The Deadly Huashan Hiking Trail
Story written by Rick
Archer
A special 'Thank you' to Milt Oglesby for the email that got this
article started.
Originally published: January 2007
Most recent update: May 2008
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Note from Rick
Archer: In the year and a half since this page was posted,
this story about Huashan has been widely circulated around the
world. It has become a favorite place to visit for anyone
interested in a good story.
As a result, over the past
year I have received a great deal of fascinating correspondence. For
example, several people who have actually climbed Huashan in 2008
have written in to share their experiences. I have decided to
list the letters on a separate page since the 'original page' just
kept growing and growing. When you finish the story, I am a
certain you will enjoy the
Huashan Letters
as well!
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FORWARD (Written
by Rick Archer)
You are about to
view pictures of a mountain hiking trail on Mt Huashan which is
located in China. After you see the pictures,
I have little doubt you will agree that it might
just be the most dangerous Tourist
Hiking Trail in the world.
There is a big difference between
mountain climbing and
mountain hiking.
Mountain climbers have training, experience, and
equipment. They also know full well the risks
they are taking. Mountain Hiking is usually
done by amateurs. I am more the hiking type
myself. I remember walking to the top of Longs Peak
in Colorado. It was a long way up there and
took the better part of a day, but it was worth it.
The view was stunning, the weather was wonderful and
the workout was exhilarating. Of course I was
tired, but I didn't care! I still consider
that climb to be one of the most enjoyable days of
my life.
One memory I carry from that experience was that I
was never in fear. The trails were
well-groomed, there were ropes on either side of the
trail whenever necessary, and there was no area
steep enough to require stairs. It was simply
a long, very pleasant walk.
The trail at Mt Huashan is much different.
When I first posted the pictures of Huashan in
January 2007, I believed it was the most
dangerous trail I have ever seen. Since then,
I have received several letters that suggest the
Chinese have made significant improvements to this
trail. I certainly hope so because in its
original state it was a Death Trap.
Let me assure you that people
do have accidents even when they are hiking! Some
are fatal.
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-----Original Message-----
From: Allen
Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: huashan trail
Rick,
I came across your website after googling
"most dangerous trails". This Huashan one takes the
cake! First of all, this clearly should be a
one-way trail. I've been hiking in Europe where
there are similar trails, chains, platforms (metal
ones), and ladders. Many of these sections are
one-way, clearly marked on maps and books. If you
get caught going the wrong way, it's a huge fine
right on the spot. There's just no excuse for such
irresponsibility in my book.
I bet most deaths occur on
that Huashan mountain because of passing or
inexperience folks who are not in shape. All it
takes is one misstep, one instant when you aren't
paying attention or someone distracts you, just one
slip...
Last June, I was in Yosemite. I've been up
the Half Dome a couple of times and decided to go up
for a third time. While I was on the cables, I saw
someone slip from above and slide to his death. It
was the most frantic and shocking thing I have ever
been a part of. People suddenly started screaming, I
looked up and saw a guy sliding off the mountain
with no way to stop his momentum. I can still see
the look on his face, petrified, he was kicking his
feet, he bounced on the rock a couple of times.
He slid by me, and when I looked back, his feet hit
a divot which unfortunately caused him to somersault
out of view. Someone below yelled that he was
"airborne", falling 4000 feet to the Valley floor.
The poor fellow didn't go
airborne for long. He landed on a ledge about
a hundred feet below the "saddle" section where the
cables begin. A couple of hikers had the courage to
go down there for a rescue attempt. His heart was
actually still beating for a few minutes but he
succumbed to his injuries.
All of this
happened so fast.
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About a
year before, another person lost his grip on the
cables and slid down the other side of the mountain.
He lucked out when his pants caught a piece of rock
that prevent him from sliding 4000 feet to his
death.
The guy was there for 6-8 hours before
someone rescued him. Unreal, huh?
Some people still kept going up, but I
couldn't. I just had to turn around; it was no
longer fun. I was so stunned, no words can
describe how I felt at that time.
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This area is part of the "Heavenly Stairs"
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Mt. Hua is located in the Shaanxi Province
of China.
It stands to the south of Huayin City, 75 miles east of Xian.
From the map, this mountain is located close to Himalayas of Tibet.
'Shan' means 'mountain'
in Chinese, thus the name 'Hua-shan'.
This is not mountain climbing. Mountain climbing involves
using advanced equipment and skill honed through experience.
Instead you will see a public trail used by anyone brave enough to give it a try
regardless of their physical ability or previous climbing experience.
It is said there are frequent casualties.
I was unable to drum
up any confirmation for this allegation. Considering
the tight controls the Chinese keep on their press, I might never
find any confirmation. That said, the pictures don't lie.
My own
eyes tell me how dangerous this trail is. In certain parts,
one mistake and you will fall to your death. For example, take
a look at the icy stairs in the picture!
Mt. Huashan is not some neglected little spot in the
middle of nowhere. Quite the contrary! Mt Huashan is one
of the five sacred mountains in China (the other four mountains are
Mt. Taishan in Shandong,
Mt. Hengshan in Hunan,
Mt. Hengshan in
Shanxi, and Mt. Songshan in Henan.)
