Jin Feibao wins China's Golden Rhinoceros award
Tuesday, 26th February 2008Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
The award is Jin's second consecutive Golden Rhinoceros – last year he was awarded a Golden Rhino "Breakthrough award". This year is the third year in which the prize has been awarded by China's top mountain climbers and adventurers to the year's most outstanding outdoor adventurers.
"I'm extremely happy to be able to be able to repeat as a Golden Rhinoceros award winner this year," Jin said. "For me, this is the ultimate motivation and support."
In 2007 Jin ascended each continent's highest peak: Everest/Qomolongma in Asia, Kilimanjaro in Africa, McKinley in North America, Aconcagua in South America, Elbrus in Europe, Kosciuszko in Australia and Vinson in Antarctica. In addition to climbing these seven peaks, Jin hiked to the North and South Poles, at one point falling through thin ice into icy arctic waters while trekking toward the North Pole.
During his travels, Jin made daily phone calls back to his friends and family in Kunming, which were republished with permission on GoKunming. Jin told GoKunming that in addition to learning about different places around the world, he discovered the extent to which global climate change is affecting the world's most delicate ecosystems.
Jin is expected to be part of the Olympic torch relay team in Tibet this year.
Image: clzg.cn
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Jin Feibao skiing toward North Pole
Jin Feibao ascending Mt Aconcagua
"I have successfully reached the summit, and have safely come down to Camp 4. On June 30 [Saturday Beijing time] the weather was nice and sunny. We started early from Camp 5 at 17,200 feet and climbed up a very steep ridge. When we reached 18,400 feet a climber from Germany who was in another climbing team fainted and fell to the icy ground. It was an emergency so the German team leader asked our tour guide's help and our tour guide helped him to carry the unconscious man down to Camp 5. Afterward, our guide climbed up again to join us.
When we reached a spot only 330 feet short of the summit, we looked up and discovered the path to the summit was on a knife-sharp ridge covered by thick snow. The path looked like a high, steep roof - we had to walk on the eaves of the ridge to reach the summit. If the eaves collapsed, we would surely plummet and die.
After considering the situation, three members of my team decided to turn back and some other climbers in other teams also decided to give up. At this critical moment, I didn't care if I was scared or not, I just had one thought in my head: I could do it. Under the instruction of our guide, I finally made it to the summit at 20,320 feet!
The space at the summit was very small - only about two square meters - so we had to take photos one by one. Before taking photos, we had to shove our ice axes deep
into the snowy ground to keep us safe. Standing at the summit, I displayed China's national flag, the 2008 Beijing Olympic flag and a few other banners. When I took out the Olympic flag, everyone with me on the summit said they would like to come to Beijing to watch the games in 2008. I said loudly and proudly: "Welcome, welcome, the Beijing Olympic Games will surely be one of the best ever!"
After taking photos, we started heading back down, which unfortunately was not easier than going up. We were already exhausted at that time which made it easier to fall down. We had to focus all our attention on the descending route and hold our ice axes very tightly. Looking down the steep ridge, I was scared. I told myself again and again: "hold on, hang on, keep going." Although I felt very hungry, thirsty and cold I kept moving slowly and carefully. Finally, I safely reached Camp 5. I looked at my watch - it was 00:05 am July 1 [US local time], so, it took me 16 hours to climb from Camp 5 to the summit and back.
Now, I have already come down to Camp 4. Tomorrow, I should be back at Base Camp."
Kunming resident Jin Feibao is attempting to summit each continent's highest peak and trek to both of the Earth's poles within a one-year period. Following his recent trip to Argentina's Mount Aconcagua, he has moved on to Norway and is skiing to the North Pole. GoKunming is reprinting transcripts of Jin Feibao's daily telephone reports to Kunming.
April 27: Champagne on top of the world
"Yesterday, we skied 11 hours, covering 13 kilometers and reaching the North Pole at 2:45 am on April 28, Beijing time.
Compared to the previous seven days, this last day of trekking and skiing was the hardest one. We were blocked by many wide crevasses with water inside, so we had to use GPS frequently to guide us as we zigzagged around the labrynthine crevasses.
During the day I stepped on a pack of thin ice that was too thin to hold my weight - it broke as soon as I put my full weight on it and I fell into the icy water. Luckily the hole I fell into was not wide, so I could prevent myself from falling in completely, only my legs were in the water. The tour leader rushed to me and pulled me from the frigid water, then picked up the powdery snow on the surface of the ice and used the snow to rub my wet pants to accelerate the freezing process of the water in my pants, thus lowering the danger of frostbite. After a while my legs felt okay again, so we kept pushing forward.
