Young people travel hundreds of kilometers, wearing 5 layers of clothes to hunt for ice and snow in Mau Son

On the evening of January 22, while surfing social networks, Nguyen Dinh Ngoc (born 2000, Bac Giang) came across a video of frost appearing on Mau Son peak at an altitude of 1,180m, in Loc Binh district, Lang Son province. The young man, who is currently working as a cameraman and photographer in Hanoi, felt excited because this phenomenon only happens once every few years.

After watching the news on January 23, Ngoc did not hesitate any longer, texting 4 close friends to invite them to go hunting for ice and snow. Even though no one agreed, he decided to go alone, but in the end, the "deal" was finalized with a group of 5 people.

Ngoc asked for a day off, brought a suitcase full of warm clothes from Hanoi to Bac Giang to join her friends. The group rented a 7-seat car and left for Mau Son at 4:30 am on January 24.

A group of young people endured the cold for 2 hours to make ice people on Mau Son peak (Video: Nguyen Dinh Ngoc).

Wearing 3 shirts and 2 pants still feel cold

The distance from Bac Giang to Mau Son is about 150km, Dinh Ngoc's group arrived after nearly 4 hours of travel. About 5km from the top, everyone cheered because they saw the undulating ice from afar and felt the cold seeping into the car.

The last 2-3km were jammed with traffic, Ngoc was so excited that he got off first and walked, forgetting to put on gloves. When he reached the top of Mau Son, he couldn't help but be amazed by the scene before his eyes.

"This is the first time I've seen ice with my own eyes, so everything looks so beautiful. Especially the frozen tree. I thought it was dry, but when I looked at it, it was still fresh inside," the young man said.

Last winter, Ngoc had climbed to the top of Mau Son but the weather was around 4-5 degrees, not too cold and not freezing. This time, the young man got to experience the feeling of "what's in the fridge is exactly the same here". Even though he wore 2 pants, 3 layers of clothes including thermal, wool, thick windbreaker plus scarf, gloves, hat, and socks, he still felt shivering.

Like Ngoc’s group, many tourists do not hesitate to travel hundreds of kilometers to hunt for ice and snow. They are mainly young people, but there are also a few children with their parents and middle-aged people. People usually stand around and take pictures for about 10-20 minutes, an hour at most, and then have to go back inside to avoid freezing.

Ngoc's group came up with a unique idea of ​​making an ice man. The five guys went around collecting ice and spent nearly 2 hours to complete the "work". Initially, they planned to destroy it before leaving, but seeing many people enjoying taking pictures with it, they kept it as a souvenir.

"It was very cold but we had a lot of fun. Luckily, no one got sick when we got home and we got up to go to work as usual the next morning. This was truly a memorable experience," Dinh Ngoc said.

Young people endure the bitter cold to check-in with ice (Editor: Thu An).

Beautiful scene like the movie "Frozen"

Despite the news that Mau Son peak has been covered in snow and ice for the past few days, Hoang Thi Van Anh (born 2001, Lang Son) initially had no intention of checking in. On the morning of January 24, she went to her sister's house to visit, and the two sisters were surfing the internet when they saw a photo series of a child taken there amidst the white snow and ice.

"Because we were so impressed, my sisters and I decided to drive up here to see it ourselves, without any prior plans," she said.

Many people are worried about Van Anh's health when she wears a short-sleeved shirt to take pictures in the freezing cold, but she insists she is completely healthy.

Just an hour before departure, Van Anh and her mother went to a costume rental store to choose outfits - inspired by the costumes of the Hmong people, often worn during festivals - to take photos. The distance from Van Anh's house to Mau Son peak is only about 30km, but because of traffic jams, it took 2.5 hours for the three of them to arrive.

As soon as she got off the bus, Van Anh was amazed by the beautiful scene, like in the movie Frozen, when the fence and trees were all covered in white. The Lang Son girl quickly took off her coat, wearing only her short-sleeved ethnic costume to take pictures in front of the curious and surprised eyes of the tourists there. She posed for photos for about 5 minutes and then got back in the bus.

When Van Anh’s image was posted online, many people were worried about her health, especially when they saw her hands were red from the cold. However, she affirmed that she was completely healthy and had not had any health problems since returning home.

"My family moved from Huu Lung district to Lang Son city 3 years ago. After living here for a while, I got used to the low temperature, often below 10 degrees Celsius in winter. Moreover, maybe my body can withstand the cold, so when I wore a t-shirt to take pictures on Mau Son peak, I only felt a little cold. People in the lowlands are not used to it, so it might be a bit scary to see it," she explained.

Regarding being able to pose naturally with many eyes on her, Van Anh said that she participated in the Miss Universe Vietnam 2023 contest and made it to the top 55. After this experience, she felt much bolder and was not shy.

For Van Anh, the experience of hunting for ice and snow was worth it, especially when she had a "lifetime" photo series.

Driving in sub-zero weather

As soon as he heard the news that frost had appeared on Mau Son peak since the afternoon of January 22, Tran Nhat Hoang (born 2001, Lang Son) - a freelance tour guide - planned to ride his motorbike up there that night to admire it. However, after considering safety concerns, the young man decided to leave at 8:30 a.m. on January 23. Before leaving, he carefully checked his vehicle to avoid any accidents.

From Bac Son, a distance of 110km, it took Hoang about 2.5 hours to reach Mau Son peak. With experience from previous ice and snow hunting trips at Phia Oac peak (Cao Bang) and Sa Pa (Lao Cai), he "dressed up" very carefully to cope with the cold.

"I wore 5 layers of clothing including a thermal shirt, 2 thin sweaters, a thermal jacket, and a trekking vest. Along with that, I also wore 2 scarves, a hat, 2 gloves, and 3 pairs of socks. But when I got there, I had to sit and rest in the house for about an hour before daring to go out to see the ice," the young man said.

Standing on the top of Mau Son, Hoang felt the temperature was about minus 1 degree Celsius, the cold penetrated to the bone marrow. However, his only feeling was that it was wonderful and satisfying, a trip worth it.

Returning down the mountain at 4pm, Hoang was surprised to see his car's wheels frozen, just like the pictures shared online. He also had to take a shortcut to avoid the traffic jam.

As an experienced traveler, having set foot in many provinces and cities from North to South, Hoang advises everyone who intends to hunt for ice and snow in the highlands to be well prepared. First of all, the outfit should be full of warm clothes, gloves, hats, scarves... Regarding means of transport, cars are the best choice to avoid the cold, and those who want to experience should go by motorbike. Because the road is quite winding and has many narrow sections, the speed of the vehicle should also be as slow as possible to be able to handle it promptly.

After a successful ice and snow hunting trip, Dinh Ngoc shared his experience that everyone should go early to avoid crowds and traffic jams. In addition, bringing boots and raincoats can avoid wet fog.

As for Van Anh, she also advised everyone to be mentally prepared for traffic jams and that food and drinks on-site may be more expensive than usual. The important thing is to dress warmly and not risk wearing short-sleeved clothes like she did in the photo if your endurance is not good.

From January 22 to January 25, the temperature in Mau Son mountain area (Lang Son) always fluctuated between 4-6 degrees Celsius. In particular, at the top of Mau Son, the temperature sometimes dropped to -3 degrees Celsius, the cold was like cutting skin. The scene of ice covering the fences and trees attracted thousands of tourists to come here to admire.

Frost also appeared in many highland communes in the provinces of Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai.

Photo, video: NVCC

Source link: https://dantri.com.vn/nhip-song-tre/gioi-tre-vuot-hang-tram-kilomet-mac-5-lop-ao-di-san-bang-tuyet-o-mau-son-20240126151932977.htm