Editor's note: This is a post from a hiker in Liaoyang, shared here to remind everyone to pay extra attention to safety outdoors. Risks are everywhere, and the outdoors is no exception. We must avoid unnecessary risks and fights we’re not prepared for. Learn outdoor knowledge in our spare time, build up physical strength regularly, and never let our guard down when it comes to safety. The joy of the outdoors is built on a foundation of safety.
A Firsthand Account of Rescuing a Hiker Who Fell Off a Cliff in NanZamu
At 5 a.m. on January 2, 2012, I joined 45 hikers from the Liaoyang Xinbu E-group Outdoor Camp and took a chartered bus to NanZamu in Fushun, where we met up with over 100 hikers from the Shenyang Hiking North Tomb Group for a one-day trek through Mama Gully – Lotus Mountain and the Military Cave.
At 8:30 a.m., we arrived at the designated location—the entrance of Mama Gully. After meeting up with the Shenyang hikers, we briefly organized ourselves, took a group photo, and then began our trek. We trekked through Mama Gully and explored the Military Cave. The large group moved forward smoothly without any issues. After exiting the cave, we had a simple packed lunch and then headed toward the summit of Lotus Mountain.
There was heavy snow in the mountains, over ankle-deep. The climb toward the summit of Lotus Mountain faced some resistance. With a 70-degree steep slope and slippery snow, the hikers slowly and one by one ascended with the help of a rope. Worried about safety, I walked at the very back of the group with the sweep. It was already past 2 p.m. as I looked up, watching the team members climb, when suddenly, “North Wolf,” a member of our group, pointed to the cliff on my left and shouted, “Look, someone seems to have fallen down there.” Almost simultaneously, my walkie-talkie crackled with urgent cries: “Someone fell!” “Someone fell!”
Because we were quite far away, I turned to look and saw various-sized snowballs tumbling down the mountainside. There was no doubt that someone’s fall had caused them. My heart instantly tightened with extreme anxiety. Out of reflex and instinct, I scrambled and rolled down the slope toward the accident site without hesitation. Many people were shouting something, but I was too nervous to hear anything clearly. Five members of our group who were also walking at the back—“Mountain Walker,” “Shuaizhen,” “North Wolf,” “Old San,” and “Shunfeng”—along with the head leader of the Shenyang North Tomb Group “Beiling Linzi,” “Dahai,” and another hiker whose name I couldn’t recall, all rushed toward the accident site as well.
When I reached the base of the cliff where the accident occurred, looking upward through the gap between two cliffs, I could vaguely see a foot wearing hiking boots flipped to the side, with the sole pattern visible. A corner of a windbreaker was also slightly exposed between the two cliffs. At that moment, I still didn’t know whether the fallen person was one of ours or from the Shenyang group. You can imagine how I felt. More people arrived one after another. Together with three from Shenyang and six of us, there were nine in total. “Dahai” and another Shenyang hiker whose name I don’t know tried to climb up from the side of the fallen hiker barehanded, but after several attempts, they were unsuccessful. By then, about 15 minutes had passed. Watching the fallen hiker remain motionless, my heart sank—uncertain if they were alive or dead, the situation was unpredictable.
About 20 minutes later, suddenly, the fallen hiker moved slightly, and some snow scattered loosely around them. Our hearts tensed up again because they were at the edge of the second cliff where we were located. Having just regained consciousness from being unconscious, their awareness was likely still unclear, and any sudden movement might cause them to fall again, resulting in a second injury. Clearly, if they were to roll down again, already injured, they would definitely not be able to protect themselves as they did the first time, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
At this point, “Landlady,” a female hiker from Shenyang, arrived having heard the news. From her, we learned that the fallen person was a senior female leader from their group, whose online name was “Dragon Phoenix Mom.” A few of us hikers screamed hysterically, “Dragon Phoenix Mom, don’t move!! Dragon Phoenix Mom, please don’t move!!!”
Time ticked by minute by minute—every minute delayed was a minute of threat to life.
We could hesitate no longer and decided to climb up the rock face between the two cliffs to rescue the fallen hiker. The rescue rope hadn’t arrived yet, so I immediately bent down at the base of the cliff and shouted, “Step on me and climb up!” “Dahai,” who had just arrived, asked, “Is that okay?” I said, “No problem, go ahead.” He stepped on my back and shoulders, and as I straightened up little by little, I supported him as he climbed upward. Finally, we reached the first cliff. But the second cliff blocked him again. Desperate to save the person, he struggled, hooking his hands into the crevices of the rock wall, and inch by inch, finally made it to where “Dragon Phoenix Mom” was. By then, the rope had arrived, and “Beiling Linzi” and the unnamed Shenyang hiker also managed to climb up. That’s when I heard the fallen hiker, “Dragon Phoenix Mom,” still able to speak to them: “Where’s my backpack??” “Your backpack is right here, it didn’t get lost.”
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