When the GPS showed that we were extremely close to the North Pole, everybody was so excited that all the expedition members began running like lunatics toward the direction of the pole. Finally, the GPS showed that we were standing on the exact spot of 90 degrees north latitude, at that moment, everyone went crazy. We forgot about the freezing cold and exhaustion and started yelling and taking photos and calling family and friends. The tour leader popped open a big bottle of champagne and we all toasted our accomplishment.
Last night we camped at the North Pole, which doesn't have any landmarks. This morning, we woke up and found out that we had drifted two kilometers while sleeping. Now we are waiting for a helicopter to pick us up from the ice and fly us back to Barneo camp, where we will take another airplane back to Longyearbyen in Norway.
At this moment sitting atop the world, I am very proud. I have successfully reached the 3 extremes on earth - the top of Mount Everest, the South Pole and the North Pole - within one year's time. I may be the first Chinese to accomplish this.
I want to express my gratitude to my hometown Kunming, my province Yunnan, my motherland China, and all my friends and family. Thank you all very much!"
April 27: Champagne on top of the world
"Yesterday, we skied 11 hours, covering 13 kilometers and reaching the North Pole at 2:45 am on April 28, Beijing time.
Compared to the previous seven days, this last day of trekking and skiing was the hardest one. We were blocked by many wide crevasses with water inside, so we had to use GPS frequently to guide us as we zigzagged around the labrynthine crevasses.
During the day I stepped on a pack of thin ice that was too thin to hold my weight - it broke as soon as I put my full weight on it and I fell into the icy water. Luckily the hole I fell into was not wide, so I could prevent myself from falling in completely, only my legs were in the water. The tour leader rushed to me and pulled me from the frigid water, then picked up the powdery snow on the surface of the ice and used the snow to rub my wet pants to accelerate the freezing process of the water in my pants, thus lowering the danger of frostbite. After a while my legs felt okay again, so we kept pushing forward.
When the GPS showed that we were extremely close to the North Pole, everybody was so excited that all the expedition members began running like lunatics toward the direction of the pole. Finally, the GPS showed that we were standing on the exact spot of 90 degrees north latitude, at that moment, everyone went crazy. We forgot about the freezing cold and exhaustion and started yelling and taking photos and calling family and friends. The tour leader popped open a big bottle of champagne and we all toasted our accomplishment.
Last night we camped at the North Pole, which doesn't have any landmarks. This morning, we woke up and found out that we had drifted two kilometers while sleeping. Now we are waiting for a helicopter to pick us up from the ice and fly us back to Barneo camp, where we will take another airplane back to Longyearbyen in Norway.
At this moment sitting atop the world, I am very proud. I have successfully reached the 3 extremes on earth - the top of Mount Everest, the South Pole and the North Pole - within one year's time. I may be the first Chinese to accomplish this.
I want to express my gratitude to my hometown Kunming, my province Yunnan, my motherland China, and all my friends and family. Thank you all very much!"
Saturday, April 21: 89 degrees north latitude
"Yesterday at 6:30 pm, we boarded a mid-size Russian transport airplane and flew for about two and a half hours, arriving in Barneo at 9:00 pm Longyearbyen [Norway] local time.
There were about 30 passengers in the airplane, we all sat in the front half of the plane. All luggage was put in the back half. Two thirds of the passengers will not go to the North Pole, they will take some sightseeing tours around Barneo.
Barneo is a Russian research camp located at approximately 89 degrees north latitude, but it is on a big pack of ice which is always floating, so its precise location varies. Barneo was established by the former Soviet Union. In recent years, because Russia has not enough money to support its scientific research here, Barneo has gradually become a tour destination and the starting spot for North Pole expeditions.
Upon landing in Barneo, I saw some locals with their dog sleds waiting for tourists near the runway, so I guess taking sightseeing tours on dog sleds might be the major attractions for ordinary tourists here.
We ate some snacks in a restaurant camp in Barneo then we decided to head north immediately, because we are already three days behind our schedule and we wanted to stretch our legs after the flying. So we strapped on our skis and headed north. One and a half hours later, we had skied two kilometers. The tour leader chose a solid "old" ice float for us to camp on. He said this ice is about 3-4 meters thick.
It was the first time in my life that I slept on floating ice. When I thought that 3-4 meters below me was the deep and icy Arctic Ocean, I felt very uneasy. I could not sleep at first, but looking at the sound asleep 67-year-old Norbert, with whom I shared my tent, I gradually fell asleep."
Sunday, April 22: Crossing crevasses
"Yesterday, we skied seven hours, covering nine kilometers. It was a sunny day - nearly windless. The temperature was about -15˚C, much warmer than in the Antarctica - but the air is much wetter.
After breakfast, we started skiing to the north, dragging our sleds behind us. Each sled weighs about 40 kilograms. We checked our direction by GPS.
