Who says it can’t be you?
Tavan Bogd National Park - Altai Mountains Photo: Morgan Gillham
The snowcapped peaks you see in the distance in the photo above are the Tavan Bogd (5 Sacred Peaks) of the Mongolian Altai Mountains: Khuiten (Mongolia’s tallest), Ulgii, Burged, Nairamdal (Friendship), and Malchin Peaks. Among them the Potanin Glacier (Mongolia’s biggest).
It’s a view we see on day 6 of our 9-day walk through the Tavan Bogd National Park.
It’s a view that never fails to make my eyes tear up.
Let me explain.
In 2015, before Edgewalkers, I’d backpacked through Mongolia, spending time in Bayan-Ulgii, the most western province.
I hiked as bit through the Tavan Bogd National Park. I loved it.
In 2017 I decided I would add it to our itineraries & returned to Mongolia to scope the route we currently walk.
I convinced a friend, Morgan, to come along with me, assuring him that I ‘knew’ I could do it.
And, yeah, I was pretty sure I could do it.
I’d walked solo in France, Nepal, southwest WA.
I had a vision of myself as an intrepid adventurer - brave, resourceful, full of endurance and grit. I wanted to be a person who could find her way anywhere, even across 120 km of unmarked mountain territory in remote Central Asia.
So off we went.
We had clear ‘enough’ oral directions from local guides, a couple of maps, a compass, and enough food for 7 days or so.
I knew the first 3 days would be pretty easy. We had to follow the length of the lake until we got to the start of a gorge and then deeper into the mountain.
See the map below
Note: the map is to give a general idea of the route and location - names of towns and landmarks are not accurately placed - they’re just to give an idea.
But then:
many of the paths created by nomads walking their animals to pasture disappear into boggy ground and rocky fields. There are no markers at all, and so we sometimes went a half hour or more, before we could tell we were on an actual track again.
one of the mountain passes (the highest on this route 3100 m) had us walking over loose slate, slushy snow, and arriving at several dead end impossible steep drops overlooking small glaciers, forcing us to reroute and try again.
two fast-moving, icy cold streams (one bum-high) were challenging & frightening to cross (we cross these on horses now!).
The truth is that after the third day, I was never, ever sure that we were on the right track.
My friend definitely had his doubts. We argued about it.
He doubted me.
And worse, I doubted myself on and off the whole way.
It was only in the middle of day 6 when we came around the last bend and the magnificent peaks appeared, reaching for the blue vault of the sky with their glistening white caps, that I knew.
And he knew.
We both gasped.
Now every year on our adventure, when we come around that last bend on day 6, I’m reminded of the joy and relief I felt at finding our way and scouting this route.
I‘m reminded that if I think I can, I can.
That it’s ok to have doubts. And it as not just for me. A few dozen women have also walked up to this spot and been blown away by the awe-inspiring view and by their own sense of accomplishment and capability.
Morgan is a fabulous photographer. The photo above is one of my favourite photos from our walk in the Tavan Bogd National Park. It reminds me I am that person.
Who says it can’t be you?
Having our breath taken away by the mighty and immense beauty of the Tavan Bogd 5 Sacred Peaks.