Mt. Hua is home to several influential Taoist temples where emperors
of past dynasties made pilgrimages, making this mountain the holy
land of Taoism. Many
emperors came to pray and sacrifice to the God of Mt. Huashan. It is said that Lao Zi (Lao Tze), the founder and patriarch of Taoism, once lived and
gave sermons here. Today many Taoism temples are located on Mr.
Huashan which helps explain why this area is visited by thousands of
people.
Huashan
consists of five peaks.
When seen in a certain way, the five peaks of Huashan look like five
petals of a flower. Originally Hua was called Xiyue - meaning
'Western mountain' - because it was the westernmost of the five
sacred Taoist peaks. Formerly the five mountains were dotted with temples but
today only a few
remain. These days the majority of visitors to Huashan are Chinese
youth on vacation. However the mountain routes are still trekked by
devoted pilgrims and wandering monks intent of visiting the sacred
shrines.
The East Peak is 2,090 meters (about 6,857
ft) high above sea level. It is also called Facing Sun Peak because
the top of the peak is the best place to watch the sunrise.
The Middle Peak is also
called Jade Maiden Peak. Story goes that Nongyu, the daughter of
King Mugong (659B.C.-621B.C.) of the Qin Kingdom (770B.C.-476B.C.), was tired of the life in the
court. So she and her husband moved to Huashan and lived alone at Middle Peak.
The West Peak is 2,087 meters
(about 6,846 ft) high. It is always called
Lotus Peak because of its unique shape.
This peak is formed by a huge rock. Hence it's very steep.
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The majestic South Peak is the
tallest. With an altitude of 2,160 meters (about 7,087 feet),
ancient people called this the 'Monarch of Mt. Huashan' because it
is the highest peak of Mt. Huashan. It is also the highest peak
among the Five Sacred Mountains of China.
Tourists who summit South Peak are rewarded
with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. The famous Yellow
River wanders far below and everything seems small. Legend has it
that the wild geese returning from the south often landed at South
Peak, giving the area the name 'Landing Wild Geese Peak'
Climbing to the top of the South Peak brings every climber a great
vision. What's more, the temple for God of Mt. Huashan is situated
on the South Peak.
Finally, there is the North Peak. It was called
Clouds
Stand by ancient people. Today it is called the
Cloud Terrace Peak as it looks like a flat
terrace in the clouds.
The peak is 1,614 meters (about 5,295 ft) above sea level. An important site on
the North Peak is Zhenwu Hall (God of
North)
The North Peak is the dangerous peak at the
center of our story. The North Peak is very popular for
climbing despite its peril. In the middle of North Peak trees are
luxuriantly green, creating a good rest spot.
There are two similar precipitous paths by
which climbers reach the North Peak. Certain routes on the tough North Peak climb have been given humorous, but quite accurate names
such as 'Thousand Feet Precipice' and 'Ear Touching Cliff'.
Mt. Huashan is famous for its egregious
cliffs. Nowhere are the cliffs more difficult to climb than
the North Peak. There are rugged cliffs on all four sides of North Peak. Three sides are cliffs
that are nearly impossible to climb and the fourth side
is the 'ear rubbing cliff'. This
route gets its name because there are places on this precipitous
path where tourists can climb up only by pressing an ear close to
the cliff.
A tortuous 15 kilometer stepped path leads to the
Black Dragon Ridge
(Bilong ji) where other trails lead to the major peaks.
In order to reach certain temples and the caves of the sages great
courage is needed. The climbers must scale steep cliffs with only a linked
chain for support. To fall is certain death.
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The picture on the left illustrates an area
known as the "Heavenly Stairs". Maybe that is because if you
fall off of them, you go to Heaven...
These steps are the Starting Point for the hiking trip up the
West Peak mountain.
As you can gather, the initial part of the climb seems steep, but
safe.
In addition, the view is awe-inspiring.
Who wouldn't be tempted to look for the incredible beauty said to
greet each traveler at the end of the climb?
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After the
Heavenly Stairs, Canglong Ridge
(aka
Black Dragon Ridge), is
Part Two of the climb.
Now the grade becomes even steeper than the Heavenly Stairs.
You may be incredulous
to
discover people make
this climb in the winter snow!
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After Canglong Ridge,
you reach
Jinsud Pass.
Jinsud Pass is Part Three of the journey. Judging from the
pictures, this area seems narrow. Looks must be deceiving. Although the ridge seems barely
wide enough to allow people to walk on it, there is obviously enough room to support several structures.
At the end of Jinsud Pass, there is a choice:
West Peak or
North
Peak.
Many people continue to the West Peak for a good reason: The West
Peak route is quite safe. the
perilous The perilous climb is located at the
North Peak.
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As stated earlier,
Mt. Huashan has 5 peaks. The West
Peak seen in the pictures above is said to be the most graceful peak. I think "Graceful
Peak" is Chinese-speak for 'you don't have to risk your life to visit
the temple.'
On the other hand, judging from the picture
below, even the West Peak Temple doesn't look that easy to reach.
That said, the view atop the West Peak Summit is breathtaking!
