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Hua Shan
day 2 (14th Sept)
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7:30, chilly and very windy, I head off to the S Peak, the highest peak of Hua.
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Goooooooood
morning Hua. |
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Before
reaching the S Peak, there is THE most precipitous
spot of Hua - the Sky Footway. On such a very windy day, and with a
backpack and 2 bags dangling on me, I confess I don't have the guts
to walk it.
My inside thigh still
contracts involuntarily when I try to visualize the footway and the
height. No kidding.
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The first part of
the footway the on the right. Chains on both sides. |

Then you have to
climb down this ladder. The difference between this ladder and the
ladders we came across earlier is that you will turn into baby power
if you fall on this one. |

Then you continue on
a footway that's made up of 3 pieces of wood (middle of PIC), chains
on the right, and 6,000 ft. on the left. According to description,
there is still a 8 ft. footway that extends into the air at the end
of the wooden path. But it's not for me to find out. Sorry.
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I am not crazy about I've-been-here PICs but I have to do one after
a tough hike. |

Pine tree flying on the S Peak. |

A run-down Tao temple below the
S Peak. |

If it hasn't fallen in a million years, it wouldn't fall in this
second, right? |

Up W Peak. And then heads downhill. |

Tourists like to put locks on the chains along the way. To lock
lovers' heart maybe. At Golden Lock Gate. |
On the way down, still
on the main ridge, I am not expecting much for food. Then comes the pleasantly
surprising lunch. |

And how about eating perfect food in a perfect setting? Life
rarely comes into such harmony. |
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Ok, pork on the left
is so-so.
Refreshing cold noodle on the right topped with sesame sauce is
perfect. Relief to a sweating body and pleasure to the taste buds.    
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A "cake" of cold noodle. Scratch the spoon with holes
on the cake and you get noodles.  |

Yum yum yum!  |
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Near noon, before reaching the N Peak, I see the branch off point to the
old trail. Maybe I should give up my cable car plan altogether and push my
body's limit again. Let's drop to zero on foot.
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Here we go branching off to the old trail. The steps on the
beginning section are so narrow, sometimes as narrow as 4 inches,
that I have to walk sidewards like a crab. |

Look left ... |

Look right ... |

And fall ...  |

An example of human touch of Hua - but I think that they
should leave the mountain alone. |

This hiker is going
down, not up. He is not the only one to walk backwards because
looking down is too scary. |

An abandoned house. This lady is not living here. She is just a
tourist who has just taken a peek at the house. |

Antique! |
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The lifters
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In all the mountains
of China, where transportation is not available, all
materials have to be carried uphill by lifters.
While we are doing
this 7,128 ft. hike for fun, they are doing it for a living,
and they have to do it everyday. What they get though is a
mere 4 cents per pound for carrying things up 6-7 thousand
feet. Lifters here have an average loading of 100+ pounds.
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It's time to admit
me and Bo are from different worlds. I can try to understand
his feeling and share his joy but I can never live his
life.
Bid farewell and his
inspiring simpleness will always be with me. |
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Back in Xi'an feeling my legs are breaking apart from my body. I am lucky to be
able to find a hotel that doesn't block my internet roaming account. I
stay indoor all night to catch up on news and answering emails.
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