Sun covered mountain peaks out from the shadows
After an amazing nights sleep (well worth the $216!), I was up early to watch the sunrise over the mountain before beginning the walk I had been looking forward to for ages.
Early morning sun on the mountain tops
My dreams of a quiet contemplative moment watching the sun were quickly shot down when I got to the Bright Summit. I soon realised that there was going to be no chance of seeing the sun rise behind all the Chinese tourists (it would have been about 30 people deep), so I headed back to the hotel to collect my things and begin the walk into the depths of the West Sea Canyon.
Can you see the path? That's where I was heading!
I began the hike by heading down towards Fairy Walking Bridge. For the most part of hike down, I was on my own. It was beautiful – so quiet, so still, so ….. tranquil! Autumn has set in and the colours of the trees were just stunning – so many shades of red, yellow, orange and brown. It was so amazing to have those couple of hours pretty much to myself in the mountain.It made me think about Canada and how wonderful it will be to live in the mountains and have that feeling of stillness more regularly.
Once I reached the bottom, it was time to head upwards towards the Cloud Dispelling Pavillion (so many enchanting names). It might sound strange, but I enjoy the uphill climbs so much more – much kinder on the knees. It was some serious uphill climbing though, with some of the paths jutting out from the cliff - I don't even want to think about how they are attached to the rocks. Definitely not for the faint hearted. But the views, wow!
Crazy path!
There were many people walking the opposite way but no flag wielding, microphone wielding tour guides with their troops, thank goodness. Independent travelers are just so much nicer – they generally say hello in a friendly way and I always meet some interesting people along the way.
Don't look down!
I was prepared to walk for the better part of the morning, after the Lonely Planet recommended a minimum of 4 hours and the hotel receptionist said definitely not less that 6 hours. So, you can imagine my surprise when I arrived at the Cloud Dispelling Pavilion at 10 am, just 3.5 hours after I set off. And this included several stops for breakfast, photography, breath catching and water guzzling. There must be some seriously unfit people walking the track!
The colours in the trees were beautiful
At the end of the walk, I found a (relatively) quiet and sunny spot to sit and relax with some water, some rice snacks and my journal. So lovely. After a rest, I headed back to the cable car for a knee saving ride to the bottom.
View from the squat toilet!
Despite my disorganisation, I still got my relaxing afternoon in Tunxi – a shower, massage, wander through the streets, reading and some yummy dinner (stay tuned for some pictures later).
I was definitely not going to be stepping up this path!
Well, I can truly say that a return visit to Huang Shan was worth it – clear skies, fresh air, beautiful scenery, energising walking – what more could I ask for!
Cable car ride down the mountain
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