remotely human since I threw a double six on the Steppe having discovered that Molly’s
bearings were shot and I stood before an overpowering landscape were I actually felt
at home. But today I am trying to see through that fog, maybe a momentary glitch in
the brain waves I fear, and impatiently search every nook and cranny for a solution,
which I know is there – somewhere and get back to that magnificent country that bears
the smudge of my size 43 boot print.
A slightly frustrating episode, that lasted a few days, was being stranded at Moscow
Airport along with hundreds and possibly thousands of perspiring, B.O covered,
travelers all in search of a way back to there home lands. The airport: namely terminal
D is a kind of toxin that stains the soul and being marooned and destined to share a
marble floor is no way to dwell.
A few days ago, it seemed apparent, there was a very strong possibility that I would
not live to see my family again and spend the rest of my days a lost soul, growing
increasingly smelly every day, living on rotten airport food and breathing a faint
cigarette stench.
It would have been great if the whole event were available to be watched online, you
don’t need me to illustrate it. An orgy of travelers, all ages, sharing limited floor space
and toilet seats.
I know there will be many who have already taken one look at my tribulation and
pronounced it to be nothing but a huge failure. Something of a disappointment. I have
heard these voices before. In 1998 when I traversed the Karakum, I, through no fault
of my own, found out my water containers had been punctured. I collected a long list of
“not impressed”, “meh”, “big deal”, “frigg’in idiot”, “stupid bastard”, “what a
disappointment”, and similar reactions. Neither they, nor I, nor anyone, predicted the
“water loss” effect my containers would so rapidly suffer, would happen.
Nonetheless, no one could predict or even contemplate that my bearings would fail just
2 days in to the Steppe. They could not see or imagine that this component was capable
of eroding.
How much easier it is to cast aside, to doubt, and to fold the arms and say, “Not
impressed”. I’m not advocating dumb gullibility, but it always amused me that those
who instinctively slag off expedition failed attempts for being apparently dim-witted and
stupid and so on are the ones who are actually so dim-witted and stupid to stylistic
nuance that they can’t bear to celebrate or recognize a gallant effort or noble attempt,
an obvious struggle and desire to reach a goal. The fact is that “we” who dare to take
the plunge and try our darned hardest are actually the coolest people on earth: we
salivate, dribble, coo, sigh, grin and bubble with satisfaction.
I’ll mention no names but many greats have fallen by the wayside this last 12 months.
Some of these people I have come to respect more through their failed attempt and
sound reasoning and way to deal with negative pointy fingers. We the forgotten who run
and hide for a while and wait for the storm to pass wait silently to give it another go.
People are quick to judge and throw in their views from the comfort of their armchair. It
all looks so different from when you’re sitting at home watching it unfold”.
I respect the opinion of those that know what you’ve been through. Those that have
also faced the challenging decision to throw in the towel and walk away because there
was no other alternative. People that understand. A person that shares and holds the
same torchlight but their reaction is a positive one. We a band of brothers (and sisters).
This is a different order of experience. The speed, the responsiveness, the smooth glide
of an escalating problem, the richness and detail of the world around you, the rightness
of the actions and gestures that you employ to solve the problem, untutored and
instinctively, it’s not just a scaled up or a scaled-down version – it is a whole new kind
of experience.
You will see these characters return for another crack at the same task. My exact
thought and intention and one I will follow through on – without question, without doubt.
– and hopefully - bloody sooner rather than later!
APRIL 16th, 2010
This is a difficult blog to write.
The last 24 hours have been the most unmerciful 24 hours of my life and sat here alone
in the darkness, on the fringes of the Steppe, I have reached a surreal moment full of
mixed emotions. I will explain...
Molly Brown has weathered well considering the terrain and weight she's bearing on her
back but with most things there's always a weak point that exposes itself in dire
moments. Molly displayed her weakness.
As I left Choibalsan and stepped out onto the edge of the Mongolian Steppe I was taken
back by the sheer view of what lay ahead of me.
A land littered with immense pot holes, washes, muddy ground, soft sand and deep
trenches. I had expected to be tested to the full but this was a mine field of obstacles
and covering just 1 km in a little over 4 hours is heart breaking and emotionally
destroying. Those that have been in such conditions will know what I am taking about.
That I can handle.
However, Molly started to make a erie noise. Clearly, I as subjecting her to a serious
beating. 247kg is no easy feat to pull at the best of times but over dreadful ground is
near impossible - not impossible but near enough. I estimate that I unloaded and
reloaded her weight 15 to 20 times and dug her out of black mud more times than I can
remember.
Could I go around I hear you say? I could but in all directions for about 30km lay the
same ground. I picked the best starting point in my estimation. The wheels were
subjected to a lot of impact and relentless blowing sand and grit made its way in to
everything. The problem was sourced in the wheel hub, which I am sad to say was not
a sealed component. The riding rim for the ball bearings and ball bearings were eroded
and several of these, what can only be described as her Achillies heal, were mere metal
fragments and fine silver dust in two of the wheels. I did prepare for this likelihood and
carried a few spares and exchanged the bearings in awkward conditions but the rugged
terrain and weight got the better of her. There are only so many bearings to take as
spares and I expended them all. I sat, having bearly covered 12km in 12 hours of
walking, in the icy dry wind and lost it. I broke down. I'm not afriad to sat that I let out
some emotional tears and screamed some disagreeable language. So much time and
preparation went into this expedition that it became an obsession. I trained hard and
trained well and simply never encountered problems with her bearings until now. A
minor flaw in her design and one over-looked but one easily rectifiable.
After a prolonged conversation with my dear wife and full support in my decision, I
decided to pause the expedition - not stop - and call in assistance. Unable to move, I
set up camp put on a brew and calmly waited in a bitter wind and icy dark Steppe for
evacuation.
This is small delay. I am returning back to Denmark on Monday, tail between my legs
and tremendously upset and low at the consequence but as soon as I can, at immediate
notice if need be, I will return to my last position and resume my walk across Mongolia
from where I came to grinding halt.
I want to thank those of you for your support during some dark hours, which my wife
has sent to me. I am touched. I want to thank my sponsors but mostly I want to
acknowledge Burmaa Zunduisuren from Visit Mongolia, the wonderful and charming duo
Delgermaa and Spiro at Eznis Airways, H. E. The British Ambassador to Mongolia Bill
Dickson for his telephone call and to Matt Nelson - to name but a few - for support and
positive encouragement for making my dream possible and smoothing the way through
some heavy formalities. And in her own type of solo expedition - my wife at home,
alone with two crazy kids tha I miss dearly, holding the fort and running home base. I
love you and can't wait to see you - but it's not for long!! I intend to return to Mongolia
as soon as I can, hopefully within the month with a stronger Molly Brown and ready for
another crack of this difficult task. I will not quit until I complete my walk across
Mongolia. I'm not broken just shattered and eager to get back. Thank you all.
20th of July 2010
A Success...
Explorers, Adventurers, Climbers, Ocean Rowers, Cyclists, Runners, Open Water
Swimmers, sponsors, ladies, gentlemen, friends, trustees, donors, distinguished guests
and assorted media and armchair explorer scum. I rise to my tender feet, one inflamed
with only three toe nails, on this occasion with a due sense of the honour.
In the press, in much of television, in magazines, various outdoor forums all over the
country and world, success only usually features when the expedition is branded a
success having reached its objective or concluding pinnacle. The flag is planted, the
stance is made, the smile unleashed and collar and tie adjusted accordingly. The
failures are grudgingly tolerated, faintly patronised, clumsily misunderstood or
cheerfully ignored.
This expedition, the Mongolia 2010 Expedition, I consider, is one of the great honours of
my life. Time spent planning, preparing, training, sweating, grafting, typing, sweating,
looking at pictures, reading text, researching the works of other illustrious expeditions
with the deepest pleasure was worth every drop of time. It was an absolute success.
During my walk I did a lot of thinking. What else was there to do?
I often thought and questioned how far I could walk before I could catch up with myself.
I trekked across Mongolia without glimpsing my own back. Since I became a father, life
has taken on a new dimension. Perspective has shifted, showing how delicate we
human beings are when deprived of our environment.
The Mongolia 2010 Expedition taught me a lot. When I look back at the expeditions I
have undertaken, I see that I managed to make many of my dreams come true, goals
that originally seemed impossible, even labelled as impossible to achieve. But with
resolve, I always managed to push forward. Maybe not in the direction I originally
intended, but self-discipline and motivation remained stronger than failure.
I have had loyal, comforting support from many people who seemed to share my
ambitions to engage and experience my vision to walk across a country alone. Without
each of them, I would not of gotten very far.
Our lives are often governed by habit. My greatest concern is losing my ability for living
for the moment. I fear that my motivation will be watered down. I am only human. But
if I make one good decision every day and go without things when I can and do what I
said I would do, to follow through even in the face of possible failure, it would be a good
achievement.
I learned some valuable lessons in Mongolia and those I will share with you all. The
point is that things are different when we look at it from a different angle. Mongolia
reset my mind and offered another chance to reboot my thoughts and teach me thing
or two about many things.
In such a world our appetite has never been greater for the complex, the uncertain, the
challenging, the uncultivated, the razor-sharp, the unusual, the unpredicted, the
dangerous, the soiled, the difficult, the untameable, the intangible, the unsafe and the
unknowable.
When we are in the limelight, we can all be proud, we can all turn our eyes to the sky
and encounter problems and demons fearlessly, with humour and grace and zest and
not a trace of embarrassment.
I will do my utmost to continue to learn, inspire, educate and touch people delicately
inside and never give up pursuing my dreams and experiencing this beautiful world.
Mongolia was the adventure of a lifetime and there are few better places in the world in
which to embark on such an adventure than in Mongolia. I intend to return and help
others see the world as I did.
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
8th of July 2010
What is it like to be the wife of an adventurer? by Laura Davenport
Allow me to give you a brief picture of my world and who I was before I met Ripley?
