tracksterman

And that’s about it for now. I’ll be away again by...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 08:00:10 +0100

And that’s about it for now. I’ll be away again by the time you see this, off on the next leg.

Last week I’d intended a quick dash across grasslands, setting me up for the massively glaciated Xuelian range that runs along the Kyrgyz border (very off limits without guides and expensive permits, but I’m hoping to find a back door in; see Mick Fowler’s blog).

However,after weeks of largely unspoiled mountain terrain, I’d been shocked by what appears to be a developing environmental catastrophe on the high grasslands - and yes, I will be writing about that in future. Meantime, I had no interest in drinking any of the water I could see. After a 45km day trying to get through it quickly, mincing my feet in the process, I hobbled to the road and hopped a bus to the local capital, Yining. Rattling along knackered tarmac at 2500m, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the Erbeng Shan, the offshoot chain of 4000+m peaks running along the southern horizon.

So that’s where I’m going. Shoes repaired, scabs peeled off my feet, sixteen days’ food in the pack. It’s a two day journey back to the kilometre post where I flagged down the bus, then two more days across the grass into the high valleys. Reboot.

Guardian article: this guy clearly has an agenda, but some of the pictures resemble what I saw on the XJ grasslands, specifically water polluted by shocking quantities of litter and refuse.

(The video track is Motherlode, by The Staves).

Video

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 08:00:06 +0100

I was supposed to be on a bus right now, chugging up the Yili Valley and over a high pass, taking me...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 05:44:32 +0100

I was supposed to be on a bus right now, chugging up the Yili Valley and over a high pass, taking me...

I saw the yaks first, black specks on rough pasture, and knew I’d soon be meeting the first...

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 08:00:00 +0100

I saw the yaks first, black specks on rough pasture, and knew I’d soon be meeting the first...

Video

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 08:00:10 +0100

The rain quickly turned into a prolonged blizzard, but firing up...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 08:05:27 +0100

The rain quickly turned into a prolonged blizzard, but firing up the stove meant I had my first warm evening for a week.

Video

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 08:00:08 +0100

Tracksterman approved! The problem is, it just tastes too...

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 08:00:19 +0100

Tracksterman approved! The problem is, it just tastes too good….the beef jerky was the only menu item I broke ration discipline on and finished too early. As well as eating it for lunch, I also shredded it and added it to some evening meals. The food I carried kept me going fine; I’ve lost six kilogrammes over the last three weeks, but feel better for it.

It’s not all barren rock, ice and snow. After the fourth...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 08:00:12 +0100

It’s not all barren rock, ice and snow. After the fourth pass, I dropped back below the treeline into a deep gorge; idyllic camping spots, deep green swimming pools, and no people. I suspect I’ve stumbled onto an old Silk Road-era trading route through the mountains, because the track was very well crafted in places, carved into bluffs and crags above the river.

I’ve mentioned Trail mag’s optimism over the...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:08:31 +0100

I’ve mentioned Trail mag’s optimism over the longevity of Merrell shoes before. These are mine after three weeks’ use. They’ve now come back from the usual guy; if his previous repairs to shoddy Inov8 junk are anything to go by, the new glue and stitching will last longer than the stuff they left the factory with.

What a difference a day makes….it was wash day, me and my...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 08:00:17 +0100

What a difference a day makes….it was wash day, me and my clothes, but by evening a storm had rolled through, and next morning even the local yak population was taking cover down by the river. I took the hint and stayed in the tent until midday.

I crossed my third pass (c.3750m) at midday, wading through...

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 08:00:00 +0100

I crossed my third pass (c.3750m) at midday, wading through thigh deep snow in places. The gradient wasn’t high but, every so often, whole sections of snow field settled with a disconcerting ‘whump’ noise when I stood on them. I avoided the next pass I’d intended crossing by a long detour, adding at least a day to the trip in the process…

Video

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 08:00:09 +0100

Taking a week off to arrange things for the second leg....

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 05:04:25 +0100

Taking a week off to arrange things for the second leg. I’ll be busy organising food, etc, but I’ve scheduled a few posts, one each morning, to give a flavour of the trip so far. This shot was taken of my camp at 3500m, below the second pass. There’s been a lot more snow, and much colder temperatures, than I anticipated - glad I changed out that tent…

Future tense

Sun, 19 May 2013 08:00:03 +0100

You can schedule blog posts for future publication on Tumblr. By the time you read this I’ll...

The young Mongol herdsman came cantering in on his pony at 8pm...

Wed, 15 May 2013 03:07:00 +0100

The young Mongol herdsman came cantering in on his pony at 8pm to check me out. Basheng told me I was the first foreigner they’d seen in this area, and he was interested in my kit. Not unusual; I’ve been offered quite large sums of money for stoves in the past. He was concerned I was going to be too cold, and was inviting me to stay the night with him and his parents, in the homestead I’d passed earlier further down the valley. Tugging the flysheet hem of the Moment, he pursed his lips; “Too high, not low enough…” And he’s right!

I actually do like the Moment. It handles wind surprisingly well when nailed down as in the top picture. I’d reinforced weak peg points at each end by weighing down my axe and pole with rocks, and the new MSR cordlocks I picked up in HK do a good job of tensioning the side guys. The extra peg point I had added to the door panel stops it swinging in and dumping water/snow into the inner tent when you zip it open.

However, when allied with a marginal sleeping bag, it’s just too cold in the conditions I’m experiencing here. The little red Tiger Moth (pictured last year) is not perfect, but the flysheet comes down lower, and the two-skin design means it’s warmer. Two entrances, more internal space, fewer issues with condensation raining down on me. Weight penalty? About 800g.

No, I didn’t come back because I’d run out of toilet...

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:24:00 +0100

No, I didn’t come back because I’d run out of toilet paper - it’s because I’ve hardly slept for the last four nights! I need to carry more weight, either in the tent and/or the sleeping bag. Given that a new sleeping bag will cost me money, it’s got to be the tent, so I’m changing out the Moment for the little Luxe Tiger Moth. The problem is that the Moment is only a single-skin shelter, with a high-cut flysheet hem. It’s not a bad tent, but it is what it is, and it’s not suited to exposed sub-zero conditions when the wind gets up and it starts snowing…

Nah, I haven’t bailed yet. There are just three roads...

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:17:00 +0100

Nah, I haven’t bailed yet. There are just three roads crossing the Tian Shan, and I hit the first of them, G216, early this morning. I decided to take the opportunity to nip back to Urumqi to sort out a kit issue. I crossed this 3630m pass yesterday, having passed through an ethnic Mongol enclave (hence the Buddhist prayer flags; the Islamic Kazakh don’t go in for them). Interesting, varied terrain, climbing up out of scorching stony desert onto freezing (and I do mean freezing) high grasslands. So why the return to the city?

Standing on the shoulders of giants

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:11:46 +0100

Standing on the shoulders of giants: I’m in the desert oasis town of Turpan, awaiting an...

I am just going outside now

Wed, 08 May 2013 02:24:15 +0100

Right, that’s me away for a bit. This is not an expedition. I’m uncomfortable with that...