2 Unforgettable Days in China!

What an incredible experience! Definitely the highlight of the trip! I really don’t know where to begin so I guess I’ll start from the top. A late addition to our itinerary, we wanted some ruggedness & outdoorsy adventure amongst the major city life we were experiencing. Mount Huashan fit the bill perfectly. Known as “most precipitous mountain under Heaven”, it’s one of China’s 5 Great Holy Mountains and as such, a popular site for pilgrimage. Despite its reputation as being the most dangerous hike in the world, we added it to the schedule.

Chilling on the Bullet Train

I mentioned that we had met Felix the German guy the day before at the Terra Cotta Warriors. Well, on the bus back to Xian after that, I mentioned to him we were planning on hiking Mt. Huashan the very next day. He seemed intrigued by the whole thing and had to admit that he had heard about it, but was a bit skeptical from its dangerous reputation and his parents’ concerns. He had crossed it off his list. Because we were dead set on making it happen, it became a realistic possibility for him to do it as well. We were happy to have some company on the hike so we were glad to accept when he asked if he could tag along.

Chinese People Everywhere!

The next morning, we debated the options to get to the mountain from Xian. 2 hour bus or 25 minute bullet train? Guess which one we chose? The high speed train is a real testament to China’s innovation. Moving at 190 MPH without so much as a bump was a strange phenomenon! Once at the Huashan station & after explaining that we wanted to hike up the mountain and not take the Cable car (cop out!), we hopped in a taxi to the entrance. Well, not exactly. He dropped us off in some random street surrounded by hundreds of Chinese people. Getting to the entrance was an adventure in itself. I think it was a festival or something because of the sheer amount of energy & excitement shared by the hoards of Chinese. We finally made it to the ticket booth and after paying the fee, we were on our way!

Will We Ever Get There?

Felix, Jody & I Ready to Tackle the Mountain

Now, it’s worth mentioning that there are many ways to reach the top of Mount Huashan. I mentioned the cable car which is the easiest & fastest (yet most expensive) way. We knew we wanted to hike because it’s what all the locals have been doing for hundreds of years. Traditionally, Chinese do the hike at night in order to reach the peak by sunrise. They assume it is simply safer to not be able to see the extreme danger of the ascent (NUTS!) We wanted to appreciate the beauty & actually see our surroundings so we started in the afternoon and spent the night on top. Among the various routes, we opted for the traditional 6KM one developed in the 4 century from Huashan Village to the North Peak (lowest of the 5 peaks). It was spectacular.

So Much Fun!

Quads Burning

The next 4 hours were a blur of endless stairs, sweat & hundreds of Chinese. I have the say it was definitely the most difficult yet memorable hike I’ve ever done in my life! The peak was staring us in the face the whole time, yet despite minute after minute of steep incline, we felt no closer! We passed numerous temples, beautiful jagged boulders & countless rest stops selling extremely overpriced food & water. 2 hours into it, we reached a steep, practically vertical section with chain links on both sides to hold on to. It’s just too dangerous to not hold grab the railing and it was a thrilling yet difficult 15 minutes.

At North Peak Finally!

After an hour more of agonizing hiking, and some more vertical steps we finally reached the North Peak & the sun hadn’t set yet! We had made great time and passed loads of Chinese people along the route. Apparently, it takes most people 5 hours to reach the top and we managed to do it in 3! Most of the locals seemed surprised to see Westerners doing the hike along with them because it’s mainly Chinese that hike up. Still, it was great to talk with them (if we could) and share this unique experience together. I was amazed at the people of all ages & hiking abilities that joined us on this hike. Once at the North Peak, we took a few minutes to marvel at the amazing view & reflect on the thousands of feet we had already climbed!

One Memorable Hike

Unfortunately, our destination for the night was not the North Peak. We wanted to make our way to the East Peak so we could easily see the sunrise the following morning. We still had 2 hours of hiking ahead of us and it was getting dark quickly. It was then that we met a group of giddy Chinese that made our trip even more memorable. They were absolutely hilarious! So energetic despite the exhausting day of hiking, I wanted to try whatever it was they were drinking. They were grateful & curious to spend time with Westerners & we shared a mutual feeling. Maybe it was the fact that they were Chinese and I felt safer climbing with them then trying to figure out the way up on our own (signs weren’t exactly clear or in English!) We spent the next two hours conversing with them about a range of topics while continuing our dangerous ascent into the dark night.

Thousands of Locks

90 Degree Stairs

The stairs were lit by the full moon above & lanterns along the path. Additionally, thousands of gold locks with vibrant red Taoist ribbons were fastened all along the rails for good luck from previous hikers. Despite the danger, it was so special and something I’ll never forget. There was one section where the stairs were beyond 90 degrees up a rock face! They actually went backwards! By then our legs were beginning to get a little wobbly but with our destination close by, we completed the difficult section and reached the Middle Peak around 7:30PM. We were tuckered out and strongly considered staying in the disgusting 16 person dorm on the Middle peak. However, we were told by the Chinese group with us that the East Peak was a short 20 minute hike away so we continued on (despite our grumblings). At one point, Felix was so exhausted; he started speaking to Jody in German without realizing it. Hilarious!

We reached the East Peak in no time although it was past 8PM. After checking in on the mountainside hotel & meeting a Chinese guy who studied abroad at EWU in Spokane of all places, we sat down to our well deserved dinner of PB&J Sandwiches, Snickers, chips & dried fruit. The awesome Chinese people we made it up with offered some marinated tofu & bread sticks to us as well. Sleeping conditions were rough! 8 person shacks with possibly the hardest beds I’ve ever slept on. Constant Chinese chatter with cigarette smoke & the light never being turned off. We were so exhausted it didn’t matter much though. We could have slept outside on the cliff itself because of how mentally & physically tired we were.

