Meeting Australian mountaineer and author Tim Macartney-Snape when I was 16 in 1994 had a big impact on me. His ascent of Everest from sea to summit captured my imagination. – Tim Cope
Perhaps most important for nomads was the belief in the symbiosis that existed between wolf and humans on the steppe. Wolves were an integral part of keeping the balance of nature, ensuring that plagues of rabbits and rodents didn’t break out, which in turn protected the all-important pasture for the nomads’ herds. – Tim Cope
My three-year ride by horse from Mongolia to Hungary was the most difficult, most revealing, and interesting of any of my travels. Travelling by horse, you’re far more engaged and dependent on the land and other people than by any other means. – Tim Cope
Reflective of the deep sense of gratitude and respect Mongolians reserved for wolves, there was a belief that only through wolves could the spirit of a deceased human be set free to go to Heaven. – Tim Cope
In wider spaces, people bearing historical grudges with each other were separated by the muting qualities of distance. – Tim Cope
In Kazakhstan, once you’re someone’s guest, it’s really hard to get away – everyone wants you to stay. They believe that if you invite a guest, luck will fly into your house. – Tim Cope
A single camel can carry around 300 kilograms. Using camels for hauling during migration is becoming a rarity in Mongolia, where mechanized transport is gradually replacing traditional means. – Tim Cope
The Khoton people are a small minority group of Mongolians renowned for living a traditional nomad life in the remote slopes and valleys of the Kharkhiraa-Turgen mountain range. – Tim Cope
Had I not stepped into the saddle in the first place, entire cultures, histories, and most importantly, profound connections with people and animals whom I now counted as my friends would have otherwise passed by, invisible. – Tim Cope
I don’t think patience is something that any of us grow up with in a large dose. It’s a world of instant gratification. – Tim Cope
Steve Fossett and I would share a common belief that it is possible and good to challenge yourself to the extreme. – Tim Cope
When you hear that howl alone at night in the forest, it’s one of the most frightening sounds you’ll ever hear. – Tim Cope
In Mongolia, the nomads always told me that wolves were the most dangerous things on the steppe, and I didn’t believe them at first. – Tim Cope
When you come out of the storms and sub-zero temperatures into a tiny yurt, there’s a sense that family love and care is the most important thing in the world. – Tim Cope
I love the Altai Mountains. Crimea, despite all the conflict, is a remarkable place historically, culturally and physically. The mountains drop down into the sea. Porpoises swim in the shallows. Horses gallop through the grass. There are huge rocks, castles, caves. – Tim Cope
I think the nomads really give us inspiration about how we can live in harmony with our environment. – Tim Cope
I wanted to know what it would be like to get on a horse and ride all the way west to Europe and take a look back at my own culture through the eyes of a nomad. – Tim Cope
Exchanging gifts is an important thing in the steppe culture, a way for them to feel you have become a part of their lives. – Tim Cope
In Khazak culture, historically, if any traveller comes riding from a long way, there is an obligation to take him into your home. For the first three days, the host doesn’t even have the right to ask his name, his destination or his business. – Tim Cope
Much of my journey in Kazakhstan was about understanding the legacy of the Soviet times and finding out what remained of nomadic. – Tim Cope
We can see every square metre of the planet on Google Earth. But there is no substitute for that sensory experience of going out into the world and discovering things for yourself. – Tim Cope
Finding shelter with nomads in the desert during summer was a matter of survival for me and my animals. – Tim Cope
I have brought many artifacts back with me from the steppe. My favourite is a 90-year-old Kazakh saddle decorated with silverwork in traditional motifs. It symbolises the deep relationship between man and horse on the Eurasian Steppe. – Tim Cope
In the initial stages of my journey, I was trying to travel too fast by horse by sticking to a ‘five days on and two off’ schedule. On the steppe, time is not measured by days, weeks or hours but the fall of the seasons and condition of the animals. – Tim Cope
