Near Xian is one of China's five most sacred mountains. Therefore, we had to climb it. at night, to see the sunrise. A number of people from the hostel were intersested in joining our unplanned plans and we headed out.
Carrie came prepared with extra water for the hike.
Leo (most left) looks like a totally prepared boyscout but actually nearly every peice of his equipment failed on the way to the top. 
Carrie studies the map which warns us it's a dangerous climb. At every tourist stop in China they try to sell you insurance. The hike up was long, steep, and thousands and thousands of stairs.
It was also some of the most beautiful stars I've seen in a long time. (oh tokyo haze....)
It was also full of Chinese tourists carrying on at the top of their lungs. Like a bunch of frat boys.
The summit was crowded as we all shivered waiting for the sunrise. The sunrise was half and hour "late" because not only did it have to clear the mountains but also the smog from the coal burning industry in the area.
Regardless, it was beautiful.
At the top you could rent soviet style green down jackets. It was cold!
The climb is popular for newly weds, apparently, and it's customary to engrave your names on a lock and lock it up on the mountain as a symbol of never ending love.
Oh the stairs.... My legs hurt so bad.
The adventures continue...
4 comments:
yeah... seemed like a good idea at the time and it was so pitch black going up, we didn't get intimidated by how far we had to go.
I hurt for days....
After climbing down all the stairs and finally getting to the mild incline our legs and knees hurt so much we were walking backward back toward the bus.
yes, we got many strange looks from the locals.
Those are incredible photos!!
What an adventure. THANK YOU for sharing with us... and no stairs!
Love, love from all of us
Have to chime in. The mountain vistas are incredible. Amazing pictures!
This is totally fascinating! What a fabulous blog!
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