On the way we came upon many water leads and crevasses, which have as many kinds of shapes and sizes as you can image. When meeting the wide ones, we had to ski around them, which added more distance to our skiing. When coming upon narrow ones, we had to use the ski board as our bridge to cross them. After reaching the other side, we had to run immediately to pull the ski board across the crevasse, otherwise it would fall into the crevasse.
Sometimes the crevasses in front of us were too wide and too long, if we skied around them, it would cost us a lot of time, so we had to put down our skis and sleds, use a long rope to lower the tour leader down into the crevasse. He walked across the bottom of the crevasse to the other side, then climbed up out and fix the rope on the ice. Using this rope as a safe rope, we crossed the crevasse one by one as the tour leader did. We used the same method to drag our sleds across the crevasse.
Each time when somebody successfully crossed the crevasse, all other people would cheer and applaud, just like watching an acrobatic performance. If somebody could not cross it, then other team members would surely help him. Mr. Norbert is the oldest one in our team, his leg has been hurt when he playing football in his 20s. Whenever he has troubles crossing the crevasses, I always actively offer him a hand. This way no one is left behind, and no one will be left behind.
Because the air is very wet and we sweat so much, whenever we stopped to have a short rest we always found out that our headgear, gloves and clothes were wet. There is no way to dry these things except to put them in our sleeping bags and use our body heat to dry them as we sleep. If you put them outside under the sunshine they will not dry because the air is so humid.
On the way we didn't see any animals, but we saw some ice hills. They may have been the tops of large submerged icebergs. Some ice hills are as high as 60 meters, some looked like towers. Skiing to the North Pole is not as boring as skiing to the South Pole. We had some landmarks and some scenery to look at, although skiing on the uneven ice surface is not as enjoyable as skiing on the flat snow ground in Antarctica."
Monday, April 23: Thin ice
"Yesterday, we skied 9 hours, covered 14 km. The weather was the same - sunny, with a little cloud and a little breeze. Temperatures are still around -15˚C.
Now everybody is familiar with how to ski on the uneven ice surface, how to avoid water leads and how to cross different kinds of crevasses, so we made faster progress than the previous day.
On the way, we encountered some very thin ice - which can be easily broken with a ski pole, so everybody was afraid that the ice could break at any time. Everybody had to ski as fast as he could to lower the pressure on the thin ice. After crossing it, everyone was sweating. It consumed a lot of energy, so we had to stop frequently to eat chocolate bars and drink water. While resting on the ice, one man from the USA took out a harmonica and played some beautiful music. All of us fell silent at that moment, fully enjoying the music which seemed to be coming from heaven.
Up to now, according to my GPS, we have covered nearly one third of the total distance, if everything goes well, we should reach the North Pole within six days."
Kunming resident Jin Feibao is attempting to summit each continent's highest peak and trek to both of the Earth's poles within a one-year period. Following his recent trip to Antarctica he is now in Argentina attempting to summit Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America at 6,962 meters (22,841 feet). GoKunming is reprinting transcripts of Jin Feibao's daily telephone reports to Kunming.
Thursday, March 29: Still at 5,400 meters
"Today, the wind has weakened, and the snowing has stopped, but the weather conditions are still unstable, so the base camp suggested to us that we not proceed up to Camp III, they said the weather might be better tomorrow.
Today we just climbed up for about 100 meters then came back down to stay in the same haven. My headache and my low fever have finally gone away, so my spirit is much higher than in the last two days.
One good thing about this haven is that, there is enough food stored here. Today, I even found a bag of biscuits that was made in Taiwan three years ago, which means some of the food has been stored here for at least that long.
In the afternoon, when the wind finally stopped, it suddenly became unusually quiet.
'It's so quiet!' I said. Alexia [Jin Feibao's tour guide] immediately whispered to me, 'Don't speak loudly, otherwise the Mountain God will be angry, then he will start to make the wind blow again.'
I followed his advice and shut my mouth immediately. From what he said, I could understand that without the help of the Mountain God, it would be impossible for anybody to climb to the summit. In fact, aside from the Mountain God, Mary also plays a very important role in the Aconcagua climbings. I remember when we reached the Base Camp, I saw a statue of the Holy Mary in the camp, both Alexia and Bobbie [another guide and Alexia's girlfriend] went there to pray. I also followed them and wished that Holy Mary could bring us good luck.
Now, I am praying that the weather will be good tomorrow, so we can go up to Camp III [6,000 meters high]."
Friday, March 30: The storm passes
"Today, the snow storm has finally passed. We saw the blue sky again, but there are still some clouds hanging around. The temperature is about 20˚C below zero.
We started early from Camp II [5,400 meters] and climbed up a long and very steep snow slope, successfully reaching Camp III [6,000 meters] in the afternoon. I feel very tired.
