Day 7: Fansipan, part 1
Index
| Day 1 | Departure Oslo |
| Day 2 | To Hanoi |
| Day 3 | Hanoi sightseeing and night train to Lào Cai |
| Day 4 | Sa Pa, Mường Hoa Valley – Sín Chải A |
| Day 5 | Sín Chải A to Nậm Cang |
| Day 6 | Nậm Cang to Sa Pa |
| Day 7 | To Fansipan campsite at 2800m |
| Day 8 | Mt. Fansipan – Bắc Hà |
| Day 9 | Bắc Hà |
| Day 10 | Bắc Hà to Hoàng Su Phì |
| Day 11 | Hà Giang |
| Day 12 | Back to Hanoi |
| Day 13 | Departure Hanoi |
Friday: Today, the Mt. Fansipan adventure was about to begin. The plan was to reach the 2800m rest camp, launch the summit push at 4:00 AM, and then make the full descent back down.
Fansipan (Phan Xi Păng) is the highest mountain in Vietnam and on the Indochinese Peninsula (which includes Laos and Cambodia). It is also known as the “Roof of Indochina.” While Wikipedia lists this peak as 3143 meters above sea level, Peakbagger.com (my trusted source) records it as 3147 meters
Fansipan’s prominence is 1606m, ranking the peak as #119 on Peakbagger’s “Ultras of Southeast Asia” list. “Prominence” measures how much a mountain stands out relative to the surrounding terrain and nearby higher peaks.
Departure from the hotel and bus ride to the starting point
We woke up in Sa Pa and enjoyed a very nice breakfast at the Relax & Spa Hotel.
The weather was gorgeous. This seemed to be an excellent day for mountain hiking!
The departure from the hotel was scheduled for 8am.
Everyone was on time and highly motivated!
The bus was – like all the other days – fully packed. I wasn’t too worried about the missing seat belt on my seat. I would probably not get through the barricade of luggage between me and the front window.
The 7,4km hike from The Ranger Station up to the rest camp at 2800m (approx. 1000 vertical meters) isn’t – seen through Norwegian eyes – a hike that requires an expedition. Yet, that was exactly what I felt like being part of.
In addition to our two guides, we also picked up a group of 7 people (!) that would be carrying our sleeping bags and cook for us.
With their smiles and constant chattering, the porters and the cooks brought a whole new level of energy and warmth to the group…
We were of course carrying our own gear, but the porters were assigned our sleeping bags and mattresses. I wasn’t quite sure why, but perhaps this was simply the standard arrangement.
I had been wondering how confident our guide was about the group’s chances of reaching Fansipan. When we discussed the hike at Cần Ngài Homestay a few days earlier, he described the route as “muddy and straight up”, hardly an enthusiastic sales pitch. Perhaps I was reading too much into it.
The bus wound its way up the narrow and winding road from Sa Pa. We then arrived at the Thác Bạc waterfall. Due to the challenging logistics inside the bus, I was sent out as the official photographer.
If this had been in Norway, I wouldn’t have stopped for pictures. But in its defense, it is apparently more impressive from a higher vantage point; we were only looking at the less dramatic lower section.
Eventually, we arrived at Núi Xẻ Ranger Station in the Hoàng Liên National Park (approx. 1900m elev.)
We already had the guides, and we assumed that the permits were in order
A trek up Fansipan requires prior registration and permission from the park authorities. A local trekking guide is mandatory, even for experienced hikers wishing to climb independently. Permits and park fees are normally arranged through a trekking operator.
I had a moral dilemma about someone else carrying my sleeping bag and mattress. I am used to carry my own gear. But, with all the gear in my backpack, there wasn’t much room left for the sleeping bag. I could of course carry it in my hand.
I was already carrying a camera in the other hand and planned on swapping lenses quite often. Carrying the bag and mattress in my other hand would be highly impractical. In the end, I simply decided to let them carry it.
But I did feel for the porters. They were carrying inhuman loads, as I saw it.
