hiking – Page 3 – HurricaneMaine

Active weekend with a surprise exclusive visit

The weekend started out with Japanese food with a couple friends. I played it safe on the food but did have sake. I was to travel the next morning to run a fun half marathon with friends for charity and needed to be good with what I ate. We ran so that a few new runners could set a goal of running their first event and then we added raising charity for food banks. My friends Trisha And Daniel had this great idea months ago and I was keen to join in!

The next morning I drove with two friends, Jack and Claire to Huadu which is the north part of the city. I attended my last class for the leadership assessment class as we drove using zoom. It was beautiful sunshine but much colder of late.

We ran through the ecological park that connected with other parks. I couldn’t help but stop and take a couple pictures. My time was still 2 hours and 7 minutes trying to take it slow. However I made a wrong turn and ended 2 km away from where I needed to be so had extra amount of running.

We went afterwards to a nice restaurant (Sean was gracious to let us shower at his apartment.)

After the lunch Jack drive to the Imperial Springs. It is a hot spring resort that is pretty pricey. 400 USD for a standard room and much more for the villas that have their own hot spring in the residence. Jack had a personal connection to one of the dignitaries in charge and we were given permission to enter. It was beautiful but it had much more history than its beauty.

It also has a presidential palace that dignitaries use when they visit. We were allowed to walk in the upper floors. The actual loving areas need an elevator to go below. The top buildings are meeting rooms and in the typical Chinese style of the Tang dynasty. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have stayed here (Obama after he left office.)

A video of the view off the balcony of the main meeting room over top of the presidential quarters: https://youtu.be/wx7yFMRG2u4

We ate at the hot pot buffet restaurant. Pricey but very good food.

The next day I went for a hike with my friends Joanna. We started at baiyun and found the elevated walkway to the 5 rams park. It was beautiful and we passed through some parks I had not been to yet. The elevated paths connect the parks and then you walk through portions of the parks.

One of the parks that we went through was the Sculpture Park. We only walked along the part of the park that took us to the next section of pathway. There were quite a few sculptures in this part alone.

We also enjoyed noodle soup for lunch with handmade pulled noodles. So yummy and good on a cool day after walking.

a great weekend and my legs felt great as I have been lowering my weekly amounts to keep my hamstring healthy. It was great to spend time with friends!

Wugong mountain hiking

Wugong Mountain is in Jiangxi Province. This is one of China’s three great mountains south of the Yangtze River. The view of the alpine meadows is spectacular. One I have not seen on other hikes.

I took a super long metro (over an hour) to get to the high speed train station. From there the three and a half hour train and shirt car ride put us at the hotel at the base of the trail. The next morning we hiked.

We hiked 2 hours through the bamboo forest.

As we climbed higher it began to change to alpine forest then alpine meadows.

Eventually we emerged on the alpine meadows. We walked up and down through the meadows to where we stopped for lunch.

A few more hours of hiking up and down through the hills we reached the golden peak. Here you are surrounded by fields of tall grass that turn golden in autumn. They were just starting to turn but not at their full colour yet.

There were also quite a few temples at the top including this Taoist temple called the fairy temple.

While we were hiking the weather changed dramatically with a lot of wind, some rain, and the clouds taking over. Every turn brought different weather conditions.

Another hour of hiking and we arrived at the tents we were to stay for the night. An earlier festival had been rescheduled for this weekend.

We hiked 18.8 km and covered much elevation. There were rough shower and bathroom facilities but grateful to have any!

The next morning some of us tried to capture sunrise but there were a lot of clouds.

We had breakfast, returned our sleeping bags and mats then started the hike down. Downhill is not my favourite (my knees are starting to hate that). There were many very steep sections in the meadows to get through.

The hill was called desperation hill. It spanned 1300 meters and we were all pretty desperate just to get to the bottom.

There were many rocks to maneuver over. Just when I thought it was so tough were saw this man carrying the drinks they sell near the peak. Carrying that much weight is a feat.

A landslide from 4 months ago destroyed much of the pathway and we had to find our way over and back across the stream which was still flowing around all of the debris.

At the end, we were picked up by a car and driven to the hotel we stayed in the first night. A nice shower, late lunch, and playing with the puppies that resided there was a nice end of the day before taking the train back.

Silk road tour, day 6, Jiayuguan pass and where The Great Wall ends

This is the last day in Zhangye and a pretty long day ahead. After 3 hour bus ride we arrived at Jiayuguan Pass. This is a key point of trade for the silk road as well as a protection point as it is linked to the western most part of the Great Wall.

