On August 7, the Tomur Peak Expedition Team bid farewell to their relatives who had come to see them off. Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the city, they embarked on a long-planned but arduous expedition. The team planned to cross the ancient Xate Passage from Zhaosu in the north of Tianshan Mountain, enter Wensu County in the south of Tianshan Mountain, then rest before entering the natural reserve of Tomur Peak to scout for next year's climb. None of us could have imagined or dared to believe that tragedy would strike so close to home. The ferocious Muzart Glacier swallowed our most respected comrade, Brother Dong Wuxin, an admired elder brother. The perilous Muzart Glacier almost led to the complete annihilation of the expedition team.
### Chapter One: Ominous Premonitions
On August 9, all 14 members of the team boarded a crowded bus and left Zhaosu County. After more than four hours of steady travel, they reached Xate Township. In the chaos, they accidentally left the team's only climbing rope on the bus. The loss of the rope did not raise much concern among the highly excited team members, but as captain, Dong Wuxin and I were deeply troubled. Along the way, Dong Wuxin muttered to Yang Hua, "This time we might be in trouble, I don't know who it will be." The loss of the rope cast a shadow over this exploration.
Xate, known as Shatu Aman Tai during the Qing Dynasty, is located under the Han Teng Ge Li Mountains in the southwest of Zhaosu. It was a transportation station between Yili and Aksu. The Xate Ancient Passage connects the northern and southern parts of Tianshan Mountain, spanning 120 kilometers. It is the shortest route from Yili to Southern Xinjiang and one of the most dangerous ancient passages on the Silk Road. When we drove 40 kilometers to Alashan (meaning hot spring in Mongolian) in the Xate Valley, Uncle Abdul, responsible for the hot spring reception, was shocked when he learned we were coming to cross the ancient passage. He told us that no one dared to take this route in July and August. The most dangerous part of this ancient passage is crossing the Muzart Glacier and the Muzart River formed by its melting. In July and August, with high temperatures, the glacier melts rapidly, causing the river to swell, which is the biggest killer for explorers. Before we left, Uncle Abdul drew us a rough map, telling us that the water flow of the Xate Su River to the north of Hadamu Zida Ban was much smaller than that of the Muzart River to the south, and there was a wooden bridge to cross the river.
The Xate Valley is one of the typical fourth-season glacial valleys on the northern slope of Tianshan Mountain. At the time, glaciers extended as far as around 2,000 meters above sea level near mountain passes. Glacial traces are visible everywhere in the valley. On the morning of August 10, when all the team members entered the Xate Valley, stepping on grasslands like green carpets and looking at wildflowers competing in beauty, everything gave a sense of vitality. Looking southward, the nearby ice peaks and snowy mountains sometimes disappeared in the mist, and other times stood clearly against the high sky and thin clouds. We were all amazed by the wonders of nature. At 3 PM, when the expedition team passed through the scenic Xate Valley, they indeed found a wooden bridge at a bend in the river. Standing on the bridge, the roaring river below made everyone feel chilled to the bone, as if they could be swept away into the torrent at any moment. This was just what Uncle Abdul called a small river; what would the Muzart River look like?
After crossing the bridge, the ancient path extended upward through dense spruce forests. Signs of artificial construction were visible in hazardous areas. Not long after leaving the forest, a cliff appeared at a bend ahead. The road had been washed out by the river, making it very dangerous to climb over the rocks. The team members walking ahead discovered a temporary bridge lower down the riverbank, made up of three logs. The roaring river hit the bridge, splashing water everywhere. Faced with this situation, everyone was somewhat nervous. As I carried the backpacks that the team members had unloaded across to the other side, I reminded everyone to be extremely cautious. At this point, Dong Wuxin confidently said, "If I slip, I can definitely hold onto the rocks by the shore." Little did we know that these ominous words would be verified three days later. After crossing the log bridge, the ancient path disappeared, and the mountain was full of boulders and thickets, making marching extremely difficult. Not long after, the team was blocked by a strong current rushing down from the left side of the mountain. All the team members began their first river crossing. The freezing glacial river taught everyone a harsh lesson, but this was just the beginning. More, fiercer glacial rivers awaited us.
