In awe of such a team, they prove to the world with their footsteps that tamo crossing is not only a training, but also a kind of practice
I received the call from Brother Diao at 11:00 on November 28, 2018. I met with Brother Diao and Xuelang at the hotel at 1:00, and reached a consensus in half an hour. It took two hours to prepare and confirm the vehicle supplies. The team members split up and prepared 3 Toyota 4700s and 1 Toyota Tundra for peripheral support, equipment and materials (equipment for 11 people and public materials) throughout the whole process. It took a lot of effort to load the 4 cars.
We set off at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, because the leaders of Ruoqiang County arranged a farewell party the next day, so we had to rush to Ruoqiang County overnight. The 430-kilometer journey from Korla to Ruoqiang is neither close nor far, but the speed limit for the whole journey, the speed of 60 kilometers per hour made us arrive at 2 o’clock in the morning!
29th, a busy day
Before dawn, I went to the Cheerchen River with Wu Qi and Warhead to find the crossing point, and then went to the first supply point. It was after 9 o’clock when I returned to Ruoqiang, and I hurried to Ma Mingyi to do a small inspection and maintenance of the vehicle .
Mr. Yang and Sister Wang of Ruoqiang N39 Adventure Club have been waiting for a long time. I didn’t know until I arrived that due to some other reasons, the agreed farewell party of the county government was carried out hastily.
30th, the day of departure
Early in the morning, brothers and sisters, the brigade came to see everyone off. After the hug, a group of 12 of us embarked on the journey. Because Diaoge’s team initially decided to challenge the 1500 kilometers of Tamo, it was not far after passing the Washixia checkpoint. When we saw the desert, all the hikers got off the car and took Personal gear, step into the desert, start trekking…
The Bazhou team of the cross-country e-family Xinjiang team is also a support unit for this event
As far as the vehicle is concerned, the real N39 will not start until the third day. The team members on foot plan to travel 20 kilometers per day (actually more than this mileage every day). The 20-kilometer herdsman road at Xiadaodian is our first camp. The supply vehicle driven by Zhaqian accompanied us to the first camp. After sorting out the supplies, we left without waiting.
On the first day of December, thrills continue
Wu Qi and Xiao Fan crossed the Cherchen River several times on foot, looking for a crossing point. Fortunately, I prepared water pants, probes, and ropes in advance. The waist-deep river water was mixed with ice, and I was almost washed away by the water several times. The hard work paid off, we found the most suitable point for crossing the river, and marked it along the way, and determined to cross the Cherchen River early the next morning.
In the evening, we ushered in the first episode. Due to a small mistake in team communication, the logistics team waited until dark in the camp and did not see the team members returning to the camp. It was only when they climbed up the slope that they saw the first sandstorm entering Tammo, and it was the only one in 43 days. The strong wind blew away the ruts, and with the temporarily changed camp location, the straight-line distance was less than 1.5 kilometers. However, due to the darkness and sandstorms, the team members could not find the camp. Fortunately, everyone was waiting at the scheduled camp site and it was easy to find everyone.
the second day of december
Get up in the morning and prepare to cross the Cherchen River. 200 meters away from the camp, the first car fell into the glacier.
In the first ditch, the water was not very deep, but the silt at the bottom of the river was very strong. It sucked the car so hard that it couldn’t move. The whole car sank nearly 1 meter, and even the door couldn’t be opened. Fortunately, everyone was well prepared, and the ice layer was broken slowly. Two winches and two pulleys pulled the car out in one go. Then I was very lucky. The rescue took 10 minutes, and it took less than 10 minutes to cross the river. The three cars lined up and tried their best to cross the Cherchen River. The whole area was covered with ice, and the cabin was not spared…
In Xinjiang, sac must be the main food this time
Along the 39 degrees north latitude, start crossing from west to east! Speaking of this, I would also like to thank Beijing Laolang for driving 110 kilometers in front of us (I found out later that it was Laolang’s team. On the third day, I found a pile of supplies under a bunker. Hundreds of liters of gasoline and mineral water were Beijing Wolf. When they set up camp in the evening, a group of four cars roared over from the sand hills behind them. Needless to say at night, of course it was to drink and talk, after all, it is really not easy to meet in the Taklamakan Desert!)
The first stage was completed soon, and the same process was basically repeated every day: trapping the car, digging the car, and pulling the car! Fortunately, the cars were relatively up-to-date, and there were no major problems. The car No. 3 got water in the starter when it crossed the river. Every morning, the car had to be cremated to melt the ice, and it was not until the fifth day that it could start smoothly.
The temperature in the desert is actually about 8 degrees lower than the temperature in the county in the same area. The low temperature of nearly -20 ℃ every day puts the team members and vehicles to the test!
The happiest thing is to have a fire
This oil sidewalk is going to the tower
It is said that this well is the deepest in Asia, and it is only 60 kilometers away from the tower.
The second stage is said to be easy, but in fact it is not very easy!
The Wolves withdrew as soon as they arrived in Tatirang Township. There was no ready-made rut in front of them. Veteran Warrior 47 of the No. 1 car took on the heavy responsibility of opening the road. Maybe the car was tired, and the usual maintenance was not in place, and the engine failure appeared. Damaged pads, broken water tank fan blades, broken wind rings, burnt generator idler bearings, worn out belts, oil leakage from steering gear causing resistance pump damage, oil pump not working, broken balance bar, etc. We have prepared most of the damaged parts with the car, so there is no danger. Tires have entered a period of fatigue, and pumping up air and changing tires has become our main daily work. We did not completely solve this work until Ahe Highway. As mentioned above, the goal of the team members on foot is 1500 kilometers, so there are still more than 50 kilometers away from the road, and the whole team deviates 39° and walks in the direction of the ancient city of Yuansha, with the goal of Mazhatage Mountain.
50 kilometers due north of Niya, a thousand-year-old sheepfold was discovered, with layers of sheep dung
Demon Warriors Under the Night Sky
The legendary Toyota Hotel
The third stage has nothing to do with 39 degrees north latitude. The day we arrived at the Hotan River happened to be New Year’s Day in 2019. The river had already been covered with thick ice, and the team members and the convoy crossed the river smoothly. We walked along the oil trail of Mazhatage Mountain all the way to Bird Mountain, and then aimed at the 39° base of Markit.
In the third section, we met the second team in Hongbai Mountain. Brother Shen and Sister Zeng from the cross-country e-family Aksu team picked up agates in 3 cars and 7 people. That night was another sleepless night. Everyone drank all the wine Going to bed after finishing, it’s really a thousand cups of wine to meet a bosom friend! (Thank you to Brother Shen and Sister Zeng here)
After a full 43 days, all 11 team members and 3 logistics vehicles arrived safely at Markit 39° Base on January 15. The moment I came out, seeing the warm welcome from the TV station, news media, and song and dance troupe under the leadership of Dong Ge, all the team members were moved to tears…
