Eleven Hardcore Travel Notes Three-day tour to Lenggacuo at Zimei Pass in Gongga Mountain

Since the trip to Mount Siguniang, Mr. Ming has always wanted to unlock Mount Gongga, which is more difficult and has more beautiful scenery, but he has never found a suitable opportunity. It happened that a few friends were visiting Chengdu on November 1, so they went to Gongga Mountain together and arranged a three-day and two-night trip to Gongga Mountain.

Gongga Mountain is the highest mountain in Sichuan Province, with the main peak reaching 7,556 meters. To the east is the famous scenic spot Hailuogou, and to the west are the main attractions for viewing Gongga Mountain: Yaha Pass, Zimei Pass, Gonggar Temple, Lenggacuo, etc. The main destinations of this trip are Zimei Pass + Lenggacuo.

A few friends traveled thousands of miles to come to Chengdu, so naturally they started with local delicacies, such as stilts beef + Bobo chicken!

The night before the trip, I checked again to see if my luggage was packed properly, and whether all the clothes, medicines, and food were available. At dawn the next day, I embarked on this three-day and two-night trip to Gonggar with laughter and laughter.

The first day's itinerary was mainly about rushing, all the way to Kangding at high speed. The altitude had quietly risen to more than 3,000 meters inadvertently. At this time, several friends were still laughing and talking. At noon, we had a feast at a Tibetan restaurant in Kangding, completely forgetting the advice of not eating too much during high altitude training.

The next stop in Kangding is Xinduqiao. Zheduo Mountain is the only way to pass. The highest peak of Zheduo Mountain is 4,962 meters above sea level. It is the first high mountain pass that needs to be climbed on the Sichuan-Tibet Line.

It was rainy throughout the National Day in Chengdu, but fortunately the weather cleared up instantly after passing through the Erlangshan Tunnel. The good weather allowed us to clearly see the peaks of Gongga Mountain from Zheduo Mountain. The group completely forgot that they were still at a high altitude of more than 4,000 meters, and started shouting while enjoying the beautiful scenery in front of them.

Our indifference to the high altitude soon brought us punishment. One of our friends took the lead in resisting high altitude and soon passed out. He frowned and said nothing for the rest of the time. Others were not much better, with varying degrees of high-reflection symptoms. Fortunately, there was a more experienced friend in the same group who calmly anticipated the current situation, so we had no choice but to hand the car over to him, and he completed the rest of the journey today. Thank you for your hard work, my friend!

There was no major road after passing Xinduqiao, and the weather turned from clear skies to dark clouds again, as if we were suffering from high altitude sickness. There were even bursts of thunder coming from the direction of Shangmuju Village. I have long heard that the weather in Gongga Mountain is uncertain, and my mood is also erratic. I finally made a trip to Gongga Mountain, and I will not go back home without seeing anything.

Although we had gotten up early to set off before 7 o'clock, the huge traffic flow on November 1st still caused us to delay a lot of time due to traffic jams. After passing Gongga Mountain Township, it was completely dark, the trails and roads had completely disappeared, and what greeted us became a bumpy dirt road. Along with the highway, the signal also disappeared. Without mobile phones to accompany us, we fell into silence collectively like ants without tentacles. Fortunately, the navigation of offline maps that had been downloaded in advance was still strong. At this time, wherever the headlights could reach there were only dirt roads, and only bursts of thunder accompanied us from time to time.

Due to the poor road conditions and driving at night, we drove for nearly two hours in just a few dozen kilometers. I finally arrived at the B&B I had booked in advance. The first time I saw the boss, I threw out my biggest worry along the way: Is there still food to eat? The high-reflectivity, weather, and route are all unimportant at this moment. Eating is the most important thing. The boss immediately said not to worry and would do it for us now. After hearing these words, I immediately felt that my high reflexes had been relieved for the most part, and the sky without even a hint of starlight seemed less scary.

Because the next day was the focus of the entire trip, a group of us washed up and went to bed early after dinner. We had to leave it to God to determine what the weather would be like the next day.

Although the B&B was shabby, the wifi was still very strong. I had already laid down in bed and was about to check my phone before going to bed. Suddenly a message from a friend popped up in the group chat. A friend who smoked at an altitude of 3700 meters said that there were many stars outside. When I saw this, I was confused. Wasn't it still thundering when I came here? Having already taken off my clothes and lay down comfortably on the bed, I started a fierce psychological struggle in my heart. In the end, I couldn't stand the temptation of the starry sky, so I got up and went out fully armed.

You wouldn't know it unless you looked at it, but the dense dark clouds had quietly dispersed at some point. Only after your eyes adapted to the darkness did you realize that the sky was full of stars as far as you could see. The body and mind that had just been troubled by the fatigue of the long journey, the discomfort of high altitude sickness and worries about the weather were completely relaxed at this moment. All the worries disappeared and all I could do was quietly look at the stars in the sky.

The next day is the highlight of the trip. The starry sky last night has already predicted the good weather today, and as expected, it will be clear and clear again today.

