On the morning of the 27th, another tourist trapped in the mountains of Taiping Valley in Huxian County for a day and night was rescued by rescue team members. This was the second lost tourist rescued by the team in Taiping Valley in just three days. The rescuers called for: summer being a peak season for hikers getting lost or disoriented, it is urgent to strengthen safety education for mountain climbers.
Henan migrant worker gets lost hiking alone
On the morning of the 26th, Xiao Dang, who came from Henan to work in Xi’an, went hiking alone in Taiping Valley. He only brought a piece of beef and a bottle of water, with no essential mountaineering gear whatsoever. At around 11 a.m. that day, the 32-year-old Xiao Dang took a bus to the entrance of Taiping Valley in Huxian County, and started hiking into the mountains on foot. Upon reaching the fork at Sanqiao Valley, he chose a small path and ventured deep into the mountains. Around 5 p.m., when he tried to head back, he realized he couldn’t find the way down at all. “It was all wild grass everywhere, there wasn’t even a real path. I walked and walked until I ended up at the edge of a cliff — about four stories high — which scared me so much I quickly backed away.” By then, it had gotten dark. Xiao Dang wandered in the mountains in the dark, unable to find the way out. His beef ran out, his water ran out, and eventually, exhausted, he collapsed by a rock. It was then that he used his phone to call 110 for help.
Rescuers find exhausted tourist halfway up the mountain
At 9:30 p.m. that evening, after receiving Xiao Dang’s emergency call, the Taiping Forest Police Station in Huxian County immediately notified the Shaanxi EPV Outdoor Rescue Team (Dawn Rescue). Over 40 rescuers, police officers, and local guides from Jiafotang Village entered the pitch-dark mountains to begin searching. It had started to rain in the mountains, the paths were slippery, and the team searched through the night with flashlights and rescue whistles, but found no trace of Xiao Dang.
At dawn on the 27th, the team entered the mountains again, and unexpectedly found fresh black bear footprints along the way. Worried that Xiao Dang might have been attacked by bears, the rescuers used loudspeakers to call out and shouted his name. The purpose was twofold: to let Xiao Dang hear them from afar, and also to scare off any bears.
At 10:27 a.m., the rescuers finally found the exhausted Xiao Dang halfway up the mountain in Laolingu Valley. “The young man was slumped by the roadside, unable to even stand up. He was completely drained,” said rescuer Huang Liping. The rescuers quickly gave Xiao Dang water and food to replenish his energy, then helped him slowly make his way down the mountain. After descending, they took him to the nearby Jiafotang Village clinic for a check-up. Fortunately, aside from being physically exhausted, Xiao Dang had no injuries. The team also brought him buns and water to help restore his energy.
As he ate the buns, Xiao Dang said sheepishly, “After calling the police last night, I fell asleep in the gap between two big rocks. Early the next morning, I kept walking, but had no food. Eventually, I couldn’t even lift my legs and had to slide forward sitting on the ground until I met the rescue team. My heart finally settled down — I’m so thankful to the rescuers.”
Another tourist rescued on the morning of the 24th
It is understood that on the morning of the 24th, Xiao He, a security guard at a hotel in the southern suburbs, hiked up from Lovers’ Stream in Taiping Valley in Huxian County and accidentally got separated from his companions, becoming lost in the mountains. After an overnight search by members of the Shaanxi EPV Outdoor Rescue Team (Dawn Rescue), Xiao He was successfully found at 3:40 p.m. on the 25th in Sandao Valley of Taiping Valley.
Reminder
Always hike with companions
Chen [f+same surname], captain of the Shaanxi EPV Outdoor Rescue Team (Dawn Rescue), said that since May, the number of people entering the mountains for leisure has significantly increased, yet there have already been six incidents of people getting lost or disoriented in the mountains. Strengthening safety education for mountain hikers is urgently needed.
Captain Chen emphasized in closing that mountain-goers must pay attention to safety, choose more established routes, avoid going to rarely visited areas, and never enter the mountains under severe weather conditions. Hikers should not go alone but travel in groups. In larger groups, everyone should stay together, look out for one another, and prevent anyone from getting left behind or lost. It’s best to hire local villagers as guides when entering the mountains.