Now you see why people make the climb.
The temple below has a name: It is the
Playing Chess Pavilion.
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NEXT UP:
THE DEADLY
NORTH PEAK! |
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At this point the most aggressive climbers
shift over to the trail that leads to the forbidding North Peak, the
highest of the 5 mountains.
They take an exhilarating Gondola
ride from the West Peak over to the North Peak.
They are in for one of the most dangerous
adventures of their entire life. To say the North Peak climb is
'formidable' would be an understatement.
Along the cliff of North
Peak is a planked path equipped with iron chains.
These
devices help, of course, but there are few safety features. One mistake and the climber meets eternity.
Further up it gets even more difficult. Here there are
chains and rock footholds which allow the adventurers to
continue on the frightful path past precipitous rock faces
and yawning chasms.
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Always far below, the valley beckons. Only the foolish dare to
look down. Furthermore, no one dares to think of the trip
back. In some ways, that's even tougher because you are so
tired. And don't forget the people
coming down have to get around the people coming up.
Please keep in mind these climbers are not
professionals! Most of them are Chinese college kids here on
vacation. They are not equipped with any sort of modern
climbing equipment or even the proper shoes. Nor do they have climbing experience.
All they have going for them are their hands, their feet, and their courage.
Plus they are trapped. Once they discover the sheer precipices
and overhanging rocks, at this point it is very difficult to go
back. If it rains, they are in trouble. If the wind picks up, they
are in trouble. If the wood has a slippery spot or a chain comes loose...
But always there is the temptation of the magnificent beauty.
The scenery changes at every step along this path. The Beauty
of the Mountain seems to cast a magic spell over all who pass.
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A
Foolish Journey
Rick
Archer's Note:
I did not write the following story. It
was written by an American who
scaled the South Peak with his wife in the
winter of 2003. His story is quite compelling.
The pictures
you will see were taken by many different people.
I visited about 100 Internet sites in my attempt to
compile a photographic tribute to this rigorous
hike along the perilous South Peak.
After reading
this story, I think you will agree that a hike this
difficult would never be permitted here in America.
Obviously the Chinese see things differently.
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THE STORY BEGINS:
Our gondola ride over from the West Peak had
not been a problem. In fact, the ride was a lot of fun.
(see gondola picture below)
But after the gondola ride, my wife Laura and I found ourselves climbing hundreds of icy,
steep steps using
the flimsiest of guardrails.
Despite the fact that we had both slipped a couple
times, we stubbornly continued. Now our walk had brought us to this spot.
As I stared up at the
near-vertical staircase before us, I wondered how on earth did I ever
get in this mess. Not only did I feel in danger, I
felt responsible for my wife as well.
Steep steps were carved into
the rock with chains for support.
Cleverly, there were
two ladders - one for ‘up’
and one for ‘down’
(see picture at
left). Despite this, our hearts were racing
as we saw where the ladder’s steps went vertical at the top of a
20 meter climb.
The stairs
were so imposing we had little choice but to stop and think about
it. We could see the climb ahead was the steepest,
least-protected section yet. Making
things worse, I thought I could see ice on the steps. This wasn't going to be
easy. I was losing my patience.
"This is ridiculous!
I can't believe
they expect people to climb this thing!
We should have stopped
a long time ago!" Laura
stared at me with an odd look. I couldn't
figure out if she agreed with me or not. We almost had quit
once before. I don't know why
we didn't.
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I suppose what
kept us going was the noisy throng of people
who passed us while making their descent. This
indicated to me that the peak must be close by.
If all these
people made it, I figured so should we.
I had a war going on inside my brain. It was driving me crazy. The "Courage" side of my brain was engaged in a knockout fight with my "Reason". So far
Courage had the upper hand,
but Reason aided by Fear was
making a move.
Meanwhile my pessimism had rubbed off on my wife.
Laura was having
second thoughts. As we stared up at the vertical
staircase, Laura's quizzical look had changed to a frown.
"I don't know if this is such a good idea,
Frank. Maybe we
should throw in the towel. Do you want to
stop?"
I stared at her quietly. Laura was
right. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, especially not
with these winter conditions.
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The spot where we stood
was actually quite beautiful. We could see the vast wilderness of the
valley below and three of the other four peaks of Mt Huashan.
I was overwhelmed by the splendor. No wonder this
place was revered as a religious area.
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Unfortunately this place was dangerous in the same way a
beautiful woman is dangerous - too risky, but too hard to
resist! My inner conflict continued. Part of me could not bear to
give up this adventure of a lifetime. The beauty of
the mountain was
overwhelming!
On the other hand, I wished we had stopped a long time ago.
The Staircase we had just completed had been no picnic (see
the two pictures above). For the entire climb the two of us had been clinging to the railing
for dear life! However, despite the freezing
cold, the blustery wind, and steps that were iced over, like
fools we stubbornly kept walking.
I admit it. This was mostly on me. I had
not wanted to stop. We had
not paid 300 yuan
apiece ($80 total), spent 3
hours on a minibus, sat through a half-hour lecture
about the mountain, taken a 20-minute cable car
ride, and climbed snowy, icy steps for 45 minutes just to
get so close to the top!
