1. Stone Slab Trails
Trail Features: This type of trail mainly appears on rocky cliffs, steep cliffs, or rock faults, exposed bedrock areas of mountains, either formed by a single large stone slab or multiple slabs, or artificially paved stone paths. Due to the smooth surface and often presence of moss, these trails are slippery and accidents can easily occur in rainy or snowy conditions—minor ones like falls or sprained ankles, and major ones like fractures or serious injuries.
Walking Tips: After rain, when going uphill, wear anti-slip shoes and stay relaxed. Keep your center of gravity not too far forward, aligned perpendicularly to the stone slabs, and use trekking poles as much as possible. When carrying a heavy backpack, keep its center of gravity slightly lower and try to hold onto rocks or trees. When descending, always use trekking poles and lean your center of gravity slightly forward. Try to step on gaps between slabs or vegetation at the edge of the path. Keep a safe distance between two hikers to avoid a domino effect if one falls. After snowfall, if you have professional gear, use crampons with four spikes. Otherwise, step on tree roots or grass beside the path, and trekking poles are essential. If you don’t have poles, find suitable branches or sticks as alternatives.
2. Rock-Hopping Trails
Trail Features: The so-called “rock-hopping” refers to paths with no clear trail. The “trail” is mainly formed by valleys and gullies eroded by long-term rainwater and flash floods. Sometimes there may be a vague path, but due to nearby farmland, farmers clearing stones and tossing them onto the trail over time creates a path of uneven rocks. Walking on such a trail requires hopping from one rock to another, with fine sand, streams, and boulders scattered chaotically, full of hidden dangers.
Walking Tips: Overcoming the fear of rock-hopping is crucial, which requires focused attention. Avoid rock-hopping in valleys before or right after heavy rain during the rainy season to prevent flash floods. Wear thick-soled, sturdy hiking shoes, check that your shoelaces are secure before hopping, tighten your backpack shoulder and waist straps to keep it close to your back, preventing it from swaying and affecting balance. While hopping, watch ahead carefully to judge the next foothold, and notice any dark marks on rocks that indicate commonly used stepping spots. Also, clean the soles of your shoes—if sand sticks to them, watch out for your knees and teeth.
3. Dirt Trails
Trail Features: This is the most common type of trail, mainly formed by the weathering of stones and the long-term trampling of bare ground without vegetation. You might think this is the easiest terrain—what’s there to watch out for? That thought couldn’t be more wrong. During the rainy season, these trails become notorious muddy paths, extremely easy to slip on and injure your knees.
Walking Tips: After heavy rain, when the sun has dried the surface of the dirt trail, it may appear dry on top but has actually absorbed a lot of moisture. At this time, walking uphill or downhill can be dangerous. Make sure your shoe soles have good grip, and use trekking poles as support to avoid stepping unknowingly into deep mud. Additionally, in spring and autumn, due to large day-night temperature differences, dirt trails easily freeze after rain or snow, increasing risk. In such cases, use trekking poles and any available handholds, making sure the supports are stable—this is very important.
4. Shrubland
Trail Features: Shrublands come in many types, broadly divided into natural shrublands and planted shrublands. Natural shrublands are mostly found in dense jungles, with a variety of low-growing shrubs, generally featuring wet, soft, and potentially swampy soil, posing greater risks. Planted shrublands are usually located on drier mountain slopes, artificially planted to prevent wind erosion and stabilize soil, with dry soil containing lots of gravel, appearing hard but actually slippery when stepped on.
Walking Tips:
When entering shrubland, bring glasses, a hat, zip up your windbreaker, and keep at least 1.5 meters distance between team members to avoid branches knocked down by the person in front bouncing back and injuring you. Constantly remind those behind you that straying too far may lead to getting lost. When hiking through natural shrubland, it’s best to have auxiliary equipment and an experienced leader or local guide scout ahead. Be aware that shrubs often have short thorns and many insects—wear high-cut, anti-slip, deep-tread jungle boots, long sleeves, long pants, and protect your face. Planted shrublands have taller and thornier plants than natural ones—bring gloves (preferably leather), long-sleeved high-neck scratch-resistant clothing, and anti-slip, well-gripping hiking shoes. On such terrain, try to walk on less slippery, wider paths, preferably holding onto fresh, supportive live branches, switching handholds firmly, and stepping steadily and slowly.
5. Snowfield Crossing
Trail Features: Snowfield trails are formed by fallen and accumulated snow. Due to the snow cover, it's hard to assess the terrain and path conditions, making the situation complex. Snow makes surfaces slippery and increases resistance, making walking difficult.
