South Section 1　D2 Waypoint

D2 Itinerary

Guan Mountain
Leaving Kuhanuoxin Cabin, at the foot of Kuhanuoxin Mountain, it's a gentle climb the whole way with several roped sections along the way. Worth noting is a steep vertical rope about 7.8K from the trailhead, just before the summit. During my late-winter-to-early-spring trip, the rope had absorbed moisture and, after some cold weather, had frozen into a rigid rod — so I'd recommend wearing waterproof, insulated, durable gloves and using both hands and feet to climb up!

At 3,668 meters, Guan Mountain is the highest point of this trip. In good weather, there's a panoramic sea of clouds to see; on my trip, the triangulation point kept getting swallowed by white-out cloud that occasionally cleared — a bit of a shame, but the surrounding views were still refreshing. The triangulation point at Guan Mountain sits on very broad ground with a spot sheltered from wind, so if time allows, it's worth a long break here.

Leaving Guan Mountain, continue descending for about 3K to reach 2920 Campground; this descent goes from steep to relatively gentle, and juniper starts appearing more and more along the trail — be patient and keep a steady pace. After reaching 2920 Campground, you need to descend to fetch water. The water source originally marked on the map had already dried up in the autumn-winter dry season, so you have to keep cutting further downstream — see my Waypoint 15 for reference, and get the water you need there.