Paddling Lake Hovsgol

Found an awe-inspiring article about kayaking one of the world's hidden treasures: Mongolia's Lake Hovsgol. I haven't been to the lake (yet), but I've been to areas near it, and the way that Ward describes Mongolia doesn't border a bit on the hyperbolic. The place is simply beyond description. Here's a teaser:

Since only a narrow finger of the lake drops down into Hatgal, we could not get a feel for the lake's size from town. Once we paddled just a few miles up the mountainous western shore, the lake opened up and looked more like an ocean. For Mongols, the "dark blue pearl" represents a place of national pride. We soon discovered the reason for the name. As soon as the sun slid behind the cloud, the whole lake changed from green and blue to an ominous gray. In the sun the water along the shore rivals the colors of the Caribbean, but the deep water always remains a mysterious blue.

We watched mesmerized as our shadows played over the bottom of the lake near the shore—70 feet down and we could see the bottom like we were looking through glass. Locals claim they can see the bottom of the lake even at its deepest point, more than 600 feet down.

Read the whole thing. You won't be sorry.