We were ready, the porters were ready and our guides were ready. It was time to go!
But first, a group picture!
And then we were off…
To the rest camp at 2800m
The walk up to the campsite at 2800m would be approx. 900-1000 vertical meters, spread across ~7,5km. The plan for the next day, after visiting the top, was to take the cable car from the upper station (approx. 3000m) and down to Mường Hoa Station (Ga Mường Hoa), further down the valley. However, the cable car was closed due to repair or maintenance. Which meant that we would be doing the entire hike from the ranger station and back – across two days.
Near the ranger station, a sign marked an area dedicated to preserving medicinal plants in their natural habitat. It was part of a larger research project aimed at protecting rare and endemic medicinal plants in the mountains of northwestern Vietnam.
It felt amazing to be en route for Mt. Fansipan!
For me, it was difficult to watch the porters. I simply could not see myself carrying that load so high up a mountain. I have no idea how much they weighed, but judging by the ratio between the size of the porters and the towering loads on their backs, it was an extraordinary feat of strength and endurance.
Anne-Kristin was still enforcing the principle of walking slowly, so we could stay together as a group.
Which – made my “job” as the “unofficial photographer” easier.
Kong would simply have to wait for us…
Still, I think that whatever misconception he might have had about us as a group, he would slowly but surely realize that this group was destined for going all the way to the top!
Any natural obstacles had meticulously been solved…
After a while, a clearing in the forest offered a view towards the mountains and our route ahead. Mt. Fansipan was still not in view, though.
After a short break, we moved on.
We kept a pace that fit everyone. There was no rush. All we had to do was to reach our camp before nightfall.
I really enjoyed the lush forest. It was also a comfortable temperature above 2000 meters..
Kong never seemed to run out of things to talk about.
I arrived at the scene a little too late, but based on what I have found out, he was showing us a Cicada. Male cicadas using specialized abdominal organs called tymbals to create buzzing or clicking sounds that can exceed 100 decibels.
Besides the “deafening” noise, they seem to me like OK insects, not attacking homes, humans, trees or crop.
Next, we passed a creek and I had an “Abbey Road” moment…
I particularly enjoyed this part of the route. The forest was soothing.
On a typical mountain hike in Norway, the scene in the picture below would be almost unthinkable. My discomfort had nothing to do with who was carrying the loads, but everything to do with the fact that they were carrying our loads.
What I struggled with was the whole concept of having other people carry everything we needed to reach the summit. Why did we need so much food, and several people to prepare our meals? I would have been perfectly happy with a lunchbox. Something for lunch, something for dinner and something for breakfast. All carried in my own backpack.
But there was another side to this. For the porters, this was a job and a source of income. What seemed unnecessary to me might be an important part of their livelihood. And who was I to decide otherwise?
The porters seemed perfectly at ease with the arrangement. They were often smiling, and their laughter carried a long way through the forest. Of course, that told me nothing about how heavy their loads felt, or whether the working conditions were fair.
I was left with more questions than answers. Perhaps that was not such a bad thing.
It was time to stop pondering and enjoy the hike…
Then we arrived at another creek.
Literally, this “road” was paved with good intentions…
One more time, the forest route got steeper. This was just a taste of what was awaiting…
Next, another short break.
We then stepped across a strange hurdle. I later learned that this was for making sure the livestock (cows and water buffaloes) stayed in the upper part of this forest.
Back in easier terrain, Kong had more to talk about.
From what I have been able to figure out, he was showing us a brightly coloured longhorn beetle. Further research into the Cerambycidae family would keep me busy for the rest of the year. I don’t remember why Kong wanted to show us this charming insect, but the beetle is known for its defensive call – producing a “Let me go!” squeak by rubbing its head against its thorax when feeling threatened. As if the orange and black coloration isn’t intimidating enough.
Kong’s botany lessons were always appreciated!