Now we are standing on the shoulder of Aconcagua. Looking down, we can see many other snowy peaks in the Andes mountain range, the view is truly magnificent. Looking around, the rocks here are strange in shape. Alexia said the rocks are sculpted into these strange shapes by the strong wind.
In 1998, a local travel service built several log cabins in Camp III, so we don't need to set up our tent. We can stay in a log cabin, which is really a kind of luxury in such a high and cold and windy place.
Mt. Aconcagua is the highest dead volcano in the world, so the rocks here are lava, on the way up, we saw some traces of the magma's movement. We also saw small crystals in several places, I'm guessing there might be a big crystal mine in this mountain. If I were a geologist, this mountain would be a paradise. Tomorrow, if the weather is not bad, we will go up to the 6500 m camp."
Saturday, March 31: So close…
"This morning, Bobbie stayed in the 6,000 meter camp. Alexia and I started at 5:00 am, climbed up for about four hours and reached 6,500 meters. At that time, we could not see the summit, it was covered in clouds and it looked like the snow storm would come back again soon.
So we didn't rest. We didn't eat anything. We pushed forward, but that section was real windy and the wind was coming from several directions, so we had to use our four legs [two legs plus two climbing poles] to hold tightly to the snow ground and trek very slowly. Alexia told me this place is called 'the wind gate', it is always windy here - even on good weather days.
We finally passed the windy section and started climbing up the last ridge which leads to the summit. At this point, the snow was about one meter deep, so we could not push forward fast. It was very cloudy and we could not see the summit. Visibility was very limited.
In the late afternoon, Alexia told me that we had to go back, because the weather was really bad and a snowstorm could come anytime. At that moment I took out my GPS to check, and found that we had already reached a place which was only 100 meters below the summit [6,962 meters]. But we still could not see the summit, and there was not enough time for us to continue going up. Otherwise, even if we could reach the summit, we could not come down.
We had no choice. We had to come down. On the way down I thought we could try the summit again the next day. At about 9:00 pm, we safely reached back to the 6,000-meter camp - extremely tired and extremely hungry because we had no time to eat all day.
Bobbie told us some bad news: the base camp informed her by radio that a snowstorm was coming. This snowstorm was not a small one, it was too dangerous to even stay in such a high camp let alone continue upward, so the base camp ordered us to head down the next day.
I talked to Alexia and Bobbie and tried to persuade them to stay in Camp III for two or three days to wait for better weather. I said I would pay extra money to them. But they said they had to obey the orders of the climbing management center, otherwise, they would lose their jobs as mountain guides. They had no choice but to go back down, it had nothing to do with money.
So, this is the fact I had to face: I had to give up climbing after reaching a spot only 100 meters short of the summit. What a pity!"
Thursday, March 29: Still at 5,400 meters
"Today, the wind has weakened, and the snowing has stopped, but the weather conditions are still unstable, so the base camp suggested to us that we not proceed up to Camp III, they said the weather might be better tomorrow.
Today we just climbed up for about 100 meters then came back down to stay in the same haven. My headache and my low fever have finally gone away, so my spirit is much higher than in the last two days.
One good thing about this haven is that, there is enough food stored here. Today, I even found a bag of biscuits that was made in Taiwan three years ago, which means some of the food has been stored here for at least that long.
In the afternoon, when the wind finally stopped, it suddenly became unusually quiet.
'It's so quiet!' I said. Alexia [Jin Feibao's tour guide] immediately whispered to me, 'Don't speak loudly, otherwise the Mountain God will be angry, then he will start to make the wind blow again.'
I followed his advice and shut my mouth immediately. From what he said, I could understand that without the help of the Mountain God, it would be impossible for anybody to climb to the summit. In fact, aside from the Mountain God, Mary also plays a very important role in the Aconcagua climbings. I remember when we reached the Base Camp, I saw a statue of the Holy Mary in the camp, both Alexia and Bobbie [another guide and Alexia's girlfriend] went there to pray. I also followed them and wished that Holy Mary could bring us good luck.
Now, I am praying that the weather will be good tomorrow, so we can go up to Camp III [6,000 meters high]."
Friday, March 30: The storm passes
"Today, the snow storm has finally passed. We saw the blue sky again, but there are still some clouds hanging around. The temperature is about 20˚C below zero.
We started early from Camp II [5,400 meters] and climbed up a long and very steep snow slope, successfully reaching Camp III [6,000 meters] in the afternoon. I feel very tired.
Now we are standing on the shoulder of Aconcagua. Looking down, we can see many other snowy peaks in the Andes mountain range, the view is truly magnificent. Looking around, the rocks here are strange in shape. Alexia said the rocks are sculpted into these strange shapes by the strong wind.
