On the 27th, the Huangshi City Senior Sports Association Hiking Team will head to Sichuan, planning to complete the final leg of the "Long March Hiking Journey." It is reported that the team plans to cover the entire route of the Red Army’s Long March in six segments over five years.
The team leader, Wang Chongyuan, said yesterday that the hiking group was established in 2008 and currently has over 400 members, most of whom are retirees, with the oldest being 78 years old. The members have a special fondness for red tourism sites and hope to experience the hardships of the Red Army through their hobby of hiking. Thus, the "Long March Hiking Journey" plan was formulated when the team was first set up. The original plan was to complete the 25,000-li Long March route over seven years, but in the past four years, the team has already completed large portions of the route in five separate hikes. Therefore, the plan can be accomplished two years ahead of schedule.
According to reports, during the previous five hiking expeditions, the team never hired guides. All preparations were made by the members themselves, and they traveled independently at their own expense. The team members have clear roles, with groups responsible for medical care, security, photography, catering, and finance, all supporting the hiking activities.
A total of 38 members are participating in this expedition. After arriving in Dujiangyan, they will hike over the Balang Snow Mountain, Mengbi Snow Mountain, and Yakexia Snow Mountain, before proceeding to the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture and Wenchuan.