Walking Home From Mongolia: A Month In!

Way back in August, I told you about the Walking Home From Mongolia expedition, which would put adventurers Rob Lilwall and Leon McCarron on a 5000km (3106 mile) journey from Mongolia to Hong Kong, in the dead of winter no less. The plan was to travel both on foot and by kayak, and the entire trip was expected to take roughly six months. The boys hit the trail exactly one month ago today, and have been making excellent progress since.

Their journey began in the village of Sainshand back on November 14th, when Rob and Leon started their march into the Gobi Desert. Ahead of them was more than 200km (124 miles) of one of the harshest environments on the planet, and when the began, over night temperatures were hovering around the -18ºC/0ºF range. The plan was to hike across the Gobi, then cross the Chinese border at a city named Datong. From there, they would follow a stretch of the Great Wall for another 200km, continuing their slow, methodical walk south. On November 24th, the duo crossed the border after just 12 days of hiking. It turned out that the actual distance was closer to 250km (155 miles), but they managed to cover it at a good pace none the less. Temperatures got even colder however, reaching -30ºC/-22ºF at times, and knocking their comm units out of commission until things warmed up a bit.

Two days ago, Rob and Leon reached the town of Chahar Youyi Houqi, where they report that they are now entering a more heavily populated area of China, and they are encountering settlements with more regularity. Leon notes that many of them are ghost towns, so their interaction with the people there remains scarce. Still, they are seeing a definite change in the landscapes and are their brushes with modern life.

The weather, as you would expect at this time of year, remains quite cold and there is plenty of snow falling around them. Keep in mind however, that winter doesn't officially begin until next week, which means there are some very long and cold months ahead before they reach Hong Kong. If they are dealing with snow and sub-zero temperatures already, it is probably only going to get worse moving forward.

Follow Rob and Leon's adventure on their website and Facebook page for further updates and images from the field.

Video: The Spirit of the Mongol Rally

As 2011 winds to its inevitable close, it is time to start thinking ahead to our 2012 adventures. One of the events that has become an annual staple on the adventure calendar these past few years is the Mongol Rally, a 10,000 mile road race from London (and other cities) to Ulaan Baatar, the capitol of Mongolia. Next year's edition of the Rally will get underway on July 14th, but the organizers of the event have released a fantastic new video that is guaranteed to whet your appetite and get you planning for your own road trip to Mongolia. The video also serves as a great introduction to what the Rally is all about for those who have never heard of it before.

Return of the Yak: A Mongol Rally Documentary

I've written about the Mongol Rally numerous times on this blog. It's the annual road rally that begins in London, and various other European cities, and covers 10,000+ miles, before ending in Ulaanbaatar, the capitol of Mongolia. Along the way, the teams cross vast deserts, snowcapped mountain ranges, and miles of lonely road.

One of the teams involved in the 2011 edition of the race blogged their experience at ReturnOfTheYak.com, and is now in the process of making a documentary of their travels. You'll find a trailer for the video below, which makes the Mongol Rally look like it is an amazing road trip adventure with a healthy dose of partying mixed in.

Warning: depending on where you are when you watch this, you may want to turn down the volume. The soundtrack could be a bit NSFW.

CheapTents Interview: Adventurer Leon McCarron

The gang over at CheapTents.com have posted another one of their excellent interviews today, this time with adventurer Leon McCarron. If that name sounds familiar to you, it may be because he is one of the two men who are planning to walk from Mongolia to Hong Kong, a journey of 3500km (2175 miles) that will commence in November.

In the interview Leon discusses a previous cycling adventure, during which he rode more than 22,500km (14,000 miles) from New York to Hong Kong, passing through a number of countries along the way. He also gives insights into the inspirations for going on these adventurers, and his favorite pieces of gear as well. Perhaps most of interest however, is his thoughts on the upcoming Mongolia to Hong Kong expedition, how he is preparing for it, and what he expects that trek to be like. As someone who has cycled more than hiked (and paddled) he thinks it could be a real struggle at first.

Leon also happens to be a filmmaker, and he has used that skill on his previous cycling journeys, so I would expect we'll see some interesting videos from Mongolia and China once he and his traveling companion, Rob Lilwall, hit the road in a few months.

Adventurers Plan To Walk From Mongolia To Hong Kong

Two adventurers are preparing for an epic expedition that will have them traveling on foot and by kayak from Ulaanbaator, Mongolia to Hong Kong, China. The journey will cover more than 3500km, and because it wasn't challenging enough on its own, they've decided to do it during the winter.

