#O.A.R.S.

[dknuth]

Trekking in Western Mongolia -  Surprise Ending

Today was to be spent in Ülgii visiting the local museum and shopping.  But yesterday the women went into town where the showers had more consistent hot water than at the ger camp.  While there they met some students who were in town for an Eagle Hunter Festival.  We had not heard about this.  The big festival was still some weeks away, and we knew we were going to miss it.  But this was said to be a mini-festival.  A couple of people strongly stated that they would rather do that the next day.  Tim was clearly not enthused, telling us that the festivals are crowded, unstructured, chaotic, etc.  When he put it to a vote, everyone wanted to go the the Eagle Hunter Mini-Festival. 

So in the morning we loaded into the vans for an hour drive back to an area we had just paddled through.  

About 10:00, when it was rumored to start, we drove out into a broad open field where there were two vans setting up some PA equipment and NO ONE else.  

So we stood around, sat around, then wandered around for a while.  

About 11:00 we spotted one rider coming from the east - an eagle hunter!  He rode up and posed for us for a while.  Then rode off to a nearby hill and sat down.  

About a half hour went by and we saw two riders coming from the north; more eagle hunters.  Then a couple of vans with the students that had told us about the even showed up. Then a couple of photographers from South Korea.  And slowly more eagle hunters arrived, each of them riding in from the distance often with the mountains in the background, like in a western.  

A little after noon there were about 20 hunters now and maybe 30 visitors.  So we had front row access.  (Actually there weren’t any rows at all, we were standing right there with no crowds at all.  In fact sometimes the action came right through the standing observers.

So I’m shooting photos of all these eagle hunters.  As you can see they are in full eagle hunter dress for the event.  

Then the contests start.  I see that my camera battery is dead, but that’s no problem, I grabbed a spare battery that morning despite the fact that the indicator said fully charged.  (I know they say fully charged until they are down to 10%)  So I put the extra battery in.  Oh, no!  I grabbed the dead spare battery, not the full one.  So the contests start and I have a dead camera.  

So I I got one photo of the calling of the eagles to the owner; but none of the eagles chasing a dead rabbit pulled behind the horse, and the horseback wrestling over a headless sheep.  But it was still great day all the more so because it was a total surprise. 

It turned out that the students were with a museum in Utah and this whole mini-festival had been organized by the museum for their benefit.  The few others who were there just managed to find out about it.  

The End

With that the trip was clearly winding down.  We went to the shops in Ülgii the next morning before the flight and then back to Ulaanbaatar where we checked into a modern western hotel, took long hot showers, returned borrowed gear, did a little last minute shopping, and had a farewell dinner.  We also reconnected with the outside world where we generally found that nothing had really changed. 

Then back home to Chicago via Beijing, I was greeted enthusiastically by Cathie, less so by our cat, Brillig.   Now after multiple loads of laundry and putting away gear, things are back to normal, for now.  

[bigbuzzvisions]

Explore the “Majestic Beach Resorts Near Me” For An Unforgettable Vacation

When shore lovers think of planning a vacation, the first thought that comes into your mind is which are the best beach resorts near me? While living in the US, you have endless options for majestic beach resorts that will give you a lifetime experience. Some of the options include:

Angel Fire Resort

Angel Fire Resort, located in the Southern Rockies features a height of 8600 feet. Tourists can enjoy the view of Wheeler Peak that is the uppermost point in New Mexico. The two freestyle territory parks, a majestic mountain, and Angel Fire Resort are worth exploring. Tourists can enjoy whimsical skiing, eccentric snowboarding, tubing and sledding, snowblading, snowshoeing, and night skiing. Many lodging options further enhance the extraordinary mountain village. After visiting, every tourist will have a view that Angel Fire Resort is one of the majestic beach resorts near me.

