During your visit to China, be sure to check out the famous Huang Shan, or “Yellow Mountain”. Huang Shan is the most famous of the five Daoist Mountains in China and is visited by thousands every year. It’s is reputed to be so beautiful that all other mountains will fail to satisfy the senses once one has gazed upon the valleys and spires of Huang Shan. The Huang Shan massif contains numerous summits and valleys all characterized by steep granite walls and twisted pine and bamboo groves. The mountain is often shrouded in mist and fog giving it a special beauty and mystery. You’ll feel as if you’re stepping backwards in time to a land of spirits and magic. Just watch out for the hoardes of people who are visiting just like you are.

This is no typical mountain climb by Western standards. The entire massif is threaded by concrete pathways and stairs, as is the norm for popular mountains in China. These passageways steeply climb peaks and plunge downward into valleys. This is not a hike for the feint of heart. Be comfortable with dizzying drops in all directions. The “Carp’s Backbone” is a great example: Just below the summit of Heavenly City Peak, is a narrow granite ridge, about forty feet long, with precipitous drops in both directions. Other sections cling to sheer faces of granite offering a passage that would otherwise be off limits to only elite rock climbers.

If you’re not in the best of shape, you can avoid many of the ups and downs by paying 80 RMB (about $11) for a one-way passage on a cable car. But, if you want to honestly climb the mountain, start at the bottom at the south gate where the stairs begin consistently climbing up to the high plateau where some hotels are located. This is the eastern route, the most efficient to get the top. The hike is not very thrilling and the stairs drag on for about three hours before arriving at the high plateau. Save the great views for the winding descent down the east side.

(above) There are three cable car systems on the mountain. Don’t be surprised to see porters carrying down dirty linens and garbage.

On the top’s north side, one can finally get some of the classic views of Huang Shan. There’s some form of legend around sunsets and sunrises on the mountain and they are never solitary. In fact, hundreds of guests have been known to line up and wait for many minutes to see one, even for a rather banal one. There is accomodation on top of the mountain; pick your style: tent or expensive hotel. However, I’d suggest being open to something different, though illegal: that of surreptitious commando in the style of Michael Stanton of the Cascades. This can easily be accomplished for the low-environmental-impact camper: Bring your sleeping back and bivy sack. Hike into the evening by headlamp (or, better yet, moonlight) and watch the crowds of hundreds vanish. Find a spot well away from any hotel (there are plenty of remote areas, especially on the eastern side), leave the trail and find a flat spot out of view. No one will bother you.

Yes, there were people in each one of those tents.

The real fun of Huang Shan is the winding descent down to the western gate. Be sure to visit the “Illusion” scenic area for superb views and thrilling pathways. However, be aware that the tourist map is deceptive. Although it looks like just a few twists and turns in the Illusion Scenic Area, it’s actually quite long (4-5 miles maybe) and includes a deep drop into a valley and an ascent back up to one of the prominent peaks. The path meanders past the “Cloud Dispersing Pavilion”, certainly one of the great viewpoints of the mountain area, especially for sunset. Beyond the pavilion, the excitement starts. The trail often is greatly exposed as it passes along vertical granite cliffs. Suddenly, the outrageous entrance fee of 200 RMB appears to be justified at the engineering required to place the miles of trails along this difficult terrain. Sometimes, they more often resemble a roller-coaster than a trail. One improvement that could be made is to have raised the railings a little bit to accomodate taller people so they resemble trip wires less and safety rails more.

(above l-r) 1) This frighteningly exposed section of twisting staircase begins the descent into the valley below. Here’s the view of the same staircase from below, zoomed in as far as I could.

Don’t be surprised by seeing more Koreans on the trail than Chinese. Aside from the language, you can tell them easily by their dress. Whereas the Chinese dress as if they were taking a hike down to the local restaurant, often dressed in slacks, buttons-down shirts, and even high-heels), Koreans take the hike much more seriously, dressing in neatly pressed synthetic North Face shirts and pants, new hiking boots, and clean adhesive sports gloves to maintain that extra grip on their new hiking poles. They’re quite excited to meet foreigners, always taking time to say, “Hello”, and make an attempt at asking where you’re from. They’ll always give you the “thumbs up” too.

(above) Along the way are quaint bridges and wind-sculpted pines

Storms and clouds frequently visit the mountain. While it’s not wise to go up to the high peaks in a storm, it can be rewarding to try to beat one and experience a high summit shrouded in clouds. The climb to the second highest summit, Heavenly City Peak, is exciting as the sun is setting and a storm is moving in. From a distance, the stairs will remind you of the winding stairs Cirith Ungol in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Two Towers. It can be a disheartening sight, but press on. One foot in front of the other. You will pass through caves, up more steps that are around 75 degrees steep, along the Carp’s Backbone, then finally to the tiny granite summit.

Wow, check out those crack systems. The one on the left is short, but it’s got Chinese characters next to it. The other summit has a very long splitter crack running up the left side (most of it is out of view in this pic) which meets the horizontal crack. Quite the hand traverse, eh?   OK, as an on-sight ranking, I’ll give it 5.10….d for how sustained it looks.

(above l-r) 1) The Stairs of Cirith Ungol, not leading to Shelob’s lair but the summit of Heavenly City Peak. 2) Endless stairs descending into the mist.

Movie coming!

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