On January 16, about a month ago, four "hikers" from Yinchuan, Ningxia, were trapped on a cliff over 50 meters high in the Suyukou Scenic Area of the Helan Mountains for more than 20 hours, and were finally rescued after a joint effort by multiple rescue departments that took eight hours.
Just over half a month later, on February 5, another "veteran" outdoor hiking enthusiast lost his way in the Gunzhongkou Scenic Area of the Helan Mountains, got trapped in the mountains, and was not freed until after more than eight hours of rescue by staff.
Reporters learned in interviews that the Ningxia Helan Mountain National Nature Reserve Administration participates in rescuing batches of trapped "hikers" five or six times every year, and each time they rescue these rule-breaking "hikers," it consumes a large amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources.
What makes "hikers" repeatedly risk their lives? In the absence of relevant legislation on outdoor exploration, how can these "hikers" not only achieve "self-transcendence" but also shoulder social responsibility?
Skills not up to par, stubbornness hard to change
On January 16, four outdoor sports enthusiasts from Yinchuan got into trouble at the Binggou area of Suyukou, at an altitude of about 2,200 meters, and were trapped on a cliff as high as 50 meters for 20 hours. To rescue the trapped as quickly as possible, 13 officers from the Special Operations First Squadron of the Yinchuan City Fire Brigade climbed up the cliff barehanded, fixed ropes, and assisted the trapped in descending to the ground. With the cliff angle exceeding 70 degrees, the rescue work was extremely perilous.
This incident received widespread coverage by local media, but still did not get the attention of some people. On February 5, a citizen who claimed to have many years of outdoor exploration experience got trapped in the Gunzhongkou Scenic Area of the Helan Mountains. The rescue team searched for eight hours in wind and snow, and at 2:35 a.m. the next day, the extremely weak trapped person was safely rescued out of the mountain.
Lack of social responsibility, no gratitude after rescue
These two incidents of "hikers" being trapped exposed that some "hikers" embarked on adventures without mastering outdoor exploration skills. According to the rescue department, most of the four "hikers" trapped at Suyukou were relatively young, some even on their first hiking adventure. Also, the group consciousness of the "hikers" was very lacking. For example, the "hiker" trapped in the Gunzhongkou Scenic Area went on a snowy adventure alone in the bitter cold of midwinter, completely ignoring the negative consequences his individual heroism brought to society. Some veteran "hikers" in Yinchuan analyzed that being not a strong hiker but insisting on being a stubborn one is a major cause of "hikers" getting trapped. On January 16, in order to free the four "hikers" from danger, Yinchuan mobilized multiple forces including fire, forestry, and public security, consuming a large amount of public resources.
Reporters learned from the Yinchuan City Fire Brigade that the brigade deployed two squadrons with over 30 officers, dispatched six rescue vehicles, and spent a total of eight hours; earlier, more than ten forest rangers and forest police put down their work, went into the mountains overnight, and risked their lives to finally find the trapped person on a cliff; more than ten "hikers" heard the news and braved the severe cold to join the rescue. Wang Limin, head of the Training Section of the Yinchuan City Fire Brigade, told reporters that just in the process of rescuing the trapped from the cliff, the fire department had to abandon two rescue ropes worth 8,000 yuan, which was heartbreaking.
However, what is most heartbreaking is not the large amount of manpower and material resources used, but the hikers' indifference to life and to the rescuers after being saved. One rescued hiker said to the rescuers who had been waiting for him for a long time at the foot of the mountain when descending: "Why didn’t you bring me some chicken blood?" When the rescuers said they had prepared hot water, he added: "I prefer cold water."
When asked whether the rescuers should be thanked given so many people came to help, one hiker actually said: "Nothing to say, what’s the big deal!" The other hikers all remained silent.
Low cost of mistakes leads to repeated hiker troubles
Behind the frequent troubles and repeated offenses of the hiker community lies the low cost of making mistakes.
According to reporters, the trapped hikers entered the national nature reserve without authorization, although it violated the "Regulations on the Management of National Nature Reserves," the administrative penalties for violators are limited to criticism and education, and fines ranging between 500 and 5,000 yuan. For hikers equipped with expensive gear, such fines are nothing.
At the same time, current "hikers" engaging in outdoor exploration have formed their own QQ groups, with loose organization. An outdoor exploration begins via a QQ group, without asking names or occupations, and people venture together. Teammates who barely know each other naturally have compromised teamwork. Individual hikers acting alone away from the group are not strongly advised against by others due to unfamiliarity. With such low costs for violations, hikers without constraints easily let their impulses run wild. Wang Limin, head of the Training Section of the Yinchuan City Fire Brigade, told reporters that once hikers are trapped, emergency rescue is the legal responsibility of the fire department, and the fire department rescues them as part of their duty, without charging the trapped. But relevant departments should, in light of the booming trend of outdoor sports, introduce corresponding management measures to clarify the legal responsibilities hikers should bear when they get into trouble while taking risks.
Organizing hiker explorations is not without legal risks either. Ningxia lawyer Guo Changliang told reporters that there are no relevant national laws in this regard, and the regulatory vacuum in the supervision of hiker exploration urgently needs the attention of legislative authorities. Judging from cases tried across the country in recent years, there have been several instances where hikers died during exploration, and the organizers and companions were sued for compensation by the families of the deceased, with courts upholding the families’ claims.