Outdoor activities | Climbing the second peak of Siguniang Mountain
“Mountains are not fair or unfair, they are only dangerous.”
"I didn't go there to die. I came here to live."
——Reinhold Messner
Siguniang Mountain is located in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Dafeng, Erfeng, Sanfeng and Meimei Peak are arranged from south to north. The difficulty of climbing increases in sequence. Meimei Peak is among the highest in the world.
On New Year’s Day this year, I chose the second peak to start my mountain climbing journey.
The hiking shoes only took half a day to wear, and the gloves arrived just before leaving. Although the preparations were in a hurry, as soon as I put on the 70L bag, I immediately felt like being outdoors. But just walking to the subway station made me realize that I still had a long way to go before I could re-equip for hiking and have enough money to buy good equipment 
(Fortunately, there was a caravan this time)
Balang Mountain has night control, so we stayed in Wolong Town, celebrated the New Year at a barbecue restaurant next to the hotel, and then climbed Balang Mountain to Haizigou the next morning. Many of the veteran members of the team are familiar with each other, and there are constant red envelopes in the group. Although I am new here, it is difficult for me to slowly integrate into this warm family~
I will lose my appetite after going to the plateau, so tonight I will walk away with a delicious taste. There is also a cold rabbit brought by the young lady.
The last romance of 2021: In the embrace of the mountains, a group of friends with the same hobbies were eating barbecue and chatting about the outdoors. They were surprised to find that it was snowing, the lights were warm, the streets were quiet, and trucks occasionally passed by leaving slight traces, fat. The fat boss wore an apron, and we stood by the grill, holding a cup of hot water and letting the snowflakes fall gently in.
After leaving the hotel, Junk Connect started my 2-day disconnected life. Fortunately, I sent out my New Year greetings as soon as I got up 
. The bus stopped at Deng Sheng Valley and we took the opportunity to step on the snow. Take photos of Jinshan Mountain and cattle herds in sunshine, have snowball fights, and enjoy the purity and tranquility of snow.
There are three ditches in the Siguniang Mountain Scenic Area, Shuangqiao Valley, Changping Valley and Haizigou. The first two are mature leisure tourist areas, while outdoor enthusiasts are mostly in Haizigou. We had to sign various documents when going to Haizi Gou, and the procedures took a long time. In addition, it took a while to put on the anti-skid chains, so we entered the ditch at 11 o'clock.
Today’s task is to hike to Erfeng Base Camp. To arrive before it gets dark and cools down, we must speed up our pace. The masters rushed to the front, Uncle Lan was pulling in the middle, and Master Wei was at the end giving orders.
I could trot in Changpinggou before, so I thought it wouldn’t be a big problem this time, but after all, I haven’t exercised for more than half a year, and my pants are tight, which adds a lot of burden to climbing 
. But if you slow down, Uncle Lan will push you uphill. If you lie on the fence, you will hear Xin Xin shouting "Wen Qing, don't stop." It's really tiring and fun.
The wind in Haizigou is strong, and it often blows from behind. If you walk a little slower, you will easily catch a cold or get high. Fortunately, I had done my homework on how to dress. Even though I was blown away and my back was soaked with sweat, I didn't catch a cold.
Wearing sunglasses and gloves made it difficult to take pictures, so I just flashed a few times with my phone. Beautiful scenery requires no composition, and a camera cannot capture what the eyes can see.
Dajianbao is the only supply point on the way to the base camp. According to travel friends, the difficulty of the subsequent journey is twice that of the previous one. They usually have lunch here. I had no appetite at the plateau, and I didn’t feel hungry. I only ate two Oreos and a strawberry roll. Nothing I ate was as good as a few bites of Lehu~
After hitting the tip bag, the altitude continues to rise. There was a section of the steep slope that was very narrow. When the horse team passed by, dust was thrown into the sky. Is it necessary to breathe heavily to prevent hypoxia, or to pinch the nose to reduce TSP inhalation? 
Of course, you can also choose to ride a horse to save energy for the summit summit the next day, but students have limited budgets and what they want is not only their body.
"So tired, so tired, I also want to ride a horse 
..."
No matter how tired you are, it won’t affect your photography
In front of the base camp is a steep slope of 50 to 60 degrees, with an altitude increase of about 100 meters. In the final sprint, I was physically and mentally exhausted, so I could only crawl twenty steps and rest for ten seconds. For the past few days I have been breathing with my mouth open all the time. Everyone was walking and walking on the slope, standing like stone statues gasping for air in the wind. So, is this "Despair Slope No. 0" -
Around 17:00, we finally climbed to the base camp.
The base camp is about 4,400 meters above sea level. I don’t know how much below zero it is or how strong the wind is. In short, in the big cooking tent, the residual heat after exercise disappeared within a few minutes. My hands and feet lost temperature rapidly, and my toes seemed to be broken if I jumped. Even the heat generated by exercise was of no avail. My fingers were so numb that I couldn't bend them. I could only pick up the beef jerky shared by my friends like chopsticks.
