Perhaps due to unease about the dream, Wen Qian abandoned her plans to tour the various scenic spots in Xia City.
She had only seen the beautiful mountains and waters of this place in textbooks and promotional videos online, but now she had no interest in admiring these scenic views.
She had an ominous premonition that the upcoming events might not be as smooth as before.
She had to quicken her search, so she left the Youth Hostel and headed out of the city to embark on a hiking trail. She could not stay in the city area anymore.
The hiking trail she chose was a well-established route, so she would not be alone along the way.
The locations for camping, resting, and cooking were clearly marked, making it a safe route as long as she did not randomly change the route.
Wen Qian felt like she was back in kindergarten. If staying in the city made her feel unsafe, then her next plan was to embark on a few more hiking trails.
The terrain of Xia Province was complex and diverse, allowing Wen Qian to adapt to various environments without having to go elsewhere.
Similarly, the higher the altitude in the plateau region, the more difficult it would be for people from low altitudes to adapt, but the current environment was just right for her.
Some hikers preferred to walk in groups of three or two, while others enjoyed hiking alone.
Wen Qian had purchased the necessary clothes and backpacks, so she could easily blend in with the other hikers.
Due to the high altitude, summers in Xia Province were quite cool, while the average winter temperature ranged from -8°C to 8°C, also due to the high altitude.
Additionally, there was a significant diurnal temperature variation, with intense sunlight during the day.
The first hiking trail was planned for 3-4 days, a manageable duration and distance for Wen Qian.
Moreover, there would be many people on this trail during this period, with hikers ahead and behind her, so she didn't have to worry about encountering any issues.
Another point was that Xia Province currently had comprehensive network coverage, so Wen Qian could still receive information from the outside world while she had internet access.
It wasn't that she was in contact with anyone, but with internet access, Wen Qian could search for real-time information online.
In the age of the internet, Wen Qian paid close attention to disaster dynamics in various places.
She felt that some events did not happen suddenly but had early signs and indications.
The hiking trail would pass through valleys, grasslands, lakes, and marshes, with a relatively flat terrain throughout.
This route was also a famous scenic trail frequented by outdoor enthusiasts and photographers.
Wen Qian arrived towards the end of the high-altitude flower season, but there were still many people around.
Many guides for this trail recommended hiking in groups of three or four people, but Wen Qian was alone and not in a hurry.
She didn't rush to reach the first campsite, observing others carrying heavy loads on their backs, while Wen Qian only carried a lightweight backpack.
Mainly because it was her first time out, she had set her backpack with different weights, and this time she had brought the lightest one, with other items stored in her spatial dimension, which she could retrieve later if needed.
The scenery along the way was quite nice, which delighted Wen Qian as a newcomer.
However, the information she had checked advised against excessive excitement and strenuous activities like running and jumping during the journey.
So Wen Qian was careful not to let her emotions run too high. The open spaces seemed to make her mindset more open as well.
However, during the hike, she maintained a steady pace, and a small group of people had overtaken her earlier.
It's unclear whether they stopped to take photos or for some other reason, but Wen Qian caught up with them again, and after some time, she found herself leaving them behind by a distance.
When it was time for lunch, Wen Qian also stopped and pretended to take out food she had prepared from her backpack to enjoy a solo meal.
There were other people nearby, chatting and laughing in small groups.
The trail was never completely deserted, but Wen Qian wasn't mentally prepared to hike such a trail alone.
Wen Qian was quite satisfied with today's hike.
Among the hiking trails she had researched, there were a few that could take ten days to half a month, excluding the more difficult routes. Wen Qian actually wanted to try a long-distance hike, of course, provided that she successfully completed this first hike.
In the afternoon, Wen Qian maintained her walking pace, as the temperature dropped rapidly in the evening, so she needed to reach the campsite within a reasonable time.
This was a well-established hiking trail, so the campsites were also well-equipped.
In fact, during her geography studies, she had learned about selecting campsites and completed related assignments, but nevertheless, every year there were still many people who met with misfortunes due to choosing the wrong camping spots.
Many of these people had camped on dry riverbeds and were swept away by flash floods during the night, resulting in their deaths.
Just like every summer, there were always children who drowned while swimming, despite continuous public awareness campaigns and warnings.
Camping during hikes was similar, with some people refusing to heed the advice.
Wen Qian had always been a compliant person, heeding the advice and important reminders she had learned from textbooks or found in guides.
She never dared to take any chances.
Fortunately, this hiking trail was a very traditional route, with the established campsites set up by predecessors being highly reasonable and safe.
As long as she didn't act recklessly, she would essentially encounter no problems.
Wen Qian successfully reached the camp on the first day and felt that she had done well. She just needed to pay the fee to set up camp.
She had previously bought a tent for herself and had practiced setting it up and taking it down at her home entrance after returning to her hometown.
She was worried that if she ever needed to use a tent, she wouldn't know how to set it up or would take too much time struggling to do it correctly.
The previous practice paid off now, as she quickly set up a small tent, laid out a mat and blankets inside.
After finishing her dinner and quickly washing up, Wen Qian returned to her tent.
Wen Qian took out a quilt from her spatial dimension since no one could see her inside the tent anyway.
Most people probably used sleeping bags, and Wen Qian had one too, but the weather was still warm, and she didn't plan to sleep; she just wanted to hide under the quilt to use her phone and eat snacks.
In the winter, she always kept a stove burning, and she had placed many sweet potatoes in the oven.
If she finished them all, she wouldn't need to eat regular meals for a day, so she often put the roasted ones into her spatial dimension.
When bored, she would take them out and eat them at the same temperature as when they came out of the oven.
She couldn't help but find this feature of the spatial dimension quite amazing.
There were many people at the campsite, so it didn't feel desolate at all. Wen Qian occasionally heard noises from outside, which gave her a sense of security.
If she had to sleep alone in a tent in the wild, she estimated that she wouldn't be able to sleep soundly.
