Thick fog shrouded Beijing’s Western Shuanglong Gorge scenic area, with visibility reduced to just about 100 meters. Last night, the scenic area received a distress call about a group of 12 people trapped inside. With the help of rescue personnel, all the stranded hikers were saved. It was later learned that these 12 individuals were not professional hikers, nor were they physically robust young people, but a group of retirees — the oldest among them was 68, and the youngest was 55.
Choosing to engage in outdoor activities despite the smoggy weather left many professionals puzzled. “Poisonous Bug” from the Green Field Rescue Team explained that around noon yesterday, the group of seniors had called him three times to ask for directions — at that point, they had already been walking in the mountains for over five hours. At 7:50 p.m., he called to check if they had made it down the mountain, only to learn they hadn’t, and that some members — aged between 50 and 60 — were already showing signs of exhaustion. Even more worrying was the fact that they had no lighting equipment. “Poisonous Bug” immediately posted online, preparing to rush to the scene for a rescue mission.
Yang, the manager of Shuanglong Gorge scenic area, said that after noticing the distress message, they immediately headed up the mountain to search for the group. At 8:30 p.m., rescuers encountered three elderly people who had gone ahead to scout a way down. They learned that the group had gotten lost around 2:00 p.m. that afternoon, and the remaining nine seniors were stranded near the area’s largest waterfall. Two hours later, rescuers located the other trapped elderly individuals. Yang said the seniors’ pants and shoes were completely soaked, and they were shivering from the cold. “Under these conditions, they could have been in danger within two or three hours,” he said. The seniors were wearing regular down jackets and non-specialized hiking shoes — they had no proper outdoor gear, except that some had brought along a bit of water and bread. Rescuers learned that the group were not hikers but retirees, with the oldest being 68. Their only outdoor experience was hiking in Fragrant Hills.
It’s understood that the 12 seniors — six men and six women — entered Shuanglong Gorge scenic area by crossing the mountain from Xihulin. Due to snow accumulation over a foot deep and icy paths, their progress was extremely slow. “They wandered in the mountains for nearly ten hours. In summer, even walking slowly, it would take no more than two hours to get out,” said one rescuer. Fortunately, none of the seniors were injured. After spending the night at the scenic area’s lobby, the 12 elderly individuals left the area on their own at around 6:00 a.m. this morning.
“Poisonous Bug” said that at the time, light snow was falling in the scenic area, temperatures were around minus 15 degrees Celsius, and there was also smog — it was nothing short of a miracle that no one got hurt. He added that the route chosen by the seniors is usually an easy one in the summer, but in winter, with snow covering the paths, any route becomes risky. He pointed out that the path they took is rarely used, far from residential areas, and with low visibility in the scenic area. Coupled with the fact that the group had no basic lighting equipment and were amateur hikers, such a risky endeavor was extremely dangerous.