After making sure that things were in order at Camp 3 I was invited to join Sam, Dr. Matt and Dr. Jeremy for a trek up to Shipton's Arch (or, as it is called here in China: Heaven's Gate. A 4x4 got us to within two Km of the Arch. At that point, it was a steady climb up a dry canyon. At times it was necessary to climb wooden ladders in very narrow places. The final 400m were the most difficult, being on a steep slope. BUT, it was worth the effort. There is no photgraph of the arch that captures its enormity. It was visually stunning to look through the huge gap in the aggregate and look out on the valley more than 1000ft below.
 
And then it was back to camp. I had a nice dinner and watched some of the volunteers play the first ever Cricket match during an RTP event. Remarkable.
 
It was off to bed a bit earlier than usual, but up again at 5am to ensure that the water heating process was getting underway. It was, so I had some coffee, ate some noodles and enjoyed a few moments of nothing to do.
 
Relocating to Camp 4 was uneventful, though our local camp crew has balked at actually setting up all of the tents before taking a lunch break. I think they have sent word to their union rep to be onsite tomorrow. Regardless, we are here and everything is staying in place in spite of very stiff and steady wind. So much so that we had to acquire additional rope to do some extra tie-downs. A steady steam of competitors is finishing today's stage and I am very pleased to have had a part in providing them with a good camp to come home to, even if it is for just one night.
 
Tomorrow we move to Camp 5, which is at end of the long march and will be our final campsite. Right now, I am going to crash in HQ for a while. Maybe eat some tuna and crackers.

I am sitting in the Cyber Tent listening to "Suzie Q" and sipping on an elictrolyte-enhanced bottle of water. Camp 3, near Langerville, is in a harvested wheat field just next to a dirt road that has very little traffic. We are near Langerville, so many local people have come out to see what is going on. What follows is a brief outline of how I came to be where I am.
 
It started last Friday in Kashgar when I left with the local crew to head out to Camp 1 to set it up for Saturday. More than three hours later our convoy of three large trucks, one smaller truck and a mini-bus carrying the local crew were on site near a mountain stream and small village. We didn't get started on setting up camp until nearly 2000 hrs. But, since it stays light until 2300 hrs, we thought we would have plenty of time to get most of the camp set up. That was before an evening thunderstorm put a stop to our work at 2200. It was a typical mountain thunderstorm. Lots of lightning, lots of thunder, hard rain. Off and on for several hours.
 
I had thrown my gear into one of the tents before the rain started, so I slept there. Had Louisiana red beans and rice for dinner, with hot water boiled on my MSR camp stove. To make a long story short, setting up camp at that location was incredibly difficult because of the rocky terrain. We put the finishing touches on the camp at about 1500 hrs. I ate a late lunch, sociallized with the competitors and generally spent several more hours doing "touch-up" work on the banner and flags. Finally off to bed at midnight. Up at 5 am Sunday to make sure plenty of hot water was ready. The race started at 0900 and two hours later we had everything loaded. Everything for Camp 2, at Tashguska, was put on the small truck. Five tents, all the tables', chairs, banners, flags, and one generator was all that was needed for Camp 2 because it was a "home stay" camp. Everything else was put on the three large trucks. I went with the large trucks and the local crew to get a head start on setting up camp 3 because of long drive time (5 hrs) for the big trucks. After getting as much as we could set up at the Camp 3 site, I caught a ride back to Camp 2, arriving at about 2000. I had a late dinner, worked on some logistical issues and got to bed at midnight once again. Up at 0500 the next morning to check on hot water status, etc. We loaded everything on the small truck and headed to Camp 3, arriving at about 1100 hours. Camp 3 was finished by 1300 hrs. I had lunch at lunch time and having a nice time sitting here in the shade.

I arrived in Beijing yesterday afternoon, spent the night at the Crowne Plaza (International Airport), have had a wonderful breakfast and am just hanging out a bit before heading back to the airport for the flight to Kashgar via Urumqi. Zac has confirmed (via text messaging) that he has already checked-out the stored camp equipment and all is looking good. 

IT'S A SMALL WORLD: an article in yesterday's International Herald Tribune (the global edition of the New York Times) about "fun in banking" featured "Redneckbank.com" ("where bankin's more fun"), the website for a bank in the small town of Snyder, Oklahoma. That is not far from my hometown of Kingfisher, Oklahoma. How odd to read about a smalltown bank in Oklahoma in the International Herald Tribune while eating breakfast in Beijing. 

I'll be boarding my flight to Beijing in about an hour. Arrival time there is Wed. afternoon about 3:30. I'll do an overnight in Beijing and then off to Kashgar via Urumqi Thursday, arriving late. One can only hope that checked bags make it to the destination. But I have the course-marking ribbon in my carry-on. One must have priorities. I am looking forward to getting "out there" and setting up the first camp, which we will probably be doing on Friday so that everything is in place when the competitors arrive on Saturday.

More later (from Beijing?).....

Greetings, all! I will be the Camp Manager for the Gobi March 2009. I have finished the Atacama Crossing, Sahara Race and Gobi March, started but did not finish the Namibia race (was injured on first day while climbing out of the Fish River Canyon), was a volunteer for the Vietnam race and have been Camp Manager for the Sahara Race and Atacama Crossing. My job is to make sure that the competitors, volunteers and staff have a place to come home to each day. I know from experience that it is not a easy job, and in some ways is nearly as demanding as competing in the race. But it is also hugely rewarding to be a part of what will be a life-changing experience for so many.

I will keep you posted on how things are going and provide some insight into some of what goes on "behind the scenes".

Until next time.....