I lived in Denmark’s metropolis: Copenhagen. Just a stones throw, with my arm, from
the city center. My life was surrounded by material items and meaningless gossip with,
so called girlfriends, in an uptown café every Sunday. It was our girls get together but
quite simply a brunch. I could go on weekend shopping tours to London or any other
city, whenever I wanted. I could spend my time in the museums or concerts at will.
Whatever, wherever, it was all forgotten the next day.
At that time, I thought I was happy and didn’t want to change my life in any way. It
seemed to fit. One day, it all changed.
I was on a course, one of many yawn filled lectures, with my work colleagues and at
the very hotel where we were staying, Ripley Davenport was giving a presentation
about his adventure in the Namib Desert. His picture, displayed in the reception, caught
my eye and having nothing to do for a few hours and without thought, I purchased a
ticket to see what it was all about.
The room was full with all walks of life and I was surprised at the turn out.
After an introduction, I saw this tall, bald and very confident man giving an amazing
speech. The room was silent and I sat, like everyone else, overwhelmed by his story.
That was the quickest hour of my life and I just had to speak to him after the event.
That evening, we talked, we laughed. Three 3 months later, I quit my job, moved out of
the city to the Danish countryside. Four months later we were expecting our first child.
A whirlwind romance you may say but one that still blossoms.
Ripley changed my perception of what is really important in this life.
Adventure? I didn’t know what it meant before I met him. To be honest, I had a
stereotype of adventurers being strange, bearded and old people. That was my first
lesson: Never judge a book by its cover and every story has two sides. Ripley taught
me these two minor but important rules. He lives by them, so do I?
What is like to be a wife while your husband is out on an expedition?
In a way, I’m on my own little expedition but only here, in Denmark. I’m a mother of
two small children, Ripley’s secretary and coach. I run his home base and remain ready
for any emergency call 24/7. I take my mobile phone everywhere. Every time hear
Ripley’s Satellite phone ring, my heart misses a beat and my mouth dries up.
Obviously, I’m worried about him. It’s my first time and experience being alone while
Ripley is away on his expedition, so I’m still learning.
My daily routine consists of strong cup of coffee with milk, getting the kids ready for
kindergarten and then getting back home to the office and updating Ripley’s news. Once
done and few coffees later, I find ways to promote the Mongolia 2010 Expedition further
on top of my normal job (I’m glad that’s only 4 hrs/day). Then I trudge out to get the
shopping for dinner, pick up the kids and try to figure out what and how to cook
dinnersJ. I can’t cook and given the chance – won’t cook. It’s always been Daddy’s job,
but it’s now a role reversal. Scott, our oldest 4½ years old, repeatedly says, “Mummy,
daddy cooks much better dinners, why?” What can I say except laugh and find excuses?
The hardest psychological challenge was definitely the first 2 weeks. When he called me
on the 3rd day of his expedition and told me about the torrential rains and
thunderstorms, his equipment being drowned and his body shivering from being cold
and wet, I felt hopeless. I contacted every adventurer and endurance athlete that
Ripley knew to ask for advice and support. Each helped a great deal.
That night, I had a dozen cups of coffee just to stay awake. I felt like it was a duty to
stay up with Ripley through his tough night. I believe, it was harder for me.
We were on different sides of the planet and different time zones so I adjusted my
clock to suit his and tried to keep in his routine.
We have experienced many difficult situations together and got through each a lot
wiser. I know that future challenges can be overcome. We have been through so much.
I have learnt not to worry so much. I’m more focused and calm now and learn to stay
rational in the extreme situations.
I thought I was ready to take over the family duties on my own and run home base
while Ripley is in Mongolia. I guess you could never be ready for anything until you’re in
the actual situation. Out of my comfort zone.
We don’t have any family support in Denmark. My mother has passed away and my
father has little contact. Ripley’s parents live in England and contact with them is very
scarce.
I could honestly say, that we’re on our own. It’s not easy, but we do what we have to
do and never moan or gripe about our situation. It makes me laugh, when people
complain about small petty things. I could write an endless list of examples.
We haven’t been out for as much as an evening dinner or drink in four years. So what!
We still have our time together, when kids are asleep and that’s what is important.
Being an adventurer’s wife teaches you to be happy with what you’ve got and stop
comparing what your neighbour has and maybe take a cooking class once in a while?
Laura Davenport
29th of June 2010
Day 36
Gobi-whisky-happy-dance
I’m sad. The Gobi Desert is slowly giving way to the foothills of the Altai Mountain
Range and the terrain is changing – for the worst.
The Gobi was so tranquil and surreal and I wish it could off continued longer but like
most things, at some point, it must come to an end. I intend to return here sooner
rather than later so watch this space…
Perhaps I took this desert for granted. The flat, hard ground that I have been, almost,
waltzing over, was a walkers dream landscape. Molly hardly jolted or shrugged and at
times, Molly felt as light as a feather. The desert crunching beneath the sole of my
boots was actually a lovely sound. Molly bangs and clunks in rhythm and my thoughts
can run wild in all this space. I like the sound of the crunching and grinding sound from
the Greentyre’s wheel treads as they roll over the loose gravel.
The horizon displays the peaks of higher hills and mountains. They are in the post. I
know the day will come when I will have to dig deep and suck up the changing terrain
but hopefully I can find a route through the Altai’s that will grant some leniency on my
old body. I hope.
Today was day for the books. It was tremendous. The weather was a gentle and calm
20’C with a little breeze. The flies were nowhere to be seen and the terrain, although
tough at times, gave me no real stress. I admit to some sweating and swearing but
nothing near like previous days in the shit. I covered a superb 40K today and I am
elated and in need of celebrating. So it’s a bonus Mars bar day and extra creamy hot
chocolate all round. The day was complimented when, on reaching for my dinner, I
heard a glass like ting sound!! On further inspection, 1 miniature bottle of whisky
presented itself, neatly tucked away between a bag of cous-cous and tomato and herb
pasta bag. I never put it there, honest.
The wife admitted to this wonderful surprise and morale booster and I was so happy, I
screamed and danced like a little jiggery thing, doing my kind of Gobi-whisky-happy-
dance. I tell you, I jiggered and held my bottle high!!!
Unless you have been in such a situation, you’ll never know what it is like to discover a
simple pleasure and the feeling it can give you. It touches you deep inside and the joy
explodes! So, I will crack the seal on this little gem as the sun sets and toast to my
great and wonderful life! I am content. A man re-born. A new being in this spectacular
world!
40K’s, whisky, bonus Mars bar, hot chocolate and the Gobi.
Wow…Yeah baby!!!
Enuff Zed. Cheers mate!
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
24th of June 2010
Day 31
Bob and odors
I am clean. As clean as a shiny thing on a silver-plate gleaming in the sun. At least for
a little while. For the last 30 or so days, I have been sweating and panting profusely
and no doubt, releasing potent body odors behind me. I am accustomed to my
fragrance so I don’t detect any sort of odor. It might be that you also smell like me, the
kind of early warning stench that Biological Scientists spend their lives searching for.
Perhaps you smell of roses and fragrant perfume. Maybe not. It may be that you are
quite happily to go a few days without a shower or bath or sheep dip and are sit reading
the traditional way – naked – as I am right now, sweating like mad man in thermals just
about tea time yesterday.
To the point. I found or located a small spring yesterday and decided to replenish the
water supply and take a well-needed stripped wash, in cold water, in the midday heat of
the Gobi. Standing in my birth costume, letting it all hang out freely, I relished the cool,
or should I say, frigg’in freezing clear liquid. It was so refreshing that perhaps I spent a
little to long bathing and caught the sun. Not to bad but still – enough for me. Water, to
me, is so sacred now. I see it differently and not just the stuff that trickles from the tap
at home.
It was a hot day. When is it ever cooler? As I write this, the temperature is casually
suspended around 37’C. Inside the tent it is far worse so I hunker down under Molly, on
my belly, writing this and being plagued by flies that have managed to find out where I
am hanging out today.
There is a chance that this flat terrain will soon be behind me and the Altai Mountains
will dominate the landscape giving me hell and one to many difficult days. It’s in the
post, I know it. I may get cooler weather as I climb…
I met a lone young camel today. Probably an orphan, who knows? He munched a
chewed whatever it was in his gob for a few hours keeping me company until I decided
to get my head down. I named him Bob. No reason really just the name Bob seemed to
fit. This morning, he was gone when I woke up. Nowhere to be seen, vanished like a
fart in the wind or a camel in the Gobi. Sad. He was kind of cute but at least I got
several snaps of him.
Another day tomorrow and another day at the office. I can’t believe that 1 month has
passed.
I am pretty excited to have discovered my next expedition while I have been deep in
thought every day, walking. There’s nothing else to do over the 10 to 15 hours that I
walk except conjure up a list of expeditions, some feasible – some dame right
ridiculous, and plan each to detail in my head.
Any adventurer would have to be very peculiar, and a liar, if he or she claimed that
there was an absolutely no thought on future expeditions while they were either
walking, skiing, snow-shoeing, climbing, sailing, rowing, cycling, rafting, running etc. It
is of course perfectly okay not to be nuts about any adventure and to choose another
path while you are on a path.
Is it premature to announce my next while I am in the throws of my current expedition?
It matters not. Rest assured, you will know in due course.
Enuff Zed. Bob where are you?
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
22nd of June 2010
Day 29
Naked and thinking of something flame grilled
Yesterday, I managed to take a stripped wash and get rid of 28 days of sweat, dirt,
grime, crusty bits and no doubt a stench that could off been sold to science. Given the
heat and the fact that it has been a while since I washed, it was so wonderful and
refreshing that I also took the liberty in washing a pair of socks of skiddies. I’ll save
you the details here, I think, on how they looked and the odour they released. Anyway,
I treated myself to a clean pair of each and relished in the delights of being clean, if
only for a short while.
