Still No Luck

Two weeks ago, we commenced upon our second trek in an attemp to get to the elusive Manzushir Khiid. Now, you are probably expecting a tale of dramatic failure, and I will not disappoint.

We left at 8:30 am. Now, it has become illegal to climb the mountains to the east of our school, which posed a small problem, since it is necessary to do so to get to our destination. Through a little cunning and stealth, we made our way through the forest to avoid the less than overwhelming guard. once we were at the top of the mountain, the thick forestry was a plesant change of pace to the wide open plains that the majority of the country is comprised of. We continued on until noon, when we stopped for a nice lunch, protected by a large rock formation. After lunch we continued along our planned route, when dilemma struck. There is a single pass between two valleys that is essential to take. This pass, however, is covered with gigantic boulders and the pile is about 100 m wide, 200 m across and about 70 m high. After a brief attempt, we decided that it wasn't worth crossing, and we would try to go around. Unfotunately, "around" resulted in going down the mountainside.

Where do you think we ended up? The exact same valley as the last time. Not willing to climg back up the mountain, we followed the valley right to the same ger camp where our last trip ended. It seems that this ger camp is located in the gravitational centre of the universe, unknowingly pulling us toward it, despite taking a completely different route than the first time. As for the elk, there was no attack this time, but there were signs of them everywhere. We did see one in the distance, but it took off before any of us could even get a camera out.

To conclude, Manzushir Khiid cannot be reached on foot from Zaisan.