Huashaaaaannn! (Xi'an II)

That's Huashan, for those of you who dislike reading words with excessive vowels.

Anyway, Ive been geeked about this place since my friend Earl showed me a youtube video of it a few months ago. The video called it "the most dangerous hike in the world" and so I pretty much began plotting and scheming and cackling away to myself figuring how I was going to get out there and prove how much of a badass I was.

Truth be told, Huashan isn't really that dangerous.
It sure used to be.
But once a bunch of people started dying doing dumb stuff (like yours truly is wont to do), the government stepped in (or someone did, anyway) and made it alot safer.
Granted, its still freaking awesome.
Its not the best place if you don't like heights.
Or edges.
Its also very very crowded.
Like everything cool in China.

Come hell or high water, I was going to climb all the way to the top, spend the night up there, watch the sunrise, do the damn plank walk, scare the willies out of myself, and then hike my little self right back down again. I also planned to do this alone if need be.

You could also take the cable car.
If you were a sissy.
(see sissies in the little black dots halfway up the mountain)


So its not dangerous, but it sure is freaking steeeeeeeeep. (steep)
Chinese loooooove (love) stairs.


There were lots of helpful little signs like this.
"No watching when walking. When walking no watching."
This seems counter-intuitive to me.
Maybe its an American thing.


I didn't end up going alone.
The line for the cable car was three hours minimum, so after a few quick games of rock paper scissors (my favorite way of making important decisions) I ended up with a crew.
This is my intrepid crew- Scott, Pop, and Peter.
Yep, me shepherding three middle aged men up a mountain in China.
Take that- expensive college education!


I was real obsessed with taking pictures of these.
The chains are covered with brass locks and red pilgrimage strips.
You have the locks engraved with your name or your dreams or wishes of whatever and leave them up there forever. It was all kinds of picturesque.



Thanks for the advice.
I wasn't thinking about it.


There was a lot of this.
I'm real tired of stairs at this stage.


They didn't believe me that there was a hotel on top of the mountain.
Have I ever been wrong?
Don't answer that.


There was even a restaurant.
Here's the crew drinking pretty much all the beer they had at the restaurant.


Here's the bottle of Chinese swill I bought.
I was curious.
It looked like shitty whisky, generally a necessity on all trips of this nature.
If its going to be shitty, it needs to be strong.
This was neither good nor strong, tasting vaguely like sesame, and being only 35%.
Swill.


Picture this, only huuuuuuuuuuge. (huge)
This is the view from our hotel.



I have a collection of this kind of stuff.
This is maybe my favorite sign Ive seen so far.
Its the sign on the men's restroom- a couple of urinals rather than just a single squat toilet.


The next morning we went out at 5.30 to watch the sunrise.
With a hundred billion other people, but we'll just ignore them.


See? Wave to all our friends!
Ooooooo...the anticipation is killing me!


And just like that, there is a god.


Thus follows a series of the most picturesque stuff imaginable.
Stop it, China, please.
You're killing me here.




Maybe my favorite picture Ive ever taken.






I waited forrrrreeeeevvvvvver (forever) to get this shot without people in it.
I almost made it, but you cant really see him unless you're looking.
Nothing a little photoshop love cant fix.




Here's me on the death-defying plank walk!
In truth, its a little crazy.
There's a ton of people on it, and its really just three boards nailed into the cliff face halfway up with a big iron spike. You're clipped in to a cable (I sure was glad to see Petzl in China) that would probably pull out if everyone fell at once.
I was not especially concerned.
But that's because I'm an idiot.



On the way down.
MORE STAIRS.
goody.





Ill stop talking and leave you with this...


And this.


It was pretty much one of the coolest places Ive ever been.
Definitely the highlight of my trip so far- if any of you ever want to go to China, go to Huashan.
You can even ride the cable car. I wont make fun of you. Much.
Your quads will thank you.
But as I said to someone who tried to tell me that climbing to the top was a waste of time, I get a sense of accomplishment from climbing things that really don't need to be climbed. Buildings, mountains, farm equipment, rocks, canyons, whatever.

Huangshan is next....cackle cackle....
Or maybe the Caminito del Rey. Right mom?
Mom?

tap tap...anybody?