Don't Feed the Monkeys

This past weekend a group of ex-pat friends and I set out for a trip 6 hours South of Shanghai to the Anhui province ( more specifically, Huangshan, i.e. the "Yellow Mountains"). Boasting over 77 peaks topping 1000m high, our day-long ascent to the top would be one of the greatest (and most awe-inspiring) challenges of my China trip thus far...

The trip was truly an enjoyable, triumphant comedy, beginning and ending in a 16-seater Iveco filled with 16 humans and 1 dog.

To begin, it should be mentioned that the climb was incredibly rigorous-- after doing some challenging hiking in Colorado last year I thought I would be well-conditioned for the 10km trail (our hotel for Saturday night was, conveniently, at the top of one of the many major peaks, closest to one of the apexes, Lotus Peak). Being "well-conditioned" seemed irrelevant as I made my way up the steepest stairs imaginable, bringing me to the conclusion that next time I hike Huangshan I am going to hike all the major subway staircases of Shanghai in preparation--the only incline available in this seemingly flat city..

Prior to our hike our fearless leader and trip organizer, Ling, explained our options for the day. The choices were simple: 1) take the hard way (i.e. hike the entire trip to the hotel) or 2) take the easy way (i.e. take a cable car half-way up the mountain, and then hike the remaining 1 hour to the hotel).

My choice to hike the entire thing seemed like a great idea at the time, but after beginning the ascent and realizing the entire thing was a straight, steady 7km incline of steep-stairs, I began to second-guess myself. But there was no time to waste-- with a 7:30 pm dinner planned and another 3km scenic trail to take at the top of the mountain, the only way to go was forward.

And so began the list of absurd entertainment my hike would reveal:

1) After hiking a bit, it soon became clear that most sane people choose to take the cable-car up the mountain and then hike the steep stairs down, as part of a nice, semi-strenuous means of engaging in the gorgeous scenery.

2) It was so foggy while I was hiking there was no scenery--except for the stone stairs ahead of me and the dense foliage to my left and right. While the cloud I was walking through would part occasionally to reveal an elegant silhouette of a rock and tree in the distance, my greatest sighting was an overly-domesticated monkey that almost bit my friend Ling...

3) As one of the few foreigners on the trail, dripping with sweat, cursing my consistent pattern of "testing-my limits," and clad in New Balance hiking gear, the many groups of tourists that continued to horde down the mountain in yellow-ponchos with microphone-clad tourguides thought it might be a good idea to 1) take pictures with me and 2) to use me to practice their English. "Hallooo" became one of the most common phrases resonating through my ear-drums as I continued to triumphantly climb, climb, climb.

(Apparently I wasn't that popular though, my friend Becky in the group--blonde, British, and blue-eyed, was actually asked for an autograph.. )

After 2 hours (the hike was supposed to take 3-4, but apparently my summer of bike-riding and yoga has helped my endurance), I reached the cable car station, and continued to the next stop to meet some friends (that had taken the 1/2 hour journey up the mountain via cable car) for lunch and more hiking to our hotel.



The afternoon proved to be equally as psychologically thrilling (I no longer feared for my lungs, but rather, for my life, now that the fog had cleared and I could just how far up I was, and what a thin wooden railing was separating me from 1000m drop), and complimented with gorgeous views as the clouds began to dissipate and the mountains (and valleys) revealed themselves. As we made our way around the elaborate stone steps carved out of the mountainside, peering into caves, valleys, small 500-year-old pavilions, and a scenic spot where young couples come to bind their love (by placing a lock on one of the over-looks and then throwing the key 1000m + down into the gorges), I can honestly say I've never been more awe-inspired by the natural beauty and visceral sensation of the sublime.



As day turned into night, my friends and I planned our hike back to civilization while getting much-needed foot massages. As we tried to find the least-intensive route, the greatest lesson about hiking the Huangshan mountains became clear: you never just 'go up to go down," but rather, the pattern seemed more equivalent to "go up to go down to go up to maybe go down."

And so Sunday, foggy at first, beautifully clear in the afternoon, proved to be a great, slightly less strenuous day of hiking in the sky, admiring the views, dodging the intense groups of tourists, and returning to the small city of Huangshan for a family-style Chinese meal of chicken feet, spicy tofu, delicious vegetable soup, bamboo, lychees, tea, and coca-cola.

Late Sunday, as our mini-bus pulled into People's Square, I was both exhausted and slightly-relieved to be back in civilization, while already planning my next hiking routes in Huangshan, whenever that might be...