It's been about a month since we checked in with Ripley Davenport and his Mongolia 2010 Expedition. At that time, he was just returning to Mongolia to resume his 1700 mile trek across that country that would see him traveling the entire length, east to west, while going solo and completely unassisted. To accomplish that feat, the former British Army officer is pulling all of his gear and supplies behind him in a cart, which had to be redesigned to handle the rigors of the trail following a major malfunction back in April.
Since he's resumed his mission however, Ripley has been progressing quite well. As of yesterday, he had completed 536 miles of the journey and is now well into the Gobi Desert, one of the harshest environments on the planet. It is warm, dry, and incredibly remote, with little to break up the monotony. The ground is sandy and difficult to hike through, let along drag a cart that is loaded with nearly 400 pounds of gear and supplies as well.
Still, reading Ripley's updates, he remains incredibly up beat despite spending more than a month in field, dealing with warm temperatures, and having feelings of isolation from his friends and family. He reports that the Gobi is a place of beauty and wonder, and is filled with life, notting that there are a variety of lizards practically everywhere that he goes. Ahead of him is another 1200 miles of trekking, and probably two more months of toil, but he is relishing in the challenge thus far.
If you haven't been following Ripley's adventure so far, I urge to check it out. He makes some interesting observations and offers unique insights into what it is like to be on a long distance expedition where you are self supported and completely alone. It makes for some really interesting reading, even as we know that he is working hard and suffering mightily out there in the wilderness.
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