Facts have proved that staying at an altitude of 3,700 meters is still very difficult. The friend who had the most severe symptoms of altitude sickness yesterday not only did not relieve his symptoms after a night of sleep, but his symptoms became more serious. We had gone through multiple measures last night such as oxygen bottles, Rhodiola rosea, glucose, Fenbid, etc. If it was still so serious today, we would definitely not be able to go to higher altitude scenic spots with us, so we had to quickly rent a Tibetan BYD to stay for the next few days. Back to Chengdu, the long-awaited trip to Gongga Mountain ended. Don’t worry, little friend, we will definitely enjoy the beautiful scenery of Gongga Mountain for you!

Pack up your mood and head out on the road while the weather is nice now. Shangmuju is located in a recessed part of the mountain. Zimei Pass is 4,500 meters above sea level, and the highest point is 4,800 meters. It is a steep uphill road all the way. Remember here that the steering wheel must be handed over to an experienced driver, and you should drive carefully and carefully. Once you make a mistake, you will be undone.

The altitude of the pass is too high, and there is no trace of Gongga Mountain on the way up the mountain. At the moment of doubt, after the car climbed over a mountain, Gongga Mountain suddenly appeared in front of us. The people in the car completely forgot about the tragedy of high altitude in Zheduo Mountain and all screamed.

Snow-capped mountains always give people a solemn and sacred feeling. Zimei Pass is worthy of being the closest scenic spot to Gongga Mountain. The thick snow wrapped on the steep cliffs forms razor-like lines that are clearly visible. It's a pity that my writing skills are really limited, and I can't think of anything else besides "Fuck, it's so beautiful" above this masterpiece.

I reluctantly stayed at the pass for almost an hour. Although I knew that no matter how I took pictures, I couldn't reflect the beauty of Gongga Mountain, I couldn't help but hold up my camera and take some snaps. Finally, I simply put down my camera and stood quietly on the edge of the cliff admiring the beautiful scenery, letting the biting cold wind wreak havoc on my body. It wasn't until one of our friends couldn't hold it in anymore that he was about to die because of the high fever, so we set off to go down the mountain and keep this unique beauty in our minds forever.

Lenggacuo is the top priority of this trip, mainly because we arranged the wilderness camping itinerary very hard. Lenggacuo is 4,500 meters above sea level. Yes, we are going to camp at an altitude of 4,500 meters! Thinking about it, I’m still a little excited!

Lenggacuo is one of the seas closest to Gongga Mountain. The mountain is not open to traffic. If you want to see the beauty of Lenggacuo, you can only go up to it on foot or horseback from Bangmujide Village at the bottom of the mountain. The distance is three kilometers and there is a huge drop. Five hundred meters. We have long heard that Lenggacuo is a popular camping destination among travel enthusiasts, and National Day is the peak travel period. We were worried that we might not even have a good place to camp if we arrived late, so we set off early after having lunch and taking a short rest.

The drive all the way to Bangmujid went smoothly even though the road conditions were still worrying. Mujid was shocked when he saw it. There must be too many people! Judging from the visual inspection of the scene, there were at least more than a hundred people. Everyone was fully armed and eager to try.

Since we were carrying tents, sleeping bags, food, cameras, tripods and other luggage, and had no previous experience of hiking on the plateau, we chose the more secure method of riding up the mountain. I asked the local Tibetans and found out that there were only a limited number of horses, and there was already a long queue of trekking friends waiting in front, so I quickly paid to sign up in order to go up the mountain earlier.

Thanks to a lot of exercise recently, I am in relatively good physical condition among the social animals. Today, my high fever has eased, so I decided to hike up the mountain by myself, leaving my luggage with my friends, and started my lonely hiking journey. .

Although I have made full preparations, I have to say that walking at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters is not an easy task. The thin air makes my body desperate for oxygen. Just rising a short distance will cause my heart rate to increase dramatically, forcing me to stop every short period of time to calm my heartbeat. The lack of oxygen causes the body's large amount of energy supply to be converted into anaerobic metabolism. After a while, my legs feel as heavy as lead. Fortunately, the scenery along the way is very beautiful, which greatly relieves the fatigue of mountain climbing.

The hot sunshine at the foot of the mountain made me misjudge the weather, so I went into battle lightly wearing only a quick-drying jacket and a jacket liner. As a result, when I was halfway up the mountain, hail started to fall unexpectedly, which really made me appreciate the tribute. The weather in Gashan is unpredictable. Obviously there is still a bright sun in the distance, but in front of us we are already surrounded by hail weather. Big hailstones hit me mercilessly without a jacket, and I could only regret my lack of experience.

Fortunately, my friends on horseback quickly caught up with me and handed me the jacket, food, water and other supplies that I had abandoned, allowing me to replenish some energy. I was also able to dive deeper and deeper behind them. finally reached the top.

Lenggacuo is said to be a lake, but it is actually just a small piece of sea. It is mainly famous for its proximity to Gongga Mountain and its right angle. Maybe all our good luck ran out in the morning. After we boarded Langgacuo, the sky was already covered by large clouds. The raging hail also made it impossible to take pictures of the reflection of the calm water. In addition, the high altitude became more and more serious. , I had to leave some tourist photos in a hurry, which was considered a check-in.