### Chapter Two: Crossing the Muzart Glacier
On August 11, the expedition team began to cross the Hadamu Zida Ban. Due to deviating from the ancient path, the team slowly moved along a narrow river leading to the pass. The pass was within sight, but the vertical ascent was more than 1,000 meters with a steep slope. Climbing along the narrow, steep river was extremely dangerous, as huge rocks on both cliffs could fall at any moment. There was no choice but to rush through. Fatigue replaced laughter from previous marches. By four o'clock in the afternoon, team members successively ascended the Muzart Pass. Crossing the pass brought them into the Muzart Da Ban.
Muzart Da Ban (3,582 meters) is a saddle on the ridge line of the Ha Wei Zhou Li Ha Mountain, the watershed between the northern and southern water systems of South Tianshan Mountain. To the north lies the glacier source of the Xia Te River in Zhaosu County, and to the south, the source of the Muzart River in Baycheng County of the Aksu region. Five kilometers south of the pass is the Hadamu Zida Ban (3,509 meters). To the east and west of the pass are peaks ranging from 5,000 to 5,400 meters above sea level. The ancient path follows the Xia Te River, crossing the main ridge of Tianshan Mountain via the Muzart Da Ban and Hadamu Zida Ban, traversing a glacier more than ten kilometers long and hundreds of meters thick, following the Muzart River to Wensu County in the south of Tianshan Mountain. According to historical records, the Muzart Da Ban is a necessary pass on the famous Gongyue Dao of the Tang Dynasty, a shortcut from the Anxi Protectorate in the southern route to the Gongyue City in Yili. During the Qing Dynasty, Yili became the military center of Xinjiang, and the Muzart Da Ban was reopened. Near the Muzart Pass, there were seventy households responsible for chiseling ice ladders and maintaining roads. Soldiers changing posts, merchants traveling, and others often took this route.
At six o’clock in the evening, the expedition team crossed the five-kilometer-long Muzart Da Ban and arrived at Hadamu Zida Ban. Here, lush grass and water were abundant. Looking northward, the steep Baiyu Peak rose abruptly. The thirty-kilometer-long Muzart Glacier originating from the snowy mountains stretched before our eyes. On the northern side of the pass, there was a small platform protruding from the ground, topped with several large granite rocks. Among them, on a relatively flat granite rock, many stones had been artificially piled up. Clearly, these were Mani piles built by ancients to commemorate the dead or worship gods. Myself, Old Dong (Dong Wuxin), and several other team members stood on the platform, marveling at the excellent feng shui here. Old Dong had a habit of adding a few stones or placing a bouquet of wildflowers on every Mani pile or memorial stone he encountered. This time was no exception. He added several stones to the Mani pile and specially placed a long stone slab upright on it, inscribing “Tomb of Unknown Heroes” with a marker pen. On the sides of the inscription were “Urumqi Mountaineering Adventure Association, August 2001.”
### Chapter Three: Crossing the Muzart Glacier
Early on the morning of August 12, all team members stood silently in front of the unmarked grave, bidding farewell to the pioneers of this ancient path. Today, we would traverse the Muzart Glacier, the most treacherous section of the ancient path where many travelers had met their end. Before departing, we hung the team uniforms signed by all fourteen members on a giant rock, hoping the spirits of the pioneers would protect us. Let the Muzart Da Ban bear witness that fourteen brave children of Tianshan ventured into her embrace for self-discovery.
To cross the glacial river before noon, I led the team to set off hastily. At this time, Old Dong was still captivated by the Mani pile. He picked up a horse skull from nearby, placed it on the Mani pile, and wrote “Dong Daxia” on the skull. Yang Hua and Sister Li standing nearby felt very uneasy and advised Old Dong not to leave his name there, but he paid little attention and squatted beside the Mani pile, asking Sister Li to take a photo of him. This photo turned out to be the last personal photo he left us during this expedition.
### Chapter Four: Crossing the Muzart Glacier
The Bashikelimis Glacier originating from the Snow Lotus Peak and the glaciers from snow-capped mountains over 5,000 meters converged near the pass to form a 30-kilometer-long and two-kilometer-wide Muzart Glacier. Due to tens of thousands of years of glacial movement, the detachment of the peaks on both sides of the ice valley covered the glacier with a layer of rocks. Looking from a height, the glacier resembled a brown dragon flowing down from the snowy mountains. According to the markings on a 1:200,000 military map, the Xate Ancient Path diagonally cut across the Muzart Glacier in a southwest direction, covering a distance of 6 kilometers across the glacier—not a short distance, taking the exploration team one and a half days.