Wyndham Angels Camp

Wyndham Angels Camp is an extraordinary Wyndham Vacation Resort is positioned on the Greenhorn Creek Golf Course, O.A.R.S. Tourists can explore the remarkable Whitewater Rafting and Adventure Headquarters, Jumping Frog Jubilee and Country Fair, Mark Twain, and Sierra Nevada Museum, and Angels Camp. So, if you plan to explore the best beach resorts near me then Wyndham Angels Camp surely needs to be on your visit list.

 Wyndham Avenue Plaza

Local and foreign visitors love to explore the Wyndham Avenue Plaza, US when they plan to visit Orleans. While your stay at the Wyndham Avenue Plaza, you can enjoy value, comfort, and convenience. The extraordinary facilities are exclusively designed for travelers. Wyndham Avenue Plaza guests can relish the nearby tourist attractions which include St. Louis Cemetery, Preservation Hall, and New Orleans. The luxurious rooms at the Club Wyndham Avenue Plaza feature big TV screens, ACs, a refrigerator, and a free internet facility. Also, guests will have 24-hour access to the front desk, rooftop veranda, and 24/7 check-in facility. 

The on-site pool facility and free parking are a cherry on the top. For the food lovers, tourists can try Stein's Market and Deli, St. James Cheese Company, and St James Cheese Company that are some of the most popular delicatessens that are loved by locals and foreigners. The Longue Vue House and Gardens, New Orleans Botanical Gardens, and Hollygrove Market and Farm are some of the splendid tourist spots to explore. Apart from this, the Wyndham Avenue Plaza Resort is the ultimate destination for tourists’ comfort and satisfaction. Many visitors have the view that Wyndham Avenue Plaza is also one of the remarkable beach resorts near me.

So, when you plan a vacation to the finest beach resorts near me, then you must keep all these destinations on your top list.

[smeehaw]

O.A.R.s 2007 live MSG performance of Anyway is really great

[eduardoezequielvisual]

O.A.R.S.

Fundada en 1969, O.A.R.S. es la compañía de referencia para viajes de aventura en Estados Unidos. Me subo a un raft con ellos para crear contenido mientras recorremos el Green River, sus cañones y rápidos. Todo el trabajo está realizado en analógico, para mantener el espíritu atemporal aventurero de los primeros expedicionarios. 

​#FILMISNOTDEAD

No disparo en analógico por el look, disparamos en analógico porque nos acerca a la fotografiía real, al proceso de pensar una foto, de no crear a ver que sale, si no crear con conciencia y plena atención al entorno, el sujeto... y la vida. 

​

[goparks]

If you like these views of Yosemite National Park, you'll LOVE the epic scenery you'll witness during this 3-day guide from O.A.R.S. - Whitewater Rafting.

[nichbhanlin]

How to Talk to a Co-Worker About Their Mental Health

Effectively talking to someone who you think may be struggling with a mental health condition at work can be fiddly and unclear. O.A.R.S. makes it simple.

[danholmesphoto]

Breaktime, A Grand Canyon river guide takes an afternoon snooze as his passengers explore up Havasu Canyon. The wooden dory has a long and illustrious history in the Grand Canyon. The late and larger than life Martin Litton built and ran the legendary Grand Canyon Dories from the 1970s until he sold the company to O.A.R.s. His first canyon experience was in 1954 and at 84 he became the oldest person to row the canyon. He was a driven and outspoken proponent of wilderness and preservation of public lands. He passed away in November 2014, leaving a powerful legacy. https://www.oars.com/blog/meet-martin-litton-grand-canyon-dories-founder/ I'll be signing up for a dory trip, 16-18 days of silent noise. Not sure when yet, but it should be good. #martinlitton #grandcanyon #dories #danholmesphoto #oars #riverrunning #coloradoriver #havasucreek #ourlonelyplanet  #travel  #ShotOnCanon #canon #photooftheday #phototour #photography #colors #travel #boat #rowboat #rowing #classic https://www.instagram.com/p/BnR1NT-ltVv/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=hqte92fshv0d

[krystalroser-blog]

MIRACLE OF NATURE !!!