The chances we would ever return to this place were slim to
none. This was my chance. It was
impossible to quit now that the top was in sight.
Yes, it was cold, icy, and threatening to
snow, but this would probably be the only chance we would ever have to
climb to the summit of Huashan. This was one of the most famous
mountains in China! I
uttered a lukewarm response to Laura's idea of quitting.
We talked a little more, but soon the
subject was dropped. Laura
said she had not really wanted to give up either.
'Yeah, sure,' I thought to myself.
I was very worried I had made the wrong choice here,
especially since I had no idea what was up ahead.
We continued to inch our way up the
steps until they suddenly became steeper still, and even
closer to the 400-foot drop on either edge.
I forced myself not to look down.
Finally we made it.
Now we could see what was up next.
Instantly we
both stopped breathing.
We stared up
at a steep vertical cliff.
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It was the final major
obstacle before a hike to the temple. Fear gripped me
as never before. The cliff ahead
frightened me out of my wits.
At this point, my fear escalated to a level I had
never previously felt before. My inner debate raged
on. This was the third time "Courage" was in great danger of losing.
I was the cat who had climbed the tree and
could not get down, only here nobody would or could come to
my rescue. It felt like a
bad dream; I wished I could just escape, and wake up in my
warm bed, but there were no warm beds here, only biting cold
winds, ever-accumulating snow, and icy steps. I knew we
would have to get out of this on our own.
I was overwhelmed by fear-induced nausea. I
don't have a head for heights. I felt rather sick looking
at the rickety wooden walkways and the
rusty chains hanging
over the precipitous drops ahead
of us.
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I gazed up at the cliff above.
I was astonished to see an
absurd number of giddy Chinese scaling the treacherous steps
with almost reckless abandon, some wearing what can only be
described in English as "dress shoes," specifically the kind
with smooth outer soles.
"What is wrong with these people?!" I thought. "Are they
insane?! Stupid?!
Both?! Why
aren't they afraid?!"
Why indeed did the Chinese people seem so
unfazed by this treacherous
path?
My mind drifted back to reports
that people regularly fell to their death attempting to
climb the mountain. After what I
have seen so far today, I had no doubt these reports are correct.
And I had a sixth sense that told me the worst was yet to come!
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Why on earth would I try? Picking
your way along a sheer cliff surely isn't an enjoyable way
to spend a holiday, no matter how good the views are at the
end. Had I discovered a previously
undetected 'Death Wish'?
There is, off course, a certain type of
traveler who enjoys the bravado and back-slapping of
dangerous travel. I'm
certainly not one of them, although I suppose I
am more adventurous than most. But today, I was not
here out of bravado. I was here because I really didn't know
any better! I was the accidental mountain climber who
got in way over his head.
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Danger is a hazy concept.
For
starters, we never know the exact probability of an
unfortunate accident. Our minds try to estimate it based
upon past experiences, hearsay, and whatever knowledge we
have accumulated. Even once
we think we know the chances of tragedy in a certain
situation, there is still the question of whether or not to
be afraid.
I wished I had a
feeling for the frequency of accidents at this part of the
climb. But no one around us spoke a word of English.
What was the probability of an unfortunate accident?
Right now I was
more scared than at any other time in my adult life.
How much risk is too much?
Was I supposed to be afraid of this? Maybe it isn't as
difficult as it looks. Everyone else I can see is
motoring up the cliff. It can be quite difficult to
know when to say "no".
Laura and I talked some more. As we talked, one
Chinese person after another walked past us and started to
climb the ladder without even a moment's hesitation.
That's when
I decided to continue. I wish I hadn't. As long as I live, I will never
forget the next part of our climb.
I asked Laura if she wanted to go first or have me go first.
Laura nodded for me to lead.
The first
thing we did was climb a metal ladder that had been bolted
into a natural chute (see picture at
right). In other words, there was a
chimney-like crevice in the side of the cliff.
The
consequence of a mistake was certain death. On the
other hand, how often do you fall off a ladder when you are
paying attention? Just
make sure the grips are secure and you have a firm footing
before taking each new step.
This climb was scary, but we made it.
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The next part was
actually pretty cool. At the top of the chimney , a skimpy trail had been carved into the
side of the mountain. This trail wound through improbable
niches in the rock face.
(see picture at right- people are still in
the chimney)
Laura and I moved sideways across the face of the cliff.
Things got much easier. We soon discovered there was a
natural ledge that had been used to create a trail.
Where the ledge was not sufficient, a man-made trail had
been carved out of the rock. We were very relieved to
discover there was also a metal fence to help as we crossed
the cliff to the other side
(see lower picture at right - there is a path and chain rail
for safety).
The uphill climb in the
chimney had been tough, but I started to relax when I found
how easy it was to walk on this path. The chain
fence added much-appreciated security. Yes, it was still possible to
slip, but if you held onto the chain, it was unlikely you
would plunge over the edge. Believe me, I held on
tight.
In addition I dared not look down. My balance
depended on my confidence. The more scared I got, the
worse my balance became. I kept my eyes glued to the
granite surface of my path. I missed the beauty of
valley because I kept my
blinders on.
