Packing up in the morning involved collecting my sleeping bag, getting dressed, putting on my shoes, rolling up the moisture-proof pad, stowing my food and stove in the rear top bag, taking down the tent, mounting the cargo bags on the rack, and bundling the tent, sleeping bag, and moisture-proof pad together in front of the bike. This was the daily routine for organizing my luggage. Initially, it took an hour and a half, but now it only took fifty minutes to get ready to depart.
The morning was cloudy and windless, an unusual quietness. As I rode along the river, I noticed that my rear top bag had flattened significantly, and the four cargo bags didn't look as full as when I started. It suddenly dawned on me that I had traveled quite a long distance since the beginning of this journey.
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In the morning, a southeast headwind began blowing. Changes in wind direction often signaled weather changes. I was more concerned about snow than the headwind at this point. I silently prayed for more clear days, as my reserve battery power was running low.
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There were many underground springs in the riverbed, and the melted water near the springs made the riverbed muddy. However, since it was an overcast day, most of the snow and ice sources were still frozen.
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I didn't see many animals, possibly because the water here was highly saline. The valley was becoming narrower, with taller mountains on both sides. The riverbed eventually disappeared as I continued my journey, leaving behind only rocks, grasslands, and a narrow field of vision.
In the afternoon, I reached Shuangduan Lake, a small lake hidden in the valley. The lake looked like a ship with its north ends pointing upward, and its surface was frozen. I cautiously walked onto the lake, but the ice was slippery, so I stuck to the snowy areas along the lake's edge. The sky was partly cloudy, and the ice didn't melt anymore. I skated on the ice, sliding from side to side on the snowy patches.
Looking back at Shuangduan Lake:
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