After taking a short rest by the lake and catching my breath, I realized that except Mr. Ming, who immediately carried two large packages, all the other friends in the group were empty-handed. Where was the camping we had agreed to do? It turned out that these people had been frightened by the high-altitude rebels, and they were afraid that they would die if they stayed in the mountains for one night. Humph, these losers, my wife is still reliable. Complaints are all, it’s better to quickly find a place to camp. After this search, I discovered that the experience of previous generations is indeed reasonable. Although the Lenggacuo site is large, many places are swamps. The only dry land is still full of potholes. The slightly better positions have long been occupied by others. . I had no choice but to pick a spot next to the tent pile that I liked, and hurriedly pitched the tent.

Although the hail has stopped, the weather is still bad. I didn’t want to take photos of the Rizhao Golden Summit. I had to try my luck to see if the weather would be better tonight or tomorrow. I casually wandered around the surroundings, the howling wind made my head hurt, and I thought that I must not catch a cold while going up the mountain at a height of 4,500 meters, otherwise I would not be able to get down the mountain, so I simply plunged into my sleeping bag, and I would need to bring my belt with me when I got up. The instant noodles we came here were cooked, so we could experience the feeling of survival in the wilderness.

I don’t know how long it took, and I don’t know if I woke up due to the noise outside or because I woke up with a headache. I opened my eyes in a daze and found that it was pitch dark outside. I struggled to sit up and look for my phone to check the time. I couldn't move. I felt like stars were popping up in my eyes, my heartbeat suddenly soared, and then I had a splitting headache. At this moment, I had a full-blown fever. He turned around and looked at Mr. Ming, who was lying in another sleeping bag next to him with only his head exposed. His brows were furrowed and he didn't seem to be doing much better. When Mr. Ming saw that I was awake, he opened his eyes and looked at me. He held it in for a long time and said: Husband, I want to vomit. . . Well, you don’t have to stare at me to tell me, in fact, I do too. Fortunately, there was an oxygen tube left before. The two of us just lay on our backs in the sleeping bags without saying a word. You took one breath and I took turns breathing oxygen.

After Mr. Ming couldn't help but vomited twice and I vomited once, the hot water we brought was finally exhausted. If there is a lack of water on this plateau, the consequences would be disastrous. Fortunately, we camped near the lake and brought a simple stove. I had to endure the great discomfort and moved to the lake with a headlamp to get water to burn.

On the way to the lake, I was surprised to find that the thick clouds had quietly dispersed at some point. When I looked closely, the stars in the sky were also vying to be revealed. However, I was severely hyperreactive at this time and really wasn't in the mood to appreciate it, so I grabbed the camera and took a hasty photo, without even looking for an angle, and completed the star-shooting task of this camping trip like a clock.

After so much trouble, I looked at my phone and it was almost 11 o'clock. The originally noisy crowd around me had quieted down. The entire Lenggacuo fell into a silent darkness, and there was even a faint sound of snoring around me. But I was so tortured by high fever that I couldn't sleep at all. The oxygen has been sucked out, the headache medicine has been taken, and the Rhodiola rosea has been drunk. Only the boiling lake water is left to soothe the body that is extremely short of water. My waist was hit by a raised mound of earth. After I lay down, my whole head was facing downwards. As a result, I had to put the water bottle under my head to elevate my head. I could only bear the force on my waist and head. Lying in a deformed posture with the back hanging in the air. As the sleeping bag gradually warmed up, my headache eased, but my heart was still pounding, and my eardrums hurt from the pounding of my heart. I squeezed Mr. Ming’s hand through the sleeping bag and said: Wife, we are a couple who have shared joys and sorrows. Mr. Ming hummed and didn't seem to want to talk to me.

I struggled all night and could hardly fall asleep. I finally stayed up until dawn, so I just got up early to pack up and go down the mountain. It is easy to spread out the luggage, but difficult to put it away. It took nearly an hour with Mr. Ming to put everything back into place, and I was thinking about instant noodles for a long time. The best thing to do is to pack up and leave quickly! At this time, the sky was completely bright, but unfortunately the clouds were still thick, making it impossible to see the golden dome of Gongga Mountain.

A mountaineering bag weighs at least 10 kilograms with all the luggage. I was worried that my body would be overwhelmed when hiking with a heavy load. However, the walk down the mountain was surprisingly easy. I wonder if my body has adapted to the plateau after a night of baptism. environment of. We had made an appointment with my friends to wait for us at the bottom of the mountain at 8 o'clock. Now Mr. Ming and I were not in a hurry. We took this opportunity to relive the beautiful scenery that we had not had time to appreciate when we went up the mountain and enjoy the fun of hiking.

At about 8:30, we successfully met up with our friends at the foot of the mountain. The 3-day trip was successfully completed. Let’s make an appointment next time in Aden, Daocheng!