Tim Boelter

Last night Mike and I finally went to bed around 1:30 a.m. We then woke at 5:30 a.m. to make the drive up to Bogda Feng and Tian Chi, or Heaven Pool (lake). The drive took approximately one and a half hours. After parking we took a bus up to a village and had breakfast. We then hiked the last mile up to Tian Chi. Mike and I spent the morning taking photos and filming this beautiful alpine lake before taking a boat ride out onto the lake. We were playing the role of tourists. While here we ran into more westerners from Europe and the Untied States then we've seen the whole trip. Perhaps ten people from other countries. For us it was unusual. Surrounding the lake and the high region of the Tian Shan, Kazakhs either live in or set up Yurts, which are round tents with a dome roof and comfortable interiors. I was already thinking about returning to climb in these beautiful mountains.

We arrived back at the hotel and spent the remainder of the day catching up on things to be done. Mike has been processing hundreds of photos and will write a more detailed dispatch in the next day or so. For now we will send off photos from our humble experience racing nonstop from Zhengzhou to Urumqi on the Silk Road.

Cheers from Urumqi.

—Tim Boelter

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