By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 260 Glacier Exploration [Part Two]

April is an ideal time to visit Ranwu Lake.

The temperature is no longer as cold as in winter this season, and the beautiful scenery of Ranwu Lake is still preserved.

If it gets any later, the lake water will become murky, losing the biggest attraction of Ranwu Lake.

However, this season may not be the best season for other tourist attractions.

For example, the best time to visit Laigu Glacier is in winter, from December to January, when the lake is completely frozen and you can walk to the famous Blue Ice Cave.

If you were to go to Laigu Glacier at this point, you could only observe it from a distance on the other side of the lake from your car, which wasn't very interesting.

Therefore, Li Younan did not plan to visit Laigu Glacier, which was probably a small regret of this trip.

Laigu Glacier is one of the three largest glaciers in the world, and there are indeed many places worth seeing.

It doesn't matter, there's still a long way to go on this journey, and there will be many beautiful glaciers that we can explore up close.

Many people associate Tibet with high-altitude grasslands, but in reality, this land is mostly mountain ranges, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and even tropical rainforests... The magnificent and diverse scenery is what this land truly is like.

The car continued on its way.

Liu Li seems to have become addicted to learning Tibetan lately. While Li Younan is driving, she sits in the passenger seat and practices Tibetan over and over again.

Li Younan reminded her, "If you want to take the adult college entrance examination, English is a required subject."

She was then met with disdain from Liu Li: "I learn Tibetan out of interest and hobby, I don't have so many utilitarian thoughts."

Li Younan chuckled and said, "Okay."

Next, they drove to Bomi.

Leaving Ranwu Lake, you enter Bomi County and travel through the Yupu Grand Canyon Highway. As you pass through the canyon, the altitude drops sharply from nearly 4 meters to just over 2000 meters in the Parlung Tsangpo River Valley.

Therefore, once you arrive in Bomi, you almost don't need to worry about altitude sickness.

Due to the extreme difference in altitude, the mountains appear as if they were carved by a knife and axe.

As Li Younan drove, he felt less and less regretful about not having visited the Laigu Glacier before.

Glaciers are the iconic landscape of BM County, which is known as the "Hometown of Glaciers" in China.

More than 2000 glaciers are distributed in the crisscrossing snow-capped mountains and valleys. Warm and humid air currents from the Indian Ocean make the snow line lower and the precipitation more abundant, which is why thousands of glaciers have been formed here.

Continuing along the canyon, snow-capped mountains rise majestically on both sides, and the canyon is densely covered with spruce forests, with the road winding through it. The extreme difference in altitude creates a strong visual impact.

After traveling downstream along the Parlung Tsangpo River for several hours without stopping, we finally arrived in BM County.

Nestled in the embrace of snow-capped mountains at an altitude of just over 2700 meters, it boasts well-developed infrastructure and serves as the starting point for entering Motuo, the last county in my country to be connected by road.

Although Motuo is not on National Highway 318, Li Younan plans to make a trip there.

The journey from Bomi to Motuo will be the most unique part of the trip, as it transforms from a high-altitude, frigid region into a tropical rainforest climate.

At the same time, this highway is also a popular spot for taking photos.

Li Younan guessed that the task of checking off the road from Bomi to Motuo might be to successfully pass through this section of the highway.

Next, Li Younan will definitely take the road from Bomi to Motuo; otherwise, he feels that the trip would have been a waste.

After resting in BM County, Li Younan and Liu Li discussed it and decided to stay there for two or three days.

Because Bomi has very beautiful scenery and many places worth visiting nearby, and now is the season when peach blossoms are in full bloom, Peach Blossom Valley, just a few dozen kilometers away, is at its most beautiful at this time.

The peach blossoms of Nyingchi, Xinjiang are famous throughout the country, and the Peach Blossom Valley in Bomi is the best among them.

This place will surely fulfill everyone's imagination of a paradise on earth.

Over the next few days, Li Younan took Liu Li to Peach Blossom Valley.

Dozens of villages are scattered throughout Peach Blossom Valley, each with its own unique characteristics.

The car departed from BM County and traveled about 30 kilometers towards Zhamu Town before arriving at the entrance to Peach Blossom Valley.

