Adventurer earns world first with marathon river trek
WHEN Welshman Ash Dykes arrives in Shanghai today, he will have netted himself another world first.
The adventurer from Colwyn Bay will have become the first person to trek on foot the 4,000-mile length of the Yangtze River in China.
And the 28-year-old has had to endure considerable obstacles along the way, not least being stalked for several days by a pack of wolves. If that weren’t enough, he regularly found himself walking in dangerous bears’ footsteps.
He says he’s had to overcome many difficult and extreme physical and mental challenges to achieve the feat.
At the very beginning, the source of the Yangtze River (at 5,100m almost the same height as Mount Everest base camp) was difficult to reach and four of his team left the expedition before it even began, due to altitude sickness and the very real possibility of bear and wolf attacks.
It wasn’t long after they left that Ash was followed for two days by a pack of wolves, which had killed someone only 24 hours previously.
Ash explained: “Right before we set off down a valley and over the mountains along the Yangtze there were locals who told us that only the day before, there was a lady right where we were heading, who was killed by a pack of wolves.
“The problem was we didn’t know what they said until seven months later, our film footage was translated – so we cracked on regardless.
“For the next two days, we heard a pack of wolves (maybe four or five) and they were following us over the mountains.”
He added: “We were in awe but it was also a little creepy due to certain stories that we heard from the locals.
“To be honest, I was more worried about the bears.”
The former lifeguard also faced extreme weather conditions, and at the start of his trek, tackled blizzards and temperatures as low as -20 C.
At the end of his journey he endured extreme heat of up to 45 C. He said: “This is more than a personal achievement, it is unlocking human potential and showcasing the fact that in a world where every corner of the planet is occupied by people, there are still things that haven’t been done.
“China has really taken me to its heart and I’m overwhelmed by the support I’ve received across the country.”
Ash’s Yangtze River trek follows world firsts he’s achieved in Mongolia and Madagascar.
In 2014, aged 24, Ash became the first recorded person to walk the length of Mongolia from west to east, solo and unsupported. He trekked 1,500 miles over the Altai Mountains, through the Gobi Desert and across the Mongolian steppe, while pulling 120kg/18st of survival supplies on a homemade trailer – in 78 days.
In 2016, he became the first recorded person to cross the length of inland Madagascar, trekking 1,600 miles in 155 days and climbing eight of the country’s highest mountains.
There, he contracted malaria, was held up by the military, avoided bandits, received spider bites, built rafts to cross dangerous, crocodile-infested waters and hacked his way through near-impenetrable jungle in order to achieve his goal.
Ash added: “This trip to China was extremely challenging but truly incredible, and the people I met along the way have spurred me on and made it all worthwhile.
“We’ve captured the whole journey, as it was professionally filmed, and we are preparing for an international TV commission.
“I’d also like to thank all those who joined me along the way and my teams for showing such immense support.
“I will be sad to leave the country, but I’ll be returning to China in September for an Asia-wide speaking tour.”