MIRACLE OF NATURE !!! by cathiemcnally ❤ liked on Polyvore

Giant Galapagos tortoise makes 'miraculous' recovery, from 15... / Giant Galapagos tortoise makes 'miraculous' recovery, from 15... / O.A.R.S. Whitewater Rafting, Adventure Travel, White Water Rafting... / Luxury Galapagos Cruises / GALAPAGOS ISLANDS / Luxury Galapagos Cruises

[dknuth]

Trekking in Western Mongolia

I’ve just returned from a unique trip to the very western edge of Mongolia, where for the last three weeks we trekked by foot, horseback and canoe.  Along the way we visited local nomads in their winter homes and summer gers (the Mongolian word for yurts).  

The trip was organized by Tim Cope from Australia, a well known traveller and adventurer,  together with O.A.R.S. from the US.  

Our group of 10 men and women from the US and Australia were supported by an array of guides, drivers, horsemen, camel packers, cooks and more.  The crew members changed over the weeks depending on the needs of that portion of the trip.  Along the way our gear was carried by Russian 4WD vans or camels depending on the availability of roads.  (A road being defined as two or more generally parallel tracks.)

The scenery was stunning and while the trekking, canoeing and riding required a fair amount of daily effort, it was doable by our group which ranged in age from 38 to 82. 

The logistics and nature of the travel together with the range of terrain means that only about 30 people have ever done this trip, so this was clearly a rare opportunity.

Days 1 - 3: Getting to the start of the trek.

We all met in Ulaanbaatar in mid-August for a final review of the upcoming trip, distribution of additional gear, last minute purchases and repacking our clothes and gear for the trek.  (Little did we know that re-packing for changing circumstances was going to be an almost daily event.)  The following morning we flew to Ölgii in western Mongolia where we loaded into 4WD vehicles for a two days of overland driving to get to the start of the trek.  

Our first camp was on the open steppe west of Ölgii near a nomad camp.  We were rewarded by spectacular evening light across the step and hills including a bright shaft from a rainbow; an excellent omen for the trip.  

In the morning we found we had set up camp around the burrow of a long-eared Mongolian gerbil.  When it first stuck its head out of the burrow, we all thought “rabbit”, but then it came out and that wasn’t a rabbit’s tail!

Our first stop after packing up was to visit the nomad family we were camped near.  This was to be a daily activity throughout the trip.  It is considered good fortune among the nomads to invite visitors into your home and we were always graciously invited in and served the standard food and drink.  

The main item offered is always milk tea.  This is not tea with added milk, but milk boiled on the stove with added tea leaves, served in bowls.  Despite the size of our group (usually about 14 including guides and such) sufficient bowls were always found.  The low table was always loaded with butter, dried curd, and small fried breads.  To this might be added cheese, yogurt, thick cream, or berry jam.  All of this would have been home made.  

Interestingly this far western end of Mongolia is mainly settled by Kazakh nomads with  some Mongolians and Tuuvans.  The Kazakhs typically don’t speak Mongolian and the Mongolians don’t speak Kazakh, although the Tuuvans seem most likely to speak both.  This is despite the fact that the groups may be in the next valley from each other.  

After drinking the tea and tasting the offerings on the table, we gave them some small gifts and loaded up for a long drive up into the mountains.  

We stopped for lunch alongside a vacant nomad winter home.  The fall, spring, and winter homes are usually solid structures rather than gers with structures for protection from the wind for the animals.  You may have noticed that were are almost no trees here, so fuel isn’t typically firewood, but manure, usually cow or yak.  In fact, manure is the fuel for all cooking and heating, although some families had a small pile of kindling.  

This pile of dried manure was unique for having a fresh camel’s head on top!

A second stop was at a stone outcropping covered with petroglyphs; the typical hunted animals, hunters and horses.  

We also saw our first ancient graves.  These were mound graves and are thousands of years old.   The size of these mounds makes it clear that these were important people.

As we drove up into the mountains we found ourselves in a snow storm, which was certainly a concern.  While we were all prepared for cold weather and possible snow, camping in snow always increases the concerns about cold and wet conditions.  

