I stayed at the guesthouse for 3 days then set off on the lake again.
Once again conditions were cool, around -14°C but once I started walking I was quite comfortable. It’s remarkable how little clothing suffices even in such low temperatures. As mentioned before, I wore light liner socks inside waterproof plastic bags with warm outer socks outside the bags. My boots were Lowa Tibet, a standard but very high quality bushwalking boot. Because the boots were kept dry they didn’t freeze at night. I didn’t suffer from cold feet at all. Mont polartec thermal long johns, Mont Bimberi trousers and Mont Latitude overpants completed the lower clothing. On top I wore a Mont long sleeve polartec thermal, a Mont Powerstretch Pro Slinx top and my faithful Mont Odyssey jacket. When it was really cold or when I was just beginning the day I would add my Mont Zero Ultralight down jacket under the Odyssey but that was rarely needed. For head covering I wore a Fjallraven insulated “heater hat” which had a fur lined rim and performed really well. Montane lightweight Primaloft mittens and Julbo Aerospace OTG goggles completed the clothing. So, very little specialist equipment was necessary for the ambient temperatures.
In camp was a different story. I had a pair of High Altitude down pants and a superb down and Primaloft Icicle jacket to keep me warm and they were sinfully luxurious. During the whole time I was in Mongolia, my body was never cold and I didn’t shiver at all.
The fingers were the only part of me that suffered. Removing the mittens for a few minutes meant hand and arm slapping for 10-15 minutes to get them warm again once the mittens were back on. That was a constant battle :)
I walked north to an area with beautiful clear ice and set my tent up on the ice. The sounds the ice makes are interesting. There is a constant clicking and gurgling and when i woke up in the morning it sounded like constant rifle fire all around me as the ice expanded with the warming (that’s relative :) ) day.
I had brought a 2mm sheet of foam with me to cover the complete tent floor to take the edge off the coldness of the ice. I had my usual Exped Winterlite sleeping mat and between the Exped and the foam was a Thermarest Z mat (mostly as insurance in case the Exped failed)
I know that some people find the ice sounds unnerving but it didn’t seem to bother me.
I had just finished breakfast when a couple rode up to the tent on a small capacity motorcycle with sidecar. They didn’t speak English but were friendly and curious to see the “crazy foreigner”. Riding the bike at -20°C must have been bitterly cold.
I walked across the lake to the western shore then worked my way down the coast until I found a nice camping area on some grassy flats.
The previous canine company had left me the previous evening but as I neared the western shore another dog ran down to walk with me. This one was a beautifully affectionate girl who I named Blondie.
I set the tent up and got a fire going (something completely foreign to a Tasmanian bushwalker) and cooked my dinner.
I slipped into my sleeping bag and was just beginning to doze off when I heard a rustling sound as Blondie pushed her way under the edge of the tent and into the vestibule and I felt her body leaning against my head through the tent door. That was nice :)
The next morning was cloudy and breezy and very cold so it was full clothing plus face mask for the walk back to Khatgal. Blondie walked with me for the whole distance until I was picked up by my driver on the lake at Khatgal.
A couple of days later I boarded a plane at a town 100kms south and flew back to Ulaanbaatar. I explored UB some more, visiting a number of museums (absolutely superb) and attending a concert by an ensemble that performed traditional Mongolian music. A stunning performance that was the perfect ending to an excellent adventure.
I have been privileged to have experienced a number of “once in a lifetime” trips but this one was clearly the best yet. The culture, the history, the people and above all, the outrageous, surreal landscape made for an enthralling overall experience that I will never forget.
Geoff Murray
Mont Ambassador
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