Children from a family of Gobi nomads Photograph by Helen Thayer
In 2001 at the age of 63, explorer Helen Thayer—the first woman to walk and ski
solo to the north magnetic pole—and her
husband, Bill, 74, embarked on an 81-day,
1,600-mile walk across the Gobi desert.
A goal of Thayer’s since the age of 13, her
determination to complete this expedition
was made even more remarkable by the fact that one year
before, a car accident had left her incapacitated. Defying
doctors’ predictions that she would never walk again, she
and Bill instead walked the Gobi, braving violent sandstorms,
searing heat, and other challenges, to complete their triumphant
trek. Hear this fascinating account—as well as
the story of a recent return visit with nomadic families that
she met on her journey—as captured in her new book
Walking the Gobi.
Location
Tickets
Grosvenor Auditorium
National Geographic Society
1600 M Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
+1 202 857 7700
