A 55-year-old man surnamed Qiu from Hsinchu City went hiking in Jinping Village, Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County on the 5th, bringing along his beloved dog “Michelle.” Unexpectedly, the experienced hiker got lost the very next day despite knowing the area well. Qiu and Michelle survived the seven-day wait for rescue with just one bag of peanuts. At one point, they lost contact, but fortunately, firefighters accurately calculated their possible location and overcame numerous challenges to safely bring both man and dog down the mountain.
The 55-year-old man surnamed Qiu has extensive hiking experience and has explored countless mountains in Hsinchu County over the years. Confident in his skills, he faced unprecedented difficulties on this trip. The week spent relying on his dog Michelle was tough, and when he saw the firefighters arrive, he broke down in tears, hugging his dog and crying uncontrollably.
The fire department explained that Qiu took his dog to Jinping for a hike on the 5th, planning to follow a loop route passing four triangulation points to climb four mountains in one go. However, each mountain stands at an altitude of 1,500 to 2,000 meters and is not a popular trail, with a harsh environment, overgrown paths, and no GPS. Qiu got lost the next day.
Qiu calmly used his phone to dial 119 for help, but the signal was too weak to connect. He then switched to 112 and successfully contacted the fire department. However, rescuers searching possible routes on the 7th, 8th, and 9th found nothing. Fortunately, on the 10th, Qiu managed to get through again, describing his location as near a 4-meter-wide riverbed with a canvas worker’s hut by the stream.
The fire department traced the last signal to the Frog Stone base station, near the 1,510-meter-high Taigao Mountain. By cross-referencing his description, they determined he was likely trapped at the uppermost part of the Jinping River.
Three rescuers—Squad Leader Ma Mingyi from the Fire Bureau’s Second Brigade, and Lin You’an and Wu Zhongren from the Zhudong Branch—judged that Qiu, exhausted after days of hardship, might have little food left. They abandoned the gentle mountain path and chose to descend 600 meters directly from 1,900 meters to reach the valley more quickly. After traversing dense woods and numerous steep slopes, they finally found the worker’s hut where Qiu was waiting for rescue.
Qiu reflected that his food had run out by the second day on the mountain. After that, he and Michelle survived on just one bag of peanuts, sharing 10 to 20 each day to maintain basic strength. Fortunately, there was still water nearby. Looking back on the ordeal, he could only describe his feelings with the word “gratitude” and expressed immense thanks to the firefighters.
(China Times)