Mt. Hua

On the North Peak of Mt. Hua
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We were so excited to be leaving the city behind us and heading for the moutains.  Mt. Hua to be exact.  One of the five Taoist sacred mountains in China.  The guide book said it was 6 km to the top of the North Peak (clearly uphill) -- the first 4 km was moderately steep and the second 2 km was very steep stairs.  Average hiking time 3 - 5 hours.  6 km is 3.2 miles so we thought it can't be too bad.  There were places to stay at the top so we figured we would hike up stay the night and then hike the ciruit to the further peaks before heading back down.  What we should have paid more attention to was the book's description of the hike.  "This will challenge you both physically and psychologically".

80 meter stairway to heaven looking up
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If the steps on the Inca trail were bad this was worse.  The first 4 km were tolerable but once we hit the steps it became grueling.  Their were so many and they were so steep.  We were also carrying our big backpacks.  Thankfully there were plenty of stops along the way.  These stops were people's houses where they set up store fronts for the travelers.  The amazing part was we saw Chinese men carrying cases of beer and red bull balanced on a log over their shoulder.  I tried to convince Tony to balance both our backpackes on the log so I could go on but he told me I had to carry my own weight :)

80 meter stairway to heaven looking down (trust me I didn't look down)
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At the stops we made, we would refuel by drinking a ton of water and eating a snack.  We couldn't stay too long because we began to get cold.  Everything was drenched in sweat!  A few groups of stairs and we would look down and the rest stop would already be 500 feet below us.  It was that way all the way to the top (1615 meters or 4400 feet).  The pictures show a place called 80 meter rock where the steep stairs have been carved into the rock.  They are so steep its easiet to use your hands for balance rather than the chains provided.  Just like the Inca Trail though, the further you went the easier it was to keep going because turning around was harder and farther than going forward.

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By the time we reached the North Peak, we were exhausted and decided to spend the night.  I might have killed Tony if he had made me climb even one more group of stairs.  From the North Peak you can see the Central Peak, West Peak (the sheer face in the pictures) and the East Peak.  We splurged for a deluxe room ($50) with the view you see in our pictures.

The next morning there wasn't a doubt in our minds.  After hiking up to the scenic view area of the North Peak (a mere 40 steps or so), there was no way we were contining on to the East/West Peaks.  In fact, there was no way we were hiking down.  I couldn't even look down without getting vertigo on the really steep stairs.  Climbing down might have killed me.  Luck for us option 2 (also in the guide book) for getting to the top was a cable car.  "From bottom to top in 10 scenic minutes."  It works the other way around too.  At least we had the experience and that's something we wouldn't trade for the world.  Now its time to have a beer and rest those tired, tired legs!