In 1998, a local travel service built several log cabins in Camp III, so we don't need to set up our tent. We can stay in a log cabin, which is really a kind of luxury in such a high and cold and windy place.
Mt. Aconcagua is the highest dead volcano in the world, so the rocks here are lava, on the way up, we saw some traces of the magma's movement. We also saw small crystals in several places, I'm guessing there might be a big crystal mine in this mountain. If I were a geologist, this mountain would be a paradise. Tomorrow, if the weather is not bad, we will go up to the 6500 m camp."
Saturday, March 31: So close…
"This morning, Bobbie stayed in the 6,000 meter camp. Alexia and I started at 5:00 am, climbed up for about four hours and reached 6,500 meters. At that time, we could not see the summit, it was covered in clouds and it looked like the snow storm would come back again soon.
So we didn't rest. We didn't eat anything. We pushed forward, but that section was real windy and the wind was coming from several directions, so we had to use our four legs [two legs plus two climbing poles] to hold tightly to the snow ground and trek very slowly. Alexia told me this place is called 'the wind gate', it is always windy here - even on good weather days.
We finally passed the windy section and started climbing up the last ridge which leads to the summit. At this point, the snow was about one meter deep, so we could not push forward fast. It was very cloudy and we could not see the summit. Visibility was very limited.
In the late afternoon, Alexia told me that we had to go back, because the weather was really bad and a snowstorm could come anytime. At that moment I took out my GPS to check, and found that we had already reached a place which was only 100 meters below the summit [6,962 meters]. But we still could not see the summit, and there was not enough time for us to continue going up. Otherwise, even if we could reach the summit, we could not come down.
We had no choice. We had to come down. On the way down I thought we could try the summit again the next day. At about 9:00 pm, we safely reached back to the 6,000-meter camp - extremely tired and extremely hungry because we had no time to eat all day.
Bobbie told us some bad news: the base camp informed her by radio that a snowstorm was coming. This snowstorm was not a small one, it was too dangerous to even stay in such a high camp let alone continue upward, so the base camp ordered us to head down the next day.
I talked to Alexia and Bobbie and tried to persuade them to stay in Camp III for two or three days to wait for better weather. I said I would pay extra money to them. But they said they had to obey the orders of the climbing management center, otherwise, they would lose their jobs as mountain guides. They had no choice but to go back down, it had nothing to do with money.
So, this is the fact I had to face: I had to give up climbing after reaching a spot only 100 meters short of the summit. What a pity!"
Kunming resident Jin Feibao is attempting to summit each continent's highest peak and trek to both of the Earth's poles within a one-year period. Following his recent trip to Antarctica he is now in Argentina attempting to summit Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America at 6,962 meters (22,841 feet). GoKunming is reprinting transcripts of Jin Feibao's daily telephone reports to Kunming
Tuesday, March 27: 5,400 meters
"Yesterday, we endured the strong wind and climbed for 3 and a half hours, reaching the Camp I at 4,900 meters.
Inka Expediciones - the local travel service which I used, sent a lady to work as my assistant guide, her name is Bobbie. Now I have realized that she is the girlfriend of Alexia [Jin Feibao's guide]. So, while we climb, they are in fact talking about love, and at night, the three of us stay in the same tent. As you can imagine, I have unexpectedly become the highest "light bulb" in South America.
"Light bulb" is the Chinese expression for a person who comes between two lovers. Lovers always prefer some dark place to develop their intimacy. However, we are the only climbing team on this huge mountain at this moment, so I do not feel like a foreigner with them. In fact, I am getting along well with them. I believe their love will grow deeper when we climb higher.
This morning, the good weather ended. The mountain was surrounded by a snow storm, sometimes the visibility was only about four or five meters. But we decided to push forward. So we climbed up very slowly and very carefully. It took us about 10 hours to reach the Camp II at 5,400 meters.
On the way up, I realized that it was too difficult for them to take all of our luggage in such bad weather so I offered to help them take some luggage, just like I helped the man from Boston with his luggage on our way to the South Pole. I fully understand that teamwork is the key for the success of this climbing.
On the way up, sometimes the wind was so strong that we had to use "four legs" - two real legs and two climbing poles - to hold tightly on the snowy ground, otherwise, we would be blown off the mountain.
The good thing about the Camp II is there is a haven built for climbers to use in case of an emergency like today, so we don't need to set up our tent, we can stay overnight inside this haven, it is about eight square meters, with some food and liquid gas tanks inside. Alexia told me that there are another two havens like this in higher places, one is at 6,000 meters, another is at 6,300 meters. This is very good news for me. It shows that Aconcagua climbs are really well-managed. This management method is something which China should learn from.
