Team Barbara Smith

Barbara Smith
Of Barbara Smith
On the The 2014 Mongol Derby
HIGHLIGHT ON MAP
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Made it in one piece with all my bags

Flight was long but ok. they tried to check my carry-on on every leg of trip, finally let them in Tokyo enroute to Ulan Bataar. Only cost $50 bucks and they bumped me up to first class! All the champagne I wanted. The scenery flying into Mongolia was incredible. A city with herds of horses, sheep and the nomads "gers" or yurts all intermingled. Actually reminded me of Anchorage during the pipeline days. Drunks, guys flashing and high fashion all in the same block!

Met everyone that is here basically on rooftop of Ramada hotel . Good people ,this is going to be one heck of an adventure.

Barbara Smith
Of Barbara Smith
On the The 2014 Mongol Derby
HIGHLIGHT ON MAP
MORE FROM

final countdown.....

3 days to go until I leave!!! Last minute double checks. I wake up in the middle of the night and wonder "where did I pack the extra hydration pack? or "Am I bringing enough socks?" At this point it is kinda funny- what will be is about to happen and the expression "Winging it!" is going to be the norm. They sent us the map of horse stations, water holes, river crossings and mountain passes that we are going to follow and the thought that predominantly came to mind was, "Oh Sh__." It looked a little like a giant scavenger hunt map. I think I am going to pretend I am 10 years old and just get really excited and go running to look for all the treasure, ditching the 60 year old who knows how much can go wrong. Not exactly throwing caution to the wind but letting go of the doubts and staying very much in the moment. Being anxious is not going to stop the sh__ from happening but it will stop me from thoroughly enjoying the ups and downs and incredible moments that are about to happen. When you think back on adventures it was the moments that scared you or were hard, that you re-tell over and over again. It is meeting the unknown that makes us push our limits and try to do more than we thought we could. This is why I am doing this race anyway. I don't know if I can ride 75-100 miles a day in a foreign land but I am glad that I am going to try it!

I will be thinking of my morning ritual of coffee on the patio at dawn, watching the sun top the treeline here, as I experience a new dawn every day over there. I will be thinking of you all, as you think of me. Thanks for the support!

Barbara

I breed Thoroughbred racehorses, selling yearlings at auction. I have ridden my whole life and now my passion is foxhunting. I whip for a hunt club in Maryland and try, every year, to hunt with other hunts all over the USA and in countries abroad. The Mongol Derby sounds exotic and wonderful and I hope to stretch my boundaries by galloping across the steppes.

Just Do It!

Cool Earth

Cool Earth is the charity that works alongside indigenous villages to halt rainforest destruction. We know that saving the rainforest isn’t a new idea. Managing to do it is. Over the last 40 years, half the world’s rainforests have been destroyed. That’s why Cool Earth decided to go about things differently. We don’t create reserves or put up fences. We don’t buy land. Instead, we put indigenous people back in control of the world’s most endangered rainforest. These people have lived in the forest for countless generations. Their homes are now on the frontline of deforestation. They have the most to lose from deforestation. By building better incomes, better schools and better clinics, we give our partner villages the resources they need to keep their forest intact. Cool Earth is now working alongside 65 rainforest villages throughout the world. These partner villages are protecting over 350,000 acres of forest that lie directly in the path of chainsaws and bulldozers. The clever part is that this forest is forming a shield to make the neighbouring forest inaccessible to loggers – saving millions of acres of further forest. At least 90% of each donation to Cool Earth goes directly to our projects. With this support, Cool Earth can put in place the simple steps that change the fate of at-risk rainforest and the lives of our indigenous partners.halt rainforest destruction.

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Maryland Association for Wildlife Conservation

MAWC was formed in 1976 to promote and protect hunters’ rights, particularly in the legislative and regulatory arenas. MAWC seeks not only to educate the country sport community, but also to play a vital role in the formation of the laws and regulations that affect our sports. MAWC currently has a board of governors who meet approximately every six weeks, and over 1,000 members including fox chasing clubs, basseting clubs, coon hunters, and beaglers throughout Maryland. The board of directors encourages all members to become actively involved in issues that could impact our sports.

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