But by the time we got to the campsite in the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park the snow had stopped and we found it had only persisted on the surrounding slopes creating a stunning scene.  

[c4wardltd]

Top Vacation Ideas for Families with Teens 👙👙👙👙👙👙 1. O.A.R.S. Costa Rica adventure 2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park between North Carolina and Tennessee 3. Aruba, Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela 4. Barcelona, Spain 5. Punta Cana Dominican Republic, http://bit.ly/2o5QkqT #instalovethe #quaysquad #quayaustralia #lovefl #triund #himachal #travel #traveling #visiting #instago #instagood #trip #photooftheday #fun #travellingram http://ift.tt/2tL66Y4

[grandcanyonadvisors]

The O.A.R.S. Grand Canyon River Running Experience

The post The O.A.R.S. Grand Canyon River Running Experience appeared first on GRAND CANYON Advisors.

[goparks]

Stressed, feeling disconnected from the people around you, lacking self-confidence? Discover how the #100HoursUnplugged challenge from O.A.R.S. can help you overcome all that and more >>> http://prks.org/2q3IsnL

[dknuth]

Trekking in Western Mongolia - Canoeing Continued

Day 16 & 17

We’d left the lakes behind us and now we were heading down the Khovd River towards Üglii.  The river varied quite a bit, sometimes meandering through flat open countryside, other times dropping down through gorges with rapids.  Sometimes we had a lot of current, other times it was like a lake.  

When we woke the mountains behind us were clearly visible.  I ran up on the hill to get a good shot before the morning clouds closed over them, and just made it.   But then the clouds later cleared and the mountains were visible most of the day.  

This morning we headed down the river into a small rapid just below the camp.  River guide Arby, led the way and picked a channel to the right that worked pretty well.  When we went Bhuggii, in the stern, picked a different channel where part of the flow went into a shallow rocky area. As we tried to keep out of the rocks, the canoe leaned right and I wasn’t quick enough to lean left to correct, and over we went; the first capsize of the trip.  But everything was tied in well except for my paddling gloves and a sponge.  We floated / swam to shore, others caught the canoe and we were on our way.  (The gloves were floating just downstream, the sponge was gone.)  We were wearing splash gear, so we had good wind protection for the wet clothes underneath and it was sunny and warm, so we were fine.  

For the next two days we paddled between hills and alongside pastures.  Occasionally the valley narrowed to a deep V-shaped gorge and then back out again.  Along the way we saw horses running along side, cattle and yaks being herded on foot and on motorcycle, gers and log homes. 

Roy loses his pants.

By this time Roy had been wearing the fluorescent yellow pants for some time, complaining the whole while that they weren’t waterproof and his butt was always wet.  So Dave loaned him a pair of splash pants that were also way too big, but waterproof and not flaming yellow.  

Later on we met a fisherman traveling on a motorcycle who had caught several fish and had a bunch of motorcycle parts that he needed to carry and wanted to keep separate.  Roy offered him the yellow pants.  He took them and tied the fish in one leg and the parts in the other and put them on the back of the bike.  We thought the yellow pants were finally gone!  But no, he started slowly herding cattle down river on the motorcycle, just about keeping pace with us.  So we continued to see the yellow pants for the rest of the day.  

Day 18 

We camped just upstream of a major gorge, with water too dangerous to run in canoes.  So four people went through in the inflatables while the rest of us walked.  It was actually pleasant to walk for a day, I was getting tired of sitting in the canoe all day.   

The plan had been to walk over a high pass which would have good views.  But the day was cloudy, so there would be no views.  Then a local told us there was a path along the river that herders and motorcycles could use and it was a lot easier.  So we took the easy route.

Getting there  required crossing a large wet hummocky field and a drainage ditch/creek.  So we took off our boots and waded barefoot through the ditch and put the boots back on to climb over a hill and down to the river below.

The gorge was nicer than I expected.  There were two log houses in there and a fair amount of grass.  Someone had been cutting hay, so they were expecting to be there in the winter.  