Walking Tips: When walking in snow or on long-standing snow-covered ground, the key is to take small, consistent steps and maintain a steady rhythm. Hastily speeding up or taking overly large steps disrupts your rhythm and often leads to fatigue. It’s important to proceed calmly and maintain your own pace when walking on snow. If the snow only reaches shoe level, it barely affects your stride—you can walk as if on flat ground. (When snow is above knee height, each step consumes significant energy, let alone dealing with exhaustion. If the snow is waist-deep, you must push aside the snow in front of you with your feet and waist, adopting a methodical step-by-step approach, known as the “snow-clearing advance,” to minimize fatigue. The trick is to lean your body—and especially your upper body—forward, using your center of gravity and weight to push through the snow. If walking as a group in snow below knee level, align your footsteps with the leader’s to reduce fatigue compared to walking in disorganized steps. In soft or deep snow, wear snowshoes to prevent sinking and walk comfortably.
Walking on snowy slopes requires extra caution—the steeper gradient increases difficulty, and with the snow covering the ground, you must watch for crevices and avoid collapsing the snow. At the junction of icy and snowy slopes, the snow is often deep, so you must move in small groups (2–3 people). When crossing snow bridges, the pathfinder should test their stability first. If the snow is too soft and you must cross, crawl. When climbing steep snowy slopes, ensure both feet are stable before moving. To step forward, press your forefeet into the snow to form steps, then move your rear foot. If you slip, immediately drop to your stomach to prevent sliding. Avoid areas with visible cracks when climbing snowy slopes. When marching on snow, choose harder patches. If you get hot, don’t eat snow directly—it can cause throat inflammation. If extremely thirsty, use melted snow to rinse your mouth but avoid swallowing, as it burdens your circulatory system and reduces stamina. When walking on soft snow for long periods, take larger steps to shorten the time spent in the snow. Step back slightly before lifting your foot to take a big step forward—the backward motion gives your snowshoe room to maneuver, and the forward step helps brush off snow. On steep slopes, step on the inner edge of your snowshoe and avoid leaning outward. When the snow is extremely hard, remove your snowshoes and walk. In valleys, stay near the center line to avoid falling rocks.
6. Mountain Hiking
Road Characteristics: Mountainous terrain often consists of undulating hills or ridges interspersed with streams, cliffs, or thickets. The surface can be quite complex, featuring stone-paved paths, muddy trails, stepping stones, and shrubbery. A variety of hiking and trekking techniques may need to be applied.
Hiking Tips: When hiking in the mountains, to avoid getting lost, conserve energy, and maintain a good pace, you should try to stick to existing paths rather than bushwhacking through forests or climbing over ridges, and choose main roads over smaller trails. In the absence of roads, opt to walk along longitudinal mountain ridges, spine lines, mid-slopes, edges of streams or rivers, as well as areas with tall trees, sparse woods, wide gaps, and low grass. Generally, avoid deep valleys or gullies with complex terrain, as well as densely overgrown areas entangled with vines and bamboo. Aim to traverse ridges instead of valleys, and follow longitudinal routes rather than crossing horizontally. Follow the principle of taking long strides—even in the mountains. By lengthening your steps—covering three steps in the time it would normally take for two—you can significantly reduce the number of steps and conserve energy over dozens of kilometers. As the saying goes: “Better slow progress than standing still.” When tired, use a relaxed, slow pace to rest, rather than stopping completely. Standing still for a minute could mean losing the ground you’d otherwise cover in several dozen meters of walking.
Mountain hiking often involves encountering various rocky slopes and steep cliffs. Therefore, rock climbing is a key skill in mountaineering. Before scaling rocks, carefully observe the rock surface, assess the quality and degree of weathering, and then determine the direction of ascent and the route to take. The most basic technique for climbing rocks is the “three-point fixation” method, which requires good coordination between hands and feet. Fix either one hand and two feet or two feet and one hand, then move the remaining limb to gradually shift your body’s center of gravity upward. When using this method, avoid jumping up or charging ahead, and refrain from moving two contact points at once. Stay steady, light, and quick. Choose the most suitable distance and the most stable handholds or footholds based on your own ability. Avoid taking overly large steps or grabbing and pushing off from points that are too far away.
