Bottles, cans, and plastic bags are strewn across the grass
Colorful trash can be faintly seen buried in the mud and sand at the bottom of the stream
On the afternoon of June 16, reporters from Huaxi Metropolitan Daily and staff from the Provincial Mountaineering Association climbed through wind, rain, and snow to reach the Siguniang Mountain Dafeng Climbing Camp at an altitude of 4,300 meters. Their investigation found that the area around the camp is covered in trash, and plastic bags and beverage bottles float in nearby streams. The newly constructed camp has also become an open grazing area for yaks, a truly shocking sight.
According to the Sichuan Mountaineering Association, many climbers have reported to the association that “the Siguniang Mountain Dafeng Climbing Camp has become a huge garbage dump.”
On the 20th, the Provincial Mountaineering Association held a work summary meeting, concluding that the environmental conditions at the Siguniang Mountain climbing base camp are extremely poor, arguably the dirtiest climbing camp in the world. Currently, the Siguniang Mountain Scenic Area Administration has assigned personnel to go up the mountain to clean up the trash.
Shocking
Plastic bags and beverage cans are strewn all over the camp
The reporter has visited the Siguniang Mountain Dafeng Climbing Camp dozens of times. In their memory, it used to be a summer pasture surrounded by snow-capped mountains, streams, grasslands, flowers, and yaks. But what they saw on June 16 was unbelievable.
The newly built stone huts for climbers are scattered across the mountain valley, with yaks casually coming and going. The reporter stepped over a large pile of cow dung, pushed open a half-open door, and saw a jumble of makeshift oxygen cylinders and trash piled under the bedboards, as well as leftover instant noodles, beverage cans, and even excrement on the beds and window sills.
When the reporter carried a bucket to the stream to fetch water, they discovered there was no clean spot left to get water. The stream was full of all kinds of trash, with bottles, cans, and plastic bags floating on the surface and along the banks, while colorful debris lurked beneath the muddy bottom. Walking upstream for more than a hundred meters, they barely found a seemingly clear water source near green grass and flowers. However, the water was soaked with instant noodle wrappers, some of which had Korean writing on them. Surprisingly, the stream also had window frames floating in it that had been dismantled from the stone huts — which had been built less than a year ago.
Trash hidden in rock crevices and holes is hard to clean and highly hazardous
To find out more, the reporter waded through the several dozen-meter-wide stream to photograph the trash. Some plastic bags clearly bore the words “Maite Outdoor,” and one laminated promotional flyer read “I climb a mountain every year.” On a patch of green grass lay a five-meter-long color print advertisement, a remnant of a previous mountaineering event, its logo still vibrant.
Upon closer inspection, the most common types of trash were instant noodle packets and beverage cans, especially energy drink cans — their sheer quantity was astonishing. Those who once consumed these drinks replenished themselves but left their waste for nature.
There is a garbage shed at the campsite where yaks and crows compete for leftover food. Trash radiates outward from the shed.
After two days of investigation, the reporter found that the trash inside and outside the huts, on the grass, and in the streams is just the tip of the iceberg. Further searching revealed even more trash hidden in rock crevices, holes, and bushes. This trash is more harmful and even harder to clean up.
International practices: American climbing teams carry toilets to campsites
On Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro, guides and support staff are required to carry trash down the mountain. Campsites have management personnel who sort and transport the waste.
At Mount McKinley (Denali) National Park in the United States, environmental protection standards are almost draconian. All supplies brought up the mountain must be registered, weighed, and numbered, and nothing can be left behind upon descent — teams are even required to carry their own toilets to the campsites. A veteran international guide told reporters that only strict regulations can curb bad habits.
Reporter investigates the causes
Why is there so much trash?
Cause 1
No dedicated management after the camp was built
Qi Ling, director of the Siguniang Mountain Scenic Area Administration, told reporters that in recent years the scenic area has placed great emphasis on environmental protection, setting up trash bins along the trails. To make things easier for climbers and reduce environmental damage from climbing activities, the administration spent over 800,000 yuan to build the Dafeng Camp. However, due to funding and staffing issues, the camp lacks dedicated management. The current situation is deeply regrettable, and personnel have been assigned to clean up the trash.
Why is there so much trash left at the camp? Yang Weitai, who is in charge of climbing and outdoor activities at the scenic area, explained that this winter and spring, Siguniang Mountain had very heavy snowfall, which buried the trash. When the snow melted, the trash was exposed. Efforts are currently underway to organize manpower for cleanup.
Cause 2
The scenic area doesn’t require trash to be carried down
The reporter’s investigation found that besides management and climate factors, there are deeper reasons behind the trash problem at the Siguniang Mountain climbing camps. Several individuals involved in transporting supplies to the camp and...
The horse porter told reporters that since the scenic area management has not explicitly required hikers to carry their own trash down the mountain, very few climbers ask the porters to take trash down.
Reason 3
Hikers themselves lack environmental awareness
Reporters observed that, apart from two Hong Kong hikers who checked in due to severe altitude sickness, stayed one night, and then hastily descended while asking the porters to take their trash down, none of the other groups brought any trash back down the mountain. The porters said that some hikers, after reaching the summit and descending, either forget about picking up trash due to exhaustion or become overly excited and lose track of it. This shows that hikers’ voluntary awareness of environmental protection still needs improvement.
Liu Jian, secretary-general of the Sichuan Mountaineering and Outdoor Sports Association and reporter for Huaxi Metropolis Daily, reported that the “Sichuan Mountaineering and Outdoor Sports Management Measures” have clear requirements for environmental protection work. It will require photos of the Four Girls Mountain campsites to be made public to urge mountain management agencies across the region to improve environmental protection efforts. At the same time, they will jointly study specific methods for maintaining mountain environments with the Four Girls Mountain Administration. (Reported with photos by Liu Jian, reporter of Huaxi Metropolis Daily)
Background Link: Four Girls Mountain
Four Girls Mountain is located at the junction of Xiaojin County and Wenchuan County in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. It consists of four continuous peaks, which according to legend are named: Big Sister Peak, Second Sister Peak, Third Sister Peak, and Little Sister Peak, with heights of 5,038 meters, 5,279 meters, 5,664 meters, and 6,250 meters respectively. They are sacred mountains worshipped by local residents. Among them, Big Sister Peak is considered an entry-level peak for mountaineering and is highly favored by domestic and international climbers, attracting thousands of hiking enthusiasts every year.