On May 3, he officially entered the Altun Mountains, passing through deserts, barren mountains, alpine meadows, swamps, and snow-capped mountains. He encountered hail, rain, snow, sandstorms, and met wild rabbits, argali, goitered gazelles, Tibetan gazelles, and even wild yaks. Until May 7, Lei Diansheng stepped onto the world’s highest-altitude Kumukuli Desert and climbed to the summit of the desert at noon, completing his journey through the Altun Mountains.
From May 1 to May 10, 2012, Lei Diansheng, China's foremost long-distance walker, trekked through the Altun Mountains, fulfilling a long-held dream from his ten-year trekking journey.
People who met Lei Diansheng ten years ago were deeply impressed by him—long hair down to his waist, dark skin, stubbled face, a robust build, and carrying a heavy backpack nearly half his height, an untamed traveler. But now, Lei Diansheng has short, neat hair, a gentle and composed demeanor. Were it not for his warm and firm handshake, he could easily be mistaken for a scholar. What hasn't changed, however, is the determination and perseverance in his eyes, his passion for ecological conservation, and his commitment to the journey.
On October 20, 1998, he set off from Zero Kilometer of National Highway 102 in Harbin. Over ten years and twenty days, he walked across the entire country, covering a total distance of more than 81,000 kilometers. During these ten years, he entered no-man’s lands, encountered mudslides, desert storms, and avalanches. The hardships of those ten years were countless, but all that mattered to Lei Diansheng was how to fulfill his dream of walking across the country.
Before the journey, Lei Diansheng prepared hundreds of thousands of yuan. He hoped to spend all of it along the way, so his food, clothing, and lodging over the ten years were extremely simple. He basically slept in a tent every night, sometimes spending just one yuan a day on food. His clothing was even more rudimentary; when he climbed Mount Everest at an altitude of over 7,000 meters, the jeans and jacket he wore cost only 90 yuan. He wore this outfit until he encountered a pack of wolves on a cliff in the uninhabited Ali region of Tibet, at which point he burned it to drive away the wolves and save his life. In 2008, before Lei Diansheng embarked on the final leg of his ten-year journey—the Lop Nur Desert—he received a gift: a Gore-Tex brand windbreaker, which also marked the beginning of his friendship and collaboration with Gore.
People who met Lei Diansheng ten years ago were deeply impressed by him—long hair down to his waist, dark skin, stubbled face, a robust build, and carrying a heavy backpack nearly half his height, an untamed traveler. But now, Lei Diansheng has short, neat hair, a gentle and composed demeanor. Were it not for his warm and firm handshake, he could easily be mistaken for a scholar. What hasn't changed, however, is the determination and perseverance in his eyes, his passion for ecological conservation, and his commitment to the journey.
On October 20, 1998, he set off from Zero Kilometer of National Highway 102 in Harbin. Over ten years and twenty days, he walked across the entire country, covering a total distance of more than 81,000 kilometers. During these ten years, he entered no-man’s lands, encountered mudslides, desert storms, and avalanches. The hardships of those ten years were countless, but all that mattered to Lei Diansheng was how to fulfill his dream of walking across the country.
Before the journey, Lei Diansheng prepared hundreds of thousands of yuan. He hoped to spend all of it along the way, so his food, clothing, and lodging over the ten years were extremely simple. He basically slept in a tent every night, sometimes spending just one yuan a day on food. His clothing was even more rudimentary; when he climbed Mount Everest at an altitude of over 7,000 meters, the jeans and jacket he wore cost only 90 yuan. He wore this outfit until he encountered a pack of wolves on a cliff in the uninhabited Ali region of Tibet, at which point he burned it to drive away the wolves and save his life. In 2008, before Lei Diansheng embarked on the final leg of his ten-year journey—the Lop Nur Desert—he received a gift: a Gore-Tex brand windbreaker, which also marked the beginning of his friendship and collaboration with Gore.
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