Fancy walking 1700 miles on your own?  That’s what British adventurer Ripley Davenport is facing over the next three months. His Mongolia 2010 expedition aims “to become the longest solo and unassisted walk ever completed.”

Ripley’s Mongolia trekking epic will take him across the Gobi desert, mountain ranges, through sub-zero temperatures, and wolf country. In a country with a small population spread across a vast area of wilderness and varied terrain, it’s sure to be a lonely and remarkable experience.

If you’re wondering about the difficulty of his task, you should bear in mind that his trek will be UNASSISTED with “no assistance in any form for the entire expedition (no air resupply, machine, animal or supply depots - all food & fuel is pulled on the trailer.)”

He started his Mongolia trek on the 15th, and you can follow his progress on his blog, where his first report from the Mongolian Steppes talks about “an unmerciful 24 hours” and a “minefield of obstacles”.

Remarkable stuff.

Gareth