Hikers lost in the mountains for over 28 hours, missing female hiker still not found. On the 12th, 13 hikers from Jinan entered Mount Tai through unofficial routes at the Tianzhu Peak scenic area. Two hikers got separated from their group and became lost while descending as the path was buried under snow. Over 200 police, firefighters, and scenic area staff from Mount Tai conducted a day-and-night search and rescue operation, managing to rescue one man, but as of 22:00 on the 13th when this report was filed, the other woman was still missing.
Climbing the back of the mountain for thrill-seeking, two hikers get lost
At 18:23 on the 12th, police at the Mount Tai scenic area received a distress call. A middle-aged man said he was a hiker who had gotten lost while descending the mountain, and he was accompanied by a female hiker. Upon receiving the call, police, firefighters, and scenic area authorities immediately organized a search and rescue mission.
On the morning of the 13th, reporters arrived at the Tianjingwan Checkpoint in the Tianzhu Peak scenic area, the entry point used by the 13 hikers. Zuo Yong, deputy head of the Tianzhu Peak Scenic Area Management District, explained that around 8:00 a.m. the previous day, staff intercepted a group of 13 climbers at the checkpoint. “We told them climbing the back of the mountain was dangerous, and we thought they would return the way they came. Unexpectedly, they circled around to the Qingshanpeng Mountain Ridge behind the checkpoint and entered the mountain again.” Zuo Yong said.
Reporters learned that the 13 hikers—five men and eight women—were from Jinan and were members of a club called “Hongfei Outdoor,” all aged over 40. At the Tianzhu Peak checkpoint, reporters met the group’s leader, “Hongfei” (a online alias), who had just finished giving a statement. He said that around 8:00 a.m. on the 12th, after being advised against it by staff, they detoured via the mountain ridge to continue climbing. “We originally planned to visit Tianjingwan, but everyone decided on the spot to reach the summit.” At the time, hiker Zhang Wen (a pseudonym) said she couldn’t continue, so another male hiker, “Chenfu,” stayed with her, while the rest headed toward the South Heaven Gate. “We thought the two of them would rest and then return the same way. But at 6 p.m., we got calls from their families saying they were missing on the mountain, so we called the police.” “Hongfei” said that although they were all out together, they didn’t know each other well, and with poor phone signal on the mountain, they lost contact with the pair.
“Hongfei” recalled that the back route was in very poor condition, covered with large rocks and almost impassable. After reaching the summit at around 2:00 p.m., six female hikers descended via the main gate, while the other five returned the same way and reached the Tianzhu Peak checkpoint around 6:00 p.m. “Thinking back, it was really frightening. We had no idea the mountain path would be this tough—one side was an icy road, the other a sheer cliff. We almost gave up several times.” “Hongfei” said.
Over 200 people search all day, male hiker rescued
After receiving the distress call, over 200 personnel from various scenic areas of Mount Tai including Tianzhu Peak, Nantianmen, Yuquansi, Taohuayu, local police stations, as well as the 8th and 9th battalions of the Tai’an Fire Department, launched an emergency search and rescue operation. By 6:00 p.m., the search had been ongoing for a full day and night, with many rescuers staying up all night.
Rescue worker Zuo Yong told reporters that from 6:30 p.m. on the 12th to 4:00 a.m. on the 13th, four teams of rescuers from the Tianzhu Peak management area were deployed in four different directions for a coordinated search. “There’s no official access to the mountain here. It started snowing at 5:00 p.m. on Mount Tai, which increased the difficulty of the rescue.” Zuo Yong said.
At the checkpoint, reporters met six firefighters from the Tianzhu Peak Fire Brigade who had come down from the rescue mission. The brigade’s instructor Han said the conditions on the mountain were extremely poor, with accumulated leaves and scattered rocks making it hard to find the path even in daylight. “There was about one centimeter of snow on the mountain, and any water had frozen. Climbing was not only difficult but also very dangerous—you could easily slip and fall into the valley. When we went up, we brought a guide and still almost got lost.” In addition to the staff, five hikers including “Hongfei” also joined the rescue, along with professional mountaineers familiar with Mount Tai.
At 1:00 p.m. on the 13th, the rescue center received a call reporting that the missing male hiker had been rescued near Huangshi Cliff.
Missing for over 28 hours, he was out of food and water
When reporters met the rescued male hiker “Chenfu” at the Taohuayu Police Station at 3:30 p.m., he looked exhausted and was dressed very lightly. “Chenfu” said that after resting at Tianjingwan the previous day, Zhang Wen suggested attempting the summit. Around 5:00 p.m., the two climbed along the mountain path to a point two kilometers from Tianjie, then started descending the same way. “Once it started snowing on the mountain, the path up was completely covered. When it got dark, we completely lost our bearings. Our phones were also dead, cutting us off from the outside world.” With no lighting equipment, they used their camera’s flashlights, and once the camera battery died, the two sat in the valley waiting for dawn. “We’d never had this kind of hiking experience before—we only brought one lunch, and our drinking water ran out early. Last night, we had to melt snow for water. It was so cold, we could only sit there and couldn’t sleep.”
They had originally planned to descend at dawn, but Zhang Wen, too weak to walk, couldn’t move. Considering how hard it would be for the two trapped in the valley to be rescued, “Chenfu” left his coat and backpack with Zhang Wen and went down the mountain alone to seek help. “Only after the sun came up did I realize we had been walking west the whole time.” “Chenfu” said that after walking along the mountain path for nearly seven hours, he finally found a fisherman near a pond not far from Huangshizhai, borrowed his phone, and called for help. But when rescuers returned with him to look for Zhang Wen, “Chenfu” was too exhausted to continue the search.
As of 22:00 on the 13th when this report was filed, the female hiker was still missing, over 28 hours since she went missing. Reporters learned that the missing female hiker, Zhang Wen, is 42 years old, and the day she went missing was her birthday. Officials stated that the search will continue until she is found.
Timeline of the two missing hikers
● 8:00 a.m. on the 12th — Female hiker Zhang Wen (pseudonym) and her male companion “Chenfu” separated from the other hikers.
● 5:00 p.m. on the 12th — Failed to reach the summit, got lost, and waited in the valley overnight.
● Morning of the 13th — “Chenfu” left his gear and went down the mountain to seek help.
● 1:00 p.m. on the 13th — Male hiker “Chenfu” was rescued and borrowed a phone to call for help.
● 10:00 p.m. on the 13th — Female hiker Zhang Wen still missing.