This is going to be a long post and for great reason; if you do not desire to read my entire description of the past week, I don’t blame you. I’ve split it into two sections. Look at the pictures simultaneously for I reference them throughout.
http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/2688277/1/Tiger%20Leaping%20Gorge?h=7ae598
And even though neither words nor pictures can possible capture my past adventure, they’ll at least give you a mere glimpse into the splendor that China has to offer.
My friends and I spent a marvelous Thanksgiving that, thanks to their culinary skills, honestly rivaled any meal cooked that day in the US: glazed turkey, scallop potatoes, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, macaroni, green beans, cranberry sauce, even two apple pies and a cheesecake lined the table for a feast fit for kings. Did I mention the potatoes? We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly; everyone was excited to be together for a traditional turkey day, yet I was even more excited for the adventure that followed…
Stephanie, Rachael, my roommates Chiara and Ben, and myself had all prepared to venture northwest through Dali and on to Lijiang. Just north of Lijiang lies the Tiger Leaping Gorge, a place I had researched heavily and was one of the main attractions I had been dying to see. We had an overnight train to Dali and arrived to see the sun peek its head over the mountain range to the east. We were in for a beautiful day! Dali resembles Denver even more so than Kunming. The city lines Erhai Lake, which squeezes its inhabitants up against the primary mountain range to the west. We continued on the train up the east side of the city taking in the picturesque view of the lake that lay flat at the foot of the mountains like a loyal dog to his owner’s bed at night (pictures 14 & 16). Another three hours later we had arrived in Lijiang where I was able to catch my first glimpse of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain who stood every bit of 5,596m (18,360ft). We found a hostel located in the Old Town part of Lijiang to set ourselves up for the actual hike the next day. Old Town is very quaint preserving the classic Chinese architecture and cobblestone streets/alleyways. However, it was a tourist trap. I still enjoyed it. We explored the city a little and made preparations for transportation to the gorge. After a good meal, we hit the hay early in anticipation of an early rise and rigorous day of hiking to follow in the morning.
The city was still sleeping with all of its lights turned off when we snuck out. On the bus we had met a solo traveler from the States who would simply fuse into our group, happily so. The day provided a slight overcast of clouds that we would end up being thankful for later. When we arrived at the trail head, we were informed that the gorge was closed for repairs among the lower road. The construction had started on December 1st… I looked at my watch which told me it was December 3rd and I just kept tapping it as if it were broken and this was some kind of joke. We talked to a local who informed us that because of the construction, they can’t charge tourists to enter the gorge (the high trail was still perfectly fine). So he offered to drive us passed the gate and drop us at any point up until the construction. This worked out beautifully since we paid him less than we would have paid the park entry fee. So past the guards we zoomed in the ‘mian bao che’ which literally stands for ‘bread loaf car’ because of its shape.
Once in, it was nothing but adventure! The hike started with a fairly intense climb straight up the mountain to the high trail; we traversed the 24 bends successfully and continued on. The clouds began to break up at the peak allowing the sun to warm us. It in fact made us layer off. The sun put on a marvelous display as it pierced through the clouds casting constantly changing shadows on the jagged mountains. I had to pick myself off the ground several times from tripping over my dropped jaw. I mean, the Grand Tetons of Jackson are spectacular, but this place was incredible! You be the judge, check out the pics.
After several hours of hiking and picture taking, we had reached the Halfway Guest House and decided to stay there for the rest of the night instead of pressing on to Sean’s GH. It would be the best decision we would make all trip. We were the only ones in the whole gorge as far as we were concerned. We hadn’t seen but a couple of folks the entire day and they were leaving. So with the place to ourselves we dropped our bags in the $4 bedrooms (pictures 186/187… p. 140 through these are of Halfway House. P. 149 is the view from the squatty potty). We watched the sun set itself down for the night, kissing the other side of the gorge with its beams of light. We had a few beers on ‘Inspiration Deck’ and then ate dinner downstairs for it had grown colder. With a few beers in us we would soon return topside, now numb to the cold, and danced into the night under a full moon. It felt good to be outdoors again, away from civilization, young and free, doing what we loved to do and without a worry in the world. We expressed our joyfulness without holding back by howling at the moon with the dogs in the canyon below. It was the perfect end to a spectacular day of hiking.
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