Vietnamese girl on the verge of death while conquering 6,250m snow mountain peak in India

(Dan Tri) - Having conquered many mountain peaks, Thuy Duong was determined to reach the 6,250m peak at Mentok Kangri Mountain (India). However, she faced the boundary between life and death when she got lost at an altitude of 5,400m.

It took half a year to prepare Pham Thuy Duong (35 years old), an office worker, working 8 hours a day in Hanoi. Thuy Duong is no different from other mothers, busy after work with the task of picking up her children, teaching them and taking care of her parents. However, for the past 7-8 years, she has always maintained her own passion - conquering mountains - on weekends.

Thuy Duong is radiant in the midst of majestic nature, checking in with the national flag (Photo: NVCC).

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Thuy Duong said that conquering the snowy mountain peak has been her dream for many years. As arranged, by chance, someone in the mountain climbing community with experience organized a trip to conquer the peak of Mentok Kangri (India), 6,250m high. This trip requires participants to have good physical strength, the ability to adapt to high altitudes and have climbed 4,000m or more. Because the trip is quite dangerous, highly difficult, and has a long schedule. "All members are nature lovers, sports lovers, have positive energy, and good physical strength. The group has 9 people, including 8 Vietnamese and 1 Indian," Thuy Duong said. Thuy Duong shared that 6 months before the trip, she had to exercise regularly. Every day, Duong climbed stairs, ran on terrain, jogged, and climbed small mountain peaks to get her legs used to the pressure of long distances. Regarding her diet, she had to lose weight to keep her body flexible and reduce pressure on her knees, while also eating well to work. At the same time, Duong also took many supplements for the brain and joints to increase her resistance. She also prepared a lot of clothes and specialized mountain climbing equipment to keep her warm enough, but still compact and light in her backpack for easy carrying.

Thuy Duong eagerly captured the moment of preparing for the trip (Photo: NVCC).

Upon arriving in India, the group took a connecting flight to Ladakh - an altitude of over 3,000m. The trip lasted 10 days, of which the group had 2 days to travel, gradually adapt to the altitude and start climbing from 4,000m. There were 9 people in total, but when reaching 5,400m, 2 people stopped climbing due to health reasons. The remaining 7 people continued climbing from 5,400m to 6,250m, divided into 2 ropes. "Team spirit is very important, because if there is 1 member in the group who is not able to continue, the whole rope must stop to ensure safety," Duong shared more about the rules that must be followed when climbing snowy mountains. Nature is majestic, but can also take lives... Duong said that conquering high mountain peaks depends a lot on the weather, because the higher you go, the colder and harsher the weather is. In case of bad weather, climbers must return to "base camp" - a camping area with a safe, convenient, and easily accessible altitude - to send a distress signal in case of emergency. This is also the place where people return after climbing all day to eat, rest, and do personal activities. Having conquered the 5,600m high LaDak peak (India), but on this trip, Duong suffered from altitude sickness at 5,400m. "At that time, I had symptoms of altitude sickness, my muscles were very tired, my backpack was heavy on my shoulders, and I had to stop and rest every 2-3 steps. When I asked the tour guide, I was told that it would be another hour before we reached the top, so I asked them to hold my backpack and tried to continue climbing. However, each person has different physical strength and speed, and they had already left me without me realizing it," she recounted. When Thuy Duong was teetering at an altitude of 5,400m, a large hailstorm suddenly struck and the wind picked up. She and her companion had no supplies left, as they had both left their backpacks with someone else. Luckily, another tour guide passed by and lent the two girls a raincoat. It seemed that the rain would pass quickly and the group would soon return to find Duong, but the rain became heavier and continued for 3 hours. Her body temperature dropped more and more, the cold seeping into her skin, making Thuy Duong clearly feel the boundary between life and death.

Four people were tied together with a rope for safety (Photo: NVCC).

"Three hours under the hail at an altitude of over 5,000m, my hands were shaking. I thought of the worst case scenario, took out my phone to record the necessary personal information... At that time, I was so sleepy, I wanted to fall asleep but my teammates shouted that I couldn't sleep", she emotionally recalled. Instinctively, the two women leaned against each other, pressing their raincoats on a rock to create an emergency signal. When both of them started to get exhausted, the guide promptly sent a horse herder and a horse back to look for her. Thuy Duong thought that if they had arrived about 30 minutes to 1 hour later, she could have died standing still surrounded by white snow. Because she and the guide misunderstood the information, they thought she was tired and returned to the campsite. After escaping danger, Duong decided not to continue climbing higher but stayed at the campsite. Although she did not conquer the mountain as planned and felt a bit regretful, she still felt happy and enjoyed the remaining time.

Thuy Duong comfortably enjoys the majestic nature at an altitude of 5,400m on Mentok Kangri mountain (India) (Photo: NVCC).

"If I continue, I am not sure and cannot guarantee my safety and health when I return. I do not want my passion to affect my work and family," Duong expressed. Most of all, during her stay at the campsite, she learned about nomadic culture and natural scenery from the guides. When welcoming her teammates back, Duong felt happy to see them conquer their dreams.

Due to many factors, the entire group of 3 Vietnamese people conquered the 6,250m high Mentok Kangri peak (Photo: NVCC).

After the memorable mountain climbing trip, Duong learned a lesson for herself that even experienced people cannot avoid unexpected situations, so it is necessary to know how to adapt and stay calm to handle them. "If the moment I was stuck on the mountain, I did not stay calm but panicked and shouted for help, then perhaps the moment I heard the horse herder's voice, I would not have had any strength left to call them," she recalled. Thuy Duong also shared that to pursue mountain climbing, people need to train to have good physical strength, learn from experience and have a scientific nutritional diet. In particular, on long and dangerous trips, it is necessary to buy travel insurance to save costs, as well as ensure all benefits.

Mentok Kangri is a 6,250m high mountain peak in the Himalayas, located in Eastern Ladakh, India. It is known as one of the most challenging peaks, only for experienced climbers, requiring technical climbing skills and the ability to adapt to high altitudes. At an altitude of 6,250m, climbers can see the whole Changthang plateau, the surrounding peaks and the view of Tsomoriri Lake with its turquoise water from the top of the mountain. Every year, only a few people successfully climb to the top of Mentok Kangri. Because this requires participants to adapt and prepare their health, good knowledge to handle the thin air and harsh conditions at an altitude of over 6,000m. Mentok Kangri mountain climbing tours currently cost around 35-40 million VND/person, including the cost of the trip, round-trip airfare, visa, insurance, meals, etc.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/co-gai-viet-can-ke-sinh-tu-khi-chinh-phuc-dinh-nui-tuyet-6250m-o-an-do-20241003121542681.htm