Li Minghan, a solo hiking “legend” in Taiwan’s mountaineering community who once completed a 47-day traverse of the Central Mountain Range, fell into a valley and broke both legs while solo-climbing the Nenggao Haha Traverse on May 13. After being out of contact for over 30 days, he crawled in pain to a ridgeline last Wednesday, took out his “legendary” Nokia phone, and called for help. Rescue teams found the weak Li yesterday and were amazed he had survived — and that his phone still had battery power.
No life-threatening injuries apart from fractures
With the rainy frontal system coming to an end, Hualien police and firefighters took advantage of improved weather to dispatch helicopters into the mountains. Five days ago, a rescue team began searching on foot through the rain and found Li Minghan (29), who had broken both legs, at 9:17 a.m. yesterday on a ridgeline near the northwest side of Dahuishan. After examining him, rescuers said he was weak but not in danger, marveling at his “strong willpower!”
Crawled up to the ridgeline after falling into the valley
Rescuers initially bandaged Li’s injuries and reported his coordinates. A rescue squad first helped carry him to the Haha Mountain Area’s fourth cableway, where a helicopter could pick him up. At 2 p.m., a Black Hawk helicopter successfully airlifted him off the mountain. When rescued, Li was pale and visibly weak from days without food. He was taken to Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital for treatment.
Emergency room physician Chang Hsin said X-rays showed the patient had a cervical spine injury, fractures in the left shinbone and right femoral neck, as well as a pneumothorax. But his vital signs were stable and he was conscious. In the presence of family, he could speak normally and point out where it hurt. “With both legs broken, under normal circumstances he shouldn’t have been able to walk and would have been in extreme pain,” the doctor noted.
Thanks to carrying a Nokia 108 — nicknamed the “legendary phone” by netizens — which can stay powered up to 31 days without charging, firefighters received Li’s distress call on the 14th, the 30th day of his disappearance. Over the next two days, Li made nine calls, allowing rescuers to assess his injuries, supplies, and estimate his location in the mountainous area near Dahuishan at an altitude of about 2,457 meters.
Injured and without food... responded calmly
Firefighters said they believe that after falling into the valley, Li first calmly dealt with his injuries and the crisis of having no food, then waited for the right moment to crawl to a ridgeline to make a call for help. “Fortunately,” 2G signals were still available until the end of June. Also, he rationed his food and used his tent and plastic bags to keep warm and avoid hypothermia, helping him survive the recent heavy rains in the mountains until he could be rescued.
It is understood that Li Minghan had previously gone missing in the Hehuanshan area in 2013, and his father also enjoys solo climbing and was once rescued by air rescue services. Wu T’ai-chieh, deputy director of the Hualien County Fire Bureau, said that over the past 20 days, more than 20 personnel and over 10 aerial reconnaissance flights were deployed. Now that the missing person has been found, rescuers can finally breathe a sigh of relief. He also urged the public to prepare their itineraries carefully and, whenever possible, hike with companions.