I had a shave and tended to some long toe and finger nails and cleaned the ears from a
ton of sand and, I think - mushrooms? Who would of thought it? There I stood
completely naked, in my birth costume, in the middle of the Gobi scrubbing up my body
and smalls miles from a Burger King. I mentioned that because I have been dreaming
of something flame grilled and that popped into my head. I’d like that to go please!
Today, I staggered and sweated like a madman in a sauna who forgot to remove his
thermal tights. Temperatures climbed into the 30’s and at midday the thermometer
peaked at 33’C with a little breeze. No real release from the heat but that’s all part of
the game. The body has, I feel, adjusted to the heat as best it can and I find myself in
a trance as I walk now. That’s what I was looking for. The mind must be set in forward
“suck it up and walk mode”, now and, it seems, I’m in the zone.
Inside the tent the temperature peaked at 39’C. There is no way of bearing that heat so
I laid under Molly, on my NEMO sleeping mat, trying to ride out the rest of the day and
drifting in and out of a shallow doze.
It must look funny from the outside seeing a pair of feet sticking out from underneath a
small trailer in the middle of the Gobi. Thank god there’s not a soul in sight.
I am heading towards a lake called Mandal-Ovoo. Although I don’t plan on heading
straight for it or plan on drinking its liquid, as it is a salt lake right smack bang in the
middle of this landscape, I intend to cross my first river, which feeds it. I have no idea
how the river crossing will turn out or how fast or wide it is but I’ll take that when it
comes. However, I will take a dip in the river, fully clothed, and enjoy the delights of
being clean again. I should of packed my fly fishing rod and a few nymphs or dry flies.
Enuff Zed from the Gobi.
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
20th of June 2010
Day 27
Bigous Dickous...he had a wife you know...
I’m not complaining. The last few days have been a joy. Apart from the heat, hauling
Molly Brown, which I estimate is around 180kg – give or take a few, is actually not that
bad. I often think about the tough days I had a while back and smile to myself.
The Gobi is truly spectacular. Just lately, she’s been displaying her true colours and
being quite gentle with her lone walking guest.
In the evenings, I sit and watch the sunset and watch the desert change colours.
Sometimes a gentle breeze caresses the whiskers on my rather disgusting beard and
the air smells really potent with life. Of course, sometimes it’s blowing a double six and
rattles the tent walls like a thousand zombies on acid.
Walking in this heat is normally tolerable with a wind but today it was as still as a still
thing in a graveyard. This means the heat was magnified a great deal even if the
thermometer read 28’C. I think it was more. It felt like it anyway.
I was especially delighted to hear that a fellow adventurer and business / coffee
entrepreneur contacted home base recently to relay his admiration. I know he’s
watching from afar and mentioned that enjoys watching me suffer and wriggle in pain.
That made me laugh, which is something I don’t seem to do a lot of off. I can’t
remember the last time I laughed. I mean really laugh and not the “huh” type laugh
that says – that wasn’t funny but I’ll be polite and pretend you were funny.
I’ll have the last laugh when the roles are reversed and I can sit, from the comfort of
my home, and watch him wriggle and squirm in pain. I imagine, I hope, it will be soon!
I'm also glad to hear he's picked up his plans again.
I am so happy that I have made it so far. When I think about what I covered so far,
and what I have been through, I sit in a daze finding it hard to comprehend. The
distance ahead of me is huge. I try hard not to think about what lays ahead but when
you’re walking in all this, thoughts run wild.
I think about funny things, strange things, Monty Python type things. Bigous Dickous –
that makes me laugh. Today I thought about sausages. No reason really. I am far from
hungry and even if I were, sausages would be the last thing I would go for but for some
reason the very word – sausages – struck my funny bone and found it amusing. I think
about cold drinks often. Cold beer, cola, bitter lemon and plain old water. Nothing more.
I believe home base has resolved the tracker problem and hear that it’s working
smoothly. That makes me happy, as I have absolutely no way of checking. I also
receive the odd message; email and facebook note from, it seems, regular fans. Thank
you.
Enuff Zed from the land of milk and so much honey.
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
16th of June 2010
Day 23
Boogie on the Gobi Dance floor
My blogs are normally pieced together in the dead of night. When I mean dead of night,
I mean at stupid-o-clock. When I mean stupid-o-clock I mean about 01:30 to 02:30. For
some reason my body clock wakes me about that time and I normally lay, yawning my
head off, releasing awful gas, until I can summon the energy to lean over and pour a
coffee and vent the sleeping bag and tent.
I normally can’t sleep after that. I wonder why..?
When I say coffee, I mean the quick instant type loaded with sugar and cream powder.
It’s good enough for me. I would imagine it would make some coffee connoisseurs
cringe and violently shake. Todd Carmichael, the only coffee expert I know, would
report me to the coffee police in an instant. Instant!
What I wouldn't give for a decent cup of coffee and chocolate muffin.
The last couple of days I have been engrossed in walking, which has been extremely
tough. So what’s new? It’s tough every day and every day brings new challenges and
new pains.
I am sat, in nothing but skiddies, surrounded by magnificent canyons. Not the Grand
Canyon type but canyons enough for me. They are remarkable in size and colour and
offers a Moon, perhaps, Mars like terrain. The ground is hard, which is nice when you
get at least a few feet of it to enjoy, but littered with stones, rocks, boulders and tufts of
knee length grass in places. The canyon walls are steep, brutal and very crumbly.
Hauling Molly through this maze is impossible and my day is spent unloading and
reloading the trailer. It’s a good job I carry rope or I would be stuck. I have to haul
Molly up the steep sides and lower her down as the rock walls are just to high for me to
throw her up and over.
So, I am also climbing my way through this landscape, as well as walking, and in this
heat, it is unbearable.
I thought the terrain would level out but no such luck I am afraid. It seems to get
worse. The other theory would be that I have just picked a bum route and seem to be
paying for it – big time. Incidentally, I ripped the crotch right out of my trousers (that’s
pants for you US citizens), and have sewn it all together with 0,14mm fishing line. I tell
you, fishing line is the business when it comes to sewing because it is strong, flexible
and clear. If it can take a 3,5kg fish, it’s good enough to be used as a thread.
My ankle is sore as hell and slightly swollen. I keep it raised in the evenings and do
what I can to alleviate the pain. I strap the ankle up with a good tight bandage, tighten
the boots and take a couple of tablets. Normally, I am GTG for the day until I stop and
take of the boots then the pulsating begins.
My shoulder is giving me gip. A few years back I broke my right clavicle, planting a few
hundred trees for an environmental project, and it never fused back together properly.
I can use it sure enough but every now and then it reminds me that its there. Sticking
out like a small golf ball on my shoulder, it seems to get in the way of hauling Molly,
especially when the going gets tough. Blisters are evident but I can deal with them.
Painful as they are!
I am doing an average of 28km or so a day. I am happy with that given the terrain and
heat but hope to do better and increase that distance if I aim to get to the other side of
Mongolia, which seems like forever away, within the next 2 months. If my calculations
are correct that gives me around 31km a day, every day for 60 days to crack. No less.
Home base informs me that I am about a quarter of the way across and hearing that
really sucks. It feels like I have been doing this forever and the end is far from near.
The heat still plays havoc with the battery and laptop and now the sat phone has
decided to turn off whenever it likes.
Home base sent me a question: What music do I listen too when I’m walking?
Well, I only have 22 songs loaded on my cheap MP3 player so I near enough know
them of by heart now and to tell you the truth, I am sick of each track but the one track
I enjoy, which is on repeat, that still lifts me up is and sets my mood on fire is: Fade
by Kimblee. A good dance track that can set me to jigger and boogie in the desert.
Good no one can see…
I also dig this track: Honey by Erykah Badu.
Enuff said from the Gobi dance floor…
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
13th of June 2010
Day 20
Sausages and wind
My rest day was uneventful. In fact it was dam right boring.
I rested far too much and spent too much time thinking about things that deflated my
mood. The stench rising from the depths of my sleeping bag and the mild aroma from
my hanging socks created a suffocating atmosphere.
I slept a little, which was followed by a series of weird and wonderful dreams of cold
drinks, cold showers and sausages with HP brown sauce were the highlights of my rest
day.
I did some personal admin consisting of sewing the crotch in my pants, a hole in my
socks and rip in the right arm of my shirt. I wet wiped my feet, powdered them -
spilling the talc all over my sleeping bag – and cut my finger and toe nails.
Riveting stuff!
When I was free of the above chores I read. Unable to get into the book, I spent a vast
proportion of the time reading the same line several times sunk in a deep daydream.
I woke at 01.30, made a hot chocolate and waiting for first light. I was eager to start.
My day started calm but as soon as I began to break camp the wind kicked up and sand
started to fly. I knew what I was in for as home base warned me of a pending puff of
strong wind.
Indeed it was. A puff that still lasts as I write this. Tent walls vibrating, jiggering,
shaking and whining like a thousand hands slapping the tent. It’s really quite
claustrophobic. The noise is deafening.
The day was tough. Visibility was nil and if I was lucky, I would get a brief glimpse
about 10m or so in front of me. Tagelmust, googles, socks on hands shielded me from
the sand blasting. It was spooky. Not knowing where your going takes some getting
used too. Following a compass bearing, which was just visible, was my only view. I was
flooded with a mixture of thoughts.
I decided to make camp early rather than loose another layer of skin. It was difficult to
push my way through the flying sand and wind and was glad to be protected by a thin
layer of fabric of the tent walls. Sand everywhere.
The 16km was no picnic and I was, I suppose, glad for the effort. It was better than
nothing. Undressing, I laid naked, skin half burning and stinging from the flying sand
and wind.
For some reason, Molly was a bugger to pull today. Maybe it was the wind, sand or just
the fact that I am tired and totally exhausted. Who can say?