Stupid me, I made a mistake - I looked ahead. That's when
I discovered my safe rock trail was about to end only to be
replaced by an absurd wood ramp of some sort. I
panicked and stopped in my tracks.
Seeing this ramp coming up, for the fourth time that day I
had myself convinced to go back down when out of nowhere 6 Chinese college kids caught up to us.
Although they were unfailingly polite, I could see they
wanted Laura and I to get it going. Since this place
was too narrow for them to pass us, we were holding up
the line! Embarrassed, Laura and I started our slow trudge forward.
As we neared the place where the trail changed from rock to
wood ramp, I
was grateful to find a small recess in the mountain.
Laura and I stepped in to allow the Chinese students to
pass us by. I could not help but notice their
smiles and laughter.
Their fearlessness had begun to aggravate me. Why
weren't they afraid?! They were laughing and joking.
No fear. Heck,
I was glad to let them go by. Now we could move at our own
pace.
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The next part of our journey was almost more than I could bear.
As we turned the corner, I was sickened to discover a perilous walk
across the cliff. There in front of me were nearly two hundred
feet of wooden planks jutting out from the side of the cliff.
Nor was it a straight line - the damn thing turned a corner!
Yes, there were chains to hang onto, but there was ice and there was
wind and the margin for error was very small. Those planks
could not have been more than two feet wide. Exposed to the
elements, I wondered just how safe they were. (Note: This ramp
had a name: Floating-in-Air Road. But I called it
Boardwalk)
The only reason we continued was those Chinese college kids.
Laura and I watched them cross. It looked like they were
dancing... step apart, step together, step apart, step together...
they walked sideways across the cliff! And they were laughing!
I swear to God if it wasn't for those kids, Laura and I would have
turned around a long time ago. Left to ourselves, we would
have given into our panic, but to see those crazy kids fearlessly move
across the cliff made us think we could do it too.
Laura and I gave each other the "what are we getting ourselves into
this time?" look. I grabbed the chain, made sure not to look
down, and did my step-together-step across the face of the rock.
I kept telling myself if they can do it, I can do it.
Nevertheless, I nearly slipped one time. Normally I never
actually picked up my feet, but there were places where the new set
of boards didn't match the set I was standing on. Since I
didn't dare look, when I switched to a new board, each step was an adventure.
As I took a step to the new board, my foot didn't hit the board right
and my heel slipped on the edge of the board. I had only my
left leg for support. I gripped
tightly to the chain and regained my balance. Laura, bless her
heart, didn't see it. She had enough problems of her own.
A panic attack immediately kicked in. I could feel my knees shaking.
I was scared to death to take another step. I just stood there
and breathed a while. Laura asked me if I was okay. That
broke the ice. I decided I hadn't come nearly as close to
dying as I first thought.
So I nodded I was OK and started moving.
Soon I actually managed a laugh of my own. I found a spot on
the rock smeared with lipstick. I suppose one of the Chinese
girls had pressed her face so close to the wall, she kissed the
rock.
It wasn't easy walking sideways
on this vertical cliff. One mistake and I would fall
straight to that valley about a mile below. If it was on
flat ground, it wouldn't be that tough. But here the stakes
were certain death. That knowledge affected my poise considerably. I thought
about the Chinese kids some more. I wondered what would their
parents would
think if they knew one of those climbers was their kid?
This climb had become incredibly dangerous. What was it about about the Chinese culture that
permitted their citizens access to
such a dangerous route? I honestly believed that some people
died doing this!
The only reason we were here was because we didn't know any better.
I was incredulous that something this deadly was open to the public.
Sure there were warning signs down below, but nothing had been said
that could possibly let us know how much trouble we were getting
into.
I thought back to a presentation that had been given on the bus
trip. An expert on this area had given a lengthy outline about
Mt. Huashan in Chinese. Our bus guide whispered a shorter
version in broken English to us. It probably would have been
interesting if we understood Chinese. It might have kept us
from being here!
My hands were starting to hurt from gripping this freezing cold
chain. I wished I had the foresight to bring some bicycle
gloves for protection. My heart went out to Laura who was
bravely inching her way across the wooden planks. She would
follow me anywhere. Laura didn't
say a word. Another wave of guilt came over me. I hated myself for getting
Laura into this mess.
Moving at a snail's pace, slowly I neared the end of the plank. It had taken me twenty
minutes to move a couple hundred feet. It had been the
longest twenty minutes of my life.
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Now I could see our next challenge.
There was more climbing ahead for us, but this time we would use
footholds instead of ramps. There was an enormous
round boulder. Someone had risked their lives to cut
footholds into sheer rock. Nice feature, but this still wasn't going to
be easy.
Laura and I stopped to watch the Chinese kids. I gave a silent
thanks that they had not gotten too far ahead of us. Now I
could watch
them to give me some more inspiration.
I quickly realized how we had managed to catch them - two climbers
were trying to descend. The college students had to wait till
these people got down. The foothold path was definitely not a
two-way street.
One girl slipped coming down and screamed.