As we were walking through we could see rain clouds behind and then rain falling back up the gorge.  About that time the paddlers pulled over to join us and saw the rain coming.  We were carrying a lightweight simple tent as an emergency shelter.  That was put up quickly and we gathered inside.  It rained pretty hard, but briefly, so before long the shelter was down and everyone was on their way again.  

Day 19

The river flowed through a broad wet floodplain in a maze of small winding channels.  This was good grassland and there were many homes visible and many people cutting hay.  Since the ground was a lot of small islands they were using their camels to carry the hay across the channels to their houses or in some cases to trucks.   

We watched on man riding his camel across the river with the camel whining loudly the entire time.   He was much too far to get a picture, but we could clearly hear the unhappy camel.  

One family let a couple of people sit on their camel while Bhugii demonstrated that he is a better river guide that a camel driver.   

We say herds of horses along side and crossing the river throughout the day.  They are not wild, just free range.  

We passed through one last gorge to come out near Ülgii where we had started three weeks before.  A herd of camels also passed through the gorge high on the slopes above us.  

With our arrival back in Ülgi we were staying in a get camp on the edge of town for two nights.  We had our own gers and there were hot water showers and a dining room, a good transition back towards civilization.

But Wait, There’s More

[dknuth]

Trekking in Western Mongolia -  Canoeing

Day 11

The next morning we began the water portion of the trip, setting off down river in the canoes and inflatables.  

Instead of daypacks we were now using waterproof barrels in the canoes.  We also needed river clothing and gear and not as much cold weather clothes or hiking boots.  So another repacking and reorganizing was in order.  It would all go in the vans, but we could declutter our bags and put a things we wouldn’t need for a while in separate bags.  

We had to pass under a bridge that was low enough to require ducking very low.  But first a railing on the bridge was broken and hanging down into the only span tall enough to get under at all.  So a little remodeling of the bridge was required. 

The river slowed and broadened as we neared Khoton Nuur, a 14 mile long lake.  (Nuur = lake)

The photos get a little sparse at this point for a couple of reasons:  the landscape is opening up, so the vistas are large, open and pretty flat, and I didn’t carry my camera with the big zoom in the canoes.  I’ve water damaged cameras on river trips before, so I only took a waterproof camera when on the water.  But that camera had very little zoom.  So little zoom and wide spaces don’t make for many compelling photos.  Most times in camp I could get to the big camera, but not always.

We  camped just before the lake.  

Day 12 

We had a great view of the mountains behind us early in the morning.  

Then we headed out onto the lake.  Canoeing on a lake means no current, so all this distance we made was by our own paddling and that wind can become a big issue.  Headwinds or course would slow us down, but high winds make the whole enterprise much more risky.  The winds are strongest in the afternoon, so we tried to get going in the morning to make as much progress as possible before the winds picked up.  

Offsetting that plan though was the practice of stopping to visit local families.  When these stops occurred in the morning, it put us at risk of paddling in heavier winds in the afternoon.  

We stopped pretty quickly to visit a family that Tim had visited before.  We had to walk a long distance to get to the family’s gers and as we did we could see a truck driving off and no livestock.  It turned out that the family was in the process of leaving for their fall location.  The boys had left earlier driving the herd animals and the truck had left with the first load of the household goods.  The family said that the boys had been looking for us as Tim had visited about this same time twice before and were disappointed to have to leave before we showed up.  We left some gifts with the family for the small kids that were there as well as kids that weren’t. 

They gave several of our people gifts of dried curd.  We really didn’t realize how much until that evening when everyone presented their dried curd to the cooks.  It was quite a pile.  None of us had any idea what to do with it.  It is hard as a rock, so gnawing on it was not an option.  I guess it is used to make a broth.

They explained that the reason they were leaving a little early was that bears from the mountains behind them were attacking their stock.  

After we left the family we passed a gap in the mountains to the south and found ourselves in a strong cross wind.  We had to change course to get close to shore and paddle pretty hard to get out of the strongest wind.  The experience made me more aware of the gaps in the adjoining mountains and the potential for winds to blow through those gaps and out onto the lake.  (When I’m paddling hard there’s little opportunity for photos!)

