Magazine Mar/Apr 2018

MEMBER FEATURE

Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression is an inferno of burning salt, sulphuric acid, lava and volcanic rock – a hell on earth. Our ‘Women on a Mission’ team had set itself a bold and pioneering challenge to cross the Danakil Desert on mountain bikes. No one had ever attempted such a feat before, and we soon realized why. With its furnace-like temperatures, bone-drying aridity, and chemical composition, the Danakil is an alien-looking desert. Known as the hottest place on earth – with daytime temperatures of over 50°C and average year-round temperatures of 35°C – it is considered themost inhospitable environment in the world. After five hours on the road descending from Mek’ele, the capital city of the northern Ethiopian Tigray region (perched at an altitude of 2,000 meters), our convoy of five jeeps loaded with bikes and a week’s supply of food and water arrived at Hamed Ela, located 150 meters below sea level. The group, comprising our ten-woman team and support crew (two cooks, five drivers, three guides and two armed guards) was thrilled to finally arrive at our first campsite. As we pitched up in Hamed Ela that first evening, the sweltering 38°C temperature sent an initial shock to our systems – a stark contrast to the breezy 23°C we had experienced in Mek’ele earlier that morning. Night had fallen when we finally settled into camp. After dinner, we

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THE AMERICAN CLUB MAR / APR 2018