READ THE POST BELOW FIRST!!!!
The next morning we had planned to wake up early to watch the sunrise, yet shortly realized it was coming up on our side of the canyon and wouldn’t fully expose itself until later in the day. While waiting, we all read enjoying the peace that only a small, secluded mountain village can provide. The lifestyle these people, the Naxi people, live are remarkable. I kept thinking to myself, someone actually hiked in here with no trails and said, “Ya, we can make a living here.” I mean, the land is steep and hardly accessible (at least it use to be). They wake up with the crow of a rooster and perform the days’ chores as if it were the 1900’s. The farming techniques they use still require a horse drawn hoe. And of course, the engineering marvel of how they utilize tiers on such slopes to cultivate rice and other commodities is notable. After watching another picture perfect sunrise (p. 161-180) we ate breakfast and set off for Sean’s. Everybody was in a great mood which would make the trek even more pleasant.
Along the way we passed a small waterfall that at the time was pretty cool. That is until we came upon a giant gouge in the canyon wall. We continued climbing high and finally came to the waterfall we had been hearing for some time. The path opened up to two pools where the waterfall was flowing. Of course my immediate reaction was, “We’re swimming!” So naturally I busted out the most important piece of equipment to any hiker, a Spedo, and was ready to jump right in. I made the mistake of testing the water, which was every bit as cold as the ice-baths I use to enjoy after track practice. As everybody else dropped into their skivvies (while maintaining decency), I lay out to catch some rays and warm up before making the plunge. We took some photos, giggling the whole time, and then played around in the water. We were like kids again climbing over rocks, dancing to stay warm between plunges, escaping the realities of life… but then again, what is reality? I’m unemployed (for another month), supporting myself, traveling, and loving life. I pray for those stuck in NY offices working 80 hour weeks. They can have it; no amount of money is worth sacrificing doing that which you love. And don’t tell me they love wearing ties and stagnant office environment because it’s not human.
As we soaked in the rays, smiles stretching from ear to ear, I couldn’t help but think of how blessed I was. Little did I know, it would only continue.
We men in the group started to get antsy and ready to move along. So we pressed on while the girls laid out a while longer. If you asked me where the trail was going next, I never would have guessed where it went. Straight uphill we literally climbed, hand and foot. We passed through a spectacular bamboo portion that gave comfort; if you fell, you’d be caught by the dense bamboo. Other places were a little hairier and definitely steep! We reached the summit and could stair down 1,000 feet to the pools below… crazy! At the top was a field of boulders that we decided to hide behind and scare the girls as they followed. We got ‘em pretty good and continued on. Next, we ran into a young man who was tending a goat and its newborn baby. When I say newborn, the little goat had literally been born that day! I couldn’t believe my eyes and all I could think about was how miraculous God is. It was another highlight, watching this newborn creature and its first moments of life that I’ll never forget.
We plundered down the hill, feeling the soreness in our bones, ready for some good food and rest. We finally made it to the low rode having completed the high trail. We were pumped to reach Sean’s despite taking a whole lot longer than we thought. There was no way we could have done that hike all in the day before.
Sean’s is the most popular place in the gorge for it was the first GH to open 26 years ago. Heavily advertised with yellow arrows and encouraging notes along the way, it’s really hard to miss. We arrived to meet Sean’s three daughters who were running the place for him at the time. They confirmed the unfortunate news that we had heard earlier about Sean. Sean (a man with major skin disorder and one arm) and his son-in-law were imprisoned in Tibet while trying to recover his [Sean’s] deceased wife’s body. She had passed in an unfortunate hiking accident there. His daughters came home to run the GH and the one had not seen her husband for a month. With the little communication that they had, they knew that he was suppose to be home sometime that night; sure enough, he walked in just after dark. The look on the wife’s face was priceless as they family rejoiced around the long lost husband.
We felt guilty as our dinner orders were still coming from the kitchen as he arrived, but then again we were starving from a long hike. We enjoyed the fire pit they had and gazed at the stars for some time. The stars were plentiful until the fullness of the moon overtook them. It was another perfect evening with good friends, good food, and good accommodations. We were all set to get a ride out the next morning (in order to make our train home) and hit the sack early, once again.
The next morning we gathered our things and waited to ride with one of the daughters out of the gorge. We took another ‘mian bao che’ along the low rode up to the first construction point. We knew we had to walk around certain areas to get to the other side where another mini-bread-loaf-car would pick us up, but we had no idea we would soon find ourselves clinging for literal dear life. There had been a few landslides and the rode was withering. So they were blasting out rock to reconstruct the road and also clear the rubble from the landslides. The road at the first point we had come to had been completely wiped out due to landslide (p. 288). We crossed one at a time, me going first, excited from the adrenaline that began to flow through my veins. I followed a local step for step as excitement turned to pure fear and focus. Once on the landslide, I realized both the consequences and vitality of each step. Loose gravel was not a good sign but faith alone pushed me on. One false move and you were tumbling to the river below with nothing to stop you. My heart was beating out of my chest as I reached the other side and let out a holler of excitement. I was alive! Ok ok, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic but it for sure makes you consider the value of life. We would make this kind of maneuver two or three times more. One of the washed out points required a parkour type maneuver that everybody actually handled well. People have died in this canyon before (without the help of landslides and blasting dynamite) and I can’t help but think of how fortunate we were to have all made it out without much more than a scratch (and a bit of dust).
Once to the other side we had some smooth transportation back into the town of Lijiang, and then again down to Dali. We had made our train with time to spare. The week had been perfect; we had hiked arguably one of the prettiest hikes in China. Although I’ve only been here one month, I can’t imagine anything grander than the Tiger Leaping Gorge, save Everest itself.
Now safely back in Kunming, I feel refreshed and spiritually enlightened. You don’t realize how much world there really is out there until you explore it for yourself. And when I do, I realize more and more the magnificence of God… He is everywhere and in everything! I feel blessed to be here, and am grateful everyday for His presence, even on the other side of the world.
For more on Tiger Leaping Gorge:
http://www.tigerleapinggorge.com/enter.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Leaping_Gorge
1 comment:
Beautiful! What a fantastic adventure that was! Thank God you all came through that safely! Your pictures show incredible scenery. And your Thanksgiving dinner looked absolutely delicious. LOVE, Mom
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