mountain climbing, China style

quick update: I just got back from a 10 day tour in Mongolia which included a camel ride in the Gobi Desert, and a 3 day horse trek in central Mongolia. It was a blast, but kept me completely away from computers (and electricity, for that matter), so blog posting has been impossible. Anyways, now that I'm back, here's the last of my posts from China, and my "Mongolia Tour" post should be up in a few days. Enjoy!

By now you've probably guessed that I'm a pretty big fan of hiking mountains and volcanoes based on my previous blog posts (Volcan Baru Night Hike Adrian vs the Volcano II: Volcán Maderas, Adrian vs the Volcano III - this time with sleds!, Adrian vs the Volcano IV: Volcán Paracutín, Adrian vs the volcano V: lava poking time!, A very soggy Tongariro crossing, Conquering Mt Fancy-Pants). So, last week when I heard about a mountain that was easily accessible from X'ian, I jumped at the chance. After talking to some locals who worked at my hostel, I learned that it was suggested to beat the heat by hiking at night, which also put you at the summit for sunrise, so that's what I decided to do. I loaded up on water, cookies, and bread, then off I went. And now, for your reading pleasure, I'm going to change my entry style and present my trip report in timeline format:

• 7:30pm - 9pm: train from Xi'an to Hua Shan. Nothing exciting to report here, except that I'm seated across from a cute baby whose parents encourage her to wave at me, so I spend 90 minutes waving and smiling


• 9pm - 10:54pm: I arrive at the base of the mountain, where I am informed that I'm a bit on the early side. It's a 6 hour hike, so if I leave at 9 I'll get to the top around 3am and would just have to hang out on the top of the mountain in the cold until sunrise. So I'm advised to just hang out and leave around 11, so I'll arrive just before sunrise. I kill time in Hua Shan square by grabbing some food, wandering around, and then am befriended by some local teens who are interested in practicing their English. We talk about music, movies, and basketball.


• 10:54pm: hike begins. Hiking Chinese-style is not quite like I expected. For one thing, the entire path is paved with cobblestones or with stairs, as appropriate. For another thing, there are street lamps everywhere. Oh, and every 30 minutes or so I'll pass a restaurant where they have water, soda, food, and restroooms. Many of the less-fit hikers can be seen here napping away. Guess I didn't need to stock up on food / water after all.


• 11:49pm 3.5 km into the hike. The gently rising path gives way to steep stairs.


• 1:04am: I arrive at the North Peak. No time to celebrate - on to the East Peak! I still haven't taken a break, mostly due to the fact that I'm afraid that if I stop to rest I'll fall asleep immediately, and wake up the next morning having completely missed the sunrise.


• 2:10am: I arrive at the East Peak (where I'll view the sunrise), way ahead of schedule. Guess the 6 hour hike time was based on someone who was in bad shape, and who stopped for a beer or three at each of the mountainside restaurants. . . I hunker down and try to nap until sunrise.


• 3:30am: the wind, cold, and a light rain force me to seek shelter. Unfortunately for me, the only shelter is in a large men's restroom, where I cram in with about 8 other people. I try to doze as best I can while leaning against a wall. Not the most pleasant sleeping area I've ever had - good thing I still have a bit of a cold so I can't smell that well!


• 5:30am: the sky's brightening up (but cloudy) - time to take sunrise pictures!


• 6:05am: after snapping a bunch of photos, and posing for pictures with several locals (apparently foreigners are a bit of a novelty - I've had random Chinese people ask for a picture with me several times on the trip), it's time to head back down the mountain.


• 7:17am: I arrive at the North Peak.


• 7:30am: I re-arrive at the North Peak after a dead-end forces me to retrace my steps. Whoops! I can't find the trail I came up on, so I'm forced to take a new trail down, which follows the cable car path. I (briefly) consider taking the cable car back down, but decide that that's cheating. So more hiking it is.


• 8:47am: I make it to the bottom of the cable car area


• 8:55am: I hop on a shuttle to Hua Shan main town, and fall asleep immediately.


• 9:16am: I transfer to a bus back to to Xi'an where I immediately fall asleep again.


• 11:20am: I wake up on the bus, having no idea where I am, or whether I've missed my stop. After some concern, I finally spot a sign in English indicating that we have not yet hit Xi'an. Whew!


• 12:49pm. We arrive at a bus station, which I only hope is Xi'an. Success, it is! I grab a cab back to the hostel where I enjoy a much-needed nap.
  

pictures below, enjoy!

one of the many stores along the path up the mountain

I'll be honest, this does not exactly make it into my top ten list of "favorite places I've slept." But, at least it was better than freezing in the rain/wind outside. . . As I mentioned before, I am extremely thankful that I had a cold and couldn't smell well!

the crowds waiting for the sunrise

I hiked all that way and napped in a restroom for this crappy sunrise!?! (note the lack of actual sun). Stupid clouds. Luckily, I also generally enjoy hiking, so it's all good. . .

me on the east peak with the sunrise viewing area behind me

cool tree silhouetted against the sunrise

I guess it's a tradition to attach locks/ribbons to the railing chains and to each other. Looks cool, at least

Bonsai!!!!!

me at a random, but picturesque doorway on the mountain

characters carved into the rock