A Walk through the Gorge

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I’ll let the pictures tell most of the story of my 2 day hike into Tiger Leaping Gorge.

The Gorge earned this name because, it is told, a tiger once leaped across the narrowest part of the Gorge. It is about a 2 hour trip from Lijiang, but will be faster late next year when a new road will be completed most of the way there. At that point, I fear, the crowds may ruin the place a bit.

The hike begins up a fairly steep grade, at one point, with 28 switchbacks. At about 6,000 ft elevation, this got me huffing a bit, but the views once at the top are spectacular.

I stayed at the Tea Horse Inn about half way along in the hike. A better place would have been 40 minutes ahead at the Halfway Inn. Even the toilets there have great views.

I wish I’d planned to stay another day. The hike ends at a point above where the tiger supposedly leaped. From there, the locals have built a steep path, including ladder, down deep into the gorge. Unfortunately, I was only able to make it part way down before my time ran out. Still, even that was satisfying.

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