World first Yangtze trek such a journey into the unknown that even getting to the start is a challenge for Ash Dykes
Pioneering Welshman to follow China’s longest river from Tibet to Shanghai on foot but will face months alone and a series of dangerous water crossings
The first few months of Ash Dykes adventure to be the first person to walk the Yangtze will be so isolated, he isn’t even sure how to get to the start.
“We’ll head to the nearest airport, but then, I’ve just been using Google Earth, zooming in on towns and trails to see how to get to the river’s source,” Dykes said. “But when we get to China, on the ground it could be different.”
Once Dykes reaches the start he will face months of sparse and empty plateaus at 5,000 metres elevation.
“It may be four or five hundred kilometres before I find a community,” the explorer said. “Water will be easy to find, but food could be an issue. Carrying it all will be hard.”
Dykes, 26, already has two world firsts under his belt. He walked across Mongolia and he walked the length of Madagascar.
