Crossing the Desert of Death: Through the Fearsome Taklamakan

Rating:
Summary: Compelling account of one of the last firsts in exploration
Review: Blackmore, an adventurer and former British Army officer and adventurer, rose to the challenge when he learned that there had been no recorded successful crossing of China's Taklamakan Desert except by airplane. In 1993, he led a British-Chinese-Uighur expedition on foot and camelback from west to east. This colorful account describes the hardships of crossing a seemingly endless expanse of mountainous sand dunes. As day followed exhausting day, the strengths and weaknesses of expedition personalities emerged to test Blackmore's leadership. His writing is lively, and some of the black and white photographs reach the level of art.