As soon as the girls' tent was set up, I rushed in immediately. Mr. Wei and several young ladies and brothers still had the energy to help us lay the egg nest, but I was already freezing and could only stand on the side shivering, my eyes dull and stopped thinking. In the past, traveling to the west of Sichuan was for retirement, but now I know what outdoor is. Although it is abused, it is also very interesting
.
After getting the luggage, I immediately added clothes, but my hands were too stiff to unpack, so I had to use my wrist like a stick to open the backpack little by little. Not long after I sat down, my calves became stiff.
Take off your coat and pants and put it against your baby to keep it warm. If you move quickly, you will be short of oxygen, and if you move slowly, you will lose temperature. The warm baby will only heat up when the body temperature is sufficient. My frozen feet are equivalent to white patches. Sister Youyou lent me down socks, and Tutu also let me put my legs in a down sleeping bag, but I was still numb from the cold. I didn’t want to watch the sunset and the snow-capped mountains, and I had no motivation to walk to the boys’ tent to keep warm. In short, it was so cold that I was stunned.
Today we hiked 14km - altitude 3250m → 4420m - in 5.5 hours. Even though the wind was strong, the temperature was not low. Climbing to the summit at 3:00 tomorrow morning, the distance is 5km - the altitude is increased from 4420m to 5276m. The temperature at the pass is expected to be -20℃, with winds of level 6-7. There has only been a snowstorm on the mountain. The snow will be thick. Plus, climbing in the dark, I am worried about my physical strength. Without support, I was worried about hypothermia, and even more worried about not being able to reach the summit as I wished.
When we walked to the stone house, Wei Ye and Xin Xin were cooking dinner for everyone. The cauldron was fluttering, and the heat was beamed by the headlights. Sister Tingting was making cola and ginger tea. I went back and grabbed the cup and ran over to guard it. After one cup, my stomach felt much warmer.
I stood in the innermost part of the tent, and soon I ran out of oxygen. After chewing a few mouthfuls, I faced the tent cloth and took a few deep breaths. I seemed to be able to get a little bit of oxygen, but we don’t know for sure 
.
We finished our meal at 7:30 and went back to the tent to sleep. After all, we will set out for the summit at 3:00 tomorrow morning. The temperature is low at night, which makes it easy to get high and difficult to fall asleep.
The boys also wanted to drink tea, eat fruit and chat under the starry sky, but I, the little white donkey, didn't dare. I put on the baby warmer, put on my hat, and was snuggling into my down sleeping bag before eight o'clock.
I really didn't sleep well. If the ventilation hole is too small, it will cause a headache due to lack of oxygen, and if it is too large, the air conditioning will stimulate the discomfort. Fortunately, my Black Ice b1000 is more powerful, at least my toes are warm. At around 1:30 in the morning, the camp started to get agitated, and some teams were probably getting up one after another.
I get up around 2:20 and feel energetic as soon as I sit up. A thin layer of ice formed on the surface of the sleeping bag, clothes, pants, and shoes. Fortunately, I stuffed fleece, socks, mobile phone, and power bank into the sleeping bag before going to bed. It was not cold when I dressed in the morning, and my mobile phone was not frozen.
In terms of wearing it, my top is still quick-drying + fleece + shock, and my bottoms are changed to ski pants. I put warmers on my arms and chest and back, which will not affect my activities, nor will I sweat too much and lose my body temperature due to the wind. .
I put on my snow boots and crampons, stuffed two Oreos into my mouth, drank a small bowl of hot noodle soup and rushed to the gathering. In order to reduce the weight of the backpack, I only carried 20ml of Lehu, a Snickers bar, and a piece of bread given to me by sister Yuting. I wasn’t used to using trekking poles, so I simply didn’t take them (using trekking poles is better for my knees when going down the mountain).
It starts with a cliff about 100 meters high. There is no ice, snow or gravel, and the U-shaped rise is easier to climb. Everyone was one meter apart and lined up. Although they were out of breath, they could keep up with the rhythm.
Then we entered the snow line, a slope of about 40 degrees. I am splayed out and the whole foot is on the ground, so it is not easy to slip.
After that, there is a long section of flat ground, and the snow is probably up to the calf. With the double protection of snow gloves and ski pants, your shoes and socks will not get wet if you step on the footprints of others before you. This section was very smooth. Although it was snowy and windy, it was still acceptable after what I experienced yesterday. I was able to take out my phone to record it.
After probably walking for more than 1km, the slope of the snow slope began to get steeper and the group gradually dispersed. At the turning point of the slope, someone stopped to replenish energy, and I took out the frozen bread and took a bite.