Maybe it's because I have not rested well, or maybe it's because I have ascended too fast, but after we got to the haven of Camp II, I started to have a headache, and I also had a little fever. Bobbie gave me a painkiller tablet, she said this medicine is specially used for Aconcagua climbers - very effective. Then she contacted the base camp via radio. The news she got from base camp was: judging from the satellite map, this snow storm might last for several days. So we'd better stay here until tomorrow, to wait for the snow storm to pass."
"We stayed in the haven for 24 hours, but the wind is still very strong, the snow
storm has not passed yet, so I guess we might have to stay here for another day.
Wednesday, March 28: Stuck
"One pleasant surprise - Bobbie cooked Chinese rice for me for dinner. It's instant rice, just like instant noodles, which they bought from a local supermarket specially for me. Another pleasant surprise is: Bobbie cooked an Italian-style meal for us, because her ancestors were from Italy. She told me that many Argentineans are in fact descendants of immigrants from Italy and Spain, the original Inca people who lived in this land for thousands of years have now become a minority in Argentina.
In the afternoon, they contacted the base camp with the radio, the base camp told them that the strong wind might be weakened tomorrow, but the snowing might not be over, and the temperature will continue to drop to about -20˚C. So tomorrow, if the wind is not so strong, we might trek up a short distance then come back to stay in the same haven for the night. Anyway, this is a good chance for me to get some rest, because my headache and low fever have still not gone.
Today, we talked a lot about China, both Alexia and Bobbie are curious about China - they said they plan to visit China someday in the future. I told them, if they came to China, they should visit 3 great places: Beijing, Yunnan, and Tibet. I can see that they are very excited when talking about their future China tour. I hope they can choose Kunming as their honeymoon destination."
"Yesterday, we endured the strong wind and climbed for 3 and a half hours, reaching the Camp I at 4,900 meters.
Inka Expediciones - the local travel service which I used, sent a lady to work as my assistant guide, her name is Bobbie. Now I have realized that she is the girlfriend of Alexia [Jin Feibao's guide]. So, while we climb, they are in fact talking about love, and at night, the three of us stay in the same tent. As you can imagine, I have unexpectedly become the highest "light bulb" in South America.
"Light bulb" is the Chinese expression for a person who comes between two lovers. Lovers always prefer some dark place to develop their intimacy. However, we are the only climbing team on this huge mountain at this moment, so I do not feel like a foreigner with them. In fact, I am getting along well with them. I believe their love will grow deeper when we climb higher.
This morning, the good weather ended. The mountain was surrounded by a snow storm, sometimes the visibility was only about four or five meters. But we decided to push forward. So we climbed up very slowly and very carefully. It took us about 10 hours to reach the Camp II at 5,400 meters.
On the way up, I realized that it was too difficult for them to take all of our luggage in such bad weather so I offered to help them take some luggage, just like I helped the man from Boston with his luggage on our way to the South Pole. I fully understand that teamwork is the key for the success of this climbing.
On the way up, sometimes the wind was so strong that we had to use "four legs" - two real legs and two climbing poles - to hold tightly on the snowy ground, otherwise, we would be blown off the mountain.
The good thing about the Camp II is there is a haven built for climbers to use in case of an emergency like today, so we don't need to set up our tent, we can stay overnight inside this haven, it is about eight square meters, with some food and liquid gas tanks inside. Alexia told me that there are another two havens like this in higher places, one is at 6,000 meters, another is at 6,300 meters. This is very good news for me. It shows that Aconcagua climbs are really well-managed. This management method is something which China should learn from.
Maybe it's because I have not rested well, or maybe it's because I have ascended too fast, but after we got to the haven of Camp II, I started to have a headache, and I also had a little fever. Bobbie gave me a painkiller tablet, she said this medicine is specially used for Aconcagua climbers - very effective. Then she contacted the base camp via radio. The news she got from base camp was: judging from the satellite map, this snow storm might last for several days. So we'd better stay here until tomorrow, to wait for the snow storm to pass."
"We stayed in the haven for 24 hours, but the wind is still very strong, the snow
storm has not passed yet, so I guess we might have to stay here for another day.
Wednesday, March 28: Stuck
"One pleasant surprise - Bobbie cooked Chinese rice for me for dinner. It's instant rice, just like instant noodles, which they bought from a local supermarket specially for me. Another pleasant surprise is: Bobbie cooked an Italian-style meal for us, because her ancestors were from Italy. She told me that many Argentineans are in fact descendants of immigrants from Italy and Spain, the original Inca people who lived in this land for thousands of years have now become a minority in Argentina.
In the afternoon, they contacted the base camp with the radio, the base camp told them that the strong wind might be weakened tomorrow, but the snowing might not be over, and the temperature will continue to drop to about -20˚C. So tomorrow, if the wind is not so strong, we might trek up a short distance then come back to stay in the same haven for the night. Anyway, this is a good chance for me to get some rest, because my headache and low fever have still not gone.
