As evening approached and the sun began to dip towards the northwestern horizon, the shadows in the valley grew longer and longer.
They finally reached the designated camp, a relatively flat and wind-sheltered place below the "Wind Shear Pass."
"This is it," Old George said, setting down his heavy backpack and leaning on his trekking pole, gasping for breath.
"We'll stop here for today. Going any further would bring us close to our target destination."
Lin Yu'an looked in the direction he pointed, seeing the slopes ahead grow increasingly steep.
Huge rocks and twisted glacier marks crisscrossed the area, making it unsuitable to continue in dim light.
"I'll set up the tent; you two rest first."
Lin Yu'an volunteered for the task, his breath only slightly labored, in stark contrast to the two elder men who were too tired to move.
"Good lad, you're quite fit," Stan said, plopping down on the ground and pulling a water bottle from his backpack's side pocket, taking several swigs.
