Trekking Mount Huang

:​Mount Huang is one of the most famous mountains in China, acclaimed for its unique pines, strange stones, sea of clouds, and thermal spring. The peak, called the “loveliest mountain in China,” has been famous since ancient times.  Many emperors and poets visited the mountain to worship the gods and to show respect for nature, and many works of art and literature have been created about this mount.
 
We started to climb the mountain at 4 pm, and it took us about four hours to reach the summit. Through the climbing, the path’s slope varied, becoming level at times and steep at others. Halfway, we came across three college students, with whom we shared food and took photos. Later we continued on alone without them since my group wanted to arrive at the top of the mountain before dark. 

Here are some pictures we took of the magnificent scenery along the way:
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The steps we climbed
​While we climbed, we often came across people shouldering loads. They were transporting garbage from the top to the foot of the mountain. We felt great sympathy for them. Though we carried nothing, we were already exhausted, whereas they were burdened with such heavy loads. They had to do this trek twice a day.
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Sunset at the top of the mountain
About 8pm, we finally arrived at the top of the hill, called Guang Ming Ding. There, we found many tourists carrying tents. We realized that we had made a huge mistake in neglecting to carry tents and warm clothes, because as soon as we were at the top, we felt the coldness piercing our bones. Those who prepared well brought tents and wore winter clothes, while others booked rooms in the only hotel on the hill. Not expecting the coldness, we had innocently expected that we would just spend the night on the mountain, counting the stars. As we couldn’t stand the wind and cold any longer, we decided to move to the hotel to check whether there were any rooms left. Unfortunately, there were so many visitors that we could no longer book a room. Amidst this misfortune, we were lucky that inside the hotel lobby, there were some chairs where we could sit and rest. It was warmer inside than out, so we decided to stay there and spend the night. It was really tough at the time, as we were so exhausted, to be without a bed to sleep the night. I didn’t sleep at all that night; never in my life will I ever do such a thing again—it was so painstaking. But when I look back now, it was really a special memory. I survived in spite of all the difficulties, and I feel proud of myself. It was a proof of our youth.
 
Those who climb the mountain at night expect to see the sunrise. The sun rises very early in the mountain area, around four to five in the morning. At 4 am, we left the hotel to reach the prime spot to see the sