"We can't conquer any mountain,
It's just that the mountains let us go."
On February 16, a public welfare rescue organization in Shaanxi Province posted a video on social platforms, saying that Sun Qiang (pseudonym), an 18-year-old boy, had been missing for many days after illegally crossing the Aotai Line.
At noon on the 17th, rescuers found the missing boy about 1.5 kilometers below the camp at 2,800 meters on the Qinling Aotai Line. Fan Sheng (pseudonym), who participated in the rescue, told China News Weekly that this was the first person he had been rescued alive in the nearly five years since he participated in the rescue of the Aotai Line crosser.
The Aotai Line is one of the five most difficult hiking routes in China, and is also known as the outdoor route with the highest mortality rate in China.
It is understood that after Sun Qiang was rescued from the mountain, the local authorities have educated and criticized him, and he may face corresponding fines in the future. Sun Qiang said that he accepted the punishment and hoped that the mountaineering enthusiasts who challenged the Aotai Line would take warning. "Hiking in such a (harsh) environment is to send people to the head, maybe I am just lucky, we can't conquer any mountain, but the mountain just let us go."
Sun Qiang (first from right) illegally crossed the Aotai Line and was rescued 10 days later. Photo / provided by the interviewee
Alone illegal Ao too crossed
Eat toothpaste as candy after falling off a cliff
The Aotai Line is the title of adventure lovers, that is, a main vein route between the two main peaks of the Qinling Mountains, Ao Mountain and Taibai Mountain, and it is also the highest section of the main ridge of the Qinling Mountains, which is known as the adventure of "walking on the Chinese dragon's back". The CER article mentions that the distance from Aoshan to Taibai Mountain is more than 40 kilometers in a straight line, and the actual distance is more than 170 kilometers, which is one of the five most difficult hiking routes in China and the highest mortality rate in China.
According to the 2017 China Aotai Crossing Accident Investigation Report jointly released by the China Mountaineering Association and the Shaanxi Mountaineering Association, as many as 46 people went missing or died in the summer of 2012 and 2017.
The danger of the Aotai Line seems to have become a fatal attraction in the eyes of travelers. Sun Qiang, who lost contact this time, also saw the challenge of this hiking route in the short video, "I want to prove myself through this hike and do something that others can't do."
Sun Qiang said that he has only been in hiking for a year and has climbed four snow-capped mountains, including Yuzhu Peak, but his previous climbs have been guided and mostly commercial routes. "It's also because of my conceit, the mountains in the scenic area can't satisfy me, and it's even more difficult to challenge."
On February 8, Sun Qiang carried equipment into the mountain. The snow in the mountains was knee-high, and with the help of electronic maps and other equipment, he slowly passed through a mine and through the forest, and everything was going well. Sun Qiang recalled to China Newsweek that the snow made it difficult to travel, and once you stepped on the air, it was easy to fall off a cliff or fall into a pit. In addition, the climate in the mountains is changeable, which also brings great challenges, "every minute is different, often the weather is sunny on this mountain, but after turning over the pass, there is a strong wind, and sometimes people are unstable when it blows."
The unexpected came on day 4. On the morning of February 11, the continuous low temperature caused the power bank to freeze to death, and all of Sun Qiang's equipment ran out of power. There was no electronic map, so he could only follow the general direction and go down the river. First broke his foot, and then encountered a strong wind, Sun Qiang accidentally slipped and fell off a 70-degree cliff and fell into a coma.
"When I woke up the next morning," Sun said, he found that his right wrist was broken and that the snow was so thick that he could no longer find the food, sleeping bags and tent equipment that had fallen from his backpack. Later, he could only eat snow water and sleep on hay, "one night it was very windy and cold, so I hid in the cracks of the big rocks and kept jumping in place to avoid hypothermia."
Fortunately, Sun Qiang's thermal equipment is excellent, and he did not have frostbite, hypothermia and other accidents. He also found a tube of toothpaste in his bag, "treating it like candy and squeezing it out for a while."
Walking in uninhabited mountainous areas, Sun Qiang also hallucinated many times. "It seems that there is always someone in my ear who wants me to climb forward, and the rescue team is already waiting for me above. Many times when the psychological defense line is about to collapse, this voice will appear. ”
It wasn't until around 11 a.m. on February 17 that Sun Qiang was found by rescuers. After a night's rest on the mountain, he descended with the rescue team.
The snow on the Ao Tai line is knee-high. Photo / provided by the interviewee
Rescuers:
The first rescued survivor of the Aotai Line in 5 years
"Xiao Sun's ability to resist pressure is very strong," Fan Sheng of the Xi'an Chenxi Disaster Mitigation and Emergency Rescue Center, who participated in the rescue, told China News Weekly that they found him on the 10th day of Sun Qiang's entry into the mountain, and that he was in good condition except for a broken right wrist, and his personal psychological state was good.
On February 15, Fan Sheng's rescue team received a notice from the relevant departments of Taibai County, Shaanxi Province and the Taibai Mountain Nature Reserve Administration, and rushed to Taibai County overnight for rescue. On the morning of the 16th, more than 30 people from Xi'an Chenxi Disaster Reduction and Emergency Rescue Center, Niuma Squad, and Xi'an Hubei Youth Emergency Rescue Association were divided into 5 groups and went up the mountain from the Hetaoping mountain entrance to search and rescue.
