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Crossing 1,000 miles of desert on foot

  • Leon McCarron, left, and Alastair Humphreys make their 1,000-mile crossing of the Empty Quarter, the largest sand desert in the world. They carried what started as a 660-pound cart full of water, food and supplies.
    1/29

    empty quarter

    Leon McCarron, left, and Alastair Humphreys make their 1,000-mile crossing of the Empty Quarter, the largest sand desert in the world. They carried what started as a 660-pound cart full of water, food and supplies.
  • The start of the journey: leaving Salalah in Oman. Wrote Humphreys, "Heavy cart, busy road, very hot. And the rapid realisation that our cart had serious flaws."
    2/29

    empty quarter

    The start of the journey: leaving Salalah in Oman. Wrote Humphreys, "Heavy cart, busy road, very hot. And the rapid realisation that our cart had serious flaws."
  • Wrote Humphreys, "Each morning we woke two hours before dawn. We walked as far as we could until the midday heat overwhelmed us. And then we would shelter and swelter in the shade of a small canopy through the worst hours of heat."
    3/29

    empty quarter

    Wrote Humphreys, "Each morning we woke two hours before dawn. We walked as far as we could until the midday heat overwhelmed us. And then we would shelter and swelter in the shade of a small canopy through the worst hours of heat."
  • Taking shelter from the harsh midday sun.
    4/29

    empty quarter

    Taking shelter from the harsh midday sun.
  • McCarron and the duo's cart, which weighed 660 pounds at the start of the journey.
    5/29

    empty quarter

    McCarron and the duo's cart, which weighed 660 pounds at the start of the journey.
  • Reading under a full moon.
    6/29

    empty quarter

    Reading under a full moon.
  • Crossing paths with a camel convoy.
    7/29

    empty quarter

    Crossing paths with a camel convoy.
  • Humphreys calls this "the hat I have worn on every adventure since leaving school. (This was its final expedition: it was no longer repairable and I binned it in Dubai)"
    8/29

    empty quarter

    Humphreys calls this "the hat I have worn on every adventure since leaving school. (This was its final expedition: it was no longer repairable and I binned it in Dubai)"
  • Says Humphreys: "After idiotically losing our camping mats, coming across a small shop that sold these floral mattresses was an incredibly happy moment!"
    9/29

    empty quarter

    Says Humphreys: "After idiotically losing our camping mats, coming across a small shop that sold these floral mattresses was an incredibly happy moment!"
  • Crossing under a full moon.
    10/29

    empty quarter

    Crossing under a full moon.
  • Humphreys reads the book that inspired this journey, "Across the Empty Quarter" by Thesiger.
    11/29

    empty quarter

    Humphreys reads the book that inspired this journey, "Across the Empty Quarter" by Thesiger.
  • Humphreys and McCarron.
    12/29

    empty quarter

    Humphreys and McCarron.
  • "Ali, a modern-day Bedu, stopped his truck to light a fire and prepare coffee for us."
    13/29

    empty quarter

    "Ali, a modern-day Bedu, stopped his truck to light a fire and prepare coffee for us."
  • Cooking corned beef.
    14/29

    empty quarter

    Cooking corned beef.
  • Camping at night.
    15/29

    empty quarter

    Camping at night.
  • Campfire cooking.
    16/29

    empty quarter

    Campfire cooking.
  • Because of visitor laws, the crossing was restricted to the parts of the Empty Quarter desert that included Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
    17/29

    empty quarter

    Because of visitor laws, the crossing was restricted to the parts of the Empty Quarter desert that included Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
  • A barbecue in Oman.
    18/29

    empty quarter

    A barbecue in Oman.
  • The Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
    19/29

    empty quarter

    The Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
  • McCarron takes refuge from the sun under a road.
    20/29

    empty quarter

    McCarron takes refuge from the sun under a road.
  • Dreaming of burgers from a gas station on the journey's last day.
    21/29

    empty quarter

    Dreaming of burgers from a gas station on the journey's last day.
  • The Al Jahili Fort, in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, houses the Wilfred Thesiger Museum. Humphreys donated his cart to the museum in trubute to Thesiger, who inspired the journey.
    22/29

