A Lost Tourist Survived in the Mountains by Eating Snow and Toothpaste for 10 Days (4 photos) photo)

A tourist's family paid $11,000 to rescue him after he was stranded in the mountains. Local authorities had previously banned visitors to the dangerous area, promising to impose administrative sanctions on violators.





In China, an 18-year-old tourist named Sun Liang managed to survive a trek through a cold mountainous area after losing contact with the outside world for 10 days. The young man ate river water, melted snow, and toothpaste.

The hiker began his solo trek on February 8, setting off to conquer the 2,500-meter-high Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi Province. The route he took is considered one of the five most difficult trekking routes in China due to its unpredictable weather.



He lost contact with his family after just two days when his electronic devices ran out of battery. Disoriented, he walked downstream along a stream and fell several times, breaking his right wrist. To escape the strong winds, the amateur climber made a makeshift bed of dry straw and leaves behind a large rock until he was found on February 17 by rescuers who had gone to the mountains at the request of his worried family.





More than 50 tourists have gone missing or died on this route over the past two decades, so in 2018 local authorities banned visitors from visiting the dangerous area, promising to impose administrative sanctions on violators. The rescue operation, which involved more than 30 people, cost his family 80,000 yuan, or about $11,000.



It is noteworthy, SCMP notes, that Sun Liang is considered the first person lost in this region to be rescued. The rescued man himself later claimed that he did not know about the ban, stating that his motivation for the hike was simply to challenge his abilities. He noted that the area is completely unsuitable for hiking, since strong winds with snow prevented him from opening his eyes and knocked him off his feet, even with two alpenstocks for support. In addition, there are absolutely no picturesque views along this line.