Oddities

Young man becomes 'old man' after nearly half a year of backpacking

TB (summary) December 26, 2024 16:10

A 3,300km trek from Hubei to the capital of Tibet (China) has turned a youthful man into a 60-year-old man with dark skin, scraggly hair and a wrinkled face.

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Rich pictured before his departure from Hubei to Tibet, April 2024

In a video posted on April 6, Rich, born in 1993, from Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, announced that he would walk more than 3,300 km to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. All of his luggage was loaded onto a street vendor's cart, including equipment to livestream the journey on social media.

During the trip, the young man did not stay in a hotel or motel, but instead found a place to camp along the way, pitching a tent and sleeping in a sleeping bag. According to the videos Rich posted, he experienced many days of harsh weather, including storms and heavy rain. He also had accidents such as his car rolling into ditches, getting a flat tire, and injuring his leg.

On September 28, Rich arrived safely in Tibet, after many attempts to give up. He was happy that he achieved his goal without giving up.

However, when he reached Tibet, Rich's appearance had changed significantly due to long-term exposure to the sun and lack of care for his body. Many people compared his youthful and dynamic image before and commented that "it was like he had lived through his whole life". Some said that the sun and rain along the way had turned the 31-year-old youth into a 60-year-old man with dark skin, scraggly hair and a wrinkled face.

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Rich's photo after 5 months of walking to Tibet, August 2024

During the entire trip, Rich said he rarely showered or washed his hair, but instead stopped by public restrooms along the way to wash his face and do simple hygiene.

The young man's experience and change surprised everyone. Many people wondered why Rich forced himself to suffer so much.

In response, Rich said he wanted to challenge himself. The young man said that before starting the trip, he was not worried about his appearance, but just wanted to stay healthy. "Hiking has helped me heal my psychological problems from deep within, my spirit has become much better than before," Rich said.

Rich is currently in Tibet conquering mountains. He plans to trek to new lands to explore life.

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Young man becomes 'old man' after nearly half a year of backpacking