Yubeng Glacier Lake, 雨崩冰湖

This post is a continuation from my previous entries on my Yubeng Adventure, a hidden village in China, with mum and our new found friends.

For Day 1 on our journey into the village, link here.
For Day 2 about the Yubeng Sacred Waterfall, link here.

Now, what would Day 3 entail? 

It was a grueling 9 hours hike to the Yubeng Glacier Lake 雨崩冰湖 (at an altitude of 3800m). The distance we clocked-in that day was anywhere between 15-20km.

The night before, our troop leader known as Hiang, gave us a rundown on what to expect. He told us that it'll be tough, way harder than what we've experienced the 2 days prior.

Naturally, most people opted out. Only 13 out of the 24 of us actually took up the challenge. Of which only the 11 of us made it to the end-point. The rest who did not join us spent the day in the village, hanging out with the locals, befriending the town village 村长.

It was an interesting journey. We started around 8am and had to hike uphill through the village, entering the forest and then through rocky terrain before facing a path covered in ice. Eventually making it to the pass 垭口 and all that was just to somewhere close to the mid-point! 

4 hours later, we finally made it to 笑农大本营 Xiao Nong Base Camp. That meant we had another 1 hour (or more if you're slow like me) to go before arriving at the peak. It was around 12pm, so we figured it's time for lunch. And to be honest, having a bowl of fried rice after such a tiring walk was very tempting.

Here's a bit of a backstory as well. Xiao Nong Base Camp was set up by the 中日联合登山队, a hiking troop established in 1987, consist of both Japanese and Chinese nationals. It was formed by the Japanese after seeking from China, the permission to conquer the Kawagorba peak. They spent a couple of years understanding the surrounding environments before their first attempt in Dec 1990. Unfortunately, the troop did not make it to Kawagorba's peak as they were caught in an avalanche. In fact, it wasn't until 1999 where most of the troop's remainder was found amongst the glacier, that they could draw such a conclusion.

Another attempt was made by another group in 1996 but was also called-off due to bad weather. By 2001, the China government eventually passed the bill to ban all attempt to conquer the peak.

So, fun fact, up till now, no one has managed to conquer the Kowagorba's peak.

Anyways, after a scrumptious meal, it was time to get back on the road. I remembered the last few steps, to finally get to the top, was helluva tough. I literally had to drag my feet and pull myself up. Panting and out of breath.

To be honest, the view at the top was a bit underwhelming. I was a tad bit disappointed considering how much torture I put myself through. But that's the thing about mother nature, she is unpredictable. Almost the same time last year, Hiang was here too. He told us the last time they were here, it was all white. The mountain was covered with snow and it was truly an amazing sight.

Some of them continued on and went down to the lake for a closer look but I was too tired to do that. I mean, beautiful things are meant to be viewed from afar. Plus, going down there meant I had to climb my way back up! If I were to exert that extra legwork, I might not be able to make it back.

So while the rest were hiking back up from the lake, I had a head-start! It started snowing slightly as we made our way back to the village. 

I was practically limping and dragging my feet for the last 30 minutes or so. That feeling when you know "it's so close but so far". 9 frigging hours later, we finally made it back!

Would I do it again? Probably not. But I sure as hell enjoyed the scenery!