Chapter 624: Chapter 594: Trouble_1
On the morning of October 9th.
Following the guide’s directions, several cars came to a stop in the parking lot, and six people, dressed in gear and carrying their packs, disembarked from the vehicles.
Upon seeing the outfits of the three men, Zhou Ning paused in his movements, and Xia Momo glanced at him.
"Do they not look good?"
"They look great, such yellow-green hiking suits are very distinctive and pretty. However, when the three of us wear the same clothes, it does look a bit like a team building exercise. On the other hand, the rest of you look quite different."
Xia Momo shook her head.
"How so? These are three styles from the same series, just similar in color. Besides, even if we wear the same clothes, would it look the same on you as on Mr. Zhao?"
Her words left Zhou Ning at a loss for words.
Mr. Zhao came over with a grin, tightening the waist belt beneath his backpack, which clearly felt very heavy.
"What have you packed in there?"
Mr. Zhao sighed, raising his hand and counting on his fingers as he listed:
"Food, drinks, a tablecloth, collection bottles, a set of cameras, a video camera, a satellite phone, oh, and some new garbage bags."
"All that for taking photos of Peng Shinian?"
Mr. Zhao nodded.
"I’d never agree to this again; the ordeal I’ve gone through just for an upgraded seat... it’s truly indescribable."
Xia Momo was amused into laughter.
"You know a lot of idioms."
Mr. Zhao snorted and pinched Zhou Ning and Xia Momo’s deflated backpacks.
"Yours are too empty. Go and pack more food and drink. I feel imbalanced. Furthermore, following the guide’s explanation, after crossing this small desert, we can get to the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains.
It’s only eight o’clock now. If we have the energy, we can try climbing the mountain. After all, it looked too beautiful from the plane, and today is already the 9th. This is our last stop, and we’ll be heading back tomorrow. Let’s enjoy ourselves thoroughly."
Doctor Chen also came over and patted his own backpack.
"Mr. Zhao is right; tomorrow we head back. Let’s go wild today. We slept well in the hotel last night and have regained our strength. I just asked the guide; one will accompany us through the desert to the mountain for fun.
The other will take a car around the highway to the other side, coming directly from the Gobi. We can take the car to the hotel in the city, which will allow us to have more fun and not waste energy on a return journey. Shall we show a show of hands to decide?"
Everyone agreed, raising their hands in unison. Xia Momo reorganized her backpack, packing clothes and a good amount of food and water, and then they set off.
Though this place is called a park, beyond the architectural structures at the main entrance and half an hour’s walk outside, one can feel the difference from ordinary sand dunes. The sand here isn’t hard, but very soft, and it isn’t flat - it’s all undulating dunes.
Stepping on this kind of sand, your foot sinks halfway in, you slide back a third of each step forward. After just half an hour, the group was physically exhausted, and even though it wasn’t hot, there was no shade. Under the scorching sun, Mr. Zhao had already begun to sweat profusely.
"Mr. Liu, this is too difficult to walk. How long will it take us to cross here?"
The young guide showed a row of white teeth, clearly understanding the reaction as a local.
"Don’t worry, just this half-hour stretch ahead is hard to traverse. The sand here is in a fluid state. But don’t worry, there won’t be any sudden sinkholes. It’s just that the terrain changes almost every day; it’s kind of an experience,
Do you see the green plants ahead? We only need to walk about a kilometer more to leave this quicksand area. It’ll be much easier to walk from there. In about four hours, we should reach the foot of the mountain."
After taking a couple of drinks of water, Mr. Zhao stuck his staff in the sand and asked, panting:
"Can the car drive us to the spot where we start climbing the mountain?"
"Almost. I have a satellite phone with me. Don’t worry about losing the signal. When we reach the foot of the mountain, we can contact the driver. If you feel too tired, you don’t have to climb."
Zhu Xingxing shook his head.
"It’s our last day; no one is allowed to fall behind. We just voted by a show of hands. Zhao Xinli, I’m in good shape. If you chicken out, you’re staying out tonight."
Mr. Zhao nearly spat out his water. Only Zhu Xingxing could say such brash words. He shot Zhu Xingxing a look, but Zhu Xingxing seemed unfazed and glared right back. Resigned, Mr. Zhao raised his hands.
"I’m not chickening out. I’m just confirming the plans ahead. Isn’t that what a leader does? Alright, break’s over. Let’s go. Put on your sunglasses and hats; it’s getting a bit blinding looking south."
The group prepared to depart once more.
Indeed, having a chat was beneficial because aimlessly moving forward means no sense of purpose, it’s easy to lose direction, and the body feels fatigue more quickly. With a brief discussion, setting small and big goals, and knowing there are contingency measures, everyone’s confidence surged.
True to word, upon reaching near the greenery, they could see the mountain’s silhouette in the distance, and the ground underfoot became firmer, no longer retreating a third of each step.
About five or six kilometers from the mountain base, Mr. Liu blew a whistle, calling everyone together for a short break. They gathered around as Mr. Liu opened a large umbrella for shade, snacked on some biscuits, and sipped water.