Jiayu Pass or Jiayuguan is the first frontier fortress at the west end of the Ming dynasty Great Wall, near the city of Jiayuguan in Gansu province. Along with Juyong Pass and Shanhai Pass, it is one of the main passes of the Great Wall.
https://g.co/kgs/9af9cx

Jiayuguan Pass

This area is called the Hexi corridor and is only 15 km between the mountains on each side. The mountains themselves provided some protection and only a small wall was needed there as invaders could be seen from the fortress towers. Also, in this remote area, it was difficult to get and move materials.

We walked from what would be the city at the time to the fortress that housed the civil and military leaders and also had towers to watch for invaders, particularly those coming from the West. Soldiers and munitions would be found here.

Temple of literature

Outer city wall

Here merchants could walk along as they could not enter the fortress.

Warrior temple and God of wealth

Amusement temple

This is meant as a stage for entertainment.

A close up of the ceiling that shows many Taoist symbols.

The outer wall

The outer wall leads into a confined area in order to contain invaders as there is another gate they would have to get through. They would be ambushed by soldiers above. You can walk along the inner courtyard wall as well as these outer gate walls. Every corner has a watchtower.

The first inner area for defense taken from the top where soldiers would stand.

The Light gate

This heads to the inner courtyard where generals, troops, munitions, and horses were held.

Cannons

Cannons were invented in China in the 12th century. The idea was taken by the Mongols who then passed it on to the Turks who then passed the new weapon on to the British….

Generals residence

This is the outer building wall of the residence courtyard which had a meeting house, residence house, and kitchen.

Residence area

This is where officials lived when you enter the separate compound door.

Opposite Gate leading to the west

Getting to the top wall

To get to the top there are a series of stairs next to a ramp. The ramp was used for horses, most likely to move heavy materials to the top of the wall.

View from the top looking at the inner residence courtyard

View from the top looking at the inner courtyard

The view from the top looking outside towards the one set of mountains.

Shorter outer wall for merchants. No need to enter the garrison in order to move materials.

Great wall not so great here. Hard to move stone on mountain and this area is so dry that the wall can be made from dirt mixed with straw. The more impressive wall is about a half hour away and the other sections closer to Beijing.

This fortress is the actual end of the great wall here in the north west. It is the furthest Western point on the wall.

You can see the wall running across the picture.

Resting brick above door

The extra brick is above the arch on the ledge. Rumor is that he would not get paid if his numbers were not exact. With the extra brick he made a story of the western wall being blessed with strength.

The western outer wall is thicker and more fortified because it faces west where enemies were known to attack from. There has been some sort of wall here for thousands of years because of enemies. However, the silk road was known as a way to promote trade from the West. Marco Polo used this trade route and brought back noodles from this region (excavations have found evidence of noodles here 2000 years ago). Wheat was brought from the West as well as Buddhism, which predates Christianity by thousands of years.

The end of the Great Wall

A short ride away is found a section of the Great Wall that butts up against the mountains. This is the western most section of the Great Wall that ends at the Jiayuguan Pass.

I made it to the top, snapped pictures from the tower, made an informative video and a silly one as well before going down the other side to get a view there from a path.

The below is not a good video as not pre-planned. Three teachers were singing Pink Floyd’s The Wall on the Great Wall.

It is crazy to be on a highway where there is not much traffic in the desert but still have enough connection to create this blog post!

Silk road tour, day 5, Pingshan canyon and Painted mountains

From Zhangye we drove to the Pingshan canyon. This is smaller than the grand canyon but as there is no flowing river it is still impressive. It is red sandstone and was formed when this area was under water.

This area is significant in the Silk Road as it was a trade route with Mongolia and also an area of defense during the Han Dynasty. Both areas are known as Danxia landforms characterized by their red stone base and steep cliffs.

We started walking along the upper pathways to take in the views.

We then took the stairs and paths to the lower part of the canyon. There is a shortcut to take a ladder straight up or to continue to walk around the canyon. Some of us walked around the canyon.

We then took stairs and a spiral staircase back up to the top to a different platform. I saw several rabbits on the hike but they were too quick to get a picture.

Buses then take you back to the main entrance area. There I rode a camel. The old gentleman appreciated the business.

We then traveled a distance for lunch outside of the Painted Mountains. They were formed from layers of silt and mineral sandstone formed in a lake eventually being uplifted and tilted when the crust moved. After years of erosion of the outer layers, the colored layers were exposed.

They were beautiful though the only way to get to the 4 viewing areas is by shuttle bus from one platform to the other. The artificial walkways took away from the beauty of the place but the platforms provided great viewing points for pictures.

This formation is called a large scallop cumulus.

