The team rose early at 3:30 am to avoid avalanches at the snow-covered Galongla Pass at 4,300 m above sea level, which had already killed and buried seven local travelers in January. Their hired jeeps would only bring the scientists 24 km of the road, where the area was 3,500 m above sea level.

Following the one-hour drive, the biologists linked up with four porters -- local Lhoba people -- before proceeding to scale Mount Galongla at 6 am. They reached a hostel at the 52-km mark of the road only after sitting and sliding down a snow slope.

Their daily treks, often up to 20 km, made the days long and exhausting. But all grew accustomed to the hardship since there was no other option.

The team

Liu Yang, a 39-year-old researcher from the Sichuan Academy of Forestry in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, went on the trip to collect as many small-sized mammals as possible. The short, stout man used metal traps to catch mice and rats.

Each time he caught a sample, Liu would treat and preserve it in alcohol for closer study later. This kept him busy at dawn and dusk.

While Liu was active during those two parts of the day, 44-year-old Rao Dingqi was the group's nocturnal explorer.

The associate professor with the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is considered one of the country's best herpetological specimen collectors.

Rao was the only member of the team to have visited the region more than once -- this was his third trip there.