I Saw No Tigers, But the View was AMAZING

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Tiger Leaping Gorge is by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It's magical.

Ken and I started out from Lijiang and took the bus to Qiaotou and then from there we found the high trail. I did not expect quite as much uphill as there was, that's for sure! At least, not right away. We stopped a few hours in, at Naxi House happy to take our bags off. The water and snacks were heavy. 3L gets heavy quickly. We then set out for the 25 Bends, the hardest part of the trail. I finally gave in and got on a donkey for part of it. I had been under the impression that the donkey ride went to the end of the trail, which I didn't want. But for 20 minutes I was saved from steep, uneven stairs and carrying my bag. I didn't really like being quite that tall or at the mercy of the donkey, but I just had to remind myself that the donkey didn't want to go over the cliff, either.

The scenery was more impressive and majestic than I had imagined. Photos won't do it justice. They can't capture the sheer magnitude of the mountains or the roar of the river rapids far below. We heard birds, saw waterfalls, and at one point the second day we even came across some prayer flags hung between trees.
It was kind of funny to see all these people running around on the trail, effortlessly, while Ken and I huffed and puffed our way through. It's hard to believe that young and old still live up there, so high, farming and living. Seeing people the age I'm used to seeing drive Cadillacs leading donkeys and carrying baskets of greens was truly an eye-opening experience. They just ran down the path like it was a perfectly normal thing to do. Well, for them I guess it is. Everyone we encountered was very friendly and smiled, many greeted us with "ni hao"s.

Our first night we stayed at the Halfway Lodge, which was much further than half-way. I barely made it, but we were racing the clock. By the time we got there I just wanted to lay down in the road (it was pavement at that point, not dirt and rock or shale) and go to sleep. Really, you can come find me in the morning.

The next day, after a good night's sleep, we set out for the second half of the hike. We rested part way down the mountain, taking in the view and eating apples. What's the point of hiking the trail if you're not going to enjoy it? We could see the river, mountains, blue sky, fluffy clouds, and green grasses stretched for kms. It was like being the only people on the Earth. Well, until a man and his grandson came by. The grandfather walked right by us while the grandson ran up a path to avoid us, and then later shyly looked down the hill at me before ducking behind a wall.

We passed the ladders down to the river and the path down to the Tiger Leaping point #2. We were sad to be off a trail and back on pavement. Pavement just doesn't seem like a real experience. We made it to Sean's Guesthouse mid-afternoon. I ate, napped, and showered, and then felt friendly. Ken had wanted to go back to either of the two trails, but we decided to hold off a day. We spent the night with new friends (including the Canadians), drinking beer, wine, and eating until we were stuffed. It was like a big celebratory dinner: Yeah! We hiked the Tiger Leaping Gorge!
Now all they need is t-shirts.

Sunday Ken and the Canadians set out for the ladders down to the river. I wish I could have gone, but I still hurt from pushing myself a bit too hard on Friday. Rest sounded better. I wrote in my journal and discovered internet. Enjoyed a fantastic fruit salad with yougurt and honey and the view for lunch. Then we all (me, Ken, the Canadians, and two Beijingers) shared a ride back to Lijiang. The ride out was crazy, a bit scary, but so close to the river I could really see how wide and powerful it was. Hard to imagine from way up high.

There's no place like it.

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Photos

The Gorge
With the Mighty Yangtze running through it.

The Gorge
It's so vast!

We stopped for a snack.
And marveled at the majestic beauty of it all.