“I felt my heart pounding, my legs shaking, and at times I felt like I was swaying because of the strong wind. My husband, I, and the other members of the group clung to each other to get through the road,” said Ms. Diu.
“Porter filmed a short clip of us crossing the ravine. When I watched it back, I still shivered. We had no idea what the weather would be like,” she added.
When Ms. Diu shared the video on a mountain climbing group, many people said: In good weather, conquering Ngu Chi Son is already very difficult. In such rainy, foggy, and windy conditions, it is even more difficult and dangerous.
On December 8, Nguyen Thi Diu (36 years old, a tourism businesswoman in Sa Pa) and her husband, along with four close friends, joined a journey to conquer Ngu Chi Son, also known as "hand mountain", in the Hoang Lien Son pass area, bordering Tam Duong (Lai Chau) and Sa Pa (Lao Cai).
The majestic rocky mountains, challenging vertical cliffs, rich vegetation and the “unreal” sea of clouds often appearing on the mountain top make this place known as the most majestic mountain in the Northwest. Located at an altitude of 2,850m above sea level, Ngu Chi Son is the 15th highest mountain in Vietnam but is considered a very difficult trekking route.
“That morning, the sky was overcast and cloudy, with light rain forecast. The experienced porter who led the way shared weather information with us. He said that the higher we went, the more foggy, cold and humid it would be. However, the six of us had planned the trip for 2 months, some of us flew in from Ho Chi Minh City, so we decided to go anyway,” said Ms. Diu.
“The members of the group all have experience in mountain climbing. Before the journey, we practiced strengthening exercises and prepared our health carefully because Ngu Chi Son is a difficult mountain to conquer. I myself have climbed Fansipan, Lao Than, and Khang Su Van,” she said.
At 9:00 a.m., the group arrived at Suoi Thau 2 village, 25km from Sa Pa, to meet the guide. The first 3-hour journey through the bare hills and sparse forests went quite smoothly. The group had lunch in the middle of the old forest and continued climbing, entering a large tree forest with many steep slopes. "The sky became increasingly gloomy and cloudy, visibility was limited, we could not observe much of the forest landscape," said Ms. Diu. At around 3:30 p.m., the group arrived at the resting hut, located at an altitude of about 2,600m above sea level.
The highest peak of the Five Peaks of Wuzhishan was paved by local people in late 2017 by installing some stairs from wood and rope. The stainless steel top was installed in late 2018.
At 6:30 the next morning, Diu’s group started moving from the shelter to the top of the mountain. The difficulty of this trekking section was far beyond the group’s imagination. The steep cliffs “disappeared” in the thick fog. The heavy rain and increasingly strong wind made Diu feel like she was “about to fly off the cliff”.
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The wooden ladder path across the edge of the cliff, built by the locals, was already difficult and steep, and now it was slippery. Members had to bend low and squeeze their bodies to crawl over each step.
“Thinking back, I still feel it was too reckless and crazy. But at that time, the brothers kept encouraging each other to continue the journey, determined not to give up,” Ms. Diu said. One member of the group had knee pain, but fortunately, the condition was not too serious. At 9am, the group reached the top of the mountain.
The last two months of the year are usually the best time to explore Ngu Chi Son because the weather is calm, the humidity is high, and the conditions are ideal for the formation of a sea of clouds. However, the day Ms. Diu's group reached the top of the mountain, there was only thick fog all around, obscuring the entire landscape.
“We were quite regretful that we could not see the 'unreal' sea of clouds or look out from the top of the mountain to Fansipan, Nhiu Co San, Bach Moc and Lao Than. However, we still felt happy to have a successful trip and not give up in the face of difficulties. The journey was daring but memorable. We promised to return to Ngu Chi Son on a sunny day,” said Ms. Diu.
Mr. Thao A Cho, a Mong ethnic (Sin Chai village, Ngu Chi Son commune, Sa Pa) is the porter leading Ms. Diu's group and is also the most experienced porter at Ngu Chi Son. Mr. Cho said that from October to March next year is the ideal time to climb this mountain, with rarely bad weather.
“The weather on the mountain tops often changes erratically, but it rarely rains and is windy like on December 9. According to our experience in mountain climbing, winter is colder but there is no fear of landslides or floods. To conquer the mountain top in rainy and foggy weather, visitors must have experience, skills, and prepare necessary equipment,” said Mr. Cho.
However, according to Mr. A Cho, to fully admire the beauty of Ngu Chi Son as well as ensure safety, visitors should carefully research the weather and choose a sunny day.
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