Huangshan - Yellow Mountain

---

At the main entrance, we had to pay an entrance fee of 115Y (student discount) while Cherry and Se Young also had to pay 80Y more for a cable car ticket. They didn't like the idea of hiking all the way up the western (front) path with their back packs. The other two girls Se Won and Helen decided to take the cable car after 5 minutes of hiking up stairs. Joey led us for a while at a decent pace, each of us sporting 2.5 Liters of water and all of our other extra weight! It was going to be a workout, but I was extremely excited. We tried to speed past group tours (which we didn't see that many of at first) and didn't stop for the first 30 minutes. Our first break was at Crescent Moon Pavilion, where I enjoyed some refreshing water and my first muffin on the mountain (I packed eight)! We decided to try half-hour breaks (which turned into short 20 minute breaks) with a long break each hour at a pavilion or open area.

To the top of Celestial Peak took us about 2.5 hours (could have been faster or shorter depending on scenic time). The entire path was lined with concrete/stone stairs that had been hand carved to look like part of the mountain. It truly was an amazing feat! Close to that of the Great Wall even. They were so steep at some parts, you were actually climbing using all four limbs, though no ropes or chains on this hiking path. Occasionally there were narrows and caves that gave us some energy with their shade, but it seemed like I would be the one to keep the group going, having to initiate bursts of energy, but it wasn't hard considering how much I was enjoying the scenery, clean air, and good exercise. I hadn't seen the sun that bright or clear in China since...well since I got here, haha. Oh, and I guess I should interject here that I didn't really put any sunscreen on....We passed by this awesome bridge that was so open it made for great views, and I found one narrow so tight I had to take my backpack off to finish it, ha!

If we knew that Celestial Peak/Capital of Heavan Peak/Tian Du Feng was much better than Bright Peak, we would have chilled there for a bit longer, but we thougth we were pressed for time and pushed on. We stopped at a few places to take some insane pictures of Joey or me climbing/crawling out onto random ledges. I tried to use common sense and exercise restraint where possible - 100 people die on Huangshan every year...probably because some other tourist accidentally bumps them off though - but it was too much fun. Going down stairs on the mountain is probably more dangerous than going up, and much worse on your knees! It took us another hour to reach the Yuping Cable Car exit, where the girls got off - they were already at the hotel. They missed so many good views!

We passed by Three Island at Penglai (named so because it appears that fairy's would live on the island), Welcoming-Guest Pine (most famous Pine on the mountain - supposedly over 500 years old), Jade Screen Peak and Pavilion, and a rock I named "Bloodhound Rock". At Jade Screen Summit there were vendors, expensive-ass water and snacks (because it had been carried up the mountain by Sherpas!), and WAY too many Chinese tourists (who just got off the cable car). Sherpas carry food and material - up to 100 lbs. - up the mountain to the hotels a max of 2 times a day for very little money. Their calves are huge! We had to push through the crowd and try to manage some pictures and just to move forward, but after looking at the line, we decided the Welcoming-Guest Pine, China's treasure, wasn't worth the wait - it wasn't all that beautiful anyways. I snapped some pictures of Lotus Peak from an open spot and then we continued toward Bright Summit.


After the cable car, we passed "Cellphone Rock", a small cave, and Turtle peak before slowing down a little bit and reaching Tian Hai Pavilion. After discovering that the ceiling wasn't black, but rather that it was covered with bugs, we decided to hurry our rest break and actually spotted our hotel with a huge circular weather monitoring system on its roof. Bright Peak was disappointing, it did not feel at all like the second highest peak due to the slow gradient. Most of my pictures are from the West view of the summit. We ran into an English guy tanning on the summit who took a picture for us (Parker actually used to live near where his family was in England) and then we dropped our packs if in the hostel. It wasn't great, but I've stayed in worse and didn't really care - we were on a friggin mountain, ha!. Eight beds in one room, each bed basically just plywood wrapped in sheets, and no towels. Se Young and Cherry were NOT happy...