After we got past the wind we found a narrow spot without much wind and crossed over to the north side of the lake where our camp was set up.  

We got a good view of the crescent moon between the clouds after sunset.  Judy said it’s called “the new moon in the old moon’s hands,” which I hadn’t heard, but is a nice phrase.  

Day 13

This was a “rest” day, meaning we didn’t paddle.  But most of us hiked up the adjoining hills or such.  It was good weather early and I was up, as usual, so I did a walk up the hill behind camp for some nice dawn light shots.  

It turned out to be a good day for a rest day as it was the rainiest day so far and at times windy.  So we were able to retreat to a tent in the worst weather and head out for short walks when it was looking better.  

With the change from camel supported to vehicle supported weight was no longer such an issue and we found we had several additional items along: a collapsable stove for the dining tent, and a generator to support electric lights in the cook and dining tents and a charging station for the cameras, phones, GPS  devices etc.   The stove could burn wood, but usually,  as with the nomads, manure.  It did keep the dining tent warmer and helped to provide a place to dry wet gear at the end of the day.  (Cold, damp neoprene socks in the morning are not appealing!)   

We had been using extra batteries and power banks to keep electronics running, but that wasn’t going to last much longer for many items, so the ability to recharge was welcome.  

We had some nice color in-between the clouds at sunset.  

Day 14

Another re-packing as we were camping on an island tonight and so would have no support vehicles.  So we packed more stuff into our waterproof barrels and added tents, food, and other gear into the canoes.  That made them heavier and less stable, so we needed to be a little more careful paddling.

I hadn’t done this much paddling for many years and frankly I was pretty rusty.  So I had to work to get a good stroke down.  As we paddled I was remembering paddling with Cathie on trips to the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota.  We worked at paddling straight and paddling smoothly and silently.  So I started working on that and got, Bhugii, my canoeing partner doing the same.  I found it very efficient paddling and very enjoyable.  I mentioned it as my favorite part of the day in the evening’s recap of the day.  

We passed through a section of river and into a second lake, Khurgan Nuur, to get to our island camp.  There was a store and a border guard station along the river.  The store was the Mongolian version of the country store of days ago: an assortment of clothing items, package food items, sundries etc.  Certainly nothing I needed, but it was the only store for many miles.  

We also stopped to visit a family and the kids were fascinated by the canoes, so the guides took them out for a few minutes which delighted some and terrified others.  

The island is uninhabited but has a herd of horses on it as there is good grass and they are pretty safe there.  

Day 15 

We woke to scattered clouds in the east and a stunning sunrise.  

We set out early to get across the lake.  As we were paddling we could see clouds and rain on the mountains behind us and could tell that it was moving our direction.  So we paddled pretty persistently trying to keep ahead of it.  

Of course that didn’t stop us from stopping to visit.  This time the family wasn’t in a get, but a one room log cabin, but there were no animals.  They explained that this was their spring residence.  Their herds had been taken to their fall residence, but they were here to cut hay to store for spring.  

Their grass at their winter location will run out before the spring grass is up enough to fee their animals, so they cut grass in the fall at their spring home, so there will be supplemental hay available in the early spring.  It clearly takes a lot of work and planning to be a nomad in this area.  

Outside there was a large pot on a fire with something very dark and thick cooking in it.  I suggest it looked like Jeff’s coffee, but in fact it was home-made soap.  

After leaving them we could see the rain coming closer and paddled pretty hard for the far shore where our vehicles and lunch were waiting for us.  We landed and pulled the canoes out of the water just as a strong, cold wind hit. So it was excellent timing.  

The rain was just sprinkles and after a quick lunch we walked a few kilometers to the evening camp on the river downstream from the lake.  (This section of river was not suitable for canoes, although the two inflatables did paddle it.)

