Arctic Ocean last stop for an epic adventure
Print Edition
KAYAKER Hou Zhili is planning the final stages of his dream trip — a solo voyage on the Irtysh River from his home in northwest China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region to the Arctic Ocean.
The 41-year-old from Fuyun County has already completed two epic journeys — kayaking for a total of 2,020 kilometers on the Chinese and Kazakhstan sections of the river in 2014 and 2016.
Now he is preparing for the final and most challenging stage — the 2,200-kilometer long Russia section — plus a 1,000-kilometer lower reach section of the Ob River to reach the ocean.
From its source in the Altay Mountain in Fuyun, the 4,248-kilometer Irtysh River flows northwest through Kazakhstan, and in Russia merges with the Ob River, which flows into the Arctic Ocean. The Irtysh is the only river in China that leads to the Arctic Ocean.
Hou’s Arctic aspirations began when he was a teenager. In the 1980s, several whitewater kayakers’ adventured on China’s two largest rivers, the Yangtze and the Yellow River, arousing a craze among Chinese who took to rafting on streams across the country. Some people succeeded, but many attempts failed, with deadly results.
Some youngsters from Hou’s hometown, even drifted for hundreds of kilometers along the Irtysh on rafts made of old tires.
In 2012, Hou decided to close his graphic design company and turn his kayaking hobby into a full-time occupation.
After arduous training, Hou set out alone on August 28, 2014, on his yellow and orange boat from Koktokay, a town near the Irtysh’s source. He paddled for 50 kilometers a day, and took 23 days to arrive at Kaba County, where the 520-kilometer long China section ends.
The river begins to freeze in November and doesn’t thaw until April the next year. In 2015, when it was the best time for the Kazakhstan section, his plan was postponed due to a visa problem.
His chance finally came as tourism cooperation between China and Kazakhstan was enhanced under the China’s Belt and Road initiative. Kazakhstan has facilitated visa procedures for Chinese tourists since in 2016.
With the help of travel agencies from both sides of the border, Hou set sail from Jeminay, a Chinese county bordering Kazakhstan, in August 2016. It took him 33 days to finish paddling the 1,500-kilometer section.
The journey was longer and tougher than he expected. The river width and the speed of the water constantly varied. He fought hard to keep up the pace of 50 kilometers per day.
He camped along the riverbank when dusk fell, sleeping with a knife under his pillow.
“I was very lucky to return from the dangerous trek unharmed,” he says.
On his way, he was deeply moved by the Kazakhstani people who gave him fresh vegetables and fruits and invited him to stay at their homes.
But the challenge has cost him most of his savings. To finish the rest of the task, he has to kayak for a longer distance than the total of his two previous trips. He also has to cross the vast and frigid Siberian landscape. The adventure in Russia will be much more demanding physically and financially than the earlier legs.
Hou was in Russia in September to assess his route and to coordinate with local tourism authorities.
It’s getting colder and the Irtysh River is about to freeze, but that is not putting him off.
Hou plans to start from the Russian city of Omsk in the summer of next year and to paddle all the way to Labytnangi, the last town on the Irtysh. There, he will set off for the finish line.
“I want to be a true hero in the eyes of my daughter,” said Hou, the father of a 12-year-old girl. Hou’s wife, who at first did not understand his drive to complete such a dangerous feat out of safety concerns, is supportive of him now.
“That support inspires me to hold on to my dream, no matter how many challenges I will encounter,” Hou adds.
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