Conquer the peak, conquer yourself
Since she was in high school majoring in Geography, Huyen Nguyen had cherished the dream of setting foot on the highest mountains in Vietnam, instead of just admiring them through books. And then, that dream became a reality when she successfully conquered the four highest peaks in Vietnam: Fansipan, Pusilung, Putaleng and Ky Quan San (Bach Moc Luong Tu).
The journey of conquest did not stop at the four peaks, the female lawyer also set foot on many other mountains in the top 15 of Vietnam such as Ta Xua (Yen Bai), Ta Lien Son, Ta Chi Nhu, Po Ma Lung, Chung Nhia Vu, Nam Kang Ho Tao, Ngu Chi Son, Nhiu Co San. Besides, other peaks such as Tay Con Linh, Chu Va, Pha Luong... were also conquered by her.
Since she was in high school majoring in Geography, Huyen Nguyen has cherished the dream of setting foot on the highest mountains in Vietnam.
Female lawyer has conquered nearly 20 mountain peaks in Vietnam
Among those peaks, Nam Kang Ho Tao left the deepest impression on Huyen Nguyen. This place is known as the “roof of the rugged” with many diverse terrains such as rocky mountains, cardamom forests, humid tropical forests, closed forests and evergreen broadleaf forests. The mountain climbing route is challenging and long, requiring physical strength and a strong spirit. While other mountains only take two days to conquer, Nam Kang Ho Tao requires three days for people with normal physical strength. The route to and from Lai Chau is nearly 40 km long.
The wild and majestic nature always brings positive energy and miraculous "healing" to each person. Because nature has a cool green color, good for the eyes, a peaceful space, no phone signal, only the chirping of birds, the sound of streams flowing, sunlight filtering through the brilliant tree canopy and unique wild flowers that only bloom at an altitude of over 2000 m and a sea of floating clouds as if welcoming us back to our "home".
Wild and majestic nature always brings to each person positive energy and miraculous "healing".
Nature welcomes us back to our "home".
More than just breathtaking scenery, mountain climbing is also a journey of self-discovery that helps the female lawyer understand herself better and enrich her soul. Even though there are times when she feels tired and discouraged by challenges, Huyen Nguyen always tries to overcome them, because she knows that this place will give her the strength to face all difficulties in life.
“I also encountered challenges many times, that is, during the process of moving, resting for 2-3 days, my feet also spoke up. The steps hurt and when my skin was thin, my feet got blisters. Or the times I felt hungry, low blood sugar, needing to replenish energy. When moving, each person had to carry their own personal belongings, sometimes carrying heavy loads, every time climbing a steep slope, I felt quite tired”, Huyen Nguyen recalled.
More than just breathtaking scenery, mountain climbing is a journey of self-discovery.
Tips for conquering every mountain climbing route for beginners
With the experience of someone who has conquered nearly 20 mountains in Vietnam, Huyen Nguyen believes that personal belongings are very important items. These include a backpack with a support strap, climbing shoes with grip, a stick, a headlamp, some medicines, basic medical supplies, a raincoat, a thermal shirt, gloves, a spare battery, a small knife, a lighter, clothes, hats, towels, socks, small food on the move, drinking water... As for clothing, you should choose long, loose, airy, quick-drying clothes, and light-colored shirts to be easily recognized and take better pictures.
Huyền Nguyễn believes that personal belongings are very important things.
According to Huyen Nguyen, before starting the journey, you should spend time exercising and playing sports regularly to increase your body's endurance and flexibility. You should focus on cardio exercises such as jogging, swimming, cycling... Three days before climbing the mountain, take time to let your body rest fully and relax your mind. This helps your body restore energy, avoiding fatigue and exhaustion during the climbing process.
In addition, supplement the body with necessary nutrients such as protein, vitamins, minerals... to increase resistance, support effective muscle function. Prioritize energy-rich foods such as whole grains, fruits, green vegetables, lean meat... You also need to maintain the habit of drinking enough water every day, ensuring that the body is provided with enough water to function well. You should drink filtered water, fruit juice, and electrolyte drinks to replenish water and minerals for the body.
Before starting your journey, you should spend time exercising regularly to increase your body's endurance and flexibility.
3 days before climbing, take time to fully rest your body and relax your mind.
Many days before climbing, make sure to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night so that your body can rest fully and restore energy. Lack of sleep can affect your health, making you feel tired, less alert, and more susceptible to injury during the climbing process. Keep your mind relaxed, avoid staying up late, and worry before climbing. This can affect the quality of your sleep, making it difficult for you to fall asleep and sleep poorly.
The female lawyer shared that before starting to climb, everyone should spend 10-15 minutes to warm up the body, increase flexibility and limit the risk of injury. When climbing uphill, the body is easily tired due to loss of strength, so you should hold a stick during the climbing process to help reduce force and maintain balance, as well as use the stick to test the terrain in front.
Before starting to climb, everyone should spend 10-15 minutes to warm up their body, increase flexibility and limit the risk of injury.
When climbing, the body easily gets tired due to loss of strength, so you should hold a stick while climbing to help reduce force and maintain balance, and you can also use the stick to test the terrain in front.
On the contrary, going downhill is usually less tiring than going uphill, but if you are not careful, your feet will hurt easily, especially your knees if you step hard for a long time. You can maintain a slow speed; apply the "stepping back" and "stepping sideways" techniques; pay attention to placing your heels first and keep your body leaning forward...
“Beginners need to have good preparation skills and basic equipment when climbing. Breathe evenly while climbing, listen to your body and go at your own pace. When moving, do not put too much force on the toes when going downhill. At the same time, try to remember the identification points at the turns when going down the mountain. When stopping to rest, do not rest too much,” Huyen Nguyen shared.
You can maintain a slow pace; apply the “step back” and “step sideways” techniques; pay attention to placing the heel first and keep the body leaning forward…
You should stay close to the porter, especially in areas with many turns that are difficult to determine direction or moving with a small number of people.
During the climbing process, absolutely do not share essential, personal items such as food, drinks, flashlights, medicine, raincoats, jackets because these are necessary items for each person throughout the journey. When feeling hungry or tired, replenish energy immediately, do not wait until you are too hungry to eat. Bring a lot of small foods for convenient energy replenishment.
You should stay close to the porter, especially in areas with many turns that are difficult to determine the direction or moving with a small number of people. Slow groups should start earlier to ensure everyone's safety. When moving through areas with dense bushes, be careful and observe carefully to avoid insect bites or collision with dangerous objects.
The slow group should start earlier to ensure everyone's safety.
When moving through areas with dense brush, be careful and look closely to avoid insect bites or collision with dangerous objects.
“Perhaps, each of you when thinking about mountain climbing will have different purposes such as conquering, sightseeing, returning to nature to be healed... Whatever the reason, you should still learn about the place you are going to, the things you need to prepare, the skills and knowledge when climbing. An optimistic spirit in all things, no matter how difficult or not, I believe that mountain climbing is an experience worth trying in everyone's life,” the female lawyer advised.
Perhaps, each of you when thinking about mountain climbing will have different purposes such as: conquering, sightseeing, returning to nature to heal...
An optimistic spirit in all things, no matter how difficult or not, I believe that mountain climbing is an experience worth trying in everyone's life.
