Walking the Gobi

A 1600-Mile Trek Across a Desert of Hope and Despair

272 pages
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
ISBN: 978-1-59485-064-6
Published: Jul 30, 2007

Mountaineers Members Discount

Description

* The ultimate Baby Boomer adventure story!
* The author is an icon among American women adventurers
* By the bestselling author of Polar Dream

At the age of 63, Helen Thayer fulfilled her lifelong dream of crossing Mongolia's Gobi Desert. Accompanied by her 74-year-old husband Bill and two camels, Tom and Jerry, Thayer walked 1600 miles in 126-degree temperatures, battling fierce sandstorms, dehydration, dangerous drug smugglers, and ubiquitous scorpions. For more than 60 days Helen struggled to keep moving through this inhospitable terrain despite a severe leg injury. Without sponsors, a support team, or radio contact, hers is a journey of pure discovery and adventure.

Walking the Gobi takes readers on a trip through a little-known landscape and introduces them to the culture of the nomadic people whose ancestors have eked out an existence in the Gobi for thousands of years. Thayer's respect and admiration for the culture of Gobi and her gentle weaving of natural history shine throughout this remarkable story. The author proves that Baby Boomers don't have to take life lying down-their adventures have just begun.

Contributors

Details

272 pages
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
ISBN: 978-1-59485-064-6
Published: Jul 30, 2007

Reviews

"Walking the Gobi captures the determination, the exhaustion, the sublime beauties and the cruel realities of [Helen Thayer's] expedition, as well as discoveries that emerge from immersing [oneself] in a forbidding landscape… Throughout the book, Thayer writes of adventure on a page-turning scale that is simultaneously impossible to put down, but at times-almost too nerve wracking to continue reading."
— Rocky Mountain Outlook
"It's the stories of smugglers in the night, a camel temper tantrum that cost a week's worth of water, and sightings of a wild desert bear that make this book irresistible."
— Deb Acord, Rocky Mountain News
"The people and cultures of the Gobi desert come to life in this fine adventure read, a pick for any general-interest library where adventure travel is prized."
— The Midwest Book Review
"A tightly written and quick-moving account of [a] perilous journey."
— The Herald, Everett , Wash.
"Helen Thayer shows not only her sense of courage and adventure, but also her talent as a writer and, through her words, her love of the desert and the culture therein…Thayer deserves applause not only for her incredible life as an adventure, but also for her mastery of language that brings us on the journey with her…Thayer's writing pace turn this eighty-one day excursion into a journey readers can experience in just a few hours-preferably in the comfort of shelter, food and water."
— Indigo Editing
"Thayer's book is wildly impressive…the story is incredible, almost too fantastic to be true."
— Klamath Falls Herald & News
"Fortunately, the daring Thayer, age 63, fights nature and common sense for us, giving readers a fascinating account of her 1,600 mile journey with her husband, Bill 74…Despite the hardship, Thayer is a sure and steady guide; this harrowing travelogue reads like a nail-biting adventure, sure to enthrall fans of Jon Krakauer and Bill Bryson."
— Publishers Weekly