The Andes, the Altiplano & the Atacama expedition. By Kate Leeming
July 13, 2020
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I had climbed El Cap before, but this adventure held a special significance, as I was sharing it with my brother, Joe. The bond between us, forged through countless shared experiences, made this journey all the more meaningful and reminded me of the value of family and shared passions. The beauty of Yosemite Valley served as a backdrop to a cherished memory in the making.
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).
I drove West for a couple of hours from my home yesterday afternoon then walked 12kms until reaching my chosen location. I was hoping to miss the midday heat by walking into early evening and I arrived at the camp site at 7 pm. It was still warm, 20°C or so which in my mind is about 15°C too much but not unbearably so.