Magazine-Mar to April 2017

MEMBER FEATURE

Into the Eye of theLut A Team’s Pioneering Journey Across Iran’s Fiercest Desert By Christine Amour-Levar

whipping my face, I said a silent prayer that the next gust of wind wouldn’t carry me off the mountain.

Visibility was almost nil. The howling sandstorm rendered walking along the narrow ridge almost impossible; engulfing us in a dense cloud of razor-sharp, golden sand particles. The gale-force winds roared furiously from all sides, ramming into us, imperiously demanding we get off this 600-metre mega-dune at once! Balancing precariously on the spine of this gigantic, shifting monster, our team of 12 women carried on resolutely, ignoring the angry storm, carefully putting one foot in front of the other. As we advanced in close formation, trying in vain to use the person in front of us as a human shield, I realised we had no choice but to keep moving forward. If we turned back, we would simply find ourselves in the same impossible predicament. Squinting through my goggles while battling with the straps of my backpack, which were flapping wildly in the wind and

Our crossing of the Dasht-e Lut of Iran (otherwise simply known as the Lut desert) in November was nothing short of surreal. In truth, it was breathtaking, challenging and ultimately, transformative. Under the banner of ‘Women On A Mission’, a non-profit organisation, which supports and empowers women survivors of war around the world, we became the first all-female team in history to cross the Lut desert on foot. During our voyage, despite the long and tiring days of trekking, the team stayed positive, motivated and fiercely determined. We were up every day at 4:30 a.m. and on

41 THE AMERICAN CLUB MAR / APR 2017