In November of this year, Rob Lilwall and Leon McCarron will set out on a self supported expedition that begins in Outer Mongolia and travels south through the Gobi Desert. From there, they'll cross into China and follow the Great Wall to the Yellow River. Once they arrive at the river, they'll use inflatable kayaks, which they'll carry in their backpacks, to paddle to the city of Xi An, a city whose history dates back more than 3100 years. From there, they'll get back on land and finish their expedition with a trek through the mountains of central China, before ultimately reaching the finish line in Hong Kong. If all goes as planned, that should happen sometime in March of 2012.

The journey will be chronicled and eventually turned into a television series for National Geographic, but will also serve as a vehicle to raise funds for the Viva organization, a non-profit charity that works to provide educational opportunities for underprivileged children across the globe.

No strangers to adventure, Brit Rob Lilwall once rode more than 48,000 kilometers on his bike, starting in Siberia and ending in London. Along the way he visited Tibet, Afghanistan, and a number of other out of the way places. Irishman Leon McCarron is a documentary cameraman who has worked on five continents and has put in a fair share of time on the bike as well. McCarron recently rode more than 23,000km from New York to Hong Kong while shooting footage of the people he met along the way.

Be sure to drop by their website at WalkingHomeFromMongolia.com for more information on their expedition and to follow along when they get started in a few months time. Good luck boys!

The 2011 Mongol Rally Has Started!

One of my favorite annual events, the Mongol Rally, has gotten underway this week, with 311 teams setting out on the ultimate road trip adventure. They'll now drive more than 10,000 miles across Europe and Asia, in vehicles more suited for commuting around town, before hitting the finish line in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Of the 311 teams, 224 started on Saturday in the U.K., while another 87 set off from the Czech Republic. They'll now tackle grueling deserts, snow capped mountains, and roads that can barely described as roads as they race for days on end to reach the Mongolian capitol. Along the way, they'll have all kinds of adventures, explore a dozen unique cultures, and have the time of their life doing it.

The race is quite an event in and of itself, but it is also a great fundraiser for charity as well. This year's charity of choice is the Christina Noble Children's Foundation, which is based in Mongolia. The CNCF is an organization dedicated to helping improve the lives of underprivileged children living in developing countries, and each of the teams in the Mongol Rally has pledged to raise at least £1000 (about $1640) for the foundation. The goal is to raise more than £400,000 total before the end of the race.

As is typical with this rally, there are a number of unique entrants into the race this year. The press release that I received said that there is a group of racers dressed as Stormtroopers from Star Wars who are driving an ambulance. (I'm already rooting for these guys!) There is also a team of Vikings, a group driving an old fire engine, and even a school bus from the U.S. As you can imagine, it makes for quite the wacky scene, and you can check out some of the images from the start of the race by clicking here.

So? Who's up for a major road trip from the U.K. to Mongolia next year?

National Geographic Announces Adventure Travel Initiative

National Geographic is jumping into the adventure travel arena in a big way and has announced 11 great itineraries for 2011. These new travel opportunities will fall under their National Geographic Expeditions umbrella, but will have their own Nat Geo Adventures brand.

Amongst the destinations for these inaugural trips are Nepal, Chile, Bhutan, Mongolia, and more. The trips are capped at just 16 travelers, which helps to keep it a more intimate affair, and accommodations will range from deluxe camping to cozy mountain inns and lodges depending on the location. The itineraries are also graded on their level of challenge, ranging from easy, moderate, and strenuous, all the way up to "Ultimate Challenge."

In putting these trips together, Nat Geo partnered with Mountain Travel Sobek, one of the top adventure travel companies in the world. Experts from both organizations worked diligently to craft a travel experience that is very different from what is offered elsewhere and that means good things for the adventurous traveler who is looking for something unique.

One of the more interesting options is a 14 day trip through Mongolia on horseback. Travelers will stay in traditional villages while exploring the countryside just like the nomadic Mongol tribes of the past. They'll also have the opportunity to spend some time with National Geographic hosts, anthropologist Carroll Dunham, and her husband, photographer Thomas Kelly, which is just a hint at how the Nat Geo Adventures will vary from other similar trips.

Personally, I think the move into adventure travel by National Geographic is long over due. These trips all look fantastic, and the Nat Geo trademark style is all over them.

For a full list of the tours, click here.