2. Avoid holding hands with another person and pulling them up from below; instead, grip each other’s wrists.
3. Avoid relying on the strength of dead branches, weeds, or branches thinner than your thumb to climb; only use branches thicker than your thumb with solid roots for support.
4. Avoid using branches thinner than your wrist as a horizontal bar or pulling bent branches to ascend or descend—they could easily break. Use branches thicker than your wrist, or stay as close to the base of the supporting branch (near the main trunk) as possible.Explorer's Tales, Pioneering a New Outdoor Culture
5. Avoid climbing rocks higher than your head that you can’t confirm are stable—it’s extremely dangerous to hang your life on unfamiliar rocks. First secure three points of contact, then use your remaining limbs to test stability before proceeding.
6. When climbing slopes covered with loose rocks, ice, or prone to slipping, don’t stand too close to fellow team members; maintain at least twice the usual spacing to prevent injury from falling rocks to those below.
7. Avoid descending slippery slopes with too little spacing between people. Wait until the person ahead has safely reached the bottom before you descend. If possible, the person in front can also provide some protection for the one behind.
8. Avoid having mud, sand, plant leaves, water, snow, or any other substances that reduce friction on the soles of your hiking shoes. With these substances present, when climbing large rocks, you should only attempt slopes that are at most two-thirds as steep as the original slope—otherwise, your feet will slip.
9. When taking a rest on a steep slope with heavy gear, avoid quickly straightening up and leaning backward. If tired, it’s better to stop walking, not straighten your back, turn your body to lean against the mountain, and rest upright. This helps avoid rolling backward down the slope.
10. Avoid getting too close to others when moving through dense bushes—branches can snap back and hit your eyes. Lower your head, use the brim of your hat for shielding, or protect your eyes with trekking poles.
11. When navigating bushes or rocky areas, don’t just keep your head down and bend over—resulting in your head passing through but your backpack or hips getting stuck. Instead, squat, bend, lower your head, stretch your arms, and crawl forward. Then look ahead, and only once your hips have passed can you lift your head, straighten up, and stand.
12. Avoid stepping on narrow trails covered with grass where you can’t see what’s beneath. Try to cross over or walk around instead; otherwise, you might fall off a slope or into a deep pit.
13. Avoid being the trailblazer during summer and autumn unless you know how to scare snakes away or are very alert, good at spotting snakes on the path, and know how to deal with them.
14. Avoid going up the mountain alone. If you do, frequently mark the path; if that’s not possible, turn back.
15. Avoid calling 110 or similar emergency numbers, as they know far less about mountains than experienced hikers. You can call them, but if you have no phone, don’t panic. In the mountains, during spring, summer, and autumn, a normal person can survive a night without sleep or food without freezing or starving to death. Just follow a valley and move downstream.
16. Avoid continuously jumping downward for long periods unless you often do this kind of activity. If you participate in such activities, try using a hanging-style descent or support your lower body with trekking poles to suspend your body while jumping—this reduces height, minimizes impact, and avoids knee injuries. By the end of the day, you may have jumped a third less than your companions.
17. Avoid wading through river water above your crotch level after heavy rain. Water is merciless, and this has nothing to do with your swimming skills. If crossing is essential and you lack ropes or other equipment, choose a spot where the river is wide, slow, shallow, and the riverbed is flat. Hug a large rock, take a small diagonal step against the current, don’t lift your feet, stay close to the riverbed, and slowly shuffle across.
18. Avoid using your phone or making calls while climbing during a thunderstorm—God may be calling you to His side.
19. Avoid climbing or traversing areas with mixed mud and rock formations after rainfall.
20. Avoid using ordinary ropes thinner than your pinky finger to vertically hoist yourself—they should only be used as auxiliary aids.
21. Avoid climbing rocks you feel uncertain about—know when to let go. If you must climb, be sure you’ve thought through an emergency plan in case you lose your grip, and are fully prepared not to regret your decision, before ascending.
22. Avoid descending snowy or icy slopes alone. Ideally, descend in pairs with a rope about 10 meters long—the person above controls the rope to let the other descend safely. Then the person above descends on their own while the lower person provides protection, using the rope to hold them back from sliding down too fast. Take turns and protect each other.
23. Avoid admiring the scenery while climbing—you might lose your footing and your dignity.
24. Avoid blindly following the group leader. Every 15 minutes or so, stop for a few seconds, turn around, look around, find reference points, and memorize the route. Don’t get lost and not know how to get back.
25. Avoid competing with others or yourself when climbing. Face dangerous or difficult situations you’re unprepared for by being brave enough to say, “I can’t do this—I need to go around.”
26. Avoid jumping into water to swim suddenly when you’re drenched in sweat from climbing. Also avoid facing into the wind just for the sake of feeling cool.
27. Avoid entering caves you’re not familiar with, especially those with few exits and no trustworthy friend stationed at the entrance. As the saying goes, even a cunning rabbit has three burrows—how much more so for humans? Remember, safety first.
28. Try not to run downhill while carrying a load. The inertia may send you tumbling down the mountain and cause injury.
29. Try not to take tiny, hesitant steps with your feet close together and face directly downhill on steep slopes just because you’re scared. This makes you very likely to fall backward and then slide uncontrollably down the mountain, which is dangerous. Instead, you can descend safely and quickly by sidestepping, crouching low, and moving with your legs laterally angled (in a side lunge or lateral step).
30. Try not to push yourself to keep climbing when your legs are shaking, you feel dizzy, or you’re having trouble breathing. You should immediately inform the team leader or let someone nearby know.
31. Try not to use fire on the mountain, especially open flames—unless you want to end up like a roasted whole lamb.
32. Don’t litter on the mountain, unless you want to climb a trash heap.
33. Try not to walk at the front or the back of the group. It’s best to get the team leader’s phone number when you gather at the start.
34. Don’t complain during the activity, because no one forced you, tricked you, or begged you to take part in this unofficial, non-profit, and potentially risky event.
35. Don’t rely too much on others during the activity. Communicate more, ask for advice, be independent, stay observant, help others, and show understanding.