    empty quarter

    The Al Jahili Fort, in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, houses the Wilfred Thesiger Museum. Humphreys donated his cart to the museum in trubute to Thesiger, who inspired the journey.
  • Sand dunes in the Empty Quarter.
    23/29

    empty quarter

    Sand dunes in the Empty Quarter.
  • A pipeline in the desert.
    24/29

    empty quarter

    A pipeline in the desert.
  • Camping one last night, in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
    25/29

    empty quarter

    Camping one last night, in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
  • Border crossing to the UAE. Wrote Humphreys, "'No photos' signs everywhere. The border guards insisted we stop for photos with them"
    26/29

    empty quarter

    Border crossing to the UAE. Wrote Humphreys, "'No photos' signs everywhere. The border guards insisted we stop for photos with them"
  • No walking is allowed on the motorway to Dubai.
    27/29

    empty quarter

    No walking is allowed on the motorway to Dubai.
  • The adventurers' reward after crossing 1,000 miles of desert: seeing the world's tallest tower -- the <br>Burj Khalifa -- in Dubai.
    28/29

    empty quarter

    The adventurers' reward after crossing 1,000 miles of desert: seeing the world's tallest tower -- the
    Burj Khalifa -- in Dubai.
  • After seeing only desert for over a month, Humphreys visits one of the world's largest shopping malls, the Dubai Mall.
    29/29

    empty quarter

    After seeing only desert for over a month, Humphreys visits one of the world's largest shopping malls, the Dubai Mall.
Leon McCarron, left, and Alastair Humphreys make their 1,000-mile crossing of the Empty Quarter, the largest sand desert in the world. They carried what started as a 660-pound cart full of water, food and supplies.
The start of the journey: leaving Salalah in Oman. Wrote Humphreys, "Heavy cart, busy road, very hot. And the rapid realisation that our cart had serious flaws."
Wrote Humphreys, "Each morning we woke two hours before dawn. We walked as far as we could until the midday heat overwhelmed us. And then we would shelter and swelter in the shade of a small canopy through the worst hours of heat."
Taking shelter from the harsh midday sun.
McCarron and the duo's cart, which weighed 660 pounds at the start of the journey.
Reading under a full moon.
Crossing paths with a camel convoy.
Humphreys calls this "the hat I have worn on every adventure since leaving school. (This was its final expedition: it was no longer repairable and I binned it in Dubai)"
Says Humphreys: "After idiotically losing our camping mats, coming across a small shop that sold these floral mattresses was an incredibly happy moment!"
Crossing under a full moon.
Humphreys reads the book that inspired this journey, "Across the Empty Quarter" by Thesiger.
Humphreys and McCarron.
"Ali, a modern-day Bedu, stopped his truck to light a fire and prepare coffee for us."
Cooking corned beef.
Camping at night.
Campfire cooking.
Because of visitor laws, the crossing was restricted to the parts of the Empty Quarter desert that included Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
A barbecue in Oman.
The Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
McCarron takes refuge from the sun under a road.
Dreaming of burgers from a gas station on the journey's last day.
The Al Jahili Fort, in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, houses the Wilfred Thesiger Museum. Humphreys donated his cart to the museum in trubute to Thesiger, who inspired the journey.
Sand dunes in the Empty Quarter.
A pipeline in the desert.
Camping one last night, in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Border crossing to the UAE. Wrote Humphreys, "'No photos' signs everywhere. The border guards insisted we stop for photos with them"
No walking is allowed on the motorway to Dubai.
The adventurers' reward after crossing 1,000 miles of desert: seeing the world's tallest tower -- the <br>Burj Khalifa -- in Dubai.
After seeing only desert for over a month, Humphreys visits one of the world's largest shopping malls, the Dubai Mall.
Updated

Alastair Humphreys is a British-born traveler who was named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2012. In this exclusive account for Yahoo Travel, he recounts his 45-day desert crossing that is the subject of a documentary, "Into the Empty Quarter." (All photos are courtesy of Alastair Humphreys/Flickr)