The World’s Most Dangerous Hike
After visiting Jiuzhaigou, we had two options: Fly north and visit the desert or fly east and return to Xi’An. Perhaps our thinking was muddled from the altitude — at 3500m above sea level, Jiuzhaigou’s airport is the 3rd highest in China and has an oxygen bar that is extremely popular with travellers — but we chose to return to Xi’An so we could hike Mt. Hua Shan. Hua Shan has occupied a spot in my mind since I saw pictures of its seemingly horrifying plank walk several years ago.
Why would anyone willingly walk along this path?
Thankfully, it is not as dangerous as it looks, and safety lines now exist to clip into.
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- A view of Hua Shan’s North Peak
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- If you like walking up stairs, you will like walking on Hua Shan. Steep cliffs on both sides of the staircase.
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- While a gondola to the North Peak exists, there is no easy access to the South, Central, and Western peaks, all of which have hotels needing daily supplies
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- Mike learns that ordering “fried chicken” in China may have hilarious consequences.
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- Chess Playing Pavilion
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- Sunrise on Hua Shan
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- This “ladder” is the only way to access the plank walk, but it is barely wide enough for two people to pass, so logjams often occur here.
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- In places where there no planks, metal rods supplement mountain footholds.
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- A small shrine awaits at the end of the plank walk.
