South Section 1　D3 Waypoint

D3 Itinerary

Today is a longer day — four peaks in total, including two Baiyue peaks, four ups and four downs that really wear you down; arrow bamboo taller than a person starts to appear here.

Hainuonan Mountain
Leaving 2920 Campground toward Hainuonan Mountain, about 2.5K gets you to the Hainuonan Mountain Triangulation Point. If you start too early or move at a fast pace, I'd suggest resting out of the wind at the forest campground before Hainuonan Mountain, less than 500 meters from the triangulation point, and waiting until it's cooler before heading up to the Hainuonan Mountain Triangulation Point at 3,175 meters to shoot the sunrise and log the point.

Leaving the Hainuonan Mountain Triangulation Point, it's down then up; after about 3.5K you reach the rest platform at Waypoint 18, which has good views and enough open, sheltered ground. Continuing on with 300 meters of ups and downs brings you to Xiaoguan Mountain North Peak at 3,239 meters elevation, where there's a stone sign on the ground you can pick up for the record.

Xiaoguan Mountain
Leaving Xiaoguan Mountain North Peak, again down then up for about 2.6K to reach the junction before Xiaoguan Mountain; less than 50 meters past the junction gets you to the Xiaoguan Mountain Triangulation Point at 3,248 meters. There's a bail-out option here — from the other side of Xiaoguan Mountain you can descend 5.5K down the Xiaoguan Mountain Forest Road, passing Shenchi Pond along the way, whose reflections after rain are indescribably beautiful.

Leaving the Xiaoguan Mountain Triangulation Point, retrace your steps back to the junction before Xiaoguan Mountain, then continue descending about 1.1K to reach the campground below Xiaoguan Mountain for a short break; then start the second climb of 1.1K to reach Yunshui Mountain Rain Pond. Given how far today's route is, and since the water source dried up on Day 2, I couldn't be sure whether the water source toward Yun–Ma Saddle Campground would also require endlessly descending to find water — so I decided to just draw water at Waypoint 25, Yunshui Mountain Rain Pond. The water here is reasonably clean; no need for a pre-filter, just run it through a water filter and boil it, and it's fine to drink.

A short climb up beside Yunshui Mountain Rain Pond, about 30 meters away, is the Yunshui Mountain Triangulation Point at 3,000 meters. There are only two inscribed stone signs on the ground here; though there's a panoramic view, the afternoon whiteout and very strong wind meant a walk around turned up nothing special, so I retraced my steps back to Yunshui Mountain Rain Pond and continued toward Yun–Ma Saddle Campground.

From the Yunshui Mountain Triangulation Point to Yun–Ma Saddle Campground is about 2.4K, again with ups and downs but on a gentler grade. Having drawn water at Yunshui Mountain Rain Pond for dinner and the next day's supply, and after a whole day of being worn down, walking really started to feel tiring — especially on this stretch along the ridge, where the wind was extremely strong, so keeping warm, especially your head, is essential. Finally reached Yun–Ma Saddle Campground to set up camp and rest.