Running along the remote border of Russia and China in the Far East, the Amur River stretches across thousands of kilometers of wilderness. It is the tenth longest river in the world, but more importantly it is the single longest river to remain completely undammed. The waterway begins in Mongolia, not far from the birth place of Genghis Khan, and flows east across the wide open Mongolian Steppe and into Siberia, before eventually emptying into the sea of Okhotsk. Along the way it is surrounded by some of the most wild and unexplored territory on the planet.

This summer, a team of four adventurous women intend to paddle the length of the Amur beginning at its headwaters in the Onon River, which have their origins in the Khentii Mountains of Mongolia. Their journey will cover more than 4000 km (2485 miles) taking them source-to-sea before ending in the Pacific Ocean Delta. Along the way, they hope to collect data about this important watershed, while capturing images of the wild places they visit. They also hope to speak directly with the locals to get a better sense of the environment in which the Amur River flows .

With their gear packed, their basic plan outlined and their travel plans made, the ladies are about to embark on this ambitious adventure. The team includes Becca Dennis, Sabra Purdy, Amber Valenti and Krystle Wright, all of whom are about to depart for Mongolia and the launch of their expedition. They have named this endeavor the Nobody's River Project and they have invited us all to follow along with their progress. Over the next few months, they will be posting updates to their blog and Facebook page, as well as sharing stories on the National Geographic Adventure website and its Facebook page as well. It is sure to be quite an experience and one that will certainly be worth following.

Good luck to Becca, Sabra, Amber and Krystle as they depart for Mongolia and the adventure of a lifetime.

One of the expeditions that I've written about a few times already this year is Mikael Strandberg's Frozen Frontier journey with the Reindeer People of Siberia. The explorer has spent the last couple of months traveling through one of the coldest inhabited regions on the planet and yesterday he released a post-expedition update in the form of the video below. It gives us a good sense of what he's been up to these past weeks and what we can expect from the documentary he is working on from this adventure.


Post-Trip Update from Outwild TV on Vimeo. 

Back in January I told you about explorer Mikael Strandberg's latest adventure which he had dubbed Expedition Extreme Cold. That seemed like a fitting name considering he planned on traveling through one of the coldest and most demanding environments on the planet. Mikael's journey would start in Oymyakon, Siberia and cover more than 500 km (310 miles) before ending at the Sea of Okhotsk. Along the way, he would face temperatures that could routinely plunge to -60ºC/-76ºF while exploring a vast wilderness with the indigenous inhabitants know as the Eveny or Reindeer People.

Yesterday, Mikael posted an update from the field saying that the expedition had come to an end several weeks earlier than expected. He had originally expected the journey to take until mid-April or so, but he and his team, which consisted of photographers Yuri Berezhnov and Misja and Keisja Alexandrov, along with their Eveny guides, made better time than they expected. They arrived in the village of Arkah over the weekend where they were greeted by the entire population. Word of their arrival had proceeded them by days and everyone was eager to greet them.

Mikael documented the entire journey on his blog, sharing his experiences from the remote wilderness that remains seldom visited by outsiders even in the 21st century. Along the way, he and his team also gathered video footage that will also serve as the basis for an upcoming documentary for OutWild TV on the region and the hardy Reindeer People who have lived there for centuries. He also hoped to study the Eveny and learn how they have adapted to survive in such harsh conditions.

Strandberg says that he is content that he has reached the end of his journey, yet he is eager to tell more stories of the Eveny and the amazing landscapes that they inhabit. Look for more of those stories to come soon and watch for the full documentary down the line.

Congratulations to Mikael and company on a job well done.

Update: As you'll see in the comments below, Mikael himself has posted a little update from Siberia. He wanted to point out that his full team consisted of Egor Makarov, Yura Stepanovich Berezhnev, Bolot Bochkarev, the Eveyns Slava Sergovich, Vika Andrejevna, Tolya Andrejev and Yura Grigorovich Osenin.

In writing this little blog of mine I've been privileged enough to make the acquaintance of a number of amazing men and women who do some incredible things. When I hear from those folks, either by phone or email, I always make sure to give them special attention and listen closely to what they are thinking and planning. One of those people is explorer Mikael Strandberg, a man who has pushed the limits of human endurance on a number of expeditions to far flung corners of the globe. So when I received an email this weekend detailing Mikael's next adventure, you can bet that I read the note with keen interest.

In that email Mikael announced Expedition Extreme Cold, a journey through one of the harshest and bitterly cold environments on the planet. This adventure will take Strandberg deep into the heart of Siberia, where he'll spend time traveling with the Eveny, a group of nomadic reindeer herders who have learned to survive in that beautiful, yet unforgiving place.

Mikael's journey will begin in Oymyakon, Siberia – one of the coldest inhabited place on the planet. In Oymyako, the average temperature falls below freezing for seven months of the year and the ground is permanently frozen. In the months that Strandberg will be traveling in the region, temperatures will routinely drop below -60ºC/-76ºF as he makes his way through a wild, mountainous region that few people ever visit.

The plan is for Mikael to travel with the reindeer people from Oymyako to the Sea of Okhotsk on Russia's east coast. Along the way, they'll cover 600 km (373 miles), battling extreme weather, unexplored routes, wild animals and a host of other challenges.

Joining Strandberg on this cold-weather journey will be explorer Yegor Makarov and photographers Yuri Berezhnov and Misja and Keisja Alexandrov. The team hopes to shoot a documentary for OutWild TV on the Eveny and their way of life in such a harsh part of the world. Below is a YouTube video that serves as a "pilot" for this documentary, giving us all an idea of what to expect from the final product. It also gives us a true glimpse into what kind of conditions Mikael and his team will be dealing with over the next few months. The expedition is scheduled to run through mid-April.

The expedition won't just be about making a documentary however, as the explorers will also be conducting research on how genetics, choice of clothing, training methods and adaptation all play into how we humans survive, and in the case of the Eveny thrive, in extremely cold environments. Further, they hope to document the native and historical knowledge of the Eveny in how they have learned to survive in Siberia and came to use reindeer for the pulling of their sledges in that environment.

Mikael tells me that his preparation for this expedition has been amongst the hardest of his career, saying that he has done a year's worth of preparation in just two months. But judging from what he has planned, I can tell that he is extremely excited about this journey, which will be unlike any other that he has undertaken before.

When I received my email from Mikael he was just heading off to the airport to fly to Russia and get the expedition underway. Hopefully we'll get updates on his progress as he proceeds, as this looks to be a fascinating journey to say the least.