Home base informed me about the result of England Vs USA in the world cup - 1:1 and
the unfortunate or planned action that lead to England’s goalie letting the USA score.
Good ole Green!
Apparently it’s just as windy in Denmark right now complimented by rain and chilly
weather. The Danish summertime makes me laugh. It gets worse and worse every
year.
Enuff said from the sandy side.
Sandy bottoms!!!
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
10th of June 2010
Day 18
A Zebra and cheetah
Considering this is the Gobi Desert and it ain't arf hot Mum, the ground is full of life.
Almost, and I mean almost every step, startles a lizard type creature and it scurries off
in any direction faster than Road Runner with an Acme Jet strapped to his tail feathers.
They come in brown, green, yellow-blue, black and spotty golds’. Averaging about
10cm in size they can pack some speed. Reminds me of the opening scene on Jurassic
Park (I think number III), with the child on the beach.
The ground is also swarming with the standard black beetle that I see, normally in my
daughters hand and sometimes mouth, at home in Denmark. Numerous other creatures
litter the floor all going about their daily insect business. For a desert - it's packed with
life.
I also experienced this in Namib. Regardless of opinion, deserts are normally full of life.
It's just a matter of stopping and looking with different eyes.
There are several species of grasses and some rather funky looking white, blue and
yellow looking flowers. I am no flower man but these are really something special. They
blossom in this heat and radiate fantastic colours.
Today was a toughie. I was plagued with ditches, washes, gullies and potholes
throughout the day. I lost count how many times I loaded and unloaded Molly. I have
better things to do - like sweat and swear - than to count loading/unloading times.
It is simply impossible to haul Molly's weight up and out of these craters and trenches
as the sides are just to steep. It's tedious work and I gain no real ground, distance
wise, by doing this but there's no way around. I also sweat like a crazed African Zebra
with a Cheetah on it's six.
The heat is really something and what little energy I do have is zapped right out of my
body. The sweat leaks into my eyes and the salt within each drop stings my eyes. The
tagelmust is soon soaked and fine desert dust sticks to each fibre turning it a dirty
creamy brown. My feet slip and slide in my desert boots and my ankle is still tender
when I apply weight to it.
The RailRiders clothing: www.railriders.com is just superb. It seems to wick away the
moisture and regardless of the dampness, it feels comfortable next to my skin. I wish
they would make underwear as my cheap skiddies stick to my wedding tackle and ride
up the crack of my sweaty bottom. To much information for you?
I think, there's no way telling accurately, that I have done about 17km. It was a tough
day and I can't bear to think about tomorrow. It's an effort to make and eat any food
as my hunger has vanished and I can't be bothered. I have just thrown down a handful
of salted peanuts, a few fruit biscuits and flake out. The water is Luke warm and I would
do anything, absolutely anything for a cold one.
I am keeping a check on my urine colour. If the urine is clear, then I am well hydrated.
The problem is when the urine is a dark brown in colour. This is a good indicator that I
am badly dehydrated and need water.
Dark and smelly then drink plenty - clear and bright then you're alright. At the moment
I am halfway in between with a dark yellow tint. Nothing a good cup of tea with three
sugars can't solve.
I am really adjusting to the Gobi now but still the hauling is tough work in the heat. The
clavicle fracture I obtained some years ago aches as the harness rubs right on the point
that didn't fuse properly. In the mornings it is sore and holding my right arm up causes
some discomfort. I'm still walking wounded in many ways.
I haven't calculated yet but I think I am approaching the 700km mark. I may be even
over that figure. Anyway there's still a fair amount of distance to cover yet an I can't
bear to think about the gap between me and there - the finish.
Molly is holding up well, tyres: www.greentyre.com and wheels are doing a cracking job.
The harness made by Ski Pulk: www.skipulk.com is as strong as an Ox.
The Rab Expedition bags: www.rab.uk.com are just amazing. They actually keep the
fine Gobi sand out of my gear and food. The toughest bags I've ever used!
The only problem is the heat on the electronic equipment. It causes the Netbook to
prematurely shut down and there's simply no way to cool it. SPOT is not functioning.
Even though I changed the batteries it doesn't work. Home base should have a solution
by the end of the week to keep you updated with my current position while maintaining
my tracking history.
Tomorrow is a rest day. I intend to indulge in a little extra sleep, have a shave, and do
nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Enuff said...
9th of June 2010
DAY 17
Frustrated thing.
Regretfully I have been unable to connect with any sort of orbiting satellite for a couple
of days. Don't ask me why. My guess is that the heat is playing with the inner guts of
every electronic item that I have and the moment I turn it on, it all goes pair shaped
and either:
A. goes banana shaped.
B. goes bonkers and then freezes or
C. All of the above with added frizzly bits.
My computer over heats within a second and refuses to cooperate and shuts down
leaving me, normally, as frustrated as a frustrated thing on a hot Sunday afternoon jut
about tea time. The thing is the microscopic fan doesn't seem to work. As my notebook
is about the same size as a slice of stale bread I can only guess that the fan is the size
of a crumb from this slice. How it can cool anything larger than a knits left love muscle,
is anyone guess.
So blogs may be brief and irregular at best unless I blow like a madman on the back of
the computer for a few extra seconds. I'm dizzy enough as it is!
Finding water has been a great deal of stress for me. The few wells I did locate were as
dry a dry thing on a Sunday afternoon just about tea time. One looked as if the entire
camel population of Mongolia had visited it in the last week and taken a dump by and in
the water. I had no intention of sampling the bacterial delights that lay in wait in the
silky film on the waters surface. The stench was another thing but that could of been
me. Who knows?
So this afternoon I managed to find myself a quiet piece of water, in fact it was a
natural spring parked right smack bang in my walking neighbourhood and it tasted
good. I topped up my water canisters with billions of scoops with my small SIGG
thermos flask style cup: www.sigg.com, with 80L of the clean cool nectar, washed my
socks and skiddies and took a cold but - O MY GOD - refreshing cool stripped wash in
the Gobi. My dogs were barking!
I felt fantastic if only for a short while. The heat soon sapped the good feeling away and
after a fw minutes, I was left feeling sweaty and rancid again.
Anyway, the water was cold. For the last few days I have been drinking luge warm,
verging on boiling, water and it is horrid. No escape from the heat. The cool water
trickled down my throat leaving me feeling like a penguin with glazed eyes on a cold
winters morning.
It's just as well that I found this spring. I had 4L left and I was beginning to think about
stopping and calling in an evacuation. At a stretch I could of rationed the water making
a good two days worth but that's a dangerous game. From now on, I gained a valuable
lesson here, I will not go below 10L unless in an emergency.
Locating a well or spring using just a map and compass is like finding a needle in a
giant stack of needles on a Sunday afternoon just abut tea time. Remember, I have no
GPS. I am relying on map and compass to navigate my way through this land. Did I say
land? I mean frigg'in huge land.
I am gaining ground now but that may of been because I was almost dry of water. Now
I have charged the water canisters, I have 80L, which is 80kg back on board and I feel
it. I am slower again and managed to knock out a little under 30km. Terrain is
improving, levelling out, but that sand isn't. It's hard work and my shoulders, ankle and
feet hurt like hell.
For 17 days I have pulled 240kg up and down hillsides and mountains, across soft sand,
through unbearable heat, against headwinds into sand storms and thunderstorms that
crackled the air. I am in top condition and trained hard for this but nothing can prepare
you for the actual event.
To mimic the conditions is hard at the best of times. Denmark has no such hillsides and
mountains, soft sand, unbearable heat, strong headwinds, sand storms and
thunderstorms that crackle the air. In all honesty my 40 year old body is finding it hard
to maintain this tempo and the colossal strain of all these things combined and I haven't
even touched on the mental pressure.
90 days is simply not enough and reaching 35+km every day is just to extreme. The
largest obstacle is gravity and that can't be beaten. One impossible task!
The physical challenges are so great that, I believe, even the boldest and agile
adventurer would struggle. The distance is another factor. I will continue to plough on,
keep the head down and put one foot forward at a time and see what happens.
Home base is offering a solution to rectify the tracking problem. Until then I will just
send my position.
Enough from the far side...
4th of June 2010
DAY 12
I am officially in the Gobi!
Tomorrow I head out at 2am. The weather will be cooler and and I will be added by a
NE wind. That's actually in my face but that's good, isn't it?
This walk would be very uncomfortable if I didn't have the right clothes. The toughest
clothes on the planet - RailRiders: www.railriders.com are the order of the day. They
indeed are robust, lightweight and ideal. I can't fault them. Heat, sweat, snot and gunk
all get embedded in the fibbers but who cares. The clothes are designed for this terrain
and I am proud to wear them.
My average daily distance is increasing again. I am popping put an average of 39KM a
day. I feel this will increase now as the ground is hard sand with no elevation. The Gobi
is a babe too! She might be flat breasted but I never was a breast man. Ask the wife.
The Gobi has far better good bits that no man can refuse. She's dishing it out daily for
me and I wanna more - Mamamia!
Morale is a good 7/10. Its good to be back in the desert. I am heading in a NW direction
up into the heart of the Gobi and crossing her for the next month to month and a half.
3rd of June 2010
DAY 11
Although it wasn't quite a full moon, I had enough light to walk. It was actually quite
pleasant. After a while the easy adjust and it's actually not that bad. Temperatures
were easy on the body and I managed to get buy with just 2L, which is quite a
difference from 5 to 7L!
I don't think I can continue to do this every night but a few nights here and there will
add some spice to the walk.
I must be making footprints on the fringes of the Gobi now. The landscape has changed
a great deal and the elevation is slowly falling away. Mountains have become hills and
hills and become dirt bumps and dirt bumps ave become small dollops of animal crap.
Dried animal crap everywhere crunching under foot. It's a good job it is baked and
hardened. What a difference a day makes...24 little hours.