After bidding farewell to the unmarked grave, I led everyone along the route scouted yesterday and stepped onto the glacier. The Muzart Glacier was the most terrifying glacier we had ever seen. The compression movement of the ice blocks had formed towering ice towers on the glacier interwoven with cracks. The melting of the glacier had carved out three wide and deep ice trenches less than two kilometers wide, with thunderous ice rivers at the bottom. When the team circumvented several large ice fissures, they were blocked by the first ice river. To cross it required finding a way down to the bottom of the trench, which was extremely challenging without crampons. If someone slipped into the ice river, it would be fatal. When I crossed the river, my foot slipped, and I fell into the icy water. Although teammate Chen Xiangshu pulled me up promptly, my camera and backpack still got wet. After crossing the first ice river, the team moved quickly westward along a relatively gentle glacier. Half an hour later, they were blocked by a huge crack. For safety reasons, the team retreated. Since most of the new members lacked experience, crossing such a perilous glacier was exceedingly difficult. The young girl Xi Xi from Hangzhou had never even seen a glacier, let alone walked on one. Brother Yang Hua took good care of her throughout the journey on the glacier to prevent any accidents. After moving slowly for more than four hours on the glacier, the team reached a rocky slope on the other side. Due to centuries of glacier melting and erosion, the boundary mountains had collapsed, and the ancient path had long disappeared in the hazardous sections, replaced by rocky slopes caused by the collapse. After walking for more than two hours, the team members were exhausted. To find the ancient path, I climbed a 100-meter-high slope on the left with three teammates and finally found the ancient path at the top. Captain Dong Wuxin led most of the team members to continue along the rocky slope. More than an hour later, the terrain became even more rugged, making progress even harder. Finally, the team members climbed the steep mountainside to reach the ancient path.
By four o’clock in the afternoon, the team reached the southern saddle of the Muzart Glacier. The area was strategically important, with peaks over 100 meters wide rising abruptly on both sides of the saddle, towering into the clouds. On the eastern slope of the saddle, there were seven or eight ancient barracks built with pebbles and several shelters. At the forefront of the saddle, there was a fortress on a cliff, clearly a military stronghold in ancient times. The "ice ladder" recorded in history books must have been carved here because the steep cliffs on both sides of the saddle were impassable, and crossing the glacier was the only way. Considering everyone’s physical condition and emotions, Old Dong and I decided to camp at the fortress. Staying in the ancient castle would restore strength and offer a unique experience. Yang Hua and Hu Chan scouted the route along the old path. When they reached the fortress on the cliff, they realized the ancient path led to a precipice. Later analysis showed that the ancient path must have connected directly to the glacier in the past. Due to the glacier's retreat over hundreds of years, the ancient path and fortress now hung precariously on the cliff.
### Chapter Five: The Last Night Together
On August 13, the exploration team left the ancient fortress and headed towards the glacier. Due to the glacier's retreat, the drop at the glacier's end was significant, with a 500-meter drop over a mere 300-meter distance. As the team approached the cliff, it seemed only 100 meters away to descend to the glacier's base, where a broad and flat riverbed was within reach. In the distance, white limestone hills shimmered in the sunlight, resembling peaceful flocks of sheep. The team members who walked ahead cheered joyfully, shouting, "We see sheep! Let's go eat mutton!" No one expected that this 100-meter stretch would be the most difficult and perilous part of the Muzart Glacier. Descending from the cliff to the glacier was also very dangerous. Dong and I went back and forth several times near the glacier and the cliff, discovering a large crack between the sheer cliff and the glacier. A massive boulder about two meters in diameter was wedged between the crack and the cliff. The only route was to descend from the cliff to the boulder, then to the glacier. Under Dong's protection, I stepped onto the boulder first, then descended to the glacier. Intentionally kicking a stone into the crack, the rumbling sound echoed for five to six seconds before stopping, leaving all spectators speechless. After passing through the crack, the team carefully walked for four hours on the glacier to reach the base of the cliff. Looking up, the fortress perched on the cliff was clearly visible. The team members were somewhat disheartened, as the whole morning's arduous trek had only advanced them 100 meters in a straight line.
Upon reaching the riverbed, the team didn’t walk far along the White Jade Gorge before they were utterly exhausted and famished. Gazing at the milky white river water (mixed with a large amount of powdered stone), they had no other option but to stop and cook.
After resting briefly in the White Jade Gorge, the team set foot on the ancient path on the east bank of the river, sprinting downstream. Having passed the dangerous sections, everyone felt relaxed. From the map, they knew that after walking another dozen kilometers, they would enter the summer pasture, seemingly already smelling