Altai (Classic Print)

Bayan-Ölgii Province, Mongolia: The Altai Region that spans Western Mongolia, China, and Russia, is considered to be the cradle of nomadic steppe civilization, and has witnessed the movements and migrations of humans for over twelve millenia. The terrain here is the most difficult I have ever encountered. There are barely any roads here. For more than ten hours, I ride inside a spare Soviet military van across unmarked paths that are less roads than terse game trails fanning out into the endless horizon. Everywhere you look, the landscape is littered with ominous stone men– balbal: "grandfathers" or "ancestors" in Turkic, weathered testaments to forgotten heroes and deeds, and battles won and lost.  To reach this vista, which is actually the base camp of Altai Tavan Bogd, requires a full day’s hike navigating boulder fields stretching out as far as the eye can see. By late-afternoon I reach base camp, nestled in the shadow of these towering mountains. Climbing up to a high point, I wat