| |
Daniel Tarr (et.al)
The Hua San Trail
- A Hua San Ösvény - |
[Source: Uqpu] |
There is a holy mountain in China called » Mount Hua Shan. At its base, you will find a gigantic set of stone stairs, called “the Heavenly Stairs.” These stairs go so high up the mountainside, it is hard to see where they end. If that wasn’t enough, the precarious stairs lead to the world’s most dangerous trail, the Hua Shan plank path...
One of China's Five Sacred Daoist mountains, Hua Shan located east of Xi'an (about a 2 hour bus ride) in Huayin, a city 120km east of Xi'an in the Shaanxi Province of China. For reference, Xi'an is the location were they unearthed the Terracotta Warriors and the cradle of Chinese culture extending some 3000 years into the past. Consisting of four peaks, this cliff side / plank walk is located near the South Peak. The plank trail leads high up to the top of the Hua Shan mountain. The trail itself is dangerous and stunning, but no one will force you to wear safety gear, although it’s strongly encouraged.
华山 Hua Shan Cliffiside Plank Walk
with GoPro HD (Full 12 min)
Below is a photojournal that shows the trip that is necessary to get to the teahouse monastery on the southern peak of Mount Hua Shan.
The stairs themselves, although beautiful, are daunting.
The base of the mountain is called "the Heavenly Stairs".
And they are the easiest part of the climb.
Continuing up the Heavenly Stairs.
However, countless people make the dangerous journey for what’s at the top…
As you climb the stairs, you pass little villages and houses that have cropped up on the mountain.
There are "towns" along the way that sprang up to support the temples at the peaks.
This area is still fairly safe, and doesn't require much caution.
Then, once you get high enough, you can take a gondola to the southern peak, where the plank path awaits.
First you take a gondola ride to the base of the southern peak.
After the gondola drops you off, there is a short distance of path.
This is where the path turns truly dangerous, with nothing but planks to walk on and a rail of chains to hold onto.
The path gets tighter and tighter, until the only way to continue is by sections of planks put together to bridge the gaps.
The railing is a series of chains and carabiners, padlocked to metal stakes that have been hammered into the mountain face.
When meeting someone going the opposite direction, the only possible way to pass is by backing up to the closest landing, then letting the other person pass.
It is hard to imagine construction of this path.
Flags mark which path you're on.
There are several paths, which go to other locations; mostly landings that have larger standing areas.
There’s almost nothing from keeping you from falling.
After moving around the side of the mountain, the mountain begins to slope, so we can stop going around, and start moving in a more direct line to the peak.
You can make out steps on the left side of this picture.
There are parts you must climb the rock face with toe holes cut out.
The final stretch goes straight up the mountain face. Toe holes have been hammered out.
Once you make it to the top, there is a long path that saddles the mountain top.
This path brings you to the peak.
And finally, the peak! At the very top of the southern peak is a Taoist temple that was converted into a teahouse.
Atop of this peak is the the southern temple, a teahouse which is probably more revered for its location than its tea.
Thousands of people climb the world’s most dangerous path to end up at a teahouse.
The teahouse is one of the many Taoist temples to be found on each of the five peaks that make up Mt. Huashan. As the original inhabitants practiced asceticism, and didn't make a habit of traveling, they daily meditation was heavily accented by drinking tea. For this reason, over the years, this temple has turned into a teahouse. When seen on a map, the mountain range forms a sort of flower shape. The temple was built here because each of the five peaks needed to be populated in order to complete the flower.
This particular teahouse is on the South Peak, which has an altitude of 7,087 feet.
» Taoizmus - Taoista Szent Hegyek
» Taoizmus - A Taoizmus Gyakorlata
» Taoizmus - Taoista Tanítások