Grass slopes and scree slopes are among the most common types of terrain found in mountainous regions. Below altitudes of 3,000 meters, apart from cliffs and precipices, most slopes consist of grass or scree. For slopes with an incline of less than 30 degrees, you can climb directly upwards in a straight line. Lean your body slightly forward, keep your entire foot flat on the ground, bend your knees slightly, and adopt an outward splay with your feet. Avoid taking overly large or fast steps. When the slope exceeds 30 degrees, climbing in a straight line becomes difficult. This is because the ankle joints cannot extend easily, leading to quicker fatigue, and loose scree is more prone to rolling, increasing the risk of slipping. Therefore, the “zigzag” climbing method is generally recommended. This means ascending along a zigzag route across the slope. While climbing, keep your legs slightly bent, lean your upper body forward, point the toes of your inner foot forward with the entire foot flat on the ground, and angle the toes of your outer foot slightly outward. When traversing grassy slopes, avoid grabbing at trees or pulling on grasses carelessly, as this may cause them to break and lead to a fall. On scree slopes, pay special attention to keeping your feet steady and lifting them gently to prevent dislodging rocks. If you happen to slip while moving, immediately face the slope, spread your arms wide, and straighten your legs (with toes pointed upward) to shift your body’s center of gravity upward as much as possible, thereby reducing your sliding speed. This allows you to search for handholds or supports while sliding. Never sit facing outward, as this will not only accelerate your slide but also increase the risk of rolling down on steeper slopes.
During the rainy season, avoid low-lying areas such as valleys and streams when hiking in the mountains to guard against flash floods and landslides. In case of thunderstorms, immediately seek shelter in nearby low areas or dense thickets, and avoid hiding under tall trees. Tall trees often attract lightning strikes. When taking shelter from thunderstorms, temporarily store metal objects in an easily accessible place—do not carry them on your person—and you may also lie down in a low-lying area. In the event of severe mountain weather such as snowstorms, heavy fog, or strong winds, stop hiking and take refuge under cliffs or in caves until conditions improve. Do not overestimate your physical strength while hiking in the mountains. When fatigued, take timely breaks. Don’t wait until you’re completely exhausted before resting—that makes it harder to recover and you’ll lack the energy to continue. The correct approach is to hike with long strides for a while, then switch to a relaxed, slow-paced walk, or stop and rest briefly to regulate your breathing. When resting standing up, do not remove your backpack. You can prop a stick under your pack to reduce the load on your body. If it’s cold, avoid sitting on rocks to rest, as they can quickly draw heat away from your body.
7. River Crossings
Road Characteristics: Crossing rivers is a potential challenge during outdoor hiking. Usually, we can rely on maps to determine whether there are major rivers in the area to be crossed. However, in complex terrains—especially those with significant elevation changes or deeply cut river valleys—a seemingly small stream can become a major obstacle. In seasons with frequent rainstorms, what was once a harmless creek may turn into a raging torrent. Therefore, choosing the right spot to cross a river is crucial.
Hiking Tips: The best approach is to look for bridges or ask locals about bridge locations, and only attempt to ford a river on foot as a last resort. When crossing, the first priority is to carefully observe the water flow. For slow-moving water, choose a shallower spot to cross and aim to land on a bank that’s easy to climb. Never attempt to cross directly above or next to a waterfall, where the water is typically deep and fast. In narrow sections of the upper stream, wading might be possible—but first test the depth with a pole. There may be stepping stones, or you might even place rocks to help you cross. In team expeditions, some members might be able to jump across narrow valleys or use rocks to hop through streams, but if many cannot, the advantage is limited. Additionally, slipping on smooth rocks can easily result in twisted ankles. The areas outside river bends are usually turbulent with wide, fast currents, and some rivers may even be affected by tides—avoid crossing in such spots. Unless you have a raft or inflatable boat, head upstream to find a more suitable crossing point. In wide river sections, if you must cross and have the means and ability, you can fashion a flotation raft to swim across. Even with a raft or inflatable gear, don’t attempt the crossing lightly—you risk being swept downstream and drifting farther from your goal. However, this depends on actual conditions, including how water flow and waves affect navigation. If the water is too cold, consider building a raft so that when you reach the other side, only your feet are wet and you can dry them by the fire.
Only when the water is very shallow, just wetting your shoes and socks, should you consider wading across. When fording, use a diagonal approach, aiming to reach the opposite bank downstream. River crossings are inherently dangerous—wear socks and shuffle your feet through the water. Also, use a walking stick to help maintain balance, especially upstream where it's easier to stay upright. A rope (climbing rope) is also a useful tool—tie one end to the shore and the other around the waist of the lead person, providing security for those behind. The water depth for wading should not exceed knee level. If the water reaches your waist, crossing becomes extremely difficult unless the current is unusually slow—not to mention actually making it across. Face away from the opposite bank and maintain a slight angle to the current, which will help push you toward the other side. Take small steps and shuffle your feet. Use a stick to probe the depth and check whether the footing is solid. Avoid direct crossings in fast currents; if absolutely necessary, use a thick, long pole to push off toward rocks in the middle of the river, and cross in a downstream arc around that point. Long pants or inflatable floatation bags can substitute for life jackets, and logs or wooden planks can be utilized effectively to aid in crossing.