Bellow the team has taken time to answer some questions regarding the expedition. Enjoy!

Sarah:

Your most memorable moment:

There were a lot of moment, were I would smile and tell myself, “this is why I’m here!” The entire Gobi experience was unforgettable, the hospitality of the locals, and the harsh beauty of the landscape.

Spending the night with a local family during a Thunderstorm was a highlight. Kiting past herds of curious camels or horses was also pretty cool.

The biggest challenge:

The biggest challenge was trying to get to our end point! Between the ever-challenging terrain, time after time of being lost in a maze of hills, and on top of that the crazy unpredictable winds, the kiting was very challenging. We would often get pulled out of our buggies, which was always a bit confidence shattering.

What was the most unexpected:

Absolutely everything. Even thought we had done research, and read up on Mongolia, we had no clue what to expect. At the beginning of the expedition we were concerned about were to find water, and local interactions; which ended up not being a concern at all. Instead the challenges were the winds and the terrain.

How did it feel getting to the end?

So so so so great! From day one, after doing less than 3km, we quickly fell behind schedule for the rest of the trip. Saynshand, our end location, always just seemed out of reach. Especially the last week, the winds were not in our favor, and we pushed hard, which made reaching the end point so much more rewarding!

What are you doing after the expedition:

I am now in Toronto, continuing work on a short documentary on waste management in the north (or lack off). We are now in the editing stages, so I’ve been spending most of my days starting at a computer in editing studio.

Any future expeditions planned?

Always! I would love to do another kite buggy expedition and a couple of us are also planning a river trip in Mongolia and Russia. But there are so many other expeditions that I would love to do, possibly a long trip in Russia, a longer kite-skiing trip in Greenland, or a horse back riding trip.

Eric:

Did Mongolia meet your expectations?

This trip was not about expectations, which was frightening. On previous trips that I have completed we left with vast amounts of knowledge, a clear route, and a tested method of travel. All of which this latest trip lacked.

What items did you wish you had, and what items did you wish you had left behind?

The extra tire and the 14 M Yakuza were both unnecessary on the trip. Our buggies survived magnificently and the tires rarely lost air. As for the 14 M we never encountered light winds which would have made it useful, however we did encounter strong winds in which we could have used smaller kites, such as a 2-3 m kite. I would also have equipped both buggies with trailers, giving us a bit more storage capacity and reducing the overall weight on the back axle of our main buggy. And I would have brought a larger picture book and a Mongolian-English dictionary so that people could communicate to us.

What was your favorite local interaction.

In one of the small villages about half way through the trip, a musician took us into the local music school and let/forced us to try all the various Mongolian instruments, and demoed a fair amount of them herself. Not only was the music amazing, but it was also a reminder that there were many ways in which people communicate, music being only one of them.

How does it feel now that you are back home?

Honestly I miss the epic aspect that expeditions provide to my life. It’s actually difficult to settle back into life at home, it's good to see friends, and nice just to hang out for a while, relax. But generally I feel, immediately at least, unaccomplished. It seems that the success of the expedition belittles the small accomplishments of every day life. After living a life driven towards a goal it is difficult to come back and just live. I am admittedly exhausted, not physically, but my ability to summon enthusiasm and drive will need some recovery.

Any future expeditions planned?

No not at the moment, only dreams. But i geuss that’s the point, at least some of them will be worth following!