Our camp was immediately adjacent to a family’s get and animals.  Like all nomad families they had a guard dog to protect against wolves.  This dog worked overtime all night long, patrolling all through and around both our and the family’s camp, barking the entire time. 

[dknuth]

Trekking in Western Mongolia - 4

Day 9

In the morning we set off downstream towards the White Water River Valley.   We were in a hung side valley, whose floor was high above that of the White Water River.  So we descended a steep slope down to the much larger river and valley.  

When we, and our camel train reached the river two inflatable kayaks were unloaded and inflated.  Previous trips had determined that the rapids in this stretch were too big for canoes, but our river guides wanted to run in in the inflatables.     

So the rest of us headed downstream on foot through a beautiful landscape quite unlike what we had seen before.  

Traveling along the same route were nomads driving probably 1,000 head of sheep and goats.  They were probably taking them from summer pastures in the mountains to fall pastures at a lower elevation.  

At times we walked along the river, other times the riverside was marshy and we took a higher route on bluffs above the river.  

The vegetation in the wet areas tends to grow in grassy hummocks, 6” or more above the ground in-between.  That space between could be dry, damp or standing water.  This was a particularly tiring landscape to walk through, in part because you never knew how wet or how big the gaps between hummocks would be.  So long steps, back tracking, and occasionally splashing to get through the areas.  

In other locations the hummocks were low shrubs, which had nice fall color, but could be even harder walking.  

We stopped in an area where the river was constricted and had the largest rapids to watch the river guides in the inflatables.  We agreed that we would not want to run that in open canoes.  

We camped for the night near Heart Lake, a beautiful alpine lake on a rise above the river.   We used the lake to do some refreshing of people’s canoeing skills.  Our Mongolia crew, especially the horse and camel handlers took advantage of the opportunity to try their hand at paddling.  

Our chefs gave a demonstration of making filled dumplings in a variety of shapes.  Several of the group gave it a try and some got pretty good, if slow at making them.   

That evening at dinner we heard a “ping” and wondered what it was.  The next morning I realized one of the guy ropes on my tent was broken off.  Apparently a wandering camel had broken it.  

Day 10

In the morning we climbed through the larch forest along the lake to reach an overlook of the broadening river valley.  The meadow looked almost like a golf course.  

It was only a half day walk to the next camp, on a broad open plain, another new landscape.  From camp we could look back to the mountains and river valley we were leaving behind.  

The next day was our first day of canoeing and a change in support crews and equipment.  Our horsemen together with their horses and camels headed back up river, but not before an appreciation ceremony where they were presented with a ceremonial scarf, some small gifts, and most importantly their cash tips.  

In their place we had Russian-made 4WD vans, as most of the rest of the trip was accessible to them.  They also delivered our canoes!  So we took to the river to practice more canoeing skills.  

They also delivered a live sheep for our cooks to prepare.  The Mongolian method of butchering was demonstrated.  The important and unique feature was that the Mongolians consider it disrespectful to the animal to spill its blood on the ground.   So rather than slitting its throat as would be customary most places, they put the animal on its back cut a hole in its abdomen and reach up in the chest cavity to snap its aorta.  The animal bleeds out pretty quickly, but all the blood is retained in the chest cavity and later used to make blood sausage.  

That night for dinner we were served mutton several ways including the blood sausage, and boiled head stuffed with odd bits.  There was a lot of holding up an odd piece of mutton on a fork and saying, “what do you think this is?”  (Sorry for the fuzzy photo) 

[dknuth]

Trekking in Western Mongolia - 3

Day 7

Today rather than walk over the low pass just behind camp we rode horses around Shiveet Uul Mountain, a mountain sacred to the nomads in the area.  I’m not a fan of horse riding, so I’d been dreading today.  

There were good reasons for the longer trip; there are some graves with carved stones and another set of petroglyphs along the long route.  

First we visited a local family in their ger, had the required milk tea, and presented gifts.  

Jeff brought some frisbees and showed the boys how they work.  They were a hit and the kids quickly became expert.  

