In August this year, five “hikers” who had never met before but connected via QQ ventured into Heizhugou in Ebian County, Leshan City, Sichuan Province—a place known as the “Bermuda Triangle of the East.” After setting off, two of them got separated from the other three and managed to exit Heizhugou, but the three missing teammates have been unaccounted for ever since, now missing for 20 days.
Photo posted by the missing group leader in Ebian
The recurring incidents of hikers going missing have repeatedly sounded alarm bells for the increasingly popular trend of self-guided adventure travel. How can we raise safety awareness? How can we be more responsible travelers—to ourselves and to others? These are questions worth reflecting on.
Online meet-up for adventure; 3 hikers missing for 20 days
“The deepest, most primitive, craziest, and most terrifying adventure—dare you go? An 8 to 15-day deep exploration expedition is underway. Brave souls wanted!” On July 20, a Hunan netizen named “Bone Burier,” who had created a QQ group called “Exploration of the Universe’s Forbidden Zones,” posted such an announcement. Soon, this “call to heroes” received responses from four other netizens, hailing from Anhui, Shandong, Fujian, and Shanghai.
Xiao Li, a 22-year-old netizen from Anhui whose online name is “Second Uncle,” told reporters that after seeing the announcement, he found it very interesting and signed up quickly. “This was my first time exploring a primeval forest. I guess it was out of curiosity. I’m not sure about the others’ experience.” He said this on QQ.
On August 16, the five young people entered Heizhugou through the 611 Forest Farm, located about 60 kilometers from the entrance of Heizhugou, beginning their “adventure journey.” The group leader and organizer of the trip, the netizen “Bone Burier,” naturally became the team leader.
At 7:07 p.m. on August 16, the netizen “Bone Burier” said “talk to you all when we get back” in the group chat before going offline.
Xiao Li told reporters that their gear for this expedition did not include a GPS or satellite phone. “The team leader said there was no need to bring them. None of us had met each other before this trip, but the leader seemed quite experienced—he said he had been to many places.”
Xiao Li said that before the group got separated, everyone got along very well. The scenery inside Heizhugou was beautiful, but the mountain was shrouded in thick fog. On the afternoon of the 20th, while he and his companion, Old Wu, were leading the way and had walked for about half an hour, they noticed that the other three companions had not caught up. After waiting for a long time and still seeing no sign of them, and with no mobile signal available to determine anyone’s location, Xiao Li and Old Wu—who were unsure about the dangers of the primeval forest—decided to follow the river valley downhill. Along the way, they encountered another hiking group and left the mountain with those who wanted to quit the exploration and head out.
On the 22nd, Xiao Li and Old Wu exited Heizhugou. After getting out, they tried calling their teammates several times. Chat records in the “Exploration of the Universe’s Forbidden Zones” group showed that at first, the phone of the netizen “Bone Burier” could still be reached but went unanswered, and later it couldn’t be reached at all.
“There was no signal or electricity inside,” Xiao Li said. “We thought our team leader was very experienced and wouldn’t come to any harm, and the others were with him, so we didn’t think the worst.”
It wasn’t until the 26th, when he realized that the original schedule had long passed and the teammates still hadn’t made contact, that he began to think “they might be in trouble.”
As of now, the netizen “Bone Burier” and his group have been missing for 20 days.
Local government actively searching; “East Bermuda Triangle” has seen multiple disappearance cases
Xia Songqing, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Ebian Yi Autonomous County Committee in Leshan City, Sichuan Province, told reporters that the local public security authorities received an alert on September 3. In the early hours of the 6th, four search teams were organized to comb the area in four directions looking for the missing hikers. After three days of searching, there has been no result so far.
Xia Songqing said that Ebian County has now set up a search and rescue leadership team, mobilizing personnel from public security, armed police, fire services, and health departments to prepare for a second round of search efforts. Local staff have also been assigned specifically to comfort and take care of the families of the missing who have come to the area.
It is understood that Heizhugou spans 575 square kilometers, with less than one-tenth of the area currently open to tourists. Most parts remain in a primitive, undeveloped state. The valley features high mountains with no roads, crisscrossing ravines, unpredictable weather changes, and unique geomagnetic phenomena that often cause compasses to malfunction.
However, Xia Songqing stated that the scenic area management committee has strict regulations regarding entry into Heizhugou for exploration. “Warning signs are placed at the entrances to prevent tourists from entering restricted areas without permission. If one wishes to explore these off-limits regions, they must file a report with the management committee and hire a professional guide,” he said.
But, according to the rules, very few actually register. Xia Songqing mentioned that last year, the county deployed hundreds of people to search for two missing Shandong hikers in Heizhugou.
Be responsible—to yourself and others; adventure travel shouldn’t be a blind trend
In recent years, with the rise of independent travel, more and more “hikers” have chosen to “take the road less traveled,” finding thrill in “blazing their own trails.” Incidents of hikers going missing have become all too common. Experts and seasoned “old hikers” say blindly following trends can put both your life and others’ in danger.
As of press time, there are still netizens in the “Exploration of the Universe’s Forbidden Zones” group suggesting organizing group members to go to Heizhugou to look for the missing group leader.
“To be a mature ‘hiker,’ first you need a strong physique, second, a resilient will and spirit of teamwork, and third, top-notch equipment for safety. This group of netizens rashly entering Heizhugou shows extreme irresponsibility toward their own and others’ safety—it’s blind adventurism,” commented one netizen.
“Once a person enters a purely natural environment, they face not only the serene romance of lakes and mountains but also the cruelty of the law of the jungle,” said Yao Xi, a veteran “old hiker” nicknamed “Sichuan University’s Number One Adventure Enthusiast” and a teacher at the Physical Education Committee of Sichuan University.
“Currently, many ‘hikers’ disregard relevant laws and regulations and venture into areas not open to tourists. Once problems arise, it requires mobilizing a huge amount of social resources for rescue operations—this is actually an act that is irresponsible to both themselves and others,” he said.
Yao Xi also added that in outdoor adventure activities, choosing your companions wisely is crucial. Rashly making plans for hiking expeditions just through internet connections carries significant safety risks.