As soon as you enter the valley, you can see wild peach trees spreading out along the mountainside on both sides of the road. The trunks are thick and the branches stretch naturally into the air. Pink peach blossoms adorn the branches. There are no signs of deliberate pruning. They are all growing naturally.

It took Li Younan and Liu Li two days to explore almost the entire Peach Blossom Valley.

As the car rounded a bend, the peach blossom scenery changed—in some places, a few peach trees grew sparsely beside barley fields, while in others, an entire peach orchard covered half a hillside.

They stopped at a viewing platform where they could see the village below surrounded by peach orchards, with villagers working in the barley fields and children occasionally chasing and playing under the peach trees.

After visiting several villages in Peach Blossom Valley, Li Younan suddenly had a new idea.

To be honest, although peach blossoms are very beautiful, you can get visually fatigued after seeing them too many times, and eventually you won't look forward to them as much.

However, as a land of glaciers, there is much more to explore.

Behind these villages lie glaciers of all sizes.

Many of these glaciers are in places untouched by modern industry, and even locals rarely venture into them; they are truly unexplored secrets.

Li Younan was certainly not the only one who held this view.

After they finished exploring Peach Blossom Valley, a convoy of cars arrived and parked their vehicles in an open space at the entrance of a village.

A group of hiking enthusiasts dressed in professional gear, wearing crampons and ice axes, are preparing to venture deeper into the glacier for an adventure.

When they came across Li Younan's vehicle, the group, out of curiosity and respect for the Unimog, struck up a conversation with Li Younan before setting off into the mountains.

Li Younan thought for a moment, then suddenly asked Liu Li beside him, "Brother Long, do you want to go on an adventure with me?"

Liu Li paused for a moment, then nodded almost without hesitation: "Yes!"

Li Younan smiled wryly.

At this moment, Liu Li was like a kitten that had been raised at home and just let out of its cage, full of curiosity about everything.

The car was equipped with a full set of mountaineering gear. He had long considered taking Liu Li on an adventure, so he made preparations well in advance.

When he took out his crampons, ice axe, and other equipment and placed them in front of Liu Li, Liu Li tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Li Younan, did you already know that I... would get better during this journey?"

"Why do you ask?"

"The equipment you bought is all in sets of two, including the helmet and gear."

"That's strange. Does that mean I can't keep a spare set?"

"A pink helmet...a pink ice axe?"

"..."

"Seriously, does an expedition really need such flashy colors?"

Li Younan thought for a moment and said, "I still have some explosion-proof paint on my car. I'll paint it pink right away."

"Oh dear, no way...you stingy person."

Liu Li quickly hugged the item to her chest, afraid that he would actually wipe it off.

"Ha ha……"

……

Although the adventure plan was proposed on the spur of the moment, Li Younan still made thorough preparations before setting off.

First of all, Li Younan did not know how long this expedition would take. Perhaps after entering the mountains, he would find it uninteresting and return that day; but it was also possible that as he went further and deeper into the mountains, the scenery would become more and more magnificent, and he would stay in the mountains for a couple more days.

Therefore, when packing his backpack, Li Younan considered all possible scenarios. He not only brought essential equipment such as a two-person tent, ice axe, and crampons, but also a sufficient amount of food and a high-pressure gas canister. After thinking for a moment, he also packed the portable oxygen concentrator into his backpack.

To be honest, oxygen concentrators take up a lot of space and weight, and for ordinary hiking enthusiasts, carrying one is simply a burden.

However, for Li Younan, with the support of powerful skills, weight is basically negligible. It's just a pity that the backpack space it occupies cannot be ignored.

Fortunately, this trip wasn't a true hiking trek, so it was alright.

Liu Li had never participated in this kind of hiking before, so she naturally had a reason to ask Li Younan to pack her backpack.

Li Younan tidied up Liu Li's backpack, helped her carry it, and asked, "How does it feel? Can you carry it?"

Liu Li snorted: "You underestimate me."

She gripped the shoulder strap of her backpack and even jumped twice to show that she was perfectly capable.