The patriarch showed us the flute he made.  It’s very interesting construction.  He split a piece of wood and carved out the center, then put it back together wound with string.  Then he took a sheep intestine and used it as a sleeve and shrunk and dried it on.  

When he played it the sound was a dual note much like the Tuuvan throat singers.

We noticed that many of the gers are fitted with a solar panel, a battery and a couple of small lights.  This family also has a TV, a small chest freezer and a gas burner as well as a motorcycle and a jeep!  They are also supplying the horses we will be riding and the men to manage them.  

We mounted up and headed off downstream along the north side of Shiveet Uul.  There were trees!  Trees tend to grow on the north side of mountains here as the soil is not as dry there, so there is enough moisture for trees.  

The first graves had just natural stones, but had an additional line of stones heading in a line towards sunrise from the grave.  

The second set had the carved stones.  Each one was a bearded man holding a cup and wearing a belt with a knife.  We learned that most of these have lost their heads, but the ones here are still intact.

As we got to the east of the mountain the valley opened up very wide.

At a stone outcropping at the east end of the mountain was a mass of petroglyphs on a flat rock face.  I noticed that here the petroglyphs tend to be on a sloping surface, closer to flat than vertical.  In the Southwest US they are usually on vertical faces.  Is this just a function of the available surfaces, or does it imply a difference audience?

There were some new ones of interest: snow leopards, a mounted man wielding an axe?, and two horse carts.  

We made the corner and headed upstream along the south side of Shiveet Uul, meeting up with a herd of yaks, going the same direction.  

By the time I got to camp we had been riding most of the day and I was sore!  I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get off the horse, but I did with some help.

After we were off the horses, the men took them back home at a gallop.  They were going to quickly cover what had taken us all day (although they were taking the pass over the mountain rather than going around.)

Day 8

A walking day today, and I was so glad.  I think I may have had my last horse ride ever, if I have anything to say about it.  

Today we crossed Takhilt pass at 10,826 feet with over 2,000 feet of climb and then descent.  Portions of the pass are quite steep and about 20 years ago were covered by a glacier, so the route is a fairly new one.  

We had the ability to send some items ahead by vehicle and we were advised to “think of the camels” and lighten our loads by doing so, so we reorganized our bags, not for the last time.

Our first stop was at the ger of a local family.  We had a pleasant visit and then they got out a huge array of handicrafts to sell.  They had nice work and so we bought quite a bit.  

While we were outside examining the goods, we heard music from inside the ger.   The matriarch of the family was playing her horse head fiddle.  

Then she put on special ceremonial clothes and did a blessing ceremony for us with the smoke of juniper.  

Then it was time to head off toward the pass.  While we were visiting, the crew struck camp and loaded the camels, so they were ahead of us from the start.  As we headed up the slope we could see our camels on the crest of the hill high above.  

When we reached the crest there was a tall cairn with a cow’s skull on top.  But this was not the top of the pass.  

We walked through an alpine valley to a steep cirque at the end.  (Our camel train is just visible on the trail going up the slope from right to left.)

The trail wound its way up the cirque on a steep slope of sharp scree.  It was almost a moon-like terrain, all blackish broken rock, with a rare small flower between the dark rocks.  

By the time we reached the top our camels were long gone ahead.

In comparison to the well-shaped cairns we had seen on the tops of previous hills, this one was a loose pile of rocks.  But it was the top of the pass and a good place to eat our lunch.  But strangely I have found that I have little interest in eating when hiking, although I do get thirsty.  So I had stopped the cooks from providing a lunch for me.  A small bit of trail mix was more than enough.

The trail continued across a high plain and then went steeply down into a narrow ravine leading to the valley where our camp was already set up alongside the stream.  

That night Roy asked how the crew saddles the camels to carry the loads considering the humps.  We had been watching them do this for several days, at least some of us had.  Tim seemed taken aback by the question at this point, but gamely attempted to explain.  “Well they put on a cover, kind of like a bra….”  At this point someone piped up with, “What about the sagging humps?” and the discussion came to an end.  For me it was clearly the most memorable exchange of the trip.