At this time, I was ignorant and ignored the importance of the guide, and did not follow the footsteps of them and the great masters in the team. I didn't realize that this was where the real challenge started.
This slope is more than 50 degrees, with some snow, but a lot of gravel, making it difficult to find a stable foothold and requiring a U-shaped climb. With my lack of experience, I can't tell where the U-shaped road is, so I have to keep up with the pace of my predecessors.
At the beginning, there were people ahead, and you could see how they chose the path. But as soon as I bent down to catch my breath, when I looked up again, I was almost ten meters away from them. The half-circle area illuminated by the headlight was full of gravel and dark ice, making it difficult to tell where the road was. I looked around, and there was darkness behind me. The headlights of the latecomers were twenty or thirty meters away.
The darkness amplified the fear. Standing on this steep slope, it felt like an abyss behind me. The snowy wind kept shaking my center of gravity, so I could only bend down and face the wind with my head, while adjusting the headlamp, holding down my hat, and looking around to find the way. The boundless darkness surrounded me. I didn't dare to descend, and I was unwilling to do so, so I climbed straight up with all my strength to catch up with the people in front of me. This was the first time I felt so profoundly that my life was threatened.
Going up, but I don’t know where the road is. I climbed up quickly while looking for a foothold. I was afraid of slipping, so I didn’t dare to slow down. I couldn’t stop due to lack of oxygen and lack of strength; going up, would it push me into a more dangerous situation... I Finally I caught up with the people before me and continued to move forward with this guy and his guide.
I don’t know whether it was because I was tired, scared, or the wind was getting stronger and stronger, but I just felt that the slope had only increased rather than decreased. The three of us are like an isolated island in the night, watching the scattered lights of our travel companions vertically leading to the sky in front of us, and vertically falling into the center of the earth behind us.
I don’t know how high I have reached. I have to stop to catch my breath every three or four steps. As soon as I stop, I can feel the snow and wind blowing randomly. If I straighten my body or twist my waist to look behind me, I will probably be overturned and rolled down the mountain. Fortunately, I gradually adapted to the environment and mastered the rhythm, and I became less afraid.
But since it's going up, how can the difficulty remain the same?
As I walked, the guide and the little brother were behind me, and I became the pathfinder. The slope gradually increases, the boulders begin to increase, and ice, snow and gravel are mixed. The foothold is hidden in the crevices of the rocks, far apart from the front and back, so you have to raise your legs higher to reach it. I quickly planned my route while climbing up on my hands and knees.
Perhaps because I have lived in the city for a long time, the word "entry-level" makes me underestimate the enemy. Before coming here, I had only practiced squatting once, occasionally air boxing, and had never practiced rock climbing. Even my upper arm muscles were only trained during retraction surgery, so I really did not expect these situations.
I climbed up relatively smoothly. I didn't feel tired, lack of oxygen, or cold, because the desire to survive had already taken over my whole body.
Mountaineer Reinhold Messner once said: "I didn't go there to die. I came here to live."
After coming up, there is a section of flat road, where you can see two or three guides and fellow travelers sitting and resting, which makes you feel more relaxed. However, I underestimated the enemy again. The snow and wind were getting stronger and stronger, and my hands and feet lost temperature in just a few seconds. I couldn't take off my backpack to get a drink of water, so I had to speed up the pace that I had just slowed down.
The guy I had just climbed with wanted to descend and asked me if I wanted to go back together. The guide said that the top of the pass was cold and slippery. I was also worried that it would be more difficult later, but I always felt that the slope I just climbed was also dangerous. The rocks were so sharp and icy. I was even more afraid of going down in the dark. So to put it bluntly, it was not my will and determination that made me reach the top in the end, but my cowardice and desire to survive, and I had no choice but to climb up until I had no choice but to climb up.
Another steep slope with boulders. I didn't have the guts to stand alone, panting while waiting for the other guy and his guide behind me. The little brother is in front, he controls the rhythm, and I am at the end. There is no light behind me at all, only three or four weak lights in front of me appear and disappear in the sky like stars - ah - is it a vertical slope? It seems to be hundreds of meters high/far ahead, like climbing a staircase to the sky. .
Now I have to stop to catch my breath after taking one or two steps. The wind continues to blow and the temperature drops. I am so tired that I bend down and start using my hands and feet again. The guide told me that the Despair Slope has been climbed and is now a rocky slope. This joy is touching and unreal.
"I'm so tired, can you stop for a moment -"
“You can’t stop for too long. Not only will lactic acid accumulate in your thighs, but you will also lose body temperature instantly.
Look, the star at the top is the summit. "
Only then did I realize that the numbness in my hands and feet had reached a new peak. I couldn't feel the force when I stepped on the ground or grabbed onto rocks.
I stupidly said to myself: "Live, live." So I hit the rock hard with my hands, sinking my feet deeply into the snow, and couldn't relax easily.