It was a beautiful day being able to walk outside in the sunshine!

Fenghuang ancient town

Street food and night boat ride on the You River

We arrived in the evening after our troubles as to whether foreigners were allowed in due to the pandemic. Small places still don’t realize that the borders have been closed since March 27 and we have been in the country for awhile. After settling in, we did a little exploring.

I ate some street food and this was so yummy. Pancake batter bread that is split then chili sauce, pickled greens, some really yummy spices, and cucumbers and peanuts. You could also get sticky rice that is pressed flat instead of the pancake. I’ll be trying that next.

This is little shrimps in a batter to make a pancake. Yummy but definitely shrimpy.

Boat tour at night

The next morning we woke early to climb a hill to an abandoned pagoda to see the sunrise. We were a little late as we had trouble finding the trail but it was spectacular.

After sunrise I went for an 11.75 km run throughout the ancient town and into adjacent farmland. I especially stored at a little island to cook if on the river before continuing.

Early morning views from my run. I would stop along the way to take random pictures.

The second morning I woke up early to walk around the part of ancient town I haven’t been. Specifically I walked to Phoenix square to take a picture of the sculpture. While I was sitting watching all the Chinese women dancing for exercise, a tour group took a picture with a Tujia woman and wanted me in the picture. So funny when you are a random foreigner they don’t always get to see. You get asked to have your picture taken often.

Random people

Southern great wall, Hunan

This section of a great wall was built during the Ming dynasty. It was used for protection against the revolt from the Miao Ethnic Group.

With a length of 190 kilometers, it has an area in the middle for armaments and soldiers and towers for check points approx. three
to five kilometers apart.

You can see at the top of the picture that the wall continues into the next hill.

In the Qing dynast the great wall was rebuilt.

After running in the morning, then walking all day, these were a lot of steps! 847… Not that we were counting!

Zhuanjiajie, avatar mountains, day 2

We started the day at the same entrance at the Bailong elevator, this time going in a different direction than the day before.

Tianzi Shan

There narrow strip of green between the two mountains is where we hiked yesterday, going uphill to get to the beginning then going down into the valley.

A closer view of where we walked yesterday.

This naughty money listens for plastic bags then runs and breaks a hole in the bag to steal some of the goodies.

Tujia minority

One of our guides is from the minority village. They had an information center explaining much about the culture.

This outfit is 24 kg total in weight. Girls who wear this much have been rewarded with riches by a suitor.

They make there own alcohol, baiju. We tried plum but this one has snakes in the alcohol as it ferments.

Yuanjiajie

From there we took a bus to get further towards a trail that we would take to get back closer to the town. It was a lot of downhill but at least the steps here were dry.

Ten mile natural gallery

Wulingyuan national park day 1

We went to Wulingyuan National Park which is amazing. The park is dotted with sandstone cliffs that seen to have ridden out of nowhere. These quartz structures are in some dense tropical forests and reminiscent of the wonders in the movie avatar (though that is tomorrow’s hike!)

After a bus ride that took hair pin turns rather quickly, which adds to the experience we arrived at the elevator that takes you to the top. Bailong elevator takes you to the top of the one cliff and we spent time walking around the top then making our way down.

Of course there were monkeys there to see what they could get from visitors.

Of course we started in the touristy area which we quickly left behind. There were many climbs up and of course back down through the peaks. It was very slippery and if course I fell a couple of times.

One step to heaven. This took s climb up on a vertical ladder but the views were breathtaking.

Corridor in the cliffs

Golden whip stream. Finally we were on a flat area without climbing unbelievable amounts of stairs then going back down the other side. Easier and faster walk from here.

We worked out way around the base of all of these magnificent structures. It is truly humbling to be in and out of the various areas in this forest. Not many take this hike and it was very challenging with the wet rock surfaces.

Tianmen shan, Hunan

We arrived in Wulingyuan, Hunan on a late night flight. After some sleep I found some breakfast. We then walked to the cable car station that took us up the mountain.

It is a 7 km cable car ride which is the longest in the world. It took us through the edge of the city and then through farmland before climbing up the mountain for a very steep ascent.

At the top we noticed a shrine covered in locks. It is for fertility, wishing for a boy or girl. Legend is if you walk the ish to the came the type of echo will determine the child.

We walked along the cliff hanging walkway which is 1400 m above the ground and used to be made of wood planks. Now it is concrete with a rail but nothing underneath.

At the top we walked around but did not walk around the whole perimeter as it was so foggy and not many views.

In the forest of wishes where you write your wishes on silk ribbon to tie on a tree.