I swear my heart almost stopped beating as I watched her struggle to
regain control. But she recovered and
eventually so did I.
Now the kids who had
passed us began their climb.
There were six students in the group - four boys and two
girls. As I watched them go up, I got
a new sick feeling in my stomach when I realized how precarious this
new section was. Those footholds made me wish for the
wooden planks again.
When they were done, we had
to wait for yet another group to descend. In all, we spent
nearly
twenty minutes at this spot. The entire time my anxiety was
ratcheted up.
Like the wooden boards before, this particular section had
no safety features at all.
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I shook my head in
disgust. One mistake would kill you instantly.
This area was so dangerous it required proper mountain gear:
climbing boots, carabineers, belay devices, bolts, and ropes.
But all we had was our bare hands.
Now it was our turn.
However, before we could start, a bitter wind picked up. I dropped to my knees for
protection and Laura took my cue. For what seemed like
several minutes we huddled there on the trail waiting for
the wind to let up.
Finally the wind abated, so we stood up. Time to go.
I wasn't looking forward to seeing that wind hit us on the
foothold path.
Laura gave me a wan grin. "Boys
first!" I smiled, but disagreed. I told Laura I would
rather let her go first in case she slipped. This way I might
be able to catch her if something bad happened. Laura nodded.
Looking at it this way made sense.
I watched as Laura grabbed the chain with both hands and stuck her
right foot in one of the footholds. Putting one hand over the
other, she slowly shifted her weight to her right foot. That's
when she discovered the footholds were wide enough for both
feet. Now it was time for
her left foot to join her right foot in the first foothold. The next foothold
was about six inches apart.
Clinging to the chain with both hands, she
fished around with her foot till she found each new foothold.
Now it was my turn. The path was diagonal -
part sideways, part upwards. I estimated the climb at about 20 feet.
One mistake and I would die. I could feel the adrenaline
surging through my body. I felt shaky and scared. But I
wasn't going to stop now.
That said, I found this
20 feet climb to be incredibly scary. What if I slipped? The fear alone made my
hands and legs tremble. Every motion I took was careful and
deliberate. I didn't trust myself to make even the slightest
aggressive move.
My caution paid off.
Amazingly we both made it to the top without
problem. Now it was time for one last obstacle.
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The
end was in sight. All we had to conquer now was the Staircase at the top of the world.
I called it "Stairway to Heaven". Led Zep would have agreed.
I noticed the Temple
at the top and idly began to wonder how the people who worked there got up and
down the mountain. Was there a secret elevator? I was
immediately suspicious there might be an easier route, but if there
was, I never found it.
The excitement of almost being at the end made us take the steps too
fast. Almost immediately we were hit by a gust of wind that
knocked us both off balance. Both of us grabbed the chain for
dear life. Any stronger and we could have easily been swept
away!
For the second time on this trip, we had to drop to our knees for
safety. The gust had taken us off guard. Just when we
thought we were in the clear! Slowly we got to our feet and
started climbing again, albeit more slowly this time. My heart
was thumping at the near call. This climb was definitely not
for the faint of heart.
From that point on, we were completely exposed to a strong wind that
never let up. However, now we were ready for it so we
continued to make headway anyway. Despite good winter coats,
Laura and I were both
shivering. It had to be close to freezing this high up and the
wind sure didn't help things. No wonder they call it "wind
chill".
But we were too close to stop. One step at a time we climbed
the stairs. Gosh, my legs ached! But we made steady progress and soon we were finally
safe inside a beautiful Tao temple atop the summit.
As I stared out the windows safe from the wind and the cold, I don't
think I have ever felt happier in my life. I was so relieved
to be here. I could not believe
what Laura and I had to overcome to make it this far.
I made a
quiet prayer of thanks for our safety to the Almighty.
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There was an observation post
at the very top that allowed us a 360 degree look at the world around us .
Everywhere we looked, huge mountains and deep valleys greeted our
eyes. The beauty of the view really escapes description. I
could have stayed there all day just to watch.
But our reverie was shattered when a Chinese park ranger came up and
warned us that it had begun to snow further down. For
our own safety, maybe we should go.
Laura's face turned white with fear. Me too. Sorry to say, any courage
I had in reserve left me immediately.
Oh, shit.
All that work to get here and all that risk for a lousy ten minutes
on the top of the mountain. But we didn't have any choice. It was time to go.
Laura and
I gathered the courage to descend North Peak.
I was astonished to realize I had not given a second thought to
getting back down. I was sick in my stomach
again. Knowing what we had to go through to get back down with
snow and ice making things worse had me worried.
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Sure enough, the winds were even tougher as we climbed down the
treacherous Staircase. But at least we enjoyed having gravity on
our side for a change. Snow mixed with ice fell on us.
The snow had just been flurries as we climbed down the steep
staircase. Now as we reached Foothold Lane (known as
Somersault Cliff to the locals) the snow began to fall in earnest.
As a result, we found the
steps
were filled with slush. That
didn't help a bit. Moving at about the speed of molasses, we
took it one step at a time. I was so glad there weren't any
chirpy college kids around expecting us to move faster.