On the last step to the pass, I had no strength, so the guide pulled me up. Going up the pass is the last 176 meters (height) of the summit. You need to hold on to the iron chain to climb up. Travelers will insert their hiking poles at the pass to replenish their energy for the summit.
The pass is a flat land of three or four square meters, with a cliff on the right and two iron chains delineating the boundary between safety and danger. On the left is a rocky slope that has just been climbed.
It was still dark, the temperature at the pass was said to be -20°C, and the wind force was 6-7. The guide said it was because there was a snowstorm on the mountain.
The little brother inserted the hiking pole and lay down. I also sat down and took off my backpack with great difficulty. The ice had long since frozen. When I opened the bottle cap, a small lump of ice fell into the snow. I picked it up and ate it. My fingers were so painful and stiff that I couldn't tear the Snickers bar open, so I had to hold it in the tiger's mouth and tear it with my teeth. After a long time of tossing, I made a hole, but it turned out that it was too hard and I only took one bite before throwing it back into my backpack.
At 5,100 meters above sea level, I had to stop and rest every time I took a step or two. There were some sections where the snow was thick and the chains were too close to the snow, so I had to bend down to grab them. This posture made me even more unstable, and I slipped and fell several times in a row and got hung up on the chains. There are cliffs on both sides, and the strong wind keeps taking away my temperature.
The snow was too thick to step on the rocks, and the crampons were too small so I had to kick hard into the snow with every step. I pressed the chain with the palm of my hand, the tiger's mouth replaced the grip of my fingers, and my feet were as hard as a hammer and smashed into the snow. Looking behind me, orange light can be seen between the dark blue sky and the black earth. I was suddenly so tired that I burst into tears. I was really tired.
.
A group photo of my friends who climbed to the top. Everyone is so awesome, but I was so cold that I couldn’t squat down, so I could only bend down to take pictures.Before I came here, I wanted to take pictures of Meimei Peak, the sunrise over the sea of clouds, and the surrounding mountains after climbing to the top. But as soon as I got to the top, I froze and couldn’t think of taking pictures. It was such a pity, but life is not like that. Is that so?
I didn’t take any photos of the most difficult part of the journey. I looked at my phone and thought I was traveling leisurely.
I was more than ten meters away from the peak before I remembered that it was time to take photos and record videos.
My nose has been running for five hours, my mask has frozen solid, and there is ice on my hair.
The sky is completely bright and the temperature has risen a lot. Looking at the rocky slopes, the Despair Slope, and the large and small rocky slopes in the snow, I found that they were not as scary as climbing in the dark, and the steepness was even less visible when taking photos on my phone.
I think it would be easier if we climbed at dawn? However, you still have to be careful when going down the mountain. After all, the slope will not change because of the sun.
Look for fellow travelers on the slope who are descendingI slowly swayed down the mountain, taking photos while distracted. Maybe it was because the altitude had become lower and my brain could function better, so I suddenly remembered my WeChat signature: Danger is very real, but fear is a choice.
The word "outdoor" is mentioned more and more, which easily gives the public the wrong idea that "as long as you can endure hardship, you can play outdoors." First of all, to what extent can one "endure hardship"? "Enduring hardship" is not a simple struggle, it requires a lot of survival skills, as well as various physical and psychological difficulties that need to be overcome.
"Outdoors" is never that simple.
The Big and Second Peaks are entry-level snow mountains. This "entry-level" is very correct for people with mountaineering experience (climbing up Huangshan Mountain, Changpinggou or Daocheng Yading on steps is not mountaineering at all, I have learned this deeply) ; For a naive and confident novice like me, it is indeed deceiving.
Fortunately, I regard snow-capped mountains as my lifelong destination. Even though I cried when I climbed an entry-level snow-capped mountain for the first time, and even though I don’t even know if I have even started, I will always go back to that land to pursue the majestic nature. .
Reinhold Messner said, "Mountains are not fair or unfair, they are only dangerous... I didn't go there to die. I came here to live." That really speaks to how I felt climbing. When you are in the mountains and rivers, you will humbly feel that your fears are being made into a fuss.
Some people will be dissuaded by this sentence, and some people will fall into the trap because of it. I don’t want people who are not suitable for the outdoors to challenge dangerous things just because they follow the trend, but I hope that my description can also awaken those souls who belong to the outdoors.
If you can persist in reading my ramblings till now, and if my running account can make you feel a little excited, maybe you also have an outdoor soul. So, I would like to end with a quote from Moments:
"What is it like to climb a snow mountain? It's like life. It seems like a short distance, but when you really start walking, you realize that it's not that simple. The higher you go, the more tired you will be. Every step you take will make you tired. It’s like walking down a slope of despair, always thinking about why you haven’t reached the top yet, but when you persevere step by step, you feel proud of all your perseverance.”
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