We took the internal escalators down to where we could see views at a lower level. We were standing at Heavens gate. This is an unusual and natural rock formation that had a hold on the middle. It is also the site of many daredevil attempts. The legend is that gods meet the mortal world here.

From there we went down the 999 steps to reach the bottom. It is approximately 4,100 feet or 1000 meters and the carved stone steps are being step and narrow.

Looking down on the stairway from heavens gate

Looking up at the views makes it obvious why generations of the people in Hunan believed that Tianmen Shan was the realm of the gods. It looked like the gateway to heaven even with the fog.

At the bottom we also snacked on some food. This is Jianbing which is a crow with crunchy fried dough in the center and of course chili spices for heat.

The 99 curves of Tongtien highway below us. This is the most dangerous road in Hunan and they have races here. We walked to get to the cable car to take us back down.

After we picked up our bags we took a short bus ride to another village to stay a few nights. We are at a local restaurant. Hunan food is spicy especially the costing in the fish and this eggplant dish that had lots of chilies and tremendous flavor.

We found tickets to an acclaimed live show that celebrated the stories of the minority people of Hunan including Yau, Bai, and Tujia.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

We did not plan this part of the vacation appropriately so did not realize the amount of time needed to see the things we wanted.

I read about this mountain known as 玉龙雪山 Yùlóng Xuěshān. The mountain is always covered in snow and fog and it resembles a silver white dragon laying in the clouds from the distance.

From travelchinaguide:.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is a sanctuary for rare animals and wild plants. In fact, one fourth of all plant species in China can be found here and 20 primeval forest communities shelter a big family of 400 types of trees and 30 kinds of animals which are protected by the state. These species live in different temperature levels and create different kinds of views. The 13 peaks, which have the altitudes of at least 4,000 meters, are covered by snow all year round.

This is the second tallest peak in subtropical China that has a glacier and a really nice alpine lake. It is also the most southerly snowcapped mountain in the northern hemisphere. It is a small mountain chain with elevation of 5596 meters or 18360 feet. It seemed like a great place to visit. Highly commercial but something I haven’t done yet.

You can hike the mountain or take the cable car up most of the way. Since it is difficult to get around right now we chose to join a tour and take the cable car. The cable car takes you to 4506 meters and then you walk the stairs to 4680 meters. It’s tougher than it seems. After yesterday’s long hike, I don’t know how climbing the actual mountain would be.

We took a bus to the Yulong Naxi Autonomous county. There were many checkpoints and in the age of covid-19 and being the only foreigners, created extra scrutiny. We were asked to use other health codes that Chinese were not asked to do. Everyone’s ID was taken and photographed. We were on a bus with several students from London who are from China and we commiserated about discrimination that happens. For them in London and for us here. Unfortunately they were dismayed at what people around were saying about us and I’m glad I don’t know what it was.

As there are greater amounts of people in closer proximity, we wore our masks on this trip. Even at the top where you are in the open, the mask also helped keep my face warm. The temperature was right around zero celsius. It was also one less thing that could blow away with the blustery winds.

You don’t need a tour but they pick you up, get all the tickets in advance so no waiting, and give you essential materials. You get off the tour bus and then on a big bus to travel up the mountain to the start of the cable way at 3356 meters. Then you take the cable car to the first platform at 4506 meters.

From here you can walk up sets of stairs and walk ways until you get to the top. Many people don’t make it so be careful of people turning around on the spot in front of you to sit down quickly. You start to sweat and hyperventilate so knowing your body helps.

Besides a waterproof down parka, we were also given a can of oxygen. After climbing the first long set of steps I needed the oxygen. Slow and deep breaths in and out help to lower your heart rate and stopping on platforms to acclimate helps. At the top I needed more oxygen.

After admiring the view I headed back down. You think it is easier so you move faster. But it isn’t. You still need oxygen and take it easy.

A member of our group wanted a picture with me at the bottom platform. She did not know I coach cross country at a high school.

Some coffee seemed in order. Yes I bought a medal that said I went to the furthest elevation.

I then took the cable car back down where we were all to meet and journey back to the base of the mountain. I took a few photos from inside the cable car. This is of course after you descend through the clouds.

Blue Moon Valley is at the bottom and we had time to explore after lunch. The blue color is due to fine rock flour from the mountain that become suspended in the water column.

Though the waterfalls are man made, they do know how to create fantastic scenery. Many couples were having wedding photos taken.

Of course there were animals, especially yaks. Yes, I spent money to get my picture taken on one. It could be selling out my animal friends but if it helps the Naxi people and feed their livestock I am okay with that.

On the bus ride home we stopped at a meadow not far away.