An 18-year-old tourist survived with snow and toothpaste

Photo: Shutterstock/Douyin
An 18-year-old named Sun Lyan, who attempted to cross the Sinlin mountain range in China's Shaanxi province alone, got lost. He survived for 10 days by consuming snow and toothpaste, reports the South China Morning Post.
The traveler set out on February 8. Two days later, his phone and other electronic devices ran out of battery, cutting off communication with his family. Sun Lyan decided to descend along a creek and fell several times, breaking his right hand.
To protect himself from the strong wind, he hid behind a large rock and made a bed from dry straw and leaves. For drinking water, he used river water and melted snow, as well as consumed toothpaste.
Sun Lyan was found by rescuers on February 17. The search operation was initiated at the request of the traveler's family. It turned out that he is the first person to get lost and survive in this area.
Over the past 20 years, more than 50 tourists have gone missing or perished in this route. Although the local government banned access to this area in 2018, some tourists continue to travel there.
Nevertheless, some adventurers still bravely travel to that place. Notably, Sun is the first person to be rescued after getting lost in this dangerous region.
Sun stated that he developed a passion for hiking over the past year and successfully crossed three famous snowy mountains in the country. He admitted to being unaware of the ban on the Ao-Tai line and said his motivation for hiking there was simply to "satisfy the challenge."
"I was horrified after the incident," Sun said on social media after the rescue. "This area is completely unsuitable for hiking. The wind was so strong that I could barely keep my feet even with two trekking poles. The snow was so thick that I could hardly open my eyes."