The movement curve on the stage:[ The time-table  of the stage 3 ]

Stage 3. Gobi, Hangai, Baikal
(EXPERT JUDGEMENT OF STAGE COMPLEXITY ON THE TEN-POINT SCALE = 7.5)
DUNHUANG (40 ° 07') – KACHUG (53 ° 57')
Extension – 3585 km
Locomotion – bicycles, hiking

The third stage starts in the village Dunhuang. There are two ways for getting to the next nomenclature point Dalain Hob: via Hongliuyuan, Malianjingzi and Mingshui; or moving eastward along the Nanshan range, via Yumen (Laojunmiao, population 184.000, till 1960 – the centre of oil industry of China), Jiayuguan and Jiuquan (population of both towns 30.000-100.000 and they are situated 15 km far from each other on the northern slopes of Qilian Shan mountains, Nanshan system). The second way is longer but it lets to see the most western of the remains of the Great China Wall and the ruins of the ancient city of Karakhoto in Alashan desert.
The Great China Wall – is the grandiose monument of ancient architecture.
The Wall construction had been being carried on with pauses from the IV th b.c. till the III rd a.c. Its purpose was the protection of China from aggression of south-western nomads. Its length is 4,000 –5,000 km. Wall width in its lower part is 6.5, in upper part is about 5.5 m. Along all the extension of the Great Wall guard casemates and watchtowers are made, and near the main mountain gate there are fortresses.
For the first time as city-stronghold Karakhoto is mentioned in source books of XI th c. The settlement had been located in the undercurrent of the Egyin-Gol river, disappearing in the Alashan desert not far from it. In 1226 the city had been destroyed by Genghis Han. In 1908-26 the famous Russian traveller P.K.Kozlov had been actively carrying archaeological digs. His findings are kept in the State Hermitage in St.-Petersburg.
The Alashan desert which is the south-western part of the Gobi desert, represents a serious obstacle to the village Dalai Hob. Some sources pick out Alashan as an independent geographical object. The desert inclines towards north-east and depresses from 1660 m (Juiquan) to 790-820 m (the Gaxun-Nur lake). At the same time it looks like low-hill plain with hills and ridges up to 150-200 m high, divided by dry currents. Riverbeds are supplied with water at the beginning of summer, when intense snow thawing takes place in Nanshan range. In depressions drying up lakes are found. South-west of the desert there is the big track of movable sands of Badain Jaran, its separate ridges rise about 300-400 m! The rest part of the desert here and there is covered by primitive rubby grounds with the elements of steppe vegetation. Some places typical for the presence of cattail, reed, cane and so on, point to the closeness of desalinated subterranean waters. Such depressions are called qaidams (compare with the Qaidam Basin). In qaidams also not numerous inhabited places are situated. Animal world representatives are saigas, hares, gophers, jerboas, tortoises, lizards, and snakes.
The climate is continental with annual amplitude of temperature oscillation about 85 °C (January –40 °C, July +45 °C). Annual average rainfall is no more than 70 mm. The complications on the route to Dalain-Hob village are connected with the water deficit, presence of poisonous snakes and insects and hot weather. It’s necessary to solve the following particular questions: what is the state of the road going via sandy desert (isn’t it covered by sand?); where are exactly situated the movable sands of Badain Jaran mentioned above; and, finally, is Dalain-Hob village inhabited and can we rely on filling up stores in it? More general questions are the following: how to fight with heat, how to get water in extreme case and what to do in the case of poisonous bites? Administrative question is concerned with the necessity to overcome China’s Mongolian frontier, passing 30 km north from the Gaxun Nur lake. There are no inhabited places nearby, and we don’t know what is the frontier guarded by soviet troops in old days. After the frontier semi-desert- semi-steppe rises to the Gobi Altay. Gradually low hills turn into middle hills. The road connecting Dalandzadgad, the center of the Цmnцgov Province, with the last (the first for us) Mongolian town Gurvantes, goes among separate ranges at a height of 1800-2200 m. The space between the ranges is occupied by dry valleys, saline lands and regions of sandy deserts. Such is the Gobi Altay. During the ascent the desert vegetation gives place to the steppe one. There are still water problems, though all the map is marked up by well manes. But how to look for them in the boundless desert if they are not surrounded by oasis?
The climate is dry, continental, the average temperature of July is +18-20 °C. The Gobi Altay region is remarkable for high seismicity. It may be the rise to the Nojon uul volcano (2397 m), eminent within 4 km from the road Gurvantes-Dalandzadgad. By the way, the volcano can be used as reference point when moving from the Gaxun Nur lake.
On the section Dalandzadgad-Arvayheer the road station is not satisfactory. We should think about 80-120 km of total lack of roads along low hills and desert. At first the road crosses the valley of lakes, goes along the drying up salt lake Ulaan nuur, then is directed along the Ongiyn Gol valley. At a pinch, all this section can be passed via Ulan Bator.
