Eighteen-year-old Sun Liang of China had only been hiking for about a year, but he felt ready to tackle what he considered the “graduation project of Chinese mountaineers.” He spent two weeks preparing to solo the Ao-Tai Trail in the Qinling mountains of northwestern China. He had 32kg of expensive equipment and had downloaded the trail map in case of a bad signal. On February 8, he set off.
But tech that works at room temperature or on brief outings can fail totally when subjected to unremitting cold. Within two days, his power bank failed, his phone ran out of juice, and he was navigating blind. Then Sun Liang took a bad fall, which knocked him unconscious and led to the loss of his food supplies as well as navigation tools.
He was lost on what seems to be the deadliest trail in China, without food or a way to call for help.
The Ao-Tai trail
The Ao-Tai trail stretches roughly 170km between the Ao and Taibai Mountains near Xi’an, the city famed for its terracotta warriors. The average altitude is a lofty 2,500m, and it takes hikers along the ridgeline to the 3,700m summit of Taibai.
Weather is often frigid and always unpredictable. One peak could be sunny,” Sun later reported, while the next was “snowing, raging storms, thick mist and…low visibility.” At times, strong winds made it difficult for Sun to even remain upright.
In addition to the elevation and extreme weather, the steep terrain bristles with sudden drops. There is even occasionally hazardous wildlife in the form of bears and wild boars. So many people have died or went missing on the trail — 46 between 2012 and 2017 — that in 2018, authorities banned access to the area, though Sun claims not to have known this.
The Ao-Tai trail attracts adventurers despite, or perhaps because, of its infamy. Photo: Explore Unbound
Surviving on melted snow and toothpaste
Sun felt, correctly, that he was closer to the end of the trail than to the beginning. If he continued, he hoped, he would be closer to rescue. So he kept pushing through pain, hunger, and fatigue.
One night, trying to stave off the bitter cold, Sun made a nest of dried leaves behind a boulder and sheltered there. Another night, he had to keep jumping up and down to avoid freezing.
Lacking food, he ate toothpaste. It made him nauseous. Please do not eat toothpaste: The ingredients are safe in small amounts but can be toxic in larger quantities. It also has minimal nutritional value.
Sun managed to keep himself alive for another five days after losing all of his food. On the tenth day, February 17, he smelled smoke. Knowing this meant people were nearby, Sun began shouting.
It turned out the smoke was from rescuers, who quickly found Sun. They fed him, and together, they spent one last night on the mountain. His worried family was waiting for him when they descended the next day.
The icy ridge lines of the Qinling Mountains. Photo: Shutterstock
Hefty fine
Sun took to social media after his rescue, hoping to keep others away from the danger he encountered. Citing the strong wind and heavy snowfall along the trail, Sun told would-be hikers, “I urge others not to attempt this trail — life is too valuable to risk.”
But another deterrent comes at Sun’s expense. His family was fined 80,000 yuan, about $11,000. The fine covers the cost of the extensive search, during which several rescuers were injured. It is also meant to discourage people from attempting the route.
