Some years ago I heard about a lake called Lake Baikal in Siberia that froze during the very cold Siberian winter to a depth of around 1.8 metres. A few people had walked/cycled on Lake Baikal and it looked like a great adventure so I started to plan a visit. Then Covid happened, followed by Putin and Ukraine. For an Australian to venture into Russia in the current political climate seemed less than wise so I thought the adventure was prematurely finished.
Then, a few months ago I heard about Lake Baikal’s “little sister”, Lake Khövsgöl in northern Mongolia. Only 200kms from Baikal, Lake Khövsgöl exhibits the same characteristics in winter, freezing to a depth of approximately 1.8 metres in the savagely cold Mongolian winter with temperatures of below -30°C. This lake is smaller than Lake Baikal which is some 700kms long but it is still 137kms long and has a surface area of 2,620 sq kms (that suddenly sounds awfully big!!). The two lakes combined hold more than 20% of the world’s fresh surface water (NASA).
It is midwinter now in Mongolia and in 10 days time I board a plane heading north to the land that gave birth to that remarkable leader of the Mongols, Genghis Khan.
Landing in the world’s coldest capital, Ulaanbaatar, is going to be a shock to the system coming straight from an Australian summer!
After a couple of days sightseeing in Ulaanbaatar I will board a bus for the 780km 12-13 hour journey to Mürün in northern Mongolia. From Mürün a further drive north of 100kms by private car will bring me to the small settlement of Khatgal at the southern end of Lake Khövsgöl.
I have 3 days at Khatgal while I wait to meet up with a dog sled guide that will be returning from a 7 day tour on the lake to get some information from him as well as receive a (human) sled that I will use to haul my gear.
I will also be able to meet a university professor that every year journeys to Lake Baikal and Lake Khövsgöl to study the phenomena of ice rings. These are rings in the ice several kilometres in diameter that form in these 2 lakes. They are thought to be created by water currents under the ice initiated by summer winds and currents created by inflowing rivers. The currents erode the ice creating dangerously thin areas that it is wise to avoid.
Once I have my pulka (sled) packed I should be walking on the lake by the 8th March.
A venture like this requires gear you can trust implicitly and I will have a suitable amount of Mont equipment with me, including High Altitude pants, Icicle jacket, Supercell EX tent with double poles, Odyssey jacket and Latitude pants, Mont thermals, Spindrift 1000 sleeping bag, Micro Bushshirt, Powerstretch Pro pants, polar fleece balaclavas and Backcountry pack.
When I am walking in Mongolia the tent will be rolled up and strapped on top of the sled. I did a test to see how long it took to erect the tent. The poles are already in the sleeves with tape to remind me where to separate the poles. One end of the poles also have cable ties on them so they are captive. I got it down to 2:53 for a basic setup.
Now all I have to do is enjoy the trip. More reports to come.
Geoff Murray
Mont Ambassador
I travelled around Lake Khövsgöl by horseback in 1999. My gear list included: Blackdiamond tent, Coleman sleeping bag, Doc Marten boots, Kmart fleece, dollar poncho, two dollar fishing rod (purchased in Beijing). and one packet of digestive biscuits. I survived for several weeks, catching trout each day, and had the best adventure of my life. Of course I was too cold to sleep and the horses bolted at first sight of the poncho but somehow I survived.
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Linda Seaniger
March 26, 2024
I wish you well in your exciting adventures.
I look forward to reading your blog after the journey.