Today, we talked a lot about China, both Alexia and Bobbie are curious about China - they said they plan to visit China someday in the future. I told them, if they came to China, they should visit 3 great places: Beijing, Yunnan, and Tibet. I can see that they are very excited when talking about their future China tour. I hope they can choose Kunming as their honeymoon destination."
Kunming resident Jin Feibao is one of the highest-profile outdoor adventurers in China. He has summited Mount Everest with his brother Jin Feibiao and is now approaching the South Pole with an international team. Summiting Mount McKinley is one of the next projects on Jin's agenda for this year.
Jin FeibaoJin has been reporting back to Kunming every day and GoKunming has obtained permission to republish his reports. English translations of the reports are provided by Jin's American friend Gregg Millett.
In the coming days, we will run updates on Jin Feibao's progress in reaching the South Pole under some of the earth's most extreme conditions. Today we are republishing his reports from January 13-15, at the end of which his group is already more than one-third of the way to the South Pole, with another 70 km to go. Some members of Jin's team are beginning to experience difficulties, but he is maintaining a positive attitude.
January 13: 98 km from the South Pole
"Today, the weather changed, the wind is very strong, the visibility is only 4 meters, the temperature is about 40C below zero, so David (the tour guide) decided that we should stay in our tents, waiting for the storm to pass. So, we got a day to rest.
"It's extremely cold outside our tents, even the GPS can not work in such freezing environment. I have to take my GPS back into my tent can it wake up to life again. When GPS doesn't work, I have to depend on the gradienter to judge the direction. The gradienter is a small ball-like instrument which I hang in front of my chest, so I can check my direction frequently when trekking.
"Peeing is not difficult, because I have a big bottle, I can pee into this bottle inside my tent, then seal the waste in a plastic bag and put it outside on my sled. But shitting is really torture, I have to go outside my tent, dig out a big snow hole, more than one meter deep, then do the job inside the hole. This way, I will not be blown away by strong wind, after the release, seal the plastic bag and take it to my sled.
"Today, I realized that my face has minor frostbite because the strong wind drove the snow and ice off the ground to hit my face, like it was hit by many mini bullets. So, I decided to use a scarf to wrap up my face and ears first, then put my big goggles on the scarf to fix it in place. This way, my face will be protected when trekking."
January 14: 84.2 km from the South Pole
"Today, the strong wind has stopped, but we are covered in endless fog, the temperature dropped to 41C below zero, the visibility is only 10 meters.
"However, we trekked 13.8 km in 7 hours, much faster than our first day. With the help of GPS, we headed south, we can not differentiate between sky and land, everything is the same gray in such fog, like we are marching into a time tunnel.
"I have to keep thinking something else, such as my hometown Kunming - the warm sunshine, colorful flowers, Stone Forest, over-the-bridge rice noodles, the exhibitions I have enjoyed with my friends in Yunnan Provincial Museum, etc. These kind of imaginings and pleasant memories help me to keep putting one leg in front of the other and help me to pass the boring times on the way.
"Today, my face has been well protected by the scarf, so I can say that I have saved my face. But other team members' faces have become frostbitten. So, when we stopped, I told them my way of dealing with it.
"After 7 hours of trekking and skiing, David told us that we have covered 13.8 km. Now we are only 84.2 km away from the South Pole. Everyone is very happy. So we stopped to set up our camp. Other team members all looked exhausted, but David and I were not so tired, so we helped the other teams set up their tents first, then we started to set up our tent.
"With everything settled, we started to cook water, then used the boiled water to cook the instant rice. Dinner is always better than lunch, our lunch is always chocolate bars. In such a place, eating is only for surviving, not for enjoyment."
January 15: 70.4 km from the South Pole
"Today, we finally marched out of the time tunnel (the fog area) and saw the blue sky again, so we trekked faster than yesterday. In 7 hours, we covered 14.5 km. Up to now, we have already trekked 40.3 km, covering more than 1/3 of the 110 km distance [to the South Pole].
"But today is a very hard day for the man with us from Boston walked very slow, so we had to stop frequently on the way to wait for him to catch up. Later we realized that he had nearly used up all his strength. It was impossible for him to keep up with our pace.
"So, we decided to help him, to divide his burden - the luggage on his sled, about 40 kg, - to the rest of us, so, each one of us has to add about 10 kg weight on our sleds. But we have not complained, we know that we are a team, and we should not leave anyone behind. We should march to the South Pole together. This is the critical time when teamwork will show its power.
