This one is for my brother…
ThePoles.com jumps out of it’s normal purview today to bring us an adventure of a completely different sort. This one has nothing to do with the extreme cold and desolation of the North or South Poles, but is still an epic adventure none the less.
The focus of the story is Tim Cope, a 28 year old man from Australia, who has spent the better part of the last three years, riding horseback from the Mongolian mountains, across the vast steppes of central Asia, and into Eastern Europe. His journey has covered over 10,000km, and now TIm is within 15 days of completing his expedition, following in the footsteps of the Mongol King Genghis Khan.
Accompanying TIm on his journey has been his faithful dog, Tigon, and several sturdy horses who have seen him from Mongolia’s Altai Mountains, onto the plains of Kazakhstan, followed by the alpine meadows of Tien Shan. They skirted the edges of the Kyzylkum desert to the dying Aral Sea, crossing into Russia, and continuing onto the Ukraine, following the coastline of the Black Sea. Now, he is approaching Hungary, where he will finish his journey in Opusztaszer, where a national monument has been erected to honor the founding of Hungary by the Magyars tribes, a nomadic people from the steppes themselves.
As his adventure nears and end, Tim is already thinking about his next expedition. Before this epic journey, he had already biked across much of Russia and Mongolia and rowed a wooden boat from Siberia into the Arctic Ocean. While he is looking forward to going home, and spending time with his family and friends, he says that the “horizon always beckons”, so he isn’t quite through with his nomadic lifestyle just yet.
Now this is the spirit of true adventure. Setting out, on your own, by horseback, across a vast land, with nothing but the supplies you can carry and your own wits and ingenuity to see you through. Of course, you have to bring your dog too. No epic journey is complete without your dog. What an amazing adventure!
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Excellent adventure in deed. What more does a person need other than a good comfortable saddle, loyal dog, and sturdy horse. Thinking I need to saddle up!
The Saddle tramp from Minnesota
I knew this one would catch your eye. 🙂 Imagine riding across the vast expanse of Central Asia with just your horses and your dog. Sounds like quite the adventure!