In Arvayheer the crossing of the Gobi desert is considered to be done. The further way goes along the northern spurs of the Hangayn plateau. Having the width about 200 km all the plateau stretches for 700 km from north-east to south-west. The highest peak – Otgon Tenger uul – mountain reaches 4021 m. Basically the tops are flat, cut by the wide river valley lying at a height of 1800-2200 m. Under mountains there are motley grass-cereal steppes, above – there are separate woodlands, containing larch, pine-tree, birch, cedar.
From the Terkhiyn-Tsagaan lake (2060 m) the road tops consequently via the ranges Tarvagatay (pass Solongotyn davaa, 2500 m) and Bulnai nuruu (pass Khalzan Sogootyn davaa, 2267 m). It is unlikely that the roads are better than the Russian analogues like Kolymskaia route, so we must be ready to fords, small road repairing and restoring of bridges. Steep passes can be also very dangerous. There are only few inhabited places around.
Forests occupy the zone between about 2200 and 2600 m above the sea level; the valleys are of a steppe nature. Water problems are left behind. More and more the climate resembles a Russian temperate climate: the average July temperature is + 14-16 °C, considerable precipitation is possible any season.
The Hцvsgцl lake (134 km long, about 35 km wide, area is 2620 sq.km, 1645 m above the sea level, maximum 238 m deep) lies in intermountain trough stretched from south to north. The banks are mainly high, steep, covered with forests, including larch, pine-tree, and birch. The lake freezes from December to May. It is abundant in fish: umber, salmon. Earlier Hцvsgцl was a part of the transportation way from Russia: there was a ferry along all the lake (from Hatgal to Hanh). In recent years (the data should be verified) the public road exists along the eastern bank.
From Hanh in the northern part of the Hцvsgцl lake there are only 20 km to Mongolia’s Russian frontier. The Mungiyn davaa pass is boundary (1836 m). The expedition is on the territory of the Irkutsk Region. Well-asphalted road goes up Russia. High road holds to the right bank of the Irkut river; it goes eastward. Left rocky tops of Tunkin mountains (the range is included in the Eastern Sayans), right there is the western extremity of Chamar Daban range. Directly before Baikal going downward up to that time the road gets up to the low pass and slides to the settlement Kultuk, which is situated on the extreme western bank of the famous lake, and at the same time on the Trans-Siberian Railway. On the section Kultuk-Irkutsk the quality of the motor way M-53 is still higher.
The lake Baikal (636 km long, about 48 km wide, area is 31500 sq.km, 456 m above the sea level, maximum 1620 m deep) contains the fifth of sweet water-supply (without taking glaciers into account); and it is one of the most beautiful lakes of the planet. Spectacular mountainous banks are covered with coniferous forest and they form a quantity of nice creeks, decorated with rocky sculptures. In the warmest summer month (august) water temperature in the lake doesn’t exceed + 9-12 °C, however it can reach +20 °C on the coastal shoal.
The climate in the region of Baikal is continental: the average temperature of July is +17-19 °C, participation is moderate, the most part of it falls at the end of summer and at the beginning of autumn. The most unpleasant thing we should wait for is rain and plenty of mosquitoes.
The vegetation is represented by larch, pine, cedar, fir forests. In river valleys one can find steppe plots. In the mountains above the forest boundary (1500-1600 m) there is difficult cedar elfin wood and representatives of tundra flora. The forests is abundant in furry animals (sable, squirrel, Siberian weasel) and ungulates (Siberian stag, roe, elk). In Baikal and rivers there are valuable species of fish (omul, umber, whitefish, salmon trout).
Irkutsk (pop 616.000) is situated in the place of the confluence of the Irkut and Angara at a distance of 70 km from Baikal. It had been founded as a stockaded town in 1661; from 1803 it had been being the residence of governor-general of Siberia. The central part of the city with the ancient quarters and beautiful modern buildings is situated on the right bank of Angara. The planetarium, museum of local lore and art museum are of some interest.
We leave Irkutsk via the Marat region northward to Ust'-Ordynskiy along the motor way R-418. The urban village Ust'-Ordynskiy – is the center of Ust'-Ordynsk Buryat Autonomous Region; it is situated at a distance of 62 km from Irkutsk. There is hilly country around and forest-steppes. Beyond the town the road deteriorates little by little, after 70-75 km it passes from the basin of Kuda to the basin of Lena (the river Khodantsa after some merging is called Manzurka). At a distance of 20 km from the inhabited place Kachug Manzurka flows into Lena. On the one of the Lena’s canal there is the village called Iset’ (this is also the name of the river, on which our native Ekaterinburg is located). In the village Kachug, situated on the both banks of Lena, the motor way P-418 comes to its end as the third stage of the expedition “the Hundredth meridian”.