"Today, my neck is sore and painful. When we stopped to set up our camp after 7 hours of trekking, I found my neck could hardly move, I guess it's because I kept walking with the same posture for too long, when I was thinking how to deal with this neck pain, the man from Frankfurt handed me a small bottle of oil, I took it and found out that it is a kind of medical oil made in China. We both laughed. In China, this oil is very popular, used for treat mosquito bites and car sickness. I didn't expect that I will use it in Antarctica.
"Thank you, teamwork!"
GoKunming will continue to provide updates by Jin Feibao as he closes in on the South Pole.
Jin FeibaoIn the coming days, we will run updates on Jin Feibao's progress in reaching the South Pole under some of the earth's most extreme conditions. Today we are republishing his reports from January 13-15, at the end of which his group is already more than one-third of the way to the South Pole, with another 70 km to go. Some members of Jin's team are beginning to experience difficulties, but he is maintaining a positive attitude.
January 13: 98 km from the South Pole
"Today, the weather changed, the wind is very strong, the visibility is only 4 meters, the temperature is about 40C below zero, so David (the tour guide) decided that we should stay in our tents, waiting for the storm to pass. So, we got a day to rest.
"It's extremely cold outside our tents, even the GPS can not work in such freezing environment. I have to take my GPS back into my tent can it wake up to life again. When GPS doesn't work, I have to depend on the gradienter to judge the direction. The gradienter is a small ball-like instrument which I hang in front of my chest, so I can check my direction frequently when trekking.
"Peeing is not difficult, because I have a big bottle, I can pee into this bottle inside my tent, then seal the waste in a plastic bag and put it outside on my sled. But shitting is really torture, I have to go outside my tent, dig out a big snow hole, more than one meter deep, then do the job inside the hole. This way, I will not be blown away by strong wind, after the release, seal the plastic bag and take it to my sled.
"Today, I realized that my face has minor frostbite because the strong wind drove the snow and ice off the ground to hit my face, like it was hit by many mini bullets. So, I decided to use a scarf to wrap up my face and ears first, then put my big goggles on the scarf to fix it in place. This way, my face will be protected when trekking."
January 14: 84.2 km from the South Pole
"Today, the strong wind has stopped, but we are covered in endless fog, the temperature dropped to 41C below zero, the visibility is only 10 meters.
"However, we trekked 13.8 km in 7 hours, much faster than our first day. With the help of GPS, we headed south, we can not differentiate between sky and land, everything is the same gray in such fog, like we are marching into a time tunnel.
"I have to keep thinking something else, such as my hometown Kunming - the warm sunshine, colorful flowers, Stone Forest, over-the-bridge rice noodles, the exhibitions I have enjoyed with my friends in Yunnan Provincial Museum, etc. These kind of imaginings and pleasant memories help me to keep putting one leg in front of the other and help me to pass the boring times on the way.
"Today, my face has been well protected by the scarf, so I can say that I have saved my face. But other team members' faces have become frostbitten. So, when we stopped, I told them my way of dealing with it.
"After 7 hours of trekking and skiing, David told us that we have covered 13.8 km. Now we are only 84.2 km away from the South Pole. Everyone is very happy. So we stopped to set up our camp. Other team members all looked exhausted, but David and I were not so tired, so we helped the other teams set up their tents first, then we started to set up our tent.
"With everything settled, we started to cook water, then used the boiled water to cook the instant rice. Dinner is always better than lunch, our lunch is always chocolate bars. In such a place, eating is only for surviving, not for enjoyment."
January 15: 70.4 km from the South Pole
"Today, we finally marched out of the time tunnel (the fog area) and saw the blue sky again, so we trekked faster than yesterday. In 7 hours, we covered 14.5 km. Up to now, we have already trekked 40.3 km, covering more than 1/3 of the 110 km distance [to the South Pole].
"But today is a very hard day for the man with us from Boston walked very slow, so we had to stop frequently on the way to wait for him to catch up. Later we realized that he had nearly used up all his strength. It was impossible for him to keep up with our pace.
"So, we decided to help him, to divide his burden - the luggage on his sled, about 40 kg, - to the rest of us, so, each one of us has to add about 10 kg weight on our sleds. But we have not complained, we know that we are a team, and we should not leave anyone behind. We should march to the South Pole together. This is the critical time when teamwork will show its power.
"Today, my neck is sore and painful. When we stopped to set up our camp after 7 hours of trekking, I found my neck could hardly move, I guess it's because I kept walking with the same posture for too long, when I was thinking how to deal with this neck pain, the man from Frankfurt handed me a small bottle of oil, I took it and found out that it is a kind of medical oil made in China. We both laughed. In China, this oil is very popular, used for treat mosquito bites and car sickness. I didn't expect that I will use it in Antarctica.
"Thank you, teamwork!"
GoKunming will continue to provide updates by Jin Feibao as he closes in on the South Pole.
