Long way round

Ripley Davenport to walk 2750km in Mongolia

A former British military serviceman is planning to embark on one of the biggest mental and physical challenges of his life - to trek unassisted across the remote desert of Mongolia.

Ripley Davenport, 39, plans to walk from the eastern town of Halhgol to Ölgiy, 100km from the western border in 90 days. The 2750km trek will see Ripley carry 300kilos of equipment across the Gobi desert and over the Altay Mountain Range in temperatures ranging from 0c - 25c.

The expedition is set to be the longest solo and unassisted walk ever completed. Ripley said: “It has always been a personal dream of mine to go to Mongolia and I wanted to set my self a challenge that would truly test me mentally and physically.

“This challenge will test everything I’ve got. I’ll be battling with the extremes, loneliness, exhaustion and no doubt – a few blisters.  However I am very excited about learning about how we can all tap into out full potential by learning more about out body’s capabilities.”

Ripley, who will set out on his expedition in April, has been training since last October by doing yoga and pulling four car tyres as he walks. He said: “I hope this trek will change something in my life, create a new perspective and reset my mind to enjoy all these small things we normally take forgranted.

Ripley is no stranger to adventure: since 1992 he has undertaken nine expeditions, including an expedition down Namibia's Skeleton Coast in 1998.

He added: “Anybody can do whatever they want to if they set their mind to it. However people generally don’t because they hit a mental block. If I can inspire just one person to achieve their goals from my trip, I will be very happy.”

The father of two hopes his efforts will raise money for Unicef and Home and Homes for Children to help the increasing number of street children in Mongolia.

The expedition is to be filmed and you can follow his adventures at: http://www.mongolia2010.com