An infamous daredevil and a social media sensation; Gigi Wu, 36, was known for hiking mountains and posting photos online posing in her bikini, upon reaching the summit. After losing a bet with her friends, she started revealing the desire to do this in 2018. Rewinding back three weeks, we heard about the unfortunate passing of the “bikini hiker”, when her body was found on the 20th January. Her death dominated many news headlines as well as social networking sites.
She passed away after falling 30 metres in Taiwan’s Yushan National Park, whilst trekking solo in the already remote mountain region. Whilst most of us would find this immensely foolish, Wu was an experienced hiker and had reached over 100 summits in the past four years alone. She was well-respected in the hiking community.
After her fall she did manage to call for help using a satellite phone, revealing that she was unable to physically move. Sadly, help did not arrive for two days due to dangerous weather conditions and her rescuers being on foot. It is assumed that she died due to hypothermia.
Wu gained quite a following online, having over 14,000 likes on her Facebook page. Fans are smothering her social media account with messages of love, paying tribute to her “resilience” and “courage”, and for living a life doing what she loved most. The account which has now become a remembrance site for Wu, has an abundance of photos from her travels. After already summiting Mt Jade in November last year, the highest peak in the region; Wu had her sights set on completing the Batongguan Historic Trail until the 24th January, Taiwan media reported.
Gigi’s death, although incredibly heartbreaking, reminds us that life is very short, and can be taken from us in an instance, so it is worth living a life we are proud of, and doing things that make our hearts happy.