When Mongol Derby riders find themselves be-
tween stations at the riding cutoff time, there are two
choices: find a family to take them in for the night, or
sleep on the ground with their horse under the stars.
That was where I and two others found ourselves at the
end of day four. We had pulled three slow horses that
refused to go beyond a trot or pass each other, mean-
ing they were more like bumper cars pinging off one
another while three exhausted riders flopped around
on their backs for 18 kilometers. So we were thrilled
at 7:30 p.m. to see a pair of gers pop up on the horizon
and a man outside tending to some horses. We rode
up and, despite a complete and total language barrier,
managed to indicate we were travelers who wanted to
spend the night with our horses.
