|
I've been so busy traversing the American southwest that I'm less than half way through this book. The descriptions are so lovely to me that I've spent as much time searching out online photos of Mongolian steppes as reading. The landscapes described by the author probably wouldn't have appealed to me, either, until working for 8 years in Death Valley National Park. Slowly one starts to see and love subtle beauty, and the serenity of vast expanses seeps into your soul until nowhere is more beautiful. I was back in Death Valley most of last week and felt again that sense of deep peace that only comes when I am alone in some vast wilderness that feels somehow sacred.
I believe I could happily set off across Mongolia for weeks or months. However, I am an absolute realist after a lifetime of back country adventuring, so I realize that actually surviving it would be quite a feat for me. My admiration for Tim Cope is boundless.
|