The stars were in their full glory. Polaris was my wing man as I headed in a SW'erly
direction. It was nice to see so many stars, more than in Denmark, with regular
displays of shooting stars.
I am going to fall into a routine that will set my stride in good form. I will just walk
without prolonged rest and just take cat naps as and when required when the
temperature fits. I can't change the heat and weather so I will just have to mould my
footsteps around the Gobi's routine.
I did practise and old Air Tuareg tradition that I observed in Niger back in 1999. They
kneel before the desert before sand extended crossing and ask that it will allow them to
pass safely. I find that truly touching. I did it back in Namib before and after my walk
and in the Karakum. I also believe that Carla Perriotti, a true desert adventurer and
explorer also practises this ritual.
I too, got on my knees, kissed the ground and gave a small offering of water and asked
the Gobi to let me pass, safely. On completion, I will again do the same but thank the
desert for allowing me to pass and give an offering of water.
Enough of the spiritual stuff...
My toothache seems to have subsided. Good.
2nd of June 2010
DAY 10
The heat is on...
Don't ask me why I like deserts. I hate the heat. Really, I can't bar being hot but ever
since I first stepped out into the Namib. I have felt at home in the desert. Something
lures me to experience it's beauty and until you have spent a considerable amount of
time in these dry environments you'll never understand.
Rest day? Yeah right. In a way I did rest and in a way I didn't. I have to move. The
horizon means forward an sitting still is a hard way to live. It's boring.
I only took a well earned rest at midday and what better place (at first) than under
Molly laying on my NEMO TUO matres. She's a babe. The strongest babe I know. She
carries my life and never moans. She provide shelter and support and never answers
back. She may not be much to look at but she's a stout model!
The heat was unbearable. I used 7L of water and swatted like a rampaging bull in the
heat of the Spanish sun. Even so, I was dizzy throughout the day. Flies are everywhere.
Huge ones, small ones, green, blue, black, ugly looking ones and weird ones. I hate
them. They drive me nuts and Molly offered no comfort. There is no escape.
I took care of a few repairs today, only minor but better to keep on top of them. I took
care of some basics, as we say in the military - Admin. Yeash. I did my admin and
turned around my gear, aired some stinky clothes and organised the food. I took a
shave. The beard might be a good thing in polar regions but in the dry desert, it sucks.
So, I took it off and - holy crap - I felt better. Clean is the word I think?
I had a wet wipe wash. Under arms, face, neck and between the dangly bits. The feet
were aired. They needed it!
My toothache is still kicking but I must admit not that much. Last night I took a butchers
in the mouth with mirror, carefully positioned torch, a needle and thread.
In the very area where the pain had been giving me grief was a microscopic piece of
food. After a bit of surgery and thumbling around I managed to lift the item out.
Perhaps this rouge piece of food was causing all the stress and pain? We'll see...
I am covering a fair amount of ground and I can see that in the distance the terrian is
lowly leveling out. The land is changing. As I get ever closer to the boundaries of the
Gobi, there is less and less grass. It will slowly give way to the famous Gobi and level
out but will still offer a challenge.
I am aiming for Saynshand in the south west and ten will skirt my way up toward
Mandalgov crossing a tough part of the Gobi. I will have to decrease my food somewhat
and take on board more water in order to make the crossing. I am nervous but that's
nothing to fear as it only heightens the senses and allows one to evaluate every risk
more carefully. Anyway that's a couple of weeks away.
Due to the rain a while back, I am crossing about 200km of terrain without map or GPS.
I bear the thought. Home base will be informing me of my position and hopefully I can
pin point Saynshand in about 10 to 14 days. Fear not - I am not entering Sayndshand
just merely bouncing on it in order to cross the Trans Mongolian Railway and fill up on
water from a few wells to the north of the town before I cross the Gobi. Can I hear the
unassisted / assisted issue again? The wells are natural water sources just like ice and
snow the polar regions, Who cares anyway. My life is far more important right now than
these stupid rules and regulations governing adventure and exploration travel. It's
important for me to do this safely adding my third desert crossing to the list!
I had a double portion of noodles to boost the morale with a side of broken digestive
biscuits and sweet cup of tea. Where's that ice cold coke with slice of lemon and if that's
not much to ask, throw in a choc-ice and side of spag-bol!
I will never ever ever ever ever waste water again. Here it is a precious commodity
and I vow to use it wisely in future and drink more of it. I accurately log every ml of
water I use and think of it constantly. Food is not of any interest to me right now, not
that I wouldn't mind one of my daddy burgers or egg and chip sari's or a hearty roast
dinner. I find I'm not that hungry in this heat. I just need to drink water.
Tomorrow is another day and no doubt a difficult one. More mountains and tough
ground and I dread it enormously. I have a few songs on my MP3 player, which
remains my only source of release during the hard climbs with 230kg in tow.
I want to thank the following people for supporting Laura, the wife, at home base. I do
get all the messages you send.
Soren Braes from PILOTUR.DK: www.pilotur.dk for providing me with communication
support to allow me to stay in touch.
Mikael Strandberg for his kind words and messages of support. I hope the baby and
misses is doing well? I think about you guys a lot.
Cameron Smith for supporting Laura with valued information and encouragement.
Matt and Michelle Nelson from the Endurance Trust: www.endurancetrust.org for helping
Laura, and me, with much needed support.
To Steve Pickering for his (actually quite funny) jokes. I am trying to remember a few
Steve! I can't wait to hear more...
And thank you to anyone I haven't mentioned. My brief daily conversations are
compact with news from home. It's hard to remember all!
And to home base. My wife provides me with the backbone to be able to complete this.
Send any messages to her and she will relay them all.
My wonderful kids that I think about every minute of my daily walk. Scott and Stella, as
I promised, we will all go camping when I return - on one condition that Molly Brown is
left at home?
Family, close friends I love you all and can't wait to come back home.
1st of June 2010
DAY 9
Walking Wounded.
I will get straight to the point. I am wounded one way or another and today could of
been fatal if I had not read the signs.
The human body is not designed to haul 250kg and even if someone would like to argue
that then I would add - but not up sheer mountain sides in 30'C heat.
That what's I'm up against every day and it get no better for the next week or so.
Mountains as far as the eye can see. It's, without doubt, the hardest thing I have ever
done in my life. Gravity really works against you and leaning over at a 45 degree angle
most of the day trying to gain a good foot hold in the dust and fine stone sometimes is
futile.
I have no decided to increase my water intake because 4,5L was not enough. I am now
on 6L a day but even still I spend half an hour in every hour dizzy and almost blanking
out. The heat and tough physical pressure on my 40 year old body is relenting. I try
hard to haul my life up a mountain but sometimes it gets the better of me like today.
After spending 2 hours leaning over, almost kissing he dirt, hauling Molly up hill made
me dizzy. In fact I can't remember anything much about what happened until a passing
Shepperd kicked my feet (I hear someone screaming - it's not unassisted then. A
person kicked your feet). It scared me. I was so dizzy that I must of passed out. It's
never happened before but it sent alarm bells off in my head. I couldn't stand for about
an hour. I used 10L of water today and my rations are going down. Two watering holes
were dry.
I was up all night with severe toothache. This gives me stress. I can't eat out of one
side and the pain is chewing through my supply of painkillers. Blisters are OK. I've
drained them and dressed them. My sunburned hands are bad. I have cut one sock up
to act as a glove-cum-sleeve. It works for now but it's sweaty in 30'C heat.
Tomorrow is my rest day. I need it. No walking. I have some repairs to do to Molly.
One of her welded joints is cracked and her back extension is bent and hanging.
I have just had my wet wipe bath (I would prefer a cold shower and a beer), and taken
care of dinner and the bodily care routine. I am wasted mentally and physically and
remain at a low ebb.
As I sit here looking south west - my route - there are nothing but more mountains. I
can see it now. Leaning at 45 degrees and pushing hard to gain altitude. I am trying to
stay focused but there's no real solution at present. At this rate I will nearly get half
way before my time is up.
I hear you say - Go around the mountains!
Yeah right! You come here and show me and then I'll follow you. Don't forget to bring
230kg on wheels strapped to your back. Did I mention the soft sand and monstrous
sizes of rock that compliment every minute, every hour, every day? I hear you TC!
I am barley doing 22km a day. If you do your math then you'll know I can't make to
Olgii within 90 days. Today was upsetting and after 12 hours of walking I crawled in my
tent, toothache giving me hell, sore, down and I'm missing my family enormously. I
dream of a icy cold coke with slice of lemon. I think of various cold drinks, chilled
sandwiches, swimming pools, air conditioned cars and ice lollies. I want it all - twice.
Enough said I think. Time for a pain killer.
30th of May 2010
DAY 7
The last couple of days have been tough and confusing.
So, where does the tough come in?
Well, hauling 230kg at the best of times is hard work. Over a hard surface it is possible
to cover up to 50km. I have tried a tested that theory.
Soft and uneven ground is the toughest. The last couple of days I have had both almost
constantly. It's gruelling work and deflates the morale considerably. Anywhere between
15 and 25km is a good day.
Uphill? There's a thing. My route has taken me up hill sides and at times is heart
breaking. Today has seen 6 hours of hauling 230kg uphill on uneven and soft surface. It
is near impossible and at times I wonder how I manage. I am no muscle bound hunk of
English meat. I am far from that but today I think was my limit. I could do no more to
gain ground and today I managed 25km. How do I know?
Home base has checked for me.
I have no maps, GPS or way of telling how far I have come. The rain ruined my only
source of navigation. The maps are far from accurate anyway. The distances are wrong
between points and today I found out that I have still about 28km to go until I head SW.
I thought it would only take me 3 days to cover 77km but it seems it will take the best
part of a week.Its a real soul destroyer to find out you have more to walk than
expected, especially uphill with soft uneven ground to boot. I am so wasted and tired
and pain now screams from every part of my body.
