Crossing the Gnienan Line
This time, no one dared to accept the move— this time, when the master “William’s father” issued a summoning order in the group, Aqiu , like everyone else, began to feel uneasy: in this extremely cold weather, on the off-road section covered with heavy snow, Going deep into the hinterland of the uninhabited Lancang River Source Reserve is a great test for both cars and people!
Route: Chengdu-Ganzi-Yushu-Zado-Tashi Kawa (camping at the cultural source of the Lancang River)-Jifushan Zanayong (geographical source of the Lancang River)-Zado-For example-Bianba-Qamdo-Garze-Chengdu
But an unyielding spirit was always lingering in his heart. After asking in the circle of friends, no one dared to accept the move… In the end, he could only ride in the same car with Tong, who also couldn’t find a companion in the group.
Pack your bags and get ready to go
Equipment upgrade – After confirming the itinerary, it is the purchase of equipment, the purchase of materials and other matters. Facing the crossing road in extremely cold weather, we had to upgrade to more professional outdoor equipment.
The trunk is full of luggage and supplies for two people
Items to keep out the cold: down jackets, down pants, down socks, sleeping bags, etc. with higher down filling are indispensable.
Vehicle inspection: preparation of anticoagulant for diesel vehicles, refitting of oil heating system, maintenance of all vehicle batteries, inspection of vehicle condition and tires, preparation of spare oil barrels, etc. are all essential for this trip Task.
Before departure, go to Sichuan Haoshaantuan Club (Roadshaker’s entry station) to do a full vehicle condition inspection
The leader of this event: William’s father
The participants are (in no particular order): MJ from Guangdong Che You, Brother Dafei, Qingshanlushui, Yuanxing, Tong, Benelli, Cutting Stage, Aqiu
02
Ice and snow road, a small test
D1-D2. Chengdu – Ganzi – Shiqu – Xiewu – Yushu
Walking in the world of fairy tales – the troops woke up from the hotel early in the morning, the sky was still bright, and it suddenly snowed in Ganzi, like a gift from God to welcome them, and the whole world was plunged into pure white.
The speed of the whole journey is 60-80 per hour, and the team does not need to wear snow chains.
As if entering a fairy tale world, the beauty is suffocating
317 Dajin Temple on the side of the road
On the way to Manigango, the statue of Guru Rinpoche by the roadside
Traffic along the way
Bagmani Wall in Shiqu County . Believers hammered and chiseled scriptures on the stone, and then built it up piece by piece, and gradually formed it. It is currently the longest Mani wall in Tibetan areas.
The reborn Yushu—— As soon as you enter Yushu, you will be greeted with an urban atmosphere. Everything is so new. Here, you can see Adidas, Nike, Huawei, Oppo and the like everywhere, and everyone feels that they have returned to their own home.
D3. Yushu-zaduo
King Gesar Square in the morning, quiet and beautiful
Prepare for camping – buy camping ingredients: beef and vegetables at the largest local farmers’ products trading market in Yushu. The temperature in the morning is more than ten degrees below zero, and the meat is frozen hard.
Vegetables can only buy some antifreeze, such as radishes, cabbage, onions and the like.
The road from Yushu to Zaduo
03
The challenge has finally begun
D4. Zaduo-Zhaqing Township-Red Village-Tashi Kawa (the source of Lancang River culture)
Return to the WeChat dialog box and reply: track , you can get the track file of this road
The real challenge begins— after a few days of tempering on the ice and snow road, most of the team members thought they had conquered the ice and snow road, but the challenge had just begun.
Most of the previous itineraries were run on national and provincial roads, and the roads were very smooth, but this day’s roads are not even counted as rural roads!
There are many bends and narrow roads, thick snow and ice …especially the whole journey is above 4,000 meters above sea level, the wind is constant, and the roadside is full of very thick wind blowing snow. If you slip in, you will have to tow your car.
PS. A few tips for driving on icy and snowy roads: decelerate ahead of curves, steer lightly, step on the brakes lightly, step on the accelerator lightly, and when you really need to stop, try to use the brakes as much as possible.
Trapped cars and trailers kept coming— along the way, car traps and trailers became commonplace. Since we just started to enter, there are still many herdsmen living there. In addition to our own car, there are 3 bread pickup trucks to rescue the herdsmen in the morning.
However, the Tibetan-Chinese family has no reason not to help when encountering difficulties, isn’t it?
Sometimes if you don’t pay attention, the two cars slide down together
Rescue in a harsh environment is also a physical effort, especially the front tow hook, every time you tow it, you will lose half your life… Fortunately, the winch played a big role.
road signs along the way
After crossing mountains and ridges, under the leadership of the team leader William and his father, they finally arrived at the Tashi Qiwa Scenic Spot, the source of Lancang River culture.
One Lancang River, two sources – Lancang River, the name of the upper reaches of the Mekong River in China, Lachu in Tibetan, meaning “Zhezi River”. It is also one of the largest rivers in Southwest China, the seventh longest river in the world, the third longest river in Asia, and the longest river in Southeast Asia.
The Lancang River has both geographical and cultural origins.
“Tashi Qiwa” in Tibetan means “auspicious spring water”. This spring located in Zaduo County has been surging for hundreds of years, forming a lake of more than 100 square meters, hidden in the chaotic streams, In the swamp.
