The road has no outlet. There is no bridge, and no ferry. The map is wrong, again. We are crushed, again. We followed the main road towards Ust-Kamenogorsk as our map had it, along the shores of the great reservoir of Bukhatarmskoye. But twenty-five kilometers… Read More
“Can you see the bridge?” Brian shouts down to me. A moment of confusion and elation pass between us. I am on the cobble marge of the Kara Koba, washing dishes from dinner with water from the stream. It is achingly cold, running fast over… Read More
We make certain assumptions when looking at a map. It is a designed object, the recipient of refinement, and bears a certain authority in its geometry. But despite the weight of accumulated knowledge they exhibit, maps are not infallible. The person who designed our map… Read More
“Da, yes. Kurgan.” The shepherd pointed behind him without looking. He hunched low over his horse, hands pressed between stomach and saddle horn. He wore a knit ski mask, black leather overcoat, and dark corduroys with patches of thick quilting showing at the knees. He… Read More
To reach the valley of the Tsagaan Gol takes six hours on rough dirt tracks. From where the road ends, it is another twenty kilometers by foot, or, in this season, by ski. Where the jeep stops, a Tuvan family takes us in and fills… Read More
“That appears to be an unsolvable problem,” I said. I had just walked down the hill from a collapsing outhouse to hear Brian’s conclusions on the absence for our fuel bottle. Our meager possessions are laid out on the rim of a crumbling concrete foundation,… Read More
The pass is low by most standards, but it behaves in our minds like one much higher. An alpine feel pervades with rimed larches and persistent flurries, and a road slick with last night’s storm. The sky considers sunshine, but for now a wet cold… Read More
When I first started running my own expeditions, sourcing maps was one of the most intimidating details for me. If you want to hike in the White Mountains or paddle in Maine, you can probably get by with an atlas and gazetteer, or a swing… Read More
This project involves a special challenge: we must thoughtfully combine the equipment necessary for cycling, camping, and skiing, and somehow include and protect a robust photo and video set up. Then, this constellation of small necessaries all needs to fit on a touring bike and… Read More
This may be the most beautiful piece of science education we’ve ever seen. In an age where quality moving imagery is almost assumed, and our media consciousness is saturated with landscape depicted in high-resolution, it is difficult to leave a viewer moved, let alone captivated… Read More
Circling the Golden Mountains 