Introducing Our First Youth Expedition in 4 Years — “Footsteps of the Nomads”
FoundLost is an expedition community giving people across the globe chances to join one-off, objective-based expeditions to the most remote corners of our planet. Our youth expeditions are aimed at ambitious 16–24 year olds with a thirst to take a step back in the outdoors. Visit FoundLo.st to learn more.
In 2009, we had a dream to give every young person the opportunity to take a step back from daily life and challenge themselves physically and mentally for a cause. That dream culminated in 6 life-changing expeditions, which you can read about here.
Each of our expeditions, from walking across the Gobi Desert to Cycling across Canada, have a focused scientific or humanitarian objective. Our most recent expedition to the “Land of High Passes”, in Ladakh, India, saw a group of 16 young people become the youngest team to summit the 19,000 foot Parangla Pass and trek 150 kilometers deep into the Himalayas.
Today, we’re proud to announce our second Youth Expedition, open to young people from all backgrounds aged 16–24. This Summer from July 3rd-17th we’ll be going to the remote Tavanbogd region of Western Mongolia to climb up Malchin Peak and camp on the largest glacier in Mongolia — Potanin.
Today, Potanin Glacier is receding at a rate of 15 meters per year. Like so many Glaciers across the globe, Potanin is changing drastically due to climate change. We’re going to trek from the fringes of the Gobi Desert, up through the Altai Mountain range until we reach Tavan Bogd. There, we will camp by the Glacier in order to conduct research, providing valuable data to Climate Scientists across the globe about the state of the glacier.
After we finish conducting our study, we will wake up at 4 am to climb Malchin Peak — a 4050 meter, non-technical climb. In this part of Mongolia, we can expect snow and icy conditions, despite it being the middle of Summer.
After we’ve successfully summitted the peak, we will make our way down through the Tsagaan Gol River basin, where we will discover centuries-old petroglyphs and Turkic stones left behind from the times of Hunic and Turkic invasions.
We will pass through the sacred Shibeet Khairkhan Mountain (“Carved Holy Mountain”) where we will observe the wildlife and meet our Tuvan Nomadic guides, who will guide us for the remainder of the trip.
Over the next several days, we will wind our way through the Altai Mountains South toward Aksu Valley, home to hundreds of nomads. Due to our special relationship with the Western Mongolian government, we’ll have the unique opportunity to explore some of the demilitarized parts of Western Mongolia, where only a handful of people have ventured in the last 50 years.
We will live and eat with Nomads, learning from them important outdoor survival skills, their rituals and their way of life. This is a powerful and unique opportunity to witness a way of life that has been preserved for thousands of years, but is fast disappearing.
Finally, we will hike to Khorimdik valley to live with Kazakh Nomads and embark on several night excursions for astro-photography and stargazing. We will teach you the basics of star navigation.
This is not a standard ‘Adventure Holiday’ — but nor is it a trip reserved for those who have experience on expeditions or a very strong fitness base. This trip, above anything, is about a willingness to step into the unknown and push yourself mentally. Most of our activities will be limited to trekking and team work.
Our expedition will be led by myself and my close friend Agii, who is a nomad and runs a successful expedition company, Kobesh Limited. I have led over 6 successful expeditions with zero incidents and have worked closely with Agii on three separate expeditions.
Our Support Team comprise a team of highly trained individuals, sourced from Western Mongolia, who have worked with Agii for many years. They will be directly supervised by our experienced expedition team, and are a critical component of the team. They include supervisors of the Camels and Horses, a cook, and a number of camp assistants, whose roles are many and varied. The large number of the support staff, ensures that the ratio of expedition team members and staff is very high. In the event of an emergency, this sufficiency of personnel will allow for rest, relief, and, if necessary, rapid evacuation. The support team are not to babysit the team, they are a critical component of the web of support mentioned previously, and will assist the team when there is need. However, the team members will often be expected to participate in menial tasks, including establishing camp, collecting water, and constructing dams.
This promises to be a life changing expedition for young people across the globe, giving them a sense of purpose and a story to tell their own grandchildren one day. The deadline to apply is March 21st.
If you are interested in applying for this trip, please visit https://foundlo.st/expedition/footsteps-of-the-nomads/ or message us on hello@foundlo.st.