The group’s progress was good. I had no doubt that this uniform group would reach the top. I shifted between being in front, in the middle and in the back. I wanted to avoid having the same 4-5 persons on all pictures…
After a while, we reached a clearing at approx. 2200m that serves as lower camp for Fansipan trekkers. The buildings may serve additional purposes also…
I don’t know much about forest trees, plants and flowers, but I do spot “creatures” quite easily. After thinking about it, Kong agreed that we had a genuine “forest wolf” here…
It was time for one more group picture.
The trail was overall easy to follow and the spirit in the group was most excellent!
We were told that we would have lunch on the next hilltop…
I was curious about what was on the menu.
Hopefully not beef…
A bouquet of flowers and an insect caught my attention. The flowers probably belong to the Asteraceae family, most likely a species of wild Aster. The insect is most likely a wasp moth, but unlike most moths, this one is diurnal, meaning it’s active during the day.
Our lunch place wasn’t on the top of the hill, as previously announced. Apparently, there was not enough open space up there.
A delightful lunch was being prepared. Sticky rice with egg and pork sausage, wrapped in a banana leaf. It was one of the best lunch packs I’ve ever had in my life, and not because I was hungry…
In addition to the lunch pack, there were eggs, bananas and pomegranate.
We were also given gloves, as there were “ladders” awaiting.
Gimme your heart, gimme gimme
Your heart, gimme gimme
Hands up, baby, hands up…”
Eventually, it was time to wrap up. We still had a bit to go…
We had to descend a little before we could get started on the remaining 450-500 vertical meters.
Then it was all uphill…
We then went up a stairway. But this wasn’t the ladder we were given the gloves for.
The ridge path was narrow, and yielding to people coming down the mountain gave our group a chance to take short breaks.
Those short breaks mattered. The route was steep, the weather was hot and humid, and we were approaching an altitude where some of us could start feeling the thin air.
We kept “climbing into the sky”
A short descent became a bit awkward because of slippery ground and rocks.
I think everyone understood quite well that an accident here should be avoided at all costs.
Finally, we reached the “ladder”. Maybe I had imagined something steeper and airier than what was ahead of us.
Indeed, it was a bit slippery but not difficult by any means…
I would call it a welcome change from the trail…
I had a few takeaways from this trip. One of them is that I won’t complain about heavy backpacks anytime soon…
We were gradually getting closer to our camp for the night. Thinking back to our guide’s earlier description of the route as “muddy and straight up”, I didn’t find the trail particularly muddy. But the final 400–500 vertical meters certainly lived up to the “straight up” part.
We were quite close now. Kong was now pointing out the top of the cable car – but I couldn’t see anything in the fog.
Just one last push…
And then we arrived at the campsite…
Needless to say, this was good news to everyone…
I was feeling just fine, but given my history with altitude, I suspected that I could be in for a rough evening. But there was nothing I could do about that now. Just wait and hope for the best…
The rest of the group also seemed quite pleased about reaching the campsite, but I suspect that the porters were even more pleased…
We arrived at the campsite just after 3pm. Dinner would be served 5pm. Meanwhile, Tang offered tea and coffee…
The cooks had already begun preparing on our evening meal.
Meanwhile, we relaxed outdoors. I enjoyed spending time with the group and felt I could have a good conversation with every single person.
Then it was time for dinner. It was impressive to see what they had prepared for us. Meat, sausages, tofu, mushrooms, vegetables, corn and rice. To be cooked in two hot pots (lẩu)
It had been a great day so far. I enjoyed the trail, the hike, the company and the dinner. But now I had an emerging headache and decided to go to bed.
The dormitory consisted of several rooms, with capacity for 3-4 persons in each room. I would be sharing the room with Carl and Odd.
Given the early roll call (3am), the others went to bed shortly after.
The headache got worse by the hour. I tried to relax and get some sleep, but the noise from squeaking mattresses, and people constantly going to and from the toilet, made it impossible.
When the clock passed midnight, I begun to realize how this would turn out for me…
Trip statistics: 7,4km, 1060 vertical meters, 6h:00m
