Over the 11 years since 2002, there have been more than 10 recorded search-and-rescue operations in the snowy mountains of Deqen County.
Each time, a large amount of police force and hundreds of villagers are mobilized to join the search.
Now that it’s once again the peak climbing season, a leader of a civilian rescue team who recently helped recover the remains of a victim spoke with deep sorrow.
The months from May to October are the peak climbing season. Adventurous hikers, driven by “dreams and beliefs,” seek to challenge the skies. But during this period, it is also a time of anxiety for local police and villagers, who dread hearing news of people trapped or missing — and dread seeing the grief-stricken faces of their families.
On May 20, Wei Daonian, a hiker from Guangxi, was found dead in an avalanche on Meili Snow Mountain. Perhaps the word “accident” was never part of his life’s beliefs, nor did he imagine that in the following ten days, dozens of strangers would go to great lengths to handle his remains properly. As one young life came to an end, wave after wave of ambitious hikers continued to push toward the high mountains. Someone couldn’t help but ask: what exactly are they carrying in their backpacks? With mixed feelings, Sun Dawei, head of the Yunnan Blue Sky Rescue Team, traveled several hundred kilometers from Dali to Yongzhi Village in Deqen. The entire journey weighed heavily on his mind.
The Rescue Team’s Dilemma
“The Meili Snow Mountain rescue has finally ended. I feel much better, and everyone will be heading back today…” On the morning of May 30, just before leaving Shangri-La, Sun Dawei posted a message on Weibo. But soon after, his mood turned heavy again due to another incident.
Keyword: Responsibility
Can your backpacks really carry all of that?
On May 27, Sun Dawei and his teammates set out separately from Dali and Shangri-La with one goal: to find the remains of a victim on the Dograkar Snow Mountain in Yongzhi Village, Yunling Township, Deqen County, and carry out a humanitarian rescue mission (the Evening News had reported on this extensively in previous days). All manpower and resources for this mission were provided free of charge.
Sun Dawei, formerly a self-employed individual and outdoor enthusiast, met the Beijing-based Blue Sky Rescue Team during the Yingjiang earthquake in March 2011. From that year on, he redefined his life’s purpose — to “do things with a clear conscience.” And so, the Yunnan Blue Sky Rescue Team began its modest journey.
Three years have passed since then, and among the geological disaster rescues and mountain searches he has participated in, this one has been the most emotionally taxing. During his two days in Deqen, he could hardly sleep. Before 7 a.m. on the 29th, he posted a message on Weibo: “Another hiker has died on a trekking route. At an altitude of 5,980 meters on Meili Snow Mountain, close to heaven, this spot will be his eternal resting place. For Tibetan people with faith, death along the kora pilgrimage route is seen as a blessing. But isn’t it a warning for some hikers? What are you carrying in your backpacks? Have you packed personal and family responsibilities, and the use of public social resources? Can you really carry those?” Sun Dawei said it took him two hours to write those few dozen words, considering them over and over again, because he truly wanted to convey the complexity and heaviness in his heart.
Keyword: Risk
Were you prepared before setting off?
On the morning of the 30th, after posting the Weibo post and feeling somewhat better, Sun Dawei and his teammates returned to Dali from Shangri-La. But not long after they set off, they encountered two hikers — a young couple — who asked for a ride to hike in Lijiang and Dali. “I gave them a lift, and while chatting, I asked them how they planned to proceed after reaching their destination. They said they didn’t care. When I asked why they had chosen this way of traveling and whether they had thought about the risks involved, they said they’d just walk if they could, or hitch rides if they could — what risks? So I told them about this recent incident and even earlier cases, but I could only see their indifferent expressions.”
“Over the years, I’ve encountered things that make me hesitant to call myself a hiker anymore,” Sun Dawei said. Although there is no fixed definition of a hiker, the hikers of today are not quite the same as they were back in his day. Some might just buy a windbreaker, gear up, and set off. “We’ve carried out search-and-rescue missions in the wild five or six times. The mountains in Yunnan, especially the snowy ones, are not like other places — you can’t just climb them with good gear.” Sun Dawei said that when he sees trapped people crying desperately for help, only to act indifferent once they’re rescued, it’s hard to describe how he feels.