Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

In Sukhbaatar Square a statue of a Mongol warrior overlooks a growing city

Ulaanbaatar or “Red Hero” is known as the coldest capital city of the most sparsely populated nation. Originating as a Buddhist monastery, the city is home to the Mongols who built the greatest inland empire the world has ever known. Today, Ulaanbaatar is being rapidly transformed by a mining boom and the fatest-growing economy in the world.  This mining boom also threatens the integrity of one of the worlds last great wildernesses.

I'm in Ulaanbaatar preparing for the Ring of Darhad Research Expedition. Organized by Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, the expedition will spend the month of April attempting a 350-mile ski circumnavigation of Mongolia's Darhad Region. Our mission is a systematic snow track survey of wildlife. We are particularly interested in wolverine and if possible will collect DNA samples.

"Ring of Darhad"

Additional expedition members include: Gregg Treinish, Jason Wilmont, Rebecca Watters, and Jim Harris. The expedition is being funded with a grant from the National Geographic Society. You can follow our progress here.