Trekking to conquer the roof of Pusilung border

The biggest physical and mental challenge that the group of 7 friends from Hanoi overcame was conquering Pusilung peak.

Pusilung Mountain is 3,080 m high, located in Pa Ve Su Commune, Muong Te District, Lao Cai Province, Vietnam, bordering China. This is the second highest mountain in Vietnam, after Fansipan.

At the end of November, after a year of being banned from climbing due to many reasons such as tourists straying into other countries and the Covid-19 pandemic, Nguyen Duc Hung and his group of friends received a permit from the Provincial Border Guard Command to climb Pusilung Mountain - the roof of the border.

Our group of 7, including experienced climbers, felt extremely excited and nervous before the challenge of Pusilung - the longest, most difficult and harshest climbing route in the Northwest. The climb lasted 3 days and 2 nights, with a total length of more than 60 km, a destination that every backpacker dreams of, because only 4 - 5 people out of 10 people who had gone before had successfully climbed this mountain.

Departing from Hanoi at 7pm, the group took a 12-hour sleeper bus to Muong Te town. After breakfast, we rented a 7-seater car to go to Pa Ve Su Border Guard Station and complete the necessary procedures. From Muong Te to the border guard station, although only about 35km, it took nearly 2 hours due to the narrow and bad road.

At the border post, we met four Dao guides and porters, who were responsible for dividing our belongings and discussing the itinerary. They had driven more than 5 hours by motorbike from Lang village, Phong Tho district, more than 150 km from Pa Ve Su to support and guide the group, as the La Hu people here do not often participate in outdoor activities.

After completing the procedures, listening to the border guard’s instructions and leaving clean clothes at the station to use after going down the mountain, the group started the journey to conquer Pusilung at 11am, 1 hour later than planned. To cross a large stream, we crossed a temporary bridge made of small iron bars. After crossing the stream, the group continued into the forest, the starting point of the mountain climbing journey. Some members of the group decided to wade through the stream instead of risking going across the bridge.

After an hour of trekking in the forest, the group crossed another large stream and stopped for a break and lunch. Pusilung trekking route has a total of 11 large and small streams. We told ourselves that if heavy rains came, the trip would definitely fail because the stream water would rise and flow rapidly, blocking the path.

After finishing lunch, we quickly continued our journey to reach the campsite by a cave before dark. After passing the Yen Ngua slope under the harsh sunlight, the group came to the hut of an old La Hu couple to rest, ask for vegetables and borrow cooking utensils. From here on, the path to the top was longer and had been almost untouched for a year, so trees, reeds and thorns grew wildly, blocking the path. Everyone had to cut trees as they advanced, freeing thorns from their clothes, which required a lot of effort and time.

From this point on, we were asked to always follow the porter and keep a close distance, because this was a pristine primeval forest area, where we might encounter snakes and wild animals such as bears and leopards. In addition, there were many sections with reeds and cogon grass on one side and a deep abyss on the other. If we did not continue to observe and keep up with the porter - who was knowledgeable about the route and had sharp eyes - we could fall into the abyss if we were not careful.

After 5 hours of continuous climbing, although tired and hungry, the group was determined to reach the cave to set up camp as planned. Otherwise, on the second day, it would take us 15 to 17 hours to climb to the top and return to camp, because moving in the dark would take more time.

The road from milestone 42 to the top of Pusilung is considered the most difficult part of the journey because of the steep slope, continuous ups and downs, and endless length. According to Mr. Nguyen Hoang Bac, a member of Lim Traveling Company, which specializes in organizing tours in the Northwest mountains, many people have climbed to milestone 42 but decided to turn back because the road from here to the top is very long, the hills are steep and difficult to travel. Mr. Bac also shared that if the weather is rainy or the time is not calculated correctly and milestone 42 is not reached in the morning, there will not be enough time to climb to the top and return before dark.

However, this is also the most beautiful part of the road because it passes through an ancient forest, where there are large trees covered with moss, which may have existed for hundreds of years. In this forest, there are forests that contain only one type of tree, the ancient rhododendron. The ancient yellow rhododendron forest here is more abundant and beautiful than anywhere else in the Northwest.

In late November, when the leaves begin to change color before winter, the forest landscape becomes truly stunning, with a colorful, vibrant forest scene that takes on a mystical and wild beauty.

The group reached the top of the border mountain at 12 o'clock, as planned. Despite careful physical and mental preparation, conquering the most difficult mountain in the Northwest still brought a wonderful feeling, completely different from the previous times.

After lunch, we took photos and left the summit at 1pm, arriving at the campsite by the cave at around 6:30pm. Unlike other mountaineering trips, the descent time is usually half that of the ascent time, but the descent from Pusilung takes almost as long as the ascent due to the continuous steepness.

The group walked for about 15-20 minutes and then rested for 2-3 minutes to drink water and dry off sweat to avoid sweat seeping back into the body and causing colds.

On the second night, we stayed at the campsite next to the cave. The next morning, the group packed up and set off at 5am, returning to the border post at 12pm, ending our 3-day, 2-night journey to conquer the magical and mysterious Pusilung.

Conquering Pusilung was a great challenge of physical strength and trekking will that our group of 7 people had faced and overcome. We could not have done this without good physical preparation, determination and team spirit, along with the luck of good weather.