Walk on the wild side

Journey to fulfillment

For Liu Yanli, also a trekker, what she cherishes most is that she can take a break from her hectic work schedule and urban lifestyle to spend time on the trail where she can let her mind wander.

"Exploring the wild on foot brings me mental strength," she says.

Liu, who is in her 30s, first decided to go trekking because she wanted to experience scenic landscapes and majestic vistas firsthand. Her first trekking experience was on one of the world's classic routes, the Annapurna circuit, in Nepal in 2013.

Since then, she has trekked across fields in Japan, along a coastal trail in Greece and over ice-capped mountains in New Zealand. She has also traveled to scenic spots in Italy, Jordan and other countries to indulge her passion.

This year, she resigned from her well-paid job as a human resources director at a Chongqing-based foreign-funded company, and started to tackle more challenging routes that require trekkers to carry a full backpack for days or even weeks.

From May to June, she trekked over 1,500 km along National Highway 318, also known as the south route of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, one of China's busiest routes.

She says that she was inspired to undertake the route several years ago after she watched the American-Spanish drama film The Way, in which the protagonist (played by Martin Sheen) hikes along the Way of St. James, a Christian pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. "The route is the way of a pilgrimage in my heart," she explains.

Liu says that, until this year, her life had always run smoothly and lacked hardship. She craved the sense of achievement that can be felt after overcoming the difficulties offered by trekking.

Sometimes, people get what they wish for. "One day, we had to hike 20 km and climb nearly 1 km in a high-altitude area to get to the next lodge before dark. I felt I was at the point of collapsing, but I dug deep and got on with it," she recalls, adding that she cried upon reaching the checkpoint. "I was impressed and moved by my willpower. I'd never experienced that feeling in my daily life."

In the following months, with a full backpack, she went to trek across the snow-capped mountains in Northwest China's Qinghai province, the Tengger Desert in Inner Mongolia autonomous region and the wild part of Great Wall in Hebei province to experience various terrains.

She often records a travelogue which she publishes on micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo which has gained her more than 200,000 followers.

"Each time when I came back from a trip, the contrast between the harsh conditions in the wild and my cozy home helps to strengthen my happiness in everyday life," she adds.