3 ripe blisters, a very red raw and sore crotch and inner thighs. Hands are sunburned
badly and my back aches.
I will make a pair of gloves from my spare socks and I have taken care and drained
the blisters.
Its all part of the game I know. The physical pressure on the body is immense and it
doesn't help with temperatures soaring into the 30's. I find it hard to breath and the
throat is constantly dry. I remember Namib. The same thing every day but his
expedition is harder because no camel is carrying my supplies. I am hauling it.
I will give it my best and hope to adjust and overcome the assorted pressures on the
body. I can only hope. My weight is dropping and I feel hunger every second.
Water is the toughest. 5L a day, including cooking, is what I allow. Its not enough. My
throat is always dry and at times get very dizzy. I know these signs well, being an Ex
Medic, and what they mean. Today I have 50L on Molly. That's 10 days worth. I need to
replenish before then or I'm in trouble.
After the last two days I feel low. With no means of navigation, except a compass,
which is no use without a good map, I am walking blind. Home base are my eyes.
The killers are the heat, vast terrain and the weight hauling.
Enough for now. We'll see how things pan out
27th of May 2010
DAY 4
Position: 35km bearing 254 from Baruun Urt. Altitude 1000m.
Hell unleashed.
Last night was an event that didn't require a suit and tie or casual clothing. It just
needed nothing but skiddies, a couple of t-shirts and a tagelmust.
Let me explain.
The heavens opened and with it the full fury of the wind. I already mentioned that the
small NEMO tent went airborne and divided itself into two pieces. The second tent, a
rather dude orange nut type seemed strong enough to withstand a nuclear bomb blast.
For the first hour all seemed well. The rain hammered on the thin fabric and the wind
pushed at the walls. Just as I feel asleep I felt a drop of water on my head. So, on went
the torch.
Water was dripping in from several seams and the floor was experiencing a high tide.
Everything was soaked. And still the rain kept coming. I spent 10 hours, without sleep,
in my undies mopping up the water. No sleep. I was cold, wet and very tired after the
previous day walking. It was a long night and one I will remember. Who said that
Mongolia has very little rain? Who said it was dry as a dry thing on a dry day? 12 hours
of rain and damage, mentally of course, was evident. Two ripped seams that resembled
Victoria falls. I patched it up with duct tape but it was no use. Water still ebbed its way
in my little orange nut.
I shivered all night but that's to be expected bailing out water for the best part of 10
hours in the wet blackness of the Steppe.
Once day light came I wanted out. I wanted to get out of that tent and walk. So, on with
wet clothes, that did my morale no good at all, and of I went hauling and Molly loaded
buts and pieces. An extra few kilos maybe in water?
I managed to find a good route through the rolling hills making my way through the
valleys. No hill climbs, no mountains, no nothing. Just flat grassy valleys and
surprisingly - hard ground. It turned out to be good and the wind dried my clothes as I
walked. I managed to air the sleeping bag and take most of the wetness out of it but I
think the first few minutes getting in it tonight will be another story.
I managed to hit my target today, as I planned weeks ago and get to Baruun Urt, or
near enough, within a few days. Not bad. However, I am making the most of it as it's
not all going to be plain sailing from here on. As I turn and face west, a long home
straight, I am so overwhelmed by this country. The size, the beauty and the sheer
harsness it can deal. I was thinking today to do this again but in a traditional way, with
camels. I'll think more on that. Namib and/or the Atacama also plays a lot on my mind.
So, hopefully, and it looks good, I'll get some sleep tonight and push on hard tomorrow.
I see hills, or are they mountains, before me. A hard day I guess but we'll see.
Thanks to Darran Scott for calling me last night as I was bailing out water in my
skiddies. And thank you Laura for giving me a little boost during a hard time. A voice,
your voice carries with it, hopes and thoughts of returning home soon.
I also believe the SPOT is working. Finally!
In a welsh voice, "There's something wrong with this yoghurt"
"It's not yoghurt, it's mayonnaise"
"O, right that explains it"
Classic!
Enuff said me rinky-thinks.
26th of May 2010
DAY 3
March or Die, like a mad man.
Position: 42 KM, bearing 012 degrees from Baruun Urt. No I don't have a GPS. I love
the map and compass and trust it more. SPOT still refuses to function.
I woke up to the sound of munching, snorting and footsteps. At 04:00 I was aroused
from my sleep to find a hoard of wild Gazelle grazing around the tent. The zip on the
tent being opened signalled that a bald headed man was about to grab the camera and
it was time to flee. Taking some words from Brave heart I should of run out, arms held
aloft, and screamed "Wait Gazelle, do not flee. Wait until we have negotiated!".
They were history before I could grab the camera out from the bag and all that
remained was dust.
The sun was just rising. I had my breakfast and was on my way by 05:00. I felt
refreshed and the air was cooler so walking was perfect.
Did I speak to soon. Perfect? For the first few minutes and then someone threw a hill or
two in my way. 1000m peaks lay before me and I knew I was in for one great day -
NOT!
Up and down, up and down. I'm telling you hauling 230kg of weight up a hill is no fairy
tale world. I worked hard and sweated like a mad man but still one after another the
hills just kept on coming. Then just as I was about to break Molly into pieces and send
her to India, I stood on the final crest looking down into a valley of green. 20 to 30 km
of flat grassland without a bump in sight. I was elated and released myself from Molly's
harness and jumped for joy and had my version of small party minus drink, people,
food, music and flashing lights. My party was a handful of peanuts, a swig of water and
a little jigger around the dirt yelling like a mad man.
The wind began to stir and before I knew it sand was being blown around like a mad
man. Straight in the face. I grabbed the goggles, tagelmust and put the head into the
wind and fought like a mad man for the rest of the day.
Sand or dust storms engulfed the terrain often and wind dropped to 200 to 500m or so.
I was growling work but there's no stopping it. If you can't change it then deal with it.
It's a hostile land full of dead carcases - goats, horses, camels, sheep, lambs and birds.
It's just a reminder how cruel this land is. Nothing is exempt.
I made camp in the howling wind - howling an understatement - and the NEMO tent
ripped and became airborne as was gone in the dust and sand storm. I must admit, I
laughed. Not at the circumstance but the vision of the tent heading west ahead of me.
Luckily I had a back up designed for this. Thank you Darran Scott! I now sit in the
orange nut, drinking tea while the wind kicks up a fuss like a mad man. Early night me
thinks and thoughts of tomorrow push already plague the mind. A slight deviation of
bearing and slow turn westward. Yippee!
25th of May 2010
DAY 2
The first two days are behind me now but many more are in the post.
Communication. Everything seems to be working fine except the SPOT tracker. For
some reason the unit can't seem to find a satellite to transmit my location. For me, it's a
bit of a bummer. Eager eyes bearing down on my website and not a track in sight. I
wasn't sure if the first one was good until home base confirmed that it was received.
After that, things went pair shaped.
Still, I am sure it will wake up sooner rather than later as my progress has been good.
First day was a short day but I still managed to clock close to 48km. I admit, I was
exhausted at the end of the day and didn't have the patience or energy to write a blog.
It was lights out immediately the head hit the sack.
The heat is something to moan about and it really zaps the energy right out of you. It's
funny that I actually hate the heat but I like deserts. Catch 22 situation. Today was just
the same but complimented by a warm wind. That's good because once you stop, the
flies swarm and I hate flies. Catch 22 situation.
I managed to knock of close to 50km again today but it was no picnic. I worked hard
throughout the morning and slowed down in the heat of the afternoon. Walk half an
hour and stop for 5 minutes. That's my routine.
So as it stands, and if this keeps up, I will be turning and heading west in three days
and rounding Baruun Urt. I am 105km out of Choibalsan and another 100km on this
course. Not bad really for a start.
Molly is doing well and so are her wheels. I was slightly nervous but the terrain is full of
ditches, washes, gullies and rocks and despite the banging around and wrestling with
the weight, Molly is doing me proud - not literally of course!
Everything is functioning as it should. I am happy for that and my morale is of the chart.
It's great to be back in this landscape. To witness this amazing land is something that
can't be put into words so I won't bother trying.
I am slowly getting into some sort of routine especially with the loading of Molly.
Balance is crucial. Too much weight at the back and she pulls up. Too much at the front
and she pulls down all her weight on my hips. Balance calls for a smooth ride and
probably the reason why I knocking out the KM's. She's no problem to pull at the
moment!
So, that's it for now. It's sack time as my body is screaming for rest. If I fell up to it I
may do a 24 hour push and grab cat naps so I can begin to head west. I'll keep toying
the SPOT tracker and hopefully it will kick into life. In the meantime I will just relay my
location and distance to home base.
Later...
May 23rd 2010
DAY 1
"Spartan! Come back with your trailer - or on it."
Well, I've touched down in Ulaanbaatar. I'm finally back in Mongolia and primed in all
respects to embark on the longest solo and unassisted walk ever completed across the
vast land mass of Mongolia.
The country has been through a mild transition over the last month from a cold and
dusty wind swept land to a warm and still dusty wind swept land but with a slight shade
of assorted green colours. Winter has moved on - one of the coldest in many years -
and spring has moved in, unpacked its bags and put th kettle on. A delicate warmth has
blanketed the land and the rains have begun to fall. It's far from a monsoon downpour
but it's enough to replenish the land and rejuvenate the soil.
After spending two days in the nations metropolis, I am flying east bound again,
courtesy of Eznis Airways: www.eznisairways.com, to Choibalsan, which balances on
the fringes of the Mongolian Steppe. I hope be starting sooner than I previously stated
and from where I came to a grinding halt on April 16th.
My first SPOT message will be the official signal that the Mongolia 2010 Expedition has
started so keep the eyes peeled on the route map: http://www.mongolia2010.
com/route.html around the 24th.
