DAY 4
“Isn’t it beautiful?” whispered Tara. Reverently watching the black-tailed gazelle, she looked
away only to hastily scribble down observations. Zooming in, Sanya angled the camera to get a
good view of the gazelle.
“Such gorgeous antlers,” murmured Tara. “So sleek, yet fast.” The black-tailed gazelle paused
majestically and Sanya snapped a slew of pictures, quickly capturing its magnificent features on
the screen of her camera. Suddenly it bounded away and all traces of its existence vanished.
Smiling, Tara gestured for John and Sam to begin setting up the tents. Night had arrived in
the Gobi Desert, bringing with it a multitude of gleaming stars, twinkling helpfully above them.
Restricted slightly by their bulky clothing, they quickly and efficiently set up the tents.
Immediately, everyone found an excuse to retire into their tent until dinner.
When Sanya finally abandoned her romance novel to prepare dinner outside, she saw and
photographed not only a Mongolian gazelle but also a Siberian ibex. Regretfully ducking back
inside to grab another steel plate, she began preparing dinner.
During dinner, snow began falling again. Swiftly finishing their meal, the team began
clearing away the dishes and utensils. Carefully utilizing the fresh snow to clean the containers,
Sanya stood up abruptly when she heard John exclaim: “A snow leopard!” Staring raptly through
his binoculars, John stood motionless until Tara ran over and wrestled the binoculars from him.
Looking through them, Tara’s face contorted in confusion. “There’s nothing there,” she muttered
finally in a voice tinged with disappointment.
“But-” began John. However a second glance through his binoculars confirmed Tara’s
conclusion.
DAY 5
Emerging from the tent, Sanya did a double-take. Overnight the temperature had dropped
further. She estimated it was definitely below -40ºF. Trekking through sand dunes and salt
marshes while skirting lakes was beginning to take its toll on their team. Sighing, she reluctantly
went to interrupt her friends’ sleep.
Coming out of Tara’s tent she noted the lake nearby, glistening from the thin sheet of ice
covering it. Without warning, Sam and John, identical twins, emerged wearing thick ski jackets
and gloves.
“Tara?” called Sanya. She had agreed to handle the cooking and everyone was anxious to eat
breakfast.
Coming out of her tent, Tara began saying, “We’re out of water but-” Slipping on a patch of
frozen grass, Tara’s ankle turned as she landed with a hard crunch on the tightly packed ground,
wincing in pain.
“Are you okay?” John kneeled by her side, helping her sit up. “Your-”
“Ankle - it’s twisted,” gasped Tara.
Taking charge, Sanya spoke up. “I have a first-aid kit in my tent so I can fix up your ankle.
John, make Tara comfortable in her tent while I go get the kit. Sam, I want you to fill your
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