According to legend, when the fifth Dalai Lama was in power, the Tibetan tribe in Zaduo invited the revered Dalai Lama to Zaduo to find the source of the Zhaqu River (the local name for the upper reaches of the Lancang River) . Later, the fifth Dalai Lama determined Tashi Qiwa Spring is the source of Zhaqu River, so Tashi Qiwa should be understood as the source that Tibetan herdsmen have believed for generations.
team photo
After visiting the source, find a place to set up camp, and set off for the geographical source of the Lancang River the next day .
04
Difficulty escalates, bad luck comes
D5. Zhaxi Kawa – Jifushan Zanayong (geographic source of Lancang River) – Zaduo
Nightmare nights— camping out in freezing weather, singing, drinking, and talking don’t exist. While cooking, their hands hurt from the cold, everyone gritted their teeth and persevered, and got into the car to sleep after hasty dinner.
However, the high reaction made everyone lose sleep.
The dual effects of high altitude and reduced oxygen content in winter lead to insufficient oxygen supply to the brain and disordered breathing… Tossing and turning all night, waking up to check the time after not sleeping for a long time, praying for dawn soon.
When I woke up, it was minus 31 degrees, and I took a deep breath.
Find your way through the frozen Lancang River valley —the snow thickens as you go further into your destination.
The voice of the team leader William’s father kept coming from the intercom:
“Attention, there is ice.”
“Attention, there is snow here, rush over with a little speed.”
“Attention, the snow here is thick, don’t let go of the accelerator, lightly turn the direction left and right, let the tires squeeze the snow away, and rush over.”
Going to the back, you can’t even see the roadbed. Facing the vast snowfield, William’s father can only rely on his years of off-road experience to constantly explore the road to find the way and lead the team forward.
Suddenly there was a rushing voice from the intercom:
“Stop! Stop! Stop! Don’t follow, I can’t get through here, let me explore the road.” It turned out that the road was getting thicker and snowier, so William’s father decided to explore the road alone.
The leader’s ribs were broken— the accident happened in an instant. Because the ice surface was too slippery, William’s father accidentally fell down, and there was a raised piece of ice on the ground against his chest.
“Maybe a rib is broken.” An understatement, the resolute man didn’t show much pain on his face. But everyone knows what a rib fracture means, and they all advised him to withdraw for treatment.
But in order not to disappoint everyone, he reluctantly said: “It should not be serious, go back for treatment, and continue to go!”
I gave up halfway— I heard from a fellow villager on the way that there was a heavy snowfall at the source, and the inside was very thick.
When it was almost one o’clock in the afternoon, the low-lying place where the two peaks connected was impossible to pass due to at least one meter of snow. We had to find another way, along the gentler part of the ridge, and bypass the low-lying part of the roadbed.
The actual slope of the mountain is much larger than the two pictures
After not going far, William’s father got stuck in the car again, and the snow was so thick that it had already bottomed out.
Looking around the low-lying place again, there is no place to go around… After thinking for a long time, everyone has nothing to do. In desperation, the trip to the geographical source of the Lancang River can only stop here .
After observing when I came here, I found that the ice surface was frozen very hard, and walking on the ice surface was much easier than walking on the snow, so when I returned, I walked back from the ice surface carefully.
Teammates overturned – as if God made a joke with them, difficulties followed.
Maybe it was because I didn’t sleep well the night before and my attention was distracted. At around 4:00 pm, my teammate Benelli, who was driving a towed RV to test the off-road performance, didn’t notice the dirt bumps on the road, and the RV flew up and overturned after being run over. ! Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.
However, this was only the beginning, an hour later, the same accident happened again! The caravan was seriously damaged, the lower arm of the left wheel was broken, and the right wheel was tilted sharply. As long as it walked, the tire tread would directly rub against the car body.
Due to the limited field maintenance conditions, the repair method was exhausted; after dragging dozens of kilometers, the tire fell off, the wheel hub was scrapped, and even the spare tire could not be installed, and it was already dark and the temperature dropped…
In the end, he could only decide to abandon the car temporarily, leaving Benali in the car to guard, and the rest rushed to Zaduo overnight to find rescue.
Zado to Saw County
After confirming the rescue plan the next day, Benali stopped, and the large force continued to set off as planned.
The most difficult road has already been passed, and the Zaduo-Suo County-for example-Sap-Bianba-Qamdo-Garze-Chengdu in the back is a piece of cake, like the dirt road from Zaduo to Suo County, it is simply a highway.
Everyone’s ice and snow driving skills have risen sharply, and they perfectly control the ice road from Yangxiu Township to Sapu . It’s just that the road is narrow, and there are almost no places for wrong cars and U-turns, which makes the team have a lot of trouble in rescue…
Why come here at this time?
Along the way, almost everyone
friend, policeman, passerby
Owners of hotels, supermarkets and restaurants in Tibetan areas
all asking the same question
Ah Qiu replied:
For the restlessness in men’s hearts
Off-road people are always in awe of nature while
Under the premise of ensuring your own safety as much as possible
constantly challenge yourself
Constantly traveling off the beaten track
Constantly looking for the ultimate scenery
Aqiu and Niumei Living Buddha of Huiyuan Temple
so far
An unforgettable event for the Sichuan Good Shock Group
Let us eat melons to watch the journey with relish
ended
(Click “Read the original text” in the lower left corner at the end of the article
see more detailed story)
Where will their next stop be?