Li Younan stroked his chin: "Wow, that's really impressive. In that case, here, these two mountain gas cylinders are yours too."

As Li Younan spoke, he pressed the gas canister in his hand onto Liu Li's backpack.

The little girl immediately lost her balance and sat down on the ground with a thud.

"Haha."

"Bad guy!"

……

Of course, when they finally set off, Li Younan wasn't really that cruel, making Liu Li carry too many heavy loads.

However, in order to save space in the backpack, Li Younan did not let Liu Li carry the tent.

He explained this very seriously: "I brought a large two-person tent, big enough for the two of us to sleep in and put all our things in at the same time. The space saved can be used to bring more hand warmers."

"Oh, and also, once we got up the mountain, even though it was just one tent, everyone slept in sleeping bags, so..."

"Alright, alright, stop explaining." Liu Li interrupted Li Younan before he could finish speaking.

She shook her head. "I understand what you mean, it's just a purely platonic travel companion relationship..."

"Uh, that's what I mean... but don't tell your brother."

"You're not going to tell my brother? What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid you'll get beaten up."

"You're just afraid you'll get beaten up, aren't you!"

"If a fight breaks out, will you side with me or him?"

"Uh... this, this..."

"Haha... Let's go, let's set off."

From behind the village, there is a small mountain path leading uphill.

It wasn't too difficult at first, just that the slope was a little steep.

But as they moved further away from the village, the road ahead changed from the clear, foot-trodden path to a wild, unpredictable trail.

Fortunately, it is still possible to see signs that someone has passed by.

For Li Younan, taking this path was naturally without any challenge.

However, as they got further and further away from the village and closer to the glacier, they entered a dense primeval forest, and the road became increasingly difficult. Li Younan looked at Liu Li, who showed no fear of the wilderness and was full of novelty and excitement for her first adventure.

After crossing a hillside, continue forward and you'll see a glacial river flowing out of the valley—formed by the melting of the glacier's base.

The glacial river converged into a small lake not far away. The water looked somewhat murky, unlike the icy blue that Li Younan and Liu Li had seen at Ranwu Lake. This place was completely untouched by commercialization, making it more pure and pristine, but this also meant that unknown dangers were present.

Right next to that lake, the group of hikers we saw earlier were resting.

Upon seeing them, Li Younan wore a thoughtful expression.

When the group of enthusiasts saw Li Younan and his companion, they took the initiative to come over and greet them.

……

To be fair, the altitude here isn't very high yet, only a little over 3000 meters, and the ultraviolet radiation isn't particularly strong. Currently, they are separated from the glacier by a vast primeval forest; to see the glacier, they would need to traverse that forest.

As someone with mountaineering skills, Li Younan's ability to plan routes and anticipate dangers ensures that he will not make any mistakes during this expedition.

So although adventure sounds like a scary thing, for Li Younan, the danger is not much different from climbing Qingcheng Mountain, which is right in front of his house.

Even with Liu Li by his side, Li Younan was confident that this journey would be no more difficult than climbing a very tall staircase.

Therefore, Li Younan's mindset was naturally very calm.

Influenced by Li Younan's mindset, Liu Li naturally felt very at ease.

However, compared to their relaxed and calm demeanor, this group of hikers seemed somewhat nervous.

They came over and struck up a conversation.

In this group, there was a middle-aged man who was their guide, and the other four people were all young people, including two female college students.

Apart from the guide, each of them was carrying a heavy backpack for the trek.

After a brief inquiry, it turned out they weren't very experienced hikers. Overall, they seemed to be two well-off young men with their college girlfriends—let's just assume they were girlfriends for now.

The guide wasn't a local, but he'd probably been doing this business for a long time.

What gave Li Younan some comfort was that none of these people recognized him.

For Li Younan, encountering his fans in such a place would be a real headache.

The two young men showed great enthusiasm, implying that Li Younan could join their team.

Li Younan found it somewhat amusing; the other party clearly regarded him as one of their own kind.

Li Younan glanced at Liu Li beside him. Judging from her age, Liu Li should indeed be a female college student, and she even looked a little younger.

Seeing the slightly ambiguous look in the eyes of the two young men, Li Younan decided not to continue the conversation with them.

