I’m a professional off-road adventurer, known online as shark. I got into desert off-roading in 2016, though I’ve forgotten exactly why I fell in love with the sport. But over a long stretch of my life, my passion for desert off-roading has only grown stronger.

Let me share some of the places my teammates and I have crossed together over the years:

New Year’s Day 2016: Self-drive crossing from Dali Lake to Hunshandake Sandy Land, rescuing a Prado from the Changye Driving Team.

October 2016: Self-drive crossing of the Horqin Sandy Land in Ongniud Banner, rescuing a Pajero from the Action-Driven Driving Team.

March 2017: Self-drive along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway.

April 2017: Hebei’s Laozhanggou.

July 2017: Solo crossing of the Kubuqi Desert.

October 2017: Altun Mountain.

October 2017: Self-drive through the "Dahaidao" no-man’s-land from Yumen Pass in Gansu to Turpan in Xinjiang.

During this year’s National Day holiday, I took my new gear—a Casio outdoor watch, the PRO TREK PRW-7000FC-1B—and crossed the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia with my off-roading brother, Teacher Shang, for an adventure. I also tested how the PRW-7000FC-1B performed in extreme conditions.

First, let me briefly introduce the Kubuqi Desert. It’s China’s seventh-largest desert and the closest to Beijing. Located on the northern ridge of the Ordos Plateau, it stretches 400 kilometers long and 50 kilometers wide, with dunes ranging from 10 to 60 meters high. Like a yellow dragon lying across the northern Ordos Plateau, it spans three banners in Inner Mongolia. The terrain mainly consists of dune chains and grid-like dunes.

On the evening of September 30, Teacher Shang and I drove west from Beijing for 800 kilometers to reach the Kubuqi Desert. We drove through the night, from midnight until sunrise. With the rising sun behind us, we arrived at Duguitala Town around 7:00 a.m.

After circling the town, we found an early-opening auto repair shop and began the necessary pre-desert preparations. First, we removed the front bumper. Second, we replaced the air filter. The desert terrain is complex, and for a stock vehicle, removing the front bumper is essential—otherwise, the bumper can easily get smashed when driving over steep, uneven dunes. Removing it increases the departure angle, a necessary choice. Desert driving kicks up sand and dust, so the air filter must be top-notch. We swapped in a new, dust-resistant filter. While removing the bumper, we also adjusted the winch rope. After getting the car ready, Teacher Shang and I practiced with a convoy that had also planned to enter the desert.

Since the PRW-7000FC-1B had just arrived before the trip, I’d done a quick online search beforehand. The solar-powered hiking watch feature caught my eye immediately. When I first unboxed it, the display showed "low power"—apparently because Casio had packaged it in a black box, blocking all light. Plus, we hadn’t had much sunlight during the nighttime drive. So, during our pre-desert prep, I made sure to give it plenty of light whenever possible to charge it up for the upcoming driving practice.

Throughout this Kubuqi Desert crossing and in subsequent use, I found the solar power solution to be a truly practical piece of tech. Compared to other brands’ hiking watches I’ve used in the past, which seemed to drain faster and faster—needing a new button battery every six months or so—I estimate this PRW-7000FC-1B will keep me worry-free for at least eight or ten years.

On the first day of practice, I accidentally drove into a "chicken coop pit." Luckily, other vehicles were nearby, and it didn’t take long to get the car pulled out. The complex terrain of the Kubuqi Desert often causes trouble for many convoys, so mutual rescue is a common sight here.

After completing the first day’s practice in the dunes, Teacher Shang and I decided to attempt a solo crossing of the Kubuqi Desert. This time, luck wasn’t on our side. Being alone meant that if something happened—like rolling the vehicle—and we couldn’t rescue ourselves, there’d be no one to help.

So, we drove extra cautiously. But that caution brought its own challenges. Being overly careful made us hesitant to floor it when climbing most dunes, fearing unknown terrain on the other side. As a result, we often got stuck on the ridges of the dunes.

Minor issues that are manageable in a convoy became major hurdles during a solo crossing. Without anchor points, tools like the winch were useless. All we could do was grab a shovel and dig, scoop by scoop.

After digging out about 5 cubic meters of sand, Teacher Shang kept saying, “We’ve only been in the desert a short while, and we’ve already made two mistakes—and both were rookie errors!” I could only reply with a wry smile, “If it’s a mistake, it’s a rookie one. The big ones aren’t mistakes.” We laughed and kept digging.

From the moment I received the PRW-7000FC-1B, I made a point to test its durability. I often venture through polar-like environments, so durability is always a key concern for me. Over the course of a day and a half, whether in sand or mud, the PRW-7000FC-1B performed without a hitch. By the time I got home, a quick rinse with water was all it needed. It’s like a brother who faces every uphill challenge with you—no matter what happens, it stays calm and never leaves your side.

Just as we were digging away enthusiastically, we noticed movement in the distance. A small dot was moving in the 3 o’clock direction. We got excited—was it another driver passing by? Were we saved? But when we looked closer, it turned out to be a lone desert camel, also doing its own solo crossing.

After nearly an hour of digging, the car, stuck on a dune ridge, finally broke free. Without even brushing off the dust, we hit the gas and gripped the steering wheel tightly, racing toward the final few dozen kilometers. We were in a race against time, determined to get out of the desert before dark.

At 6:17 p.m., we finally made it onto the desert highway in our solo vehicle. Watching the setting sun, I suddenly remembered the product description of this watch on the Casio website. Intrigued, I started exploring the features of my new “buddy,” the PRW-7000FC-1B. Functions like time accuracy, backlighting, and altitude data feedback were all impressive—the real-world performance was outstanding.

But the most critical feature of this trip was the watch’s compass function. Since desert driving involves constant maneuvering around dunes, it’s rare to maintain a straight heading. Casio’s excellent compass feature became incredibly important—one press of the campass button quickly shows north, helping us determine our next driving direction. Although we had professional maps, the instant compass function was vital for our journey.

During the several days I spent crossing the Kubuqi Desert with Teacher Shang, I was deeply impressed by the PRW-7000FC-1B’s rich functionality. Whether we were crossing the desert or climbing mountains in various extreme environments, the PRO TREK series watch always provided the data I needed right when I needed it.

At the end of this article, I’d like to share a personal reflection on the desert. Every desert is like the challenges we face in life, and freedom is like the oasis waiting at the end of the dunes. To gain freedom, I must find a way to cross the desert. Don’t fear or avoid the challenges—just face them bravely. Once you push through one small goal after another, you’ll find the road ahead becomes wider and brighter than ever.