Mt. Hua

11/18/2015  Break out the winter woolies. Mr Gao is taking us to Mt. Huashan, a mini Mt. Everest. He says we will have a good time, rain or snow. So we pile on the layers and take our winter coats and gloves and are ready for pickup at 5:30 AM. 

Two hours later we pull into the parking lot of the ticket entrance. It's cloudy and misty and we can barely see a mountain. But soon we are on a cable car climbing to the 10,000 foot summit. It is so steep that in the middle it goes downward before climbing back up to the top. We are delighted to see some sunshine above the clouds. The view is absolutely spectacular! Steep gorges, colorful autumn leaves, and razor sharp mountain pinnacles. 

We arrive on the west side at a famous lookout point. Mr. Yao informs us we are going to traverse the mountain to the north face--a mere 10 kilometers. That translates to 6 miles--I'm an old woman. But he's not about to let me go back down the same cable car, so off I trudge with a prayer in my heart. 

I was foolish to think that at the top it would be a level path. I spent the next 6 hours climbing up and down rock stairs of every height and width (mostly very narrow, 6” max). They kept telling me we could take it slow.  In fact Mr. Gao preferred my pace instead of trying to keep up with Energizer Tim. (He smokes two packs a day!) The last mile or so it took Tim on one arm, and Mr. Gao on the other, to drag me down the last several flights of stairs. The only thing that kept me going (besides that I really had no other choice) was a couple of encounters with some poor workmen who were hauling over 100 lbs of goods on their shoulders, to the top of the mt. Things like 3-4 cases of water bottles, and boxes of food and vegetables.   I can't imagine how they do it--their backs must ache terribly. And I'm sure they don't get paid much!

The views above the clouds truly were gorgeous. It was a pleasant day, very little wind, so I didn't even need my heavy coat. George the translator carried that for me. At last we  arrived at the North face and gladly climbed aboard a cable car for the descent. He said the food wasn't "safe" on the mountain so finally took us to lunch/dinner back in the city at 5:00.  We had snacked on tangerines and cucumbers, but Tim was ready to eat most anything.  Chinese pork sandwiches, noodle soup (no spicy), and rice with scrambled eggs and tomatoes--always a sure bet.

Mr. Two seemed quite pleased that we made it before dark, and admitted that he was worried about how I would handle the whole experience. (Then why did he plan such an arduous climb?). I'm glad to say I've been there, and I did have a feeling of accomplishment when I survived. Plus I knew if I died up there, Rachel was the only one who would come to visit my old bones. 

I should retrace my vacation steps of the last few years. This was definitely harder than all the pyramids in Central America, and all the cobblestones, coliseums and cathedrals in Europe combined!  And I didn't climb most of those!