It's not that he despised the two young men; on the contrary, he could sense their goodwill.

Compared to Liu Li, those two girls... definitely can't compare. The girls probably wouldn't be able to get along.

Moreover, if a newcomer with little experience is with Li Younan, Li Younan will unconsciously feel a sense of responsibility and obligation.

After all, if something goes wrong, we can't just stand by and do nothing. So it's quite tiring, and it's more interesting to take Liu Li on a solo adventure into the glacier.

However, before Li Younan could say anything, the guide showed even greater enthusiasm, explaining to Li Younan how dangerous this primeval forest was, and that even after passing through the primeval forest and reaching the bottom of the glacier, it would be difficult to find a very beautiful glacier cave without the guide's guidance.

Their words were clearly intended to get Li Younan to offer to join their team.

Li Younan knew very well that as soon as he expressed his thoughts on this matter, the guide would definitely start discussing prices.

There's no need to be too critical of this behavior. In this era, everyone is trying to make a living, and earning money is not an easy thing.

Despite her understanding, Li Younan still refused.

After a brief conversation, Li Younan and Liu Li walked across the lake from one side to say goodbye to the two hiking enthusiasts.

Once Li Younan and his companion had completely disappeared into the jungle, the guide sighed slightly, his tone tinged with amusement, and said, "Those two young men must be visiting a place like this for the first time. They have no respect for the wilderness. They won't know how tough it is until they run into some obstacles. Let's rest for a while and then continue on our way."

One of the young men asked curiously, "Is there only one road to the glacier?"

“No, that’s not it. But we’ll have to go in the direction those two young men went later; it’s a better route,” the guide said. “But you don’t need to think too much about it, just follow me. I’ve brought a lot of people with me, so there won’t be any problems. We have to stay in the forest tonight. Once we’re rested, let’s set off.”

On the other side, after separating from that group, Li Younan and Liu Li continued their journey into the forest.

Along the way, Li Younan knew the plants in the forest like the back of his hand: "This tree is called a pine, and it is very adaptable. This is called a birch, and it is widely distributed in the plateau region."

What is that very tall tree?

"That tree is called alpine pine, and it is one of the fast-growing tree species here. The tallest ones can grow to fifty or sixty meters."

What about this kind of tree?

"This is called a rowan, and it's a highly ornamental plant."

"Li Younan, you know so much! How do you know so much about plants?"

Li Younan did not answer Liu Li, because at that moment, he found a mushroom on the ground.

I glanced at my watch; it was already past noon, so spending the night in the woods was inevitable.

Therefore, Li Younan decided to find a good spot to camp in the woods that night, where the wild mushrooms were growing very well and were widely distributed.

Although the package contains canned luncheon meat, it would be a delicious dish if it were stir-fried with mushrooms.

To reach the glacier, the simplest way is to follow the river upstream. The end of the river is likely the starting point of the glacier, so it's not easy to get lost in the forest and it's easy to find your way. However, there are some sections where the river is deep enough to submerge a person, making them difficult to cross.

But Li Younan, relying on his strong judgment, was able to easily find a perfect route in the forest.

Li Younan already knew where to camp for the night, but he soon discovered that his cell phone had no signal.

In such a remote mountain forest, losing cell phone signal is a very dangerous situation. Li Younan said to Liu Li quite seriously, "From now on, you are not allowed to leave my sight, understand?"

Liu Li was never the kind of girl who would cause trouble for others; she knew the limits of her abilities.

Seeing Li Younan's seriousness, he said without hesitation, "Of course, you'd better keep an eye on me! If I get lost in a place like this, my brother will beat you to death."

Li Younan couldn't help but recall the hiking experience he had with Zhu Qingyue last time.

Well, Liu Li and Zhu Qingyue have completely different styles.

The biggest difference between these two girls is probably this: if Liu Li encounters any trouble on her journey, such as spraining her ankle, she will definitely call out to me immediately; while Zhu Qingyue will probably silently endure it and continue walking until she can't bear it anymore...

To be honest, if Li Younan were to choose his teammates, he would prefer to be teammates with Liu Li.

