2o26.9.23 Thank God I Survived! DON’T Do What I Did! Solo Drive in Baoding’s Remote Mountains, China

Because of my ignorance, this nearly turned into a disaster! Apart from scraping the wheels/underbody, there was no other damage. Thank God for letting me off this time! Even while editing the video, I could almost smell the desperation from that moment. T_T *Never do high-risk activities alone!!!!!!* I canceled the rest of my trip and went straight home. ----- I had previously watched a video of a mountain-road crossing from Jinshuikou Village in Laishui to Beilijiazhuang Village in Laiyuan, and became curious. I woke up after 4 a.m. and set off. The road was narrow from the beginning. Soon I crossed a small river flowing from the mountains. The water was strangely red and muddy, but I didn't think much of it at the time. After Caonian Village, the road became much worse. There was no phone signal, so I could only follow the route on my map. The higher I climbed, the deeper the washouts became. Eventually I encountered a huge washout and stopped to inspect it. By coincidence, a local man came down from the hillside and helped me. I managed to get through. More washouts followed. When the rear wheel slipped, I thought the car was going to roll over. I got high-centered and even the rear locker couldn't get me out. Luckily, I had a shovel a friend gave me years ago. The soil was soft and the rocks were weathered, so I dug them out and escaped. From then on, I kept getting out to check the road, moving rocks and repairing the trail as I went. I wasn't too scared at first. The road behind me was so difficult that turning back didn't seem like an option. Until one particular bend. The road had collapsed, and a vehicle had overturned in it. The remaining road was far too narrow. The alternative route went straight down a terrifyingly steep slope, full of deep ruts left by previous off-road vehicles. My car would definitely bottom out. I decided to try repairing the road. A local shepherd came down the mountain. I asked if he could help. He said, "I'll do it for you. Give me 100." He told me there had been torrential rain the day before and that he had watched the other vehicle overturn. By then my palms were blistered, several fingernails were split, and I was starting to see stars because I'd only eaten breakfast. He told me to rest and repaired the road himself, filling the hole with grass and soil. I asked him to guide me because I couldn't see the road from inside the car. The slope was about 25°. He told me to hold the brake and go down slowly. I trusted him. The grass gave the tires enough grip, and I made it down without bottoming out or scraping either bumper. It felt like being reborn! I gave him 150 and thanked him. He told me there was another dangerous bend ahead and said, "Go on. If you can't make it, call me." I later learned his surname was Duan. A little farther on, I encountered another huge pile of rocks and bottomed out again. Ahead was the bend he had warned me about. The road had collapsed by at least half a meter. There was also a direct downhill route with even deeper gullies and bigger rocks. My phone measured the slope at about 35°. At the bottom there was almost no room to recover, with a cliff beyond the road. I called Mr. Duan. He eventually heard me and came back up. He helped move rocks, but the collapsed bend was still far too narrow. Below us was Lijiazhuang Village. I could see the houses and even hear the village loudspeakers. Mr. Duan made several calls, then returned with two more men. Together, the three men widened the road by cutting into the mountain, filling the collapsed section with rocks and soil, and removing a large rock that blocked the path. After another attempt and more digging, the road was finally passable. Another local man happened to come down the mountain. His motorcycle chain had broken, and he needed a ride to Dongtuanbao Township. With everyone guiding me, I finally made it through. By then it was completely dark. The three men walked down while the stranded man got into my car. The washouts were almost impossible to see, and without his guidance the descent would have been extremely difficult. Thankfully, we made it down safely, crossed the riverbed, followed a stretch of grassland, and finally reached a paved road. I said goodbye to the three men and drove the passenger toward Dongtuanbao Township. *I'm deeply grateful to those kind strangers I happened to meet that day.* And I've learned my lesson: *Never attempt a high-risk mountain route alone.*