Attempting this walk alone is a substantial challenge, especially hauling, pulling or
yanking 247kg of supplies on a wheeled trailer while confronting a smorgasbord of
brutal desert climates, and I've no doubt that over the next 80 days or so, I’ll grapple
with some significant mental and physical challenges that are worthy of my finest effort.
I would like to say a big thank you to all the people that helped me to get this show
back on the road or on the dirt as the case may be, a never endling list of individuals
and organisations that immediately contributed towards getting me back here for the
second attempt. I salute you all!
Last but not least I would like to thank my wife Laura for lifting my spirits back up from
the depths of despair and for giving me a royal kick up the backside when I deserved it
and when she felt like it.
"Ripley, the sand storms will blot out the sun."
"Then I'll walk in the shade."
I'll be blogging via satellite phone, and you can follow my progress on the expedition
website: http://www.mongolia2010.com.
Alternatively, you can follow on the following applications:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ripleydavenport
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=329337105021&ref=ts
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ripleydavenport
Kind regards,
Ripley Davenport
N.B. this is the first of what I'm sure will be a irregular sequence of updates at best. I
will make an effort to make them as punctual as possible. If you'd like more
information then feel free to contact the home base on: support@mongolia2010.com.
Mongolia 2010 Expedition
The MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION is sponsored by:
Premier sponsor: PILOTUR.DK.
Main sponsors: VISIT MONGOLIA, EZNIS AIRWAYS and THE ENDURANCE TRUST.
Contributing sponsors: GOBI, Blizzard Survival, Outdoor Living, HTI Water, Khunu, Rab,
RailRiders, Greentyre, Nemo Equipment, SPOT, SIGG, Oakley and Ski Pulk.
For more information, please visit: http://www.mongolia2010.com
Media enquiries, please contact: support@mongolia2010.com
MAY 18th, 2010
DOUBLE YIPPEE!
My four weeks of hibernation has come to an end. I am returning, yippee, to Mongolia,
double yippee, to complete what I originally set out to do. Walking solo across the
Steppe, Gobi and Altai in fact. I know some people will instantly yelp in shock at the
idea of someone, that’s me, going to Mongolia to, in essence, walk. This usually comes
from those who either have never done something like this or been there themselves or
who don’t know the place well.
Let me just say the country suited me perfectly. It fits like a glove. I was on the
perimeter of the Steppe, just below the dusty town of Choibalsan. The position I will
start. The weather was ever changing and fascinating. The people are truly cordial and
tolerant. Mongolians are the prime example of how we, in the western world, should be.
I’ll walk all day, from the very early mornings, from about 6am till early evening
around 6pm. In my sleeping bag by nine if I can and then the same the next day and
the next and the next until the walk is done. A peculiar life, but it seems to be the only
way to coax a book out of me.
In that walking period I will tweet, daily, rough messages and perhaps the odd blog in
my style, that may interest my fans. I can resume a tweeting walking life, but I hope
too that I will be forgiven if I do not instantly retort to every request, tweet, retweet or
like and comment. I have no time to gaze at facebook or twitter and remark on the
many messages that flood the circuits. I am sure homebase will relay any news.
I shall be hitting the ground running. I also have various chores to attend to for the
causes I support and shall be busy filming, writing, snapping images and generally -
walking for the coming weeks and months. So, once again, I hope those who are
looking to buttonhole me and beg for some of my time will be aware of the fact that
while I may be back in Mongolia very, very few of emails will be written by me. So far
as this expedition website is concerned, mongolia2010.com will be run by Laura at
homebase.
Well, I must go and pack. The plane leaves on Thursday and I should hate to miss it. I
will be in position and ready to step out, at first light, on the Steppe on the 26th.
MAY 17th, 2010
ESSENTIAL KIT
Keeping track of the time is crucial to Ripley’s success. Ripley must make satellite
phone calls to home base and support teams at specific pre-arranged times to let
everyone know that he is safe and sound.
Being an enthusiastic fan of the map and compass, Ripley will also use his watch to aid
his navigation and for keeping a regular pace - imperative if Ripley expects on reaching
Olgii in western Mongolia within the allotted time limit!
There is only one watch in the World that will keep operational consistently in extreme
climates. A timepiece that has been tested in a variety of conditions including Antarctica
and the South Pole. A watch evaluated and tested from well below -40C up to 55C and
Ripley is fortunate enough to own two.
Pilotur/North of Denmark watches are genuinely resilient and Ripley is proud to take
both the Endurance series and a Sub Zero GMT to Mongolia.
Win a Sub Zero GMT Expedition watch! Click here for more details.
MAY 3rd, 2010
DRESSING UP
In the end it all comes down to preparation. I have decided to delicately touch on this
issue after my first attempt came to a grinding halt.
Preparation.
Well, it’s a subject worth thinking about at any time and because fewer things appeal to
me quite so much. There are so many questions and issues still banging and rolling and
colliding in my mind that I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head, let alone list
them. It’s excitement I feel.
The Mongolia 2010 Expedition is now being salted, spiced, pickled, seasoned, braised
and served up to you bearing all the delights of more endless hours of preparation,
planning, blood, sweat and tears mixed with buckets of frustration and excitement. The
Mongolia 2010 Expedition entertains every minute.
I can dress it up or I could dress it down into something raw. Bitter. Bare. Simple. For
me it’s hard to dress it down into something ragged and feeble. This expedition and the
Mongolia out there, I consider belong to me and it is a piece of who I am, perhaps even
the defining piece. In my case it is in part a classical masterpiece and inherited stones
of past thoughts and ideas. Mongolia is also pleasure. A physical and mental pleasure.
The very words Mongolia 2010 Expedition are silken words and pure words and
drenched words and saturated words and crackling words that quiver and wobble like
jelly. The M2010X, to me, sounds like a rapid firecracker that oozes like a lake of lava.
Mongolia and the expedition are my birthright. All the power of it was in me from the
moment the idea began.
So if you’ve got an idea, a dream or plan, do it. Don’t be afraid of it, don’t believe it
belongs to anyone else, don’t let anyone intimidate you into believing that there are a
set of laws and secrets of expeditions that you are not entitled to. Don’t be humiliated
by dinosaurs, armchair explorers, or people with silly bow ties and round glasses into
thinking yourself inferior because you can’t spell broccoli or moccasins or utter a slight
incorrect sentence. It’s Impossible. It can’t be done.
Just let the dreams fly from your mind. Give them rhythm and depth and height and
silliness. Give them filth and form and noble splendor. Dreams are free, light and
frothy, firm and sculpted as they may be, bear the history of their passage from lip to
lip over weeks, months and years. How our dreams feel to us now tells us whole stories
about who we really are. When you are asked if you have a dream. Less of the silly
responses. Reply - Of course I have. Then put the wheels in motion (literally) and do it!
This morning, I was possibly the first person in Denmark to see the sun rising. There’s
a proud boast. I was just finishing my daily dose of hauling a rather over-sized tractor
tire across the sand, broken shell and rounded pebbles on the beach at Wedellsborg
Hoved on Fyn. Gawking out across the water at a beautiful, picturesque sunrise,
dripping with sweat and panting like a cheetah in the African heat, the sun stretched its
head and there was a memorable silence. Something inside – clicked. I like to think
Wedellsborg styles itself the easternmost point in Denmark. I know it’s not but I can
dream. There didn’t seem to be anyone else alive in the world so I allowed myself to
believe that I was indeed back on the Steppe. I’ve missed training a great deal.
I really take pleasure in training for this expedition. Fearsome hard work, punishing the
body, brewing pain but still, it’s deeply satisfying. I collapsed on my tractor tire, veins
bulging, heart racing and feet stinging thinking of Mongolia and how I will feel after each
day as I stare at the sunrise or sunset across it’s barren landscape.
I know that there is more to discover in a land over there, far from the eyes of the west
and rush hour traffic of the cities. Mongolia will change me, move me and test me and
keep me on my toes! I know I’ll feel insignificant and a minuscule spot on the surface of
the Earth but I can’t wait to return. I’m wiser through my mishap and stronger than
ever to continue this walk – whatever is thrown my way.
APRIL 29th, 2010
THE COUNTDOWN HAS STARTED...
I sometimes think that when I die there should be two graves dug: the first would be
the usual kind of size, say 2 feet by 7, a pair of old walking boots and a glass of my
favourite whisky but the other would be much, much larger. The gravestone should
read: OVERWHELMED AND BLOATED WITH APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE.
By now, I suspect most of you will have heard about the awful circumstances that
enveloped my shivering body the day I discovered that the inner guts of Molly’s wheels
had died. I stopped and picked over the carcass of that epically ill designed wheel (not
designed by me, I would like to add, but another individual called Chris). After the
incident in question and more or less 24 hours after my superb and shockingly
unexpected Steppe tantrum, which included screaming my head off, punching the air,
spinning around like a lunatic and kicking the Mongolian dirt, I have calmed. And rightly
so. What a waste of energy!!!
If I were to really express gratitude for the few people that have taken it on as their
duty to find a means and way of getting me back out Mongolia, some of you might think
I had gone soft in the head. You hear about sympathetic, generous and warmhearted
individuals that take it on as their duty to help you by any means possible. This
minuscule set back opened another door for me and I have been extremely fortunate
to have crossed paths with several of these charming people that understand and
believe I should just get back out there and do this – gracefully. They each ask to
remain a silent partner, a distant voice, and vertebrae in my upright backbone and
nameless with a simple request to get back out there and do this.
It’s difficult for me to remain hushed as people like that need to be acknowledged but I
value their requests but will never forget their efforts. They know who they are and I
thank you all.
Very soon I will revisit the disaster site, where I came to a grinding halt, and plan to
continue this epic walk. I dare say I will tell the world just how this was made possible.
Made possible by a few individuals that are a credit to mankind and a reminder how we
all should be.