Fan Sheng said that the temperature in the Qinling Mountains has been low recently, and each of them carried more than 40 catties of food and warm clothes up the mountain. In addition to the sub-zero temperatures, they almost encountered a takin on the way, "and many roads were also washed out because of the flooding last year."
At about 11 o'clock on February 17, the rescue team found Sun Qiang about 1.5 kilometers below the camp at 2,800 meters on the Qinling Aotai Line. Fan Sheng told China News Weekly that he has participated in many rescues in the Qinling area in recent years, and "this should be the first person to be rescued alive in the past five years."
Fan Sheng analyzed that Sun Qiang was able to walk alone on the Qinling Aotai Line for 10 days, of which he could survive for many days after the lack of food and tents, mainly because of his hardcore equipment and very good psychological quality, "It is impossible to hold on for so long as the psychological defense line is low."
Sun Qiang said that this may be related to his personality, "I usually go alone, and I am not used to relying on others for everything." And I kept thinking that my dream was not fulfilled yet, and I didn't want to die on this mountain."
But when rescuers signaled the risk of illegally crossing the Aotai line, Mr. Sun claimed to have underestimated the climate impact in the Qinling Mountains. The day after he went down the mountain, it began to snow continuously, and "if he hadn't been rescued that day, he probably wouldn't have come down."
On the afternoon of Feb. 19, Sun Qiang told China Newsweek that he was still hospitalized in his hometown in Hubei. In the future, he will continue to go on outdoor adventures, "but this time I have learned a lesson, and I will definitely not take such an adventure again." Stockpile up some skills and knowledge first, find a safe route and accumulate experience."
"Maybe it's just because I'm lucky, we can't conquer any mountain, but the mountain just lets us go." Sun Qiang said on social platforms.
On February 17, Sun Qiang (third from left) was rescued after being lost for many days.
What is the solution to the problem of illegal crossing?
After 18-year-old Sun Qiang was rescued, the topic of illegally crossing the Qinling Aotai Line sparked discussion again.
On April 16, 2018, the Administration of Shaanxi Taibai Mountain National Nature Reserve and the Second Branch of Shaanxi Provincial Forest Public Security Bureau jointly issued the "Announcement on the Prohibition of "Ao Tai Crossing", completely prohibiting the illegal activities of "Ao Tai Crossing". In October of the same year, the People's Government of Meixian County, Shaanxi Province and the People's Government of Taibai County jointly issued the "Announcement on Prohibiting Illegal Crossing of the "Aotai Line", which mentioned that once the units or individuals who violate the regulations are investigated and punished, they will be punished in strict accordance with the "Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves" and other relevant laws and regulations.
In December 2024, the Taibai Mountain Nature Reserve also issued a notice on prohibiting "illegal crossing of the Qinling Core Conservation Area and Taibai Mountain", prohibiting any unit, organization or individual from entering the core reserve (within Taibai County) and the Taibai Mountain National Nature Reserve above 2,000 meters above sea level in the Qinling Mountains, within 1,000 meters on each side of the main beam of the Qinling Mountains, and within 500 meters on each side of the main branches.
Despite repeated official announcements, many people still take a detour to the reserve through various ways because the Aotai Line is not a closed scenic spot.
According to previous reports, in May 2021, 2 travelers illegally crossed Aotai and encountered extremely bad weather, and 1 died of hypothermia; In October, 100 meters below the gentle slope of Nantianmen on the Aotai Line, someone found the body of a traveler who had been missing for many days. In February 2022, the "post-95" poet Xingya was killed on foot across the Aotai Line. In July 2024, Ma, a 25-year-old outdoor enthusiast in Xinyang, Henan Province, went missing while crossing the Aotai Line alone, and his body was found months later.
Zhang Axing, vice president of the Xi'an Hubei Youth Emergency Rescue Association, who participated in the rescue, told China News Weekly that because most of the crossing routes are in uninhabited areas, it is difficult for traversers to ask for help in the event of an accident. In addition, the terrain of the Aotai Line is complex, the climate changes are varied, and the uncertain extreme weather is constantly changing, and dangers are also emerging at any time.
Fan Sheng also mentioned that in this rescue, even though the rescuers have rich experience in mountaineering and rescue, they are also very cautious on the way.
How to deal with illegal crossings? The China Exploration and Exploration Association previously issued an article saying that the "lethality" of the Aotai Line is by no means a judgment question of whether it should be crossed, but a more complex practical problem that requires the joint efforts of society to systematically solve.
The association also put forward corresponding suggestions, such as scientific design and reasonable planning of expedition crossing routes in accordance with laws and regulations, and at the same time introduce a filing system for medium and high-risk adventure destinations, raise the entry threshold, improve the public facilities and public service standards of adventure destinations, strengthen the mandatory equipment standards and supervision of outdoor equipment, and implement a professional and dedicated outdoor tour leader system.
China News Weekly learned that after Sun Qiang went down the mountain, the Administration of Taibai Mountain National Nature Reserve in Shaanxi Province and other departments have criticized, educated and punished him. Sun Qiang also told China News Weekly that he would also face a corresponding fine, "accept the punishment, and hope everyone will take it as a warning."
Author: Wang Chunxiao ([email protected])
Editor: Hu Yun
Operations Editor: Xiao Ran
Source: China News Weekly WeChat account