"Why rest here? Because the road ahead is not easy to walk. Not to mention the ups and downs, some areas are too soft, just like when we entered the desert. Take a break, and once we press on to the foot of the mountain in one go, we won’t exhaust our strength so much," Zhou Ning explained.
Nobody spoke; after all, even talking was a drain on energy at this point.
After resting, they finally emerged from the desert after noon and saw the firm ground at the foot of the mountain. Mr. Zhao was somewhat excited.
"My goodness, I’m finally stepping on solid ground again. No wonder they say walking in the desert drains your strength. It’s really not just a little exhaustion. Zhu Xingxing, can I eat a bit more today?" he asked.
Everyone laughed.
"Think about that back at the hotel. But why hasn’t the car come over?"
Mr. Liu, the guide, held his phone and made a call.
"I’ve sent you our location, come over, we’ve reached the foot of the mountain. I feel we’ve drifted too far westward today, be careful."
After hanging up, Mr. Zhao, curious, approached Mr. Liu while drinking water.
"Tell me, Mr. Liu, do many people cross the desert to come climb the mountain usually?"
"Not many in a year, and half of them turn back midway through the desert. You guys really have good stamina. Considering the high altitude here, it’s clear you exercise regularly."
Mr. Zhao grinned proudly at that comment.
"I meant all the tourists in this desert, not just your tour groups."
Mr. Liu nodded seriously.
"That’s what I’m talking about, all of them. After all, not many out-of-towners come here to play, most are attracted to the Colorful Danxia, which is very beautiful and romantic. They can watch it from a car. Without some physical strength, you can’t enjoy this place, and why would locals want to do this? Haven’t they seen enough yellow sand swirling in the air every day?"
A few girls went off together to relieve themselves, with Zhou Ning acting as lookout—though there wasn’t much to worry about in this deserted place. Chen Cheng joined them at this moment.
"You said we’ve veered off course; does that mean you’ve never been here either?"
Mr. Liu nodded again.
"It seems the sun was too bright today; we’ve veered far to the west and walked a few extra kilometers. That’s why we didn’t see the car. According to these coordinates, look where we are now," he said.
As he spoke, he held up the electronic map, zoomed out, and indeed, a red dot was right at the edge of the mountain range. To the northeast was the desert, obviously a significant deviation.
"Goodness, that’s a good distance. Even the flat area at the foot of the mountain is tough to drive to. Let’s not wait. Let’s eat and drink our fill, leave a marker, and then head up the mountain. It seems Peng Shinian owes me a big favor for this trip. Looking at the vegetation above, I haven’t seen any of it before."
"Show-off," Liu Yufei commented, glancing at Mr. Zhao while setting up the picnic with Zhu Xingxing. Mr. Zhao didn’t mind at all, cheerfully adding:
"Everyone eat well. This mountain looks quite high, and reaching the top seems unrealistic. Let’s do what we can. Eat first, then find some warm clothes."
Everyone sat down around the picnic spread. The car still hadn’t arrived, probably because of the difficult terrain; after all, they weren’t on a tarred road, just a gobi extending from the foot of the mountain with ditches and loose stones everywhere.
After eating, they set off more lightly, as carrying weight up a mountain was no small task. The women sorted out their gear, put on long-sleeved jackets, and packed thick clothing in the upper part of their backpacks. Then Zhou Ning and the others prepared for the climb.
Once everything was ready, they opened the satellite map. Despite the weak signal, it was sufficient to make out the trends of the mountain range before them. After studying it, Mr. Zhao took a screenshot, drew a line, and held up the image for everyone to photograph.
"We’ll follow this gully here since this isn’t the south and it’s near the desert. There is less rain, so the risk of mudslides is low, and it’s gentler inside the gully."
Mr. Liu was puzzled and pointed to the ridge next to them:
"But all the guests who come here, and the old master who taught me mountain climbing, say you have to walk the ridges. It’s said to be safer as it provides a clear view of the surroundings."
Zhou Ning looked at the two of them and then surveyed the gully, noting its peculiar terrain and the strong winds. Climbing to a certain height on the ridge indeed seemed dangerous. He didn’t want any surprises on the last day of the trip.
"Let’s go with Mr. Zhao’s idea. Let’s move. Mr. Zhao and Mr. Liu lead the way, with Zhu Xingxing following, then Xia Momo and Mrs. Fei. Mrs. Fei will be followed by Chen Cheng and myself. Just take care of the person in front and behind you. No heroics; we’re here for the view from a high place, not for adventure. Safety first. Let’s set off!"
Mr. Zhao smacked his lips.
"Zhou Xiaozhou, you’re stealing my lines."
The group began their ascent quickly and soon realized the benefits of following the gully—it was quite pleasant, despite some loose stones, as the slope never exceeded 45 degrees. Before long, they reached the confluence of two ridges.
From there, they could indeed see more of the desert’s boundaries below.
Just as they were about to move on, Liu Yufei stared at one side and let out a curious "hmm." Mr. Zhao glanced at her and followed her gaze, but he didn’t see anything.
"What’s up, Mrs. Fei?"
Liu Yufei tilted her chin up and glanced at Mr. Liu.
"Look over there, between the two gullies at the ten o’clock position. Is that a spring?"