Often, what you think is avoiding trouble for others may actually be causing even more trouble.

Being with Liu Li means you don't have to guess what's going on. If she's in pain, she's in pain; if she's happy, she's happy. That makes you feel more at ease.

This was Liu Li's first time walking so many mountain paths. After walking for several hours in the dense forest, she couldn't help but say, "Li Younan, that tree stump in front looks like a chair."

"How is it similar?"

"Look, there are seats available."

As she spoke, Liu Li plopped down on the tree stump.

Li Younan, hands on her hips, chuckled, "Then you can sit here. I'll be going now."

Startled, Liu Li immediately stood up and angrily punched Li Younan: "Don't make such scary jokes, it'll scare me!"

"You're Brother Long, after all."

"Even Brother Long is afraid."

“Alright, no more joking.” Li Younan’s expression turned serious. “If we walk a few hundred meters further, right there, see that spot? On that hillside, we can camp there and rest for the night. It’s best not to sit here; there are a lot of weird bugs.”

"Oh, you should have said so earlier."

Soon, the two arrived at the location Li Younan had mentioned.

This place is close to a water source and has a good view. It is located on a high point in the forest, offering a bird's-eye view of many areas, and is also in a sheltered position.

Li Younan was very satisfied with his choice of location. Of course, Liu Li probably couldn't see the brilliance of the location.

Afterwards, Li Younan took Liu Li to pick mushrooms in the vicinity, and while picking them, he naturally told her which mushrooms were poisonous and how to distinguish them.

Liu Li couldn't remember any of them, but it didn't matter. The two of them quickly picked a whole bag full of mushrooms and went back.

Liu Li asked, "If we accidentally eat poisonous mushrooms, will we see little people like in the news?"

"Seeing a little person? That's a relatively good outcome. Some fungi can kill people directly."

"Oh, it's that serious!"

Li Younan said in a serious tone, "It's okay, I'll let you eat first anyway. If you get poisoned, I won't eat it."

Liu Li paused for a moment, then lowered her head deeply. Suddenly, she raised her head again and said sincerely, "I would have eaten it even if you hadn't said anything. I absolutely won't let you get poisoned!"

Li Younan was stunned for a moment, his expression one of surprise.

Seeing this, Liu Li chuckled and turned to stroll away.

Li Younan watched Liu Li's small figure from behind and touched his nose: "Little girl, you're pulling this trick, aren't you..."

Heh, but... why am I actually a little touched?

……

On the hillside, in a portable pot, a piece of refined ghee melted, emitting a rich milky aroma.

This was yak butter that the Tibetan villagers had given to Li Younan when he was in Ranwu, which he then purified.

Although the ghee produced is already high in fat, it still contains a little bit of moisture.

As we all know, most vitamins are water-soluble, and if the water is completely extracted, some of the vitamins will be lost.

However, ghee that has undergone further refining has no moisture, so it can be stored for a longer period of time, and it becomes more translucent after solidification. In this way, the loss of vitamins is within an acceptable range for Li Younan.

Li Younan poured in the chopped ingredients and cooked them simply for a short time, resulting in a fragrant wild mushroom luncheon meat stew.

Neither of them took the previous jokes seriously.

How could Liu Li possibly doubt Li Younan's ability to survive in the wild?

During the time Li Younan was away, she watched his scenes from "Living Alone in the Wilderness" many times due to her loneliness.

While eating the stew, Liu Li suddenly said out of the blue, "Li Younan, the experience of being with you on the 318 will definitely be the most unforgettable experience of my life."

"Who said that?"

Li Younan shook his head and tapped her head in dissatisfaction, "You have a long life ahead of you..."

Then, she suddenly made a "I understand" face: "Oh, I get it! You mean you don't plan to travel with me anymore! Is that what you mean?"

Liu Li was initially moved when she heard Li Youran say the first half of the sentence, but she was stunned when Li Younan finished speaking the second half.

Where...where can you find such a misinterpretation of someone's meaning?

Liu Li angrily retaliated by giving Li Younan a Kamehameha.

After dinner, it was time for the most important part of the day – to go into the tent and rest.

(End of this chapter)