According to Fei Xuan, it wasn’t until he reached the North Pole that he truly understood the dangers of ice crevasses. He said there are now more crevasses than during Jin Feibao’s previous expeditions. “Ice crevasses are often the biggest time and energy wasters,” Fei Xuan said. “You’re walking along, and suddenly there’s a crevasse in front of you—some just a dozen centimeters wide, others several kilometers long. The small ones you can step over, but for the big ones, you have to walk around them. At one point, we spent a day and a half just going around one crevasse.”
While crossing one of the crevasses, Fei Xuan slipped due to the heavy load he was carrying and fell into the icy crack. The freezing water instantly reached his waist. Fortunately, the team leader nearby reacted quickly, pulling him out and administering first aid by rubbing snow all over his body. The snow immediately turned to ice upon contact, helping to prevent body heat from being lost to the frigid water. Fei Xuan recalled, “The moment I fell into the water, compared to the cold on the ice, the seawater actually felt warm—I even thought about staying in a bit longer. But in reality, it was very dangerous. Without quick action, I could have quickly lost too much body heat.”
Champagne celebration at the finish line, but his face got frostbitten
Braving fierce winds and walking on ice at minus thirty degrees Celsius while carrying a heavy load is no easy feat, especially for a 65-year-old like Fei Xuan. When asked what kept him going, he said, “I’m not someone who gives up easily. Especially when I think that although it’s tough, I can eventually reach the end and share with my teammates the highland spirit and mountain resilience of us Yunnanese—that gives me a sense of responsibility.”
When the entire team finally reached the North Pole and confirmed their location at 90 degrees latitude and 0 degrees longitude using GPS devices brought by several members, everyone unfurled their national flags, letting them fly above the top of the world. “Seeing the five-star red flag waving among them fills you with pride—a sense of pride as a member of the Chinese nation.”
What surprised Fei Xuan even more was that the team leader took out a bottle of champagne and some champagne glasses from a bag. Everyone stood together at the top of the Earth, raising their glasses to the sky and drinking heartily. “Foreigners really do have a romantic side. Hiking through such a harsh environment, everyone tries to travel light and avoid carrying anything unnecessary—but he quietly dragged a huge bottle of champagne and those glasses along for so many days, just so we could celebrate joyfully at the end. It was really touching,” Fei Xuan said.
It is understood that due to prolonged exposure to the extreme cold, Fei Xuan suffered frostbite on his hands and face, though his overall health condition is still good. If all goes well, he is expected to return to Kunming within a day or two. “You might not even recognize me by then—my face is completely out of shape,” Fei Xuan joked in his final remarks.