Near 14-hour days in the saddle? It must feel nice at
night to take a hot shower, chow down on a big-ole
pizza, and curl up in a warm bed.
Wrong. Riders stay out in traditional nomad style in
gers–effectively an elaborate tent–but this is not
glamping: there is no plumbing, electricity, beds, and
certainly no pizza delivery. Showers are a nightly rub-
down with a wet wipe. Toilets are a hole in the ground
protected on three sides by a tarp. The fancy ones had a
half-wet roll of toilet paper sitting nearby in the grass.
In August, I rode in–and finished–the 10th running
of the Mongol Derby. I am not a professional rider, I
had never camped, and my navigation skills are highly
suspect. It was the most spectacular and rewarding ex-
perience of my life. What follows is a taste of the joy,
fear, pain, and elation I went through.
THE AUTHOR leads the way