Such set backs always end with thought-provoking questions, in this case concerning
the future of the expedition itself if it is to be left in the hands of the firebrands,
hysterics and naysayers possibly sinister forces that make the rounds as arm chair
explorers in front of the internet. I feel sorry for these naysayers because I know they
are a monumental ass. For them, to find the road back to normality must be
unachievable. I know all too well what it is like to be loathed and some of you have
been kind enough to share your experiences with naysayers. I share the same boat
and we row together in the same direction.
Without, I hope, too much self-pity, I do seem to have made myself a target. People
who don’t understand what adventure really is (the overwhelming majority) will use my
name as a kind of shorthand for the service.
This whole thing has just grown up around me and now I cannot help wondering if,
despite my preference for pain, turmoil, isolation and possibly failure, I have found
myself in a new adventurers assembly, willy-nilly hailed as some sort of a hero by
friendly people on one side and being yelled at by unfriendly people on the other. I am
not cut out for the hurly-burly of choral politics. I am not qualified to represent anyone
nor, I cannot repeat often enough, do I wish to. So I should shut up. That seems to be
the only sensible thing to do. I should shut up.
It all seems rather unfair, I wail piteously. I joined in the spirit of adventure and
curiosity and fun way back in 1998 and emerged as a real force. I am, despite my lack
of hair and crooked teeth and lust for keeping on socks until they stick to the wall,
classed as an adventurer and I like to plan ahead and have a lots of thought for any
consequences. Adventure is the unknown and it’s exhilarating to pop my toe in its water
to see what the temperature is like. It was not part of a clever commercial plan to
“build my brand” (whatever the arse that means) nor ready myself for government, nor
to broadcast a point of view nor to raise my profile in the media. I plan on traveling
across Mongolia, on foot, and other spots around the globe in the future and I thought it
would be an interesting way of sending little messages to anyone who might be
interested. Nice idea eh?
Well, I contend that I do not wield influence. I insist that my fans are not sheep but
living, dreaming, thinking, and hoping human beings with minds, opinions and
aspirations of their own. Of the 1000 or so who follow me the overwhelming mass are
too self-respecting, independent-minded and free-thinking to have their opinions
formed or minds made up for them in any way.
Well, all kinds of futile scenarios are possible and that makes this whole expedition an
invitation to accept. How am I going to find out if it’s possible if I don’t at least try?
Meanwhile what of me? Hundreds of requests (OK, a slightly over exaggerated figure –
a hand full more like) pour in every day asking me to cancel, postpone or continue.
Some seem to think I have a duty to continue at all costs. Indeed they are right. I am
going to continue and soon. Very soon.
I hope you will find the opportunity proudly to spread the word about the Mongolia 2010
Expedition and the ceaselessly magnificent footage, images and blogs that I aim to
transmit to your computers and homes. A story we will continue to share with such
never-ending marvel and astonishment.
The countdown has started yet again and I am back, no matter the odds, to step out
and do what I have claimed I would do.
No pain, no gain. Stay tuned…
APRIL 25th, 2010
INCREASINGLY SMELLY
Well bless my cotton socks and ding-a-ling-a-doodle. This is the first time I’ve felt
remotely human since I threw a double six on the Steppe having discovered that Molly’s
bearings were shot and I stood before an overpowering landscape were I actually felt
at home. But today I am trying to see through that fog, maybe a momentary glitch in
the brain waves I fear, and impatiently search every nook and cranny for a solution,
which I know is there – somewhere and get back to that magnificent country that bears
the smudge of my size 43 boot print.
A slightly frustrating episode, that lasted a few days, was being stranded at Moscow
Airport along with hundreds and possibly thousands of perspiring, B.O covered,
travelers all in search of a way back to there home lands. The airport: namely terminal
D is a kind of toxin that stains the soul and being marooned and destined to share a
marble floor is no way to dwell.
A few days ago, it seemed apparent, there was a very strong possibility that I would
not live to see my family again and spend the rest of my days a lost soul, growing
increasingly smelly every day, living on rotten airport food and breathing a faint
cigarette stench.
It would have been great if the whole event were available to be watched online, you
don’t need me to illustrate it. An orgy of travelers, all ages, sharing limited floor space
and toilet seats.
I know there will be many who have already taken one look at my tribulation and
pronounced it to be nothing but a huge failure. Something of a disappointment. I have
heard these voices before. In 1998 when I traversed the Karakum, I, through no fault
of my own, found out my water containers had been punctured. I collected a long list of
“not impressed”, “meh”, “big deal”, “frigg’in idiot”, “stupid bastard”, “what a
disappointment”, and similar reactions. Neither they, nor I, nor anyone, predicted the
“water loss” effect my containers would so rapidly suffer, would happen.
Nonetheless, no one could predict or even contemplate that my bearings would fail just
2 days in to the Steppe. They could not see or imagine that this component was capable
of eroding.
How much easier it is to cast aside, to doubt, and to fold the arms and say, “Not
impressed”. I’m not advocating dumb gullibility, but it always amused me that those
who instinctively slag off expedition failed attempts for being apparently dim-witted and
stupid and so on are the ones who are actually so dim-witted and stupid to stylistic
nuance that they can’t bear to celebrate or recognize a gallant effort or noble attempt,
an obvious struggle and desire to reach a goal. The fact is that “we” who dare to take
the plunge and try our darned hardest are actually the coolest people on earth: we
salivate, dribble, coo, sigh, grin and bubble with satisfaction.
I’ll mention no names but many greats have fallen by the wayside this last 12 months.
Some of these people I have come to respect more through their failed attempt and
sound reasoning and way to deal with negative pointy fingers. We the forgotten who run
and hide for a while and wait for the storm to pass wait silently to give it another go.
People are quick to judge and throw in their views from the comfort of their armchair. It
all looks so different from when you’re sitting at home watching it unfold”.
I respect the opinion of those that know what you’ve been through. Those that have
also faced the challenging decision to throw in the towel and walk away because there
was no other alternative. People that understand. A person that shares and holds the
same torchlight but their reaction is a positive one. We a band of brothers (and sisters).
This is a different order of experience. The speed, the responsiveness, the smooth glide
of an escalating problem, the richness and detail of the world around you, the rightness
of the actions and gestures that you employ to solve the problem, untutored and
instinctively, it’s not just a scaled up or a scaled-down version – it is a whole new kind
of experience.
You will see these characters return for another crack at the same task. My exact
thought and intention and one I will follow through on – without question, without doubt.
– and hopefully - bloody sooner rather than later!
APRIL 16th, 2010
This is a difficult blog to write.
The last 24 hours have been the most unmerciful 24 hours of my life and sat here alone
in the darkness, on the fringes of the Steppe, I have reached a surreal moment full of
mixed emotions. I will explain...
Molly Brown has weathered well considering the terrain and weight she's bearing on her
back but with most things there's always a weak point that exposes itself in dire
moments. Molly displayed her weakness.
As I left Choibalsan and stepped out onto the edge of the Mongolian Steppe I was taken
back by the sheer view of what lay ahead of me.
A land littered with immense pot holes, washes, muddy ground, soft sand and deep
trenches. I had expected to be tested to the full but this was a mine field of obstacles
and covering just 1 km in a little over 4 hours is heart breaking and emotionally
destroying. Those that have been in such conditions will know what I am taking about.
That I can handle.
However, Molly started to make a erie noise. Clearly, I as subjecting her to a serious
beating. 247kg is no easy feat to pull at the best of times but over dreadful ground is
near impossible - not impossible but near enough. I estimate that I unloaded and
reloaded her weight 15 to 20 times and dug her out of black mud more times than I can
remember.
Could I go around I hear you say? I could but in all directions for about 30km lay the
same ground. I picked the best starting point in my estimation. The wheels were
subjected to a lot of impact and relentless blowing sand and grit made its way in to
everything. The problem was sourced in the wheel hub, which I am sad to say was not
a sealed component. The riding rim for the ball bearings and ball bearings were eroded
and several of these, what can only be described as her Achillies heal, were mere metal
fragments and fine silver dust in two of the wheels. I did prepare for this likelihood and
carried a few spares and exchanged the bearings in awkward conditions but the rugged
terrain and weight got the better of her. There are only so many bearings to take as
spares and I expended them all. I sat, having bearly covered 12km in 12 hours of
walking, in the icy dry wind and lost it. I broke down. I'm not afriad to sat that I let out
some emotional tears and screamed some disagreeable language. So much time and
preparation went into this expedition that it became an obsession. I trained hard and
trained well and simply never encountered problems with her bearings until now. A
minor flaw in her design and one over-looked but one easily rectifiable.
After a prolonged conversation with my dear wife and full support in my decision, I
decided to pause the expedition - not stop - and call in assistance. Unable to move, I
set up camp put on a brew and calmly waited in a bitter wind and icy dark Steppe for
evacuation.
This is small delay. I am returning back to Denmark on Monday, tail between my legs
and tremendously upset and low at the consequence but as soon as I can, at immediate
notice if need be, I will return to my last position and resume my walk across Mongolia
from where I came to grinding halt.
I want to thank those of you for your support during some dark hours, which my wife
has sent to me. I am touched. I want to thank my sponsors but mostly I want to
acknowledge Burmaa Zunduisuren from Visit Mongolia, the wonderful and charming duo
Delgermaa and Spiro at Eznis Airways, H. E. The British Ambassador to Mongolia Bill
Dickson for his telephone call and to Matt Nelson - to name but a few - for support and
positive encouragement for making my dream possible and smoothing the way through
some heavy formalities. And in her own type of solo expedition - my wife at home,
alone with two crazy kids tha I miss dearly, holding the fort and running home base. I
love you and can't wait to see you - but it's not for long!! I intend to return to Mongolia
as soon as I can, hopefully within the month with a stronger Molly Brown and ready for
another crack of this difficult task. I will not quit until I complete my walk across
Mongolia. I'm not broken just shattered and eager to get back. Thank you all.
- Patron: Dixie Dansercoer
- MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION © copyright 2009|10
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