For lunch, I guiltily ate some fried rice with Parker, Joey, and Brendan (the girls had already eaten) at the hotel restaurant. Half of my water remained. We explored past the Northwest path from the summit. We almost missed a location called Looking Over Mountain Ranges Rock, but luckily I was in a climbing mood and saw it. There were 6-7 photographers set up along the ridge, they were all waiting for sunset, so we decided to meet back here to see it. We all visited Flying-Over Rock and then split up after running into some hungry wild monkeys due to some interesting off-limits areas. I spotted one off the trail first, then Cherry started feeding them, ha.

Helen, Cherry, and I went to check out Red Cloud Peak to compare the view for sunset and passed the Echoing Pavilion, a dangerous cliff I crossed some barbed wire to get to, a food, some cute squirrels and rare/indigenous birds, and Cloud-Dispelling Pavilion. Helen and Cherry got too tired, so I ran ahead to snap some pics and compare the view - unfortunately the top peak was closed =(, but I looked over the summit and got a few decent views. I ran back to the sunset location missing Cherry and Helen, who unluckily waited a bit too long for me...and then after catching my breath (3km steep run, ha) Parker, Brendan, Joey, and I just went photo-shoot crazy until the sunset was over. One female photographer had fun snapping pictures of our randomness and tried to ask us to pause every now and then for her to get in a photo. It became quite cold after clouds began enshrouding the sun, and I finally was able to notice my sunburn or should I say complete change of skin (color and feel) on my arms and neck...three weeks later the farmer's tan is still here, ha, maybe an Underarmor shirt wasn't that great of an idea.

I ate some Ramen back at the hostel with pieces of hotdogs tossed in for protein and then we all hopped in bed around 10-11pm for sunrise at 4:30am. It was pitch black and frigid when we walked outside for the sunrise, but still there were already tourists lined up along the East peak of Bright Summit, so I instictively jumped up on the nearest rock and reached an isolated ledge with Brendan, Parker and Joey following. The friggin Chinese tourist masses kept snapping flash pictures of us the whole time while a few braver tourists tried to be pushy and climb up next to us, but we blocked them. I had to keep leaning back with all my weight so these fools didn't kill me, pusing me off. Once again, Bright Peak disappointed us as the sun never made it above the clouds and everyone slowly filtered back inside for some more sleep. I grabbed some of my food and my Sansa Mp3 player and chilled in the lobby til about 7am and then threw down a few bboy sets outside while watching the mountain side - a very pleasant experience.

Around 9am, we began our trek down Eastern (back) Trail. For some reason, everybody assumed I knew exactly where I was going, probably cause I walked fast, had memorized an online map, and acted like I did - but I told them I didn't know the "right" way, I just know how to get there. After hitting a dead end at a hotel, and angering Se Young, who didn't want to walk anymore then she had to and Joey, who was panicking about making the Bux on time, I simply let them argue at the map sign and then walked around the hotel asked someone in Chinese the quickest way to White Goose Pavilion, and kept moving along my original path upon the confirmation. Everyone ended up following my route anyways cause they couldn't find a shorter, ha, but still complained - except for Parker and Cherry they were cool. Pluse we got to see some great views behind Behei Hotel. We passed by the White Goose Cable Car station where everyone except Parker, Cherry and I paid 80Y to take it.

We made it down to the bottom an hour later (50 minutes after the other group) and it was an easy hike, plus we got to see the famous Immortal-Pointing-the-Way and Pen Rack Peak. At the bottom, we took a bus back to the hot springs area where we were going to meet the other group. They had decided to walk along a very non-scenic and hot road to the hot springs area from the bottom to save money (also they didn't know where the bus station was) and ended up in worse shape than we were in, haha. They were only 5 minutes from our location when they finally decided to ask for help - someone drove them to the hot springs....and charged them 100Y taxi for a one min. taxi, ha. We took a sketchy, no A/C having bus back to Shanghai and then enjoyed some well-deserved showers and dinner!

---

Photos

Small Village
In the taxi to Huangshan

Huangshan Rocker
Only full group pic!

On the way up Celestial Peak
Cool valley

Some chill man-made ponds
Someone had to carry up that cement...

Moon Pavilion View
Eating my muffin

Joey leading the group
...at least for the first part

Narrow path I ran up to check out
Had to take my backpack off and turned out just to be the down path of this route, ha

Tree we found over a ledge
Not on the "safe" path...or any path for that matter, ha