I had two thoughts. I smiled as I realized the experience of going up
did make getting down a lot easier. But I frowned at the
unbelievable amount of concentration I was forced to use to ensure
my safety. The pressure was enormous.
After Foothold Lane, we were now back at
Boardwalk. With
white knuckles firmly clamped onto the icy chain
handrail, we inched our way across the
ice-glazed
boards. A dark thought crossed
my mind - maybe they could use this mountain for a season of
"Survivor". They wouldn't have to vote anyone off.
Contestants would "fall off". Ha Ha. I guarantee I'd watch!
Next we climbed across the path carved out of the cliff. This
part wasn't so bad because there was actually a chain fence for safety.
The path took us back to the Chimney. Heck, the Chimney was
just a ladder. At this point, I was starting
to feel about as confident as I had all day. After Foothold
Lane and Boardwalk, the rest was just a hike. Nothing too scary. Laura
seemed to relax as well. Holding on tightly, we made it down in good
time.
As far as we were concerned, the worst was over. Let it snow.
We were now on the original
Staircase of Suicide. The cable car station was just a couple
hundred yards away. The end was in
sight. Suddenly something happened
that I will never forget for the rest of my life.
About fifteen yards in front of me, a Chinese man was walking
carelessly along a relatively flat portion of the walkway.
I had noticed he wasn't even holding the metal chain. Without
any warning, he suddenly lost his footing, slipped and fell.
With
only a few thin pine trees on the snowy slope
separating him
from a 600-foot drop
off a sheer cliff, he reached back with
one had to grab onto
the safety chain just as his feet slid under it.
If he had missed the chain or his grip broke, the pine trees
would be his last chance. But he held tight and broke his momentum.
Slowly
he pulled himself back to his feet.
Laura and I were too stunned to even move. Only
a lucky last second grab of the chain had saved him. This guy had missed
death by a hair. Before
I could even muster a breath,
he turned straight around and looked at me.
In perfect English, he calmly said to me, "It's very dangerous
here. You
should be careful."
I just about fell off the mountain myself from shock.
An instant
before, only a rusty, icy chain had come between this man and almost
certain death. But the man's first thought after
almost dying was to
warn ME to be careful! What an amazing
man.
Fear of heights must not be part of the Chinese ethos.
Not me. This guy's brush with Death had me
spooked. Now I kept BOTH HANDS on the safety chain.
I had not taken one carefree step in over an hour,
but now I concentrated even harder.
Not two minutes later, Laura screamed in terror
as she slipped on the ice just like the Chinese
man had. Even though she was on guard, her
feet still went right out from under her. Fortunately she had
a firm grip. She saved herself from
careening down the slope by bear-hugging the safety chain
just as the Chinese man had. I was there in seconds, almost
slipping myself as I hit an ice patch. These icy steps were
deadly!
As I helped her up, I did not feel as
much shocked, scared, or relieved as I just felt angry at myself for
allowing us to be in this spot.
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From the very start, my better judgment
had been put aside
by a combination of wanting to get "my money's worth" and
from observing all the Chinese people
giggling up and down the mountain without regard
for consequences. Always way too competitive for my own good,
I had allowed my judgment to be clouded by my need to think I was
just as brave and athletic as these kids.
As a result, we had spent nearly two and a half hours on this icy, treacherous
mountain path with scant guardrails and few
safety features. Deadly drop-offs were just one mistake, one
slip
away the entire time.
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Now as exhaustion set in,
Laura had made a near-fatal mistake. I was beside
myself with anger at my stupidity for putting us in this
spot to begin with. If she had gotten hurt (or worse),
I would have never been able to forgive myself. I was
furious with myself for my ignorance. I had no idea how easy
it was to slip going down the steps.
But mostly I was angry for trying to compete with the
Chinese.
I had gotten so used to thinking
the Chinese knew what
they were doing that I did not realize
until the man
slipped in front of me that my judgment had been right all
along - this mountain path was a death trap.
Someone could have a heart attack from exertion and
fall to their death. Or a trembling foot could miss a
foothold and make a fatal slip that would cost them their life.
Even a simple mistake like Laura's could end it. We were lucky to be alive.
Ironically, two days
later, we stopped at a temple in nearby Xian. Laura
picked up a pamphlet and started to browse. I heard
her giggle. Curious, I asked her what was so funny.
She handed me the pamphlet and told me to look for myself.
The first thing I noticed was this particular pamphlet was
written in English.
Laura grinned as she pointed to the
Third Wisdom of Tao:
"He who knows when to stop does not find himself in
trouble."
Amen to that.
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About the Pictures
Rick Archer's Note: The majority
of the sensational
North Peak climb pictures used here were taken by taken by a man named
Senteur de Boue, aka "vebiltdervan". He
appears to have some sort of connection
to the name 'Vanderbilt'. If you ever read the man's profile,
you will understand why I am so unsure about his real identity.
But that is unimportant. His pictures are wonderful.
What makes this man's pictures so
amazing is that they are one of a kind.
