5 Ovoo ridge run

Mongolians routinely build 'cairn' like structures on the tops of hills, high points or points of particular importance for them. These Ovoo also have some symbolic and religious significance. They are everywhere particularly in the hills. When coming across them you are supposed to circle them clockwise 3 times and or clap three times.

It was not particularly cold, my quick check of the weather station on the roof of school was showing -7c and it was only 10 o'clock. It was going to get warmer for sure so I packed my bag, adding windproof over trousers and a windproof jacket but set off in what is my most minimal clothing of the year so far. Hat and gloves for sure, softshell fleece hoody certainly, but 3/4 running tights and shorts were a bit of a gamble.

Turns out it was perfect, a little chilly on the run out but perfect when I hit the hills. I had been scoping out a route along a prominent ridge visible from school and while I was sure I wanted to run the ridge back towards UB, I was also sure I'd never find it from the south so up from the north I went.

Ovoo 1

Just get to the next ovoo and make a decision about where to go next was the idea. There was still a fair amount of snow and ice in places on the way up and making it to what I thought was going to be the 2nd ovoo, but in fact turned out to be the third was something of a challenge, requiring hands, feet and lunges for stability of small trees.

Up that ridge to the rocky outcrop and ovoo 2 (except it was 3)

Not sure it really counts but ovoo 2 was a surprise

I was somewhat surprised when I got to the top and found a couple of gents brewing up a cup of tea. We exchanged cameras took some photos and then I plunged on heading for the next ovoo. 

That's ovoo 4 in the distance

trail to ovoo 4 visible as a white line behind me

When I got there I would decide whether to either carry on or turn back towards a different ovoo in the next valley west. I reached the ovoo sooner than expected, feeling good and was again a little startled as realised belatedly I was not alone.

Got a bit of a shock to find myself in the company of a goat herder

Ovoo 4 looking back to UB

It was warm - maybe even above zero in the sun - and the skies were blue and the trail looked obvious, until that is it disappeared at the next rocky outcrop. A quick scramble down and round soon had me back on the right track. As I hit the trees the snow deepened but at least there was no getting lost.

Ovoo 5

A lone trail marker

I soon found the trail down to the meditation centre and decided to take it rather than head for White Circle. It was steep, snowy in places, icy in others and always slippy, it was grin inducing stuff, but occasionally a little sore as there were one or two tumbles. There were occasions when I resorted to squatting using my feet as skis, hands as steering poles and just tobogganed sections more out of control then under it. Ironically I was listening to a 'Talk Ultra' podcast at the time extolling the virtues of training to run downhill. There was little or no running down this slope, hopping from tree to tree, sliding, skating and falling were all practiced but there was little or no running until the  very end of the off road and by then it was pleasant to get back on to the rubble that forms the road and path back to Zaisan.

22km, 10km of which were relatively flat, alongside the still frozen river, 720m ascent, just under 4 hours later, tired, hungry and in need of a cold frothy beverage I  made it home, happy.

5 ovoos ridge run garmin

dust and a sharman

We spent some time last night talking to one of our colleagues who puts our running exploits to shame. She has completed the 'grand slam of ultra running', running 4, 100 mile races in one season. In doing so she became the 5th woman to complete the feat she did it in the company of her father- she has also run with the Tarahumara and was involved in some form or other with the race in the Copper Canyon that launched the Born to Run bandwagon. So having discussed the Sunrise to Sunset race next August with her Sarah and I decided we would go back out to the Tuul river for another jog. We really need to find a way into those hills, the road is very, very unpleasant with dust and cars and dirt. The wind was in our faces all the way back whipping up a dust storm and covering us with a fine layer of dirt. Thank god for good sunglasses and a rugged phone/camera.

Uneven road surface? No kidding!

 It was actually a blessed relief when we got back on the road heading into town.

On the way back just as we were passing the ovoo we heard drums so stopped and went to investigate. Sat on the floor in front of the ovoo and surrounded by a family was a sharman beating a drum up in front of his face while a lady tapped him on the back with some kind of stick and another lady flicked vodka into the air. It was fascinating but sadly the picture does not do it justice.

Sharmanistic ritual the Sharman is kneeling in front of the lady in jeans, he is facing the ovoo and is beating a drum.

Trail run (kind of)

Sarah and I set out from school on Friday to have what would be Sarah's first run in (or rather out of) UB. The jog up to the Tuul river was it's usual dusty dirty run in the gutter affair but thankfully it is only just over a km long before you get to the gates of the presidential palace. There was a large work party weeding and picking litter just outside the gates, as others erected marquees in the grounds behind the gate, clearly something big was going to be happening.
We turned left (east) and jogged down the road to the site of several ovoo at a site where there are also, apparently, some ancient petroglyphs, though we didn't go in search of them.

We then carried on for a little way before turning and hiking up onto a ridge, before turning round and running down and back to school via the river wall.

A very pleasant way to end a week.