Sunrise on the East Peak

Cool Temple Between East & South Peaks

After a lovely 5 hour sleep, I awoke before the crack of dawn to start what I consider to be one of the greatest days of my life. The East Peak cliff face was spectacular. Because we arrived at night, we hadn’t seen the views yet, so to see them slowly illuminate with the dawn of a new day was a sight to behold. Also, knowing that thousands of Chinese people have experienced the same views after the same rigorous hike for hundreds of years added to the mystique of it all. Once the sun was up, we quickly left in order to beat the rushes of Chinese tourists. After all, the sun rises every day right? We passed a beautiful Cliffside temple on our decline from the East Peak over to the South Peak which took a good 30 minutes. At above 7000 feet, the South Peak is the highest on the mountain & our next destination was the most exhilarating thing we’d ever done.

The infamous Plank Walk at Mount Huashan is what the daredevils & thrill-seekers come for. The cliff-side path is something that could only be in China & after seeing videos on YouTube, it quickly became a bucket list item for us. Despite our reservations & the supposed reports of fatalities (many speak of around 100 deadly accidents on the Huashan Trail every year but due to Chinese censorship there are no official records of any such incidents) we had to do it. Call us crazy.

The Stairs We Had to Go Down!

 I could feel a lump start to develop in the pit of my stomach. You know that feeling where you can’t think straight & your legs feel weak because of dreadful anticipation? This was our feeling as we walked on the narrow path alongside the cliff to the harness station. We paid 30 Yuan ($4) for a harness and without any instruction, we were off. This harness provided us with at least some assurance because we were attached by two straps to the cliff wall at all times. I had expected some people to be doing the walk when we arrived, but to my dismay there was nobody. We were the first ones of the day! Without any examples, we were going to have to figure it out for ourselves. I decided to go first & set the pace because Jody & Felix were a little hesitant to put it mildly. Hell, I was freaking out as well, but I found trust in the fact that people of all ages & abilities had done it before.

I'm Scurred

Jody & Felix On the Plank Walk

Taking My Sweet Time

Almost to Safety!

The stone walkway suddenly stopped and chaos began. Below was a set of “steps” if you could call them that. Basically small stone rods hammered into the rock going straight down. We were staring directly down 3500 feet to the valley below. A total face-your-fear type moment. Slowly, I descended hesitant step after hesitant step trying to fight off that thought in the back of my mind that said “one slip & I’m a goner”. Before the wooden plank started, small footholds are carved into the mountain & we had to slowly shimmy our way step after step. The plank walk was something else. Just sets of 3 long wooden boards for a few hundred feet, fastened to the side of the massive rock face with rusty nails. Some of the half-rotten boards weren’t exactly stable, and I found myself testing them out by tapping on them with my foot to see if it would hold my weight. It was a crazy few minutes. I tried to capture the experience with pictures & video but it was difficult with my extremities shaking & mind focused on staying alive! Once finally on solid ground we celebrated! It was short lived when we realized that it was a dead end and we had to continue back the way we came. Basically conquering the plank walk twice.

One Badass Mountain Climber!

Unforgettable

Looking back, being the first of the day meant that we had the entire place to ourselves. I’m very grateful for that. We could go at our own pace and not worry about squeezing past other terrified Chinese people in one of the most dangerous places we’d ever been. The walk back, while much easier was more complicated. Many other people had arrived and we had to slowly go around them making sure our harnesses were correctly fastened on. While returning on the planks, we sat down & soaked in the views. It’s easy to not enjoy & appreciate an experience like this because you have bigger concerns at the time. It’s really is an awe-inspiring place & the weightless feeling of sitting on air taking it in is surreal.  We slowly made it past bunches of Chinese people on our way back up the vertical stairs. At last, we reached the entrance & the Plank Walk was checked off the list! An accomplishment that we will cherish & remember forever.

Some of Our Chinese Friends at the South Peak

We felt like we had conquered the world after that. Intense hike, gorgeous sunrise, most thrilling hour of our lives and it was only 8AM!! Next, we hiked to the highest peak on the mountain - the South Peak where we took way too many pictures. The obligatory ones with just us as well as many with random Chinese that wanted us in their photos. We couldn’t say no! After that, I bought a small lock for Jody and myself because I had a plan.

Play By Play with West Peak In Back

                 

Our Special Moment

We Left Our Mark on the Mountain

I knew that I was going to propose to Jody at some point during the China trip. I figured a memorable place to do it would be on the mountain after the crazy Plank Walk. I prepped Felix with this information the night before with the hope that he could capture the moment for us. I decided to do it on the hike from the South Peak to the West Peak. There was this perfect picturesque veranda with the dynamic West Peak in the background and I got on one knee and asked Jody to marry me. She said yes and we both couldn’t be happier! I didn’t think we could be on more of a high after our morning, but the place took on a new significance for us after that. We walked up to the West Peak and fastened our lock onto the edge of the cliff. Then, I took the key and tossed it over the edge sealing our love forever! Needless to say, it was a special moment for the two of us.

Sealing the Lock & Our Love Forever

By 10AM we had pretty much done all we could do at the top of Mt. Huashan so we decided to reward ourselves with the cable car down. After a quick & easy scenic descent we couldn’t help but wonder how different our trip would have been if we had taken the Cable Car up instead of hiking. Our trip to Mount Huashan was at its end and we were exhausted. Just writing this makes me excited. It will forever hold a special place in our hearts. If you ever happen to be in Xian, make Mount Huashan a must-visit. You may be able to brag about conquering the world’s most dangerous hiking trail…if you survive it!

So Happy!

On Cloud 9

Check out this video I took on the Plank Walk:

Plank Walk - Mount Huashan