See the original shots
When I first researched the Internet
for "Huashan pictures" on Google in early 2007, I could
only find one other picture of the Floating-in-Air Road. I read on one site the reason for the lack of corroborating pictures
was
that 'cameras' were not permitted. My guess is they didn't
want to scare away the visitors! In other words, our
photographer had to break the rules to bring home these pictures. We are
fortunate for Vebiltervan's good old American disregard for rules!
As a result of his boldness, Westerners like me are in debt to this man.
He has shared a fascinating part of the
world we would never have known about otherwise.
So what do you think? Do you agree this
the most dangerous Tourist Hiking Trail in the world?
If you have any comments to share, please email Rick Archer,
dance@ssqq.com
Thanks for reading!
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About Rick Archer
and the Huashan Story
I am the
owner of a dance studio in Houston, Texas, known as SSQQ
(slow slow quick quick).
The SSQQ Web Site came online in late 1998.
Right from the start I realized the power of my web site to
help build my own business. The more I could interest
my dance students to visit the site, the more they would
stay interested in my dance studio. So I started a
monthly email Newsletter to my dance students.
I soon realized that dance newsletters were tough to
make fascinating! Dancers don't exactly cause much
trouble. I began to publish information not just about
the dance studio, but anything interesting that crossed my
path (for example, stories about dangerous hiking trails in
China!). Soon my Newsletter became very popular.
As one person said, it was better than most magazines!
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My work on the
Newsletter and the SSQQ website led to a curious
development.
People appreciated my Newsletter. Without any
prompting, as a sort of reward for doing a good job, my
dance students who received the email Newsletter began to
forward me all sorts of interesting stories and pictures
whenever they ran across something. Suddenly I
had an entire Network of friends sending me all sorts of
good stuff. My In-Box collected all kinds of
fascinating emails. That is where I get my material
from - people just send me stuff because they appreciate the
SSQQ web site.
That's exactly how this story started. In November
2006, one of my students - Milt Oglesby - forwarded me the
pictures of Huashan. I was so amazed by the pictures
that over Christmas Break I decided to do a story on Huashan
as well as the infamous Road of Death in Bolivia. As
they say, one thing leads to another - my Internet Research
uncovered the story of China's Guoliang Tunnel as well as
the Russian Highway of Mud. I started with one story
and now I had four awesome stories!
Google
-----Original Message-----
From: Patsy
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 11:17 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Mt. Huashan mountain story
Mr. Archer,
Photography in your blog and the written descriptions
were
1 – beautiful
2 – spell binding
3 – terrifying
4 – much appreciated!
Despite the old spoil sport, “Chris dude” - cheers
indeed! good work!
Thanks and happy trails from a 75 yr old granny in East
Texas.
P.S. and Thank you, William, way out west in San
Francisco, for sending this adventure on to me!
So how do people
from East Texas, San Francisco, and all over the world end
up on a dance studio website looking at pictures from China?
The answer, of course, is Google.
You already knew because the Google Search Engine is what
brings most people here (or perhaps a link from a friend).
When I first started publishing stories in 1998, my
Newsletter was directed at my dance students.
Google changed all that.
Starting in 2002, Google began to bring visitors to my
website from all over the world.
But why me? Anyone who has ever played chess or
studied military history knows that getting to a spot first
makes a big difference. I currently have about five
different stories that are on Google's first page simply
because I wrote a story before anyone else bothered to do
the same. My Huashan article is the perfect example.
When I first researched the story, there were places that
posted the same pictures, but had no story. Then I
found places that had stories and anecdotes, but no real
pictures. My site was the first to combine both.
Let's face it - I am amateur writer. I just write this
stuff for the fun of it. In fact, my friends tease me
about it. This email below is from Gareld McEathron, a
gentleman who met his wife Virginia here at my dance studio.
Gareld has sent me many stories over the years (Joke
Pictures). By chance, Gareld sent me the same
Huashan email as Milt Oglesby a couple days ago. Boy,
was he surprised when I sent him a link to my story.
Here is his reaction.
-----Original Message-----
From: Gareld
Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 12:33 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Mt Huashan China
WOW!! Great story, Rick. I
had not seen it before. Makes one wonder when you have
time to teach dance.
I sent the
link to several of my friends with this introduction:
"Hi Kay,
Knowing how much you like to travel to out of the
way places, I thought you would find this story
interesting. It was written by my friend, Rick
Archer, who is a frustrated writer that is forced to
make his living running a dance studio."
So now you know why
a guy in Texas who has never been near China in his life has
a Page One Huashan article (according to Google).
Because I got my article out first, Google brought people
here for lack of any better place to suggest. And
because people forward links to the page to their friends,
all the hits from around the world guarantee the SSQQ
Huashan story stays on top. It is a perfect example of
a story that stays famous because Google says so.
Huashan Letters
In the year and a half since this page
was posted, this story about Huashan has been widely
circulated around the world. It has become a favorite
place to visit for anyone interested in a good story.
During this time I have received a great deal of
fascinating correspondence. So much in fact that I
have decided to list it on a separate page since the
original Huashan page just kept growing and growing. I
am a certain you will enjoy these
Huashan Letters!
Indeed, several people who have actually climbed Huashan in
2008 have written in to share their experiences.
In addition there links to more photos as well as excellent
YouTube footage.
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