“This trip is proving to be much trickier than my earlier one to the South Pole….Water, or rather the lack of it, is going to be the most critical factor.”
In our ever-shrinking world, it’s getting harder to find new challenges, but veteran explorer Newall Hunter has managed it. With temperatures dropping to -40°C and winds that can reach up to 85 km/hour, the Gobi Desert is an inhospitable place in winter. And, being a desert, water is scarce. Hunter will attempt to become the first person to make a solo unsupported crossing of the Gobi Desert in winter.
The journey is expected to be about 1,600 km and take 2-3 months.
Having achieved the full Adventurers’ Grand Slam by climbing the highest peaks on each of the seven continents and reaching both the North and South Poles, Newall is no stranger to discomfort or adversity. But he fully acknowledges the difficulty facing him: “This trip is proving to be much trickier than my earlier one to the South Pole. That one was much easier to plan. Water, or rather the lack of it, is going to be the most critical factor. If I can find it then it will probably be frozen. That is why I have been working with a lecturer at the Ulaanbaatar University in Mongolia and local Bedouins to research the best route for me and negotiate access to water, which is often owned by the tribes.”
To establish the feasibility of the trip, Newall spent most of September cycling across the desert to identify the best route and to locate sources of water.
“If it hadn’t been possible on a bike,” he said “then I certainly wouldn’t be able to walk it pulling a cart with my supplies on it. I have now decided that it can be done.”
Newall will leave the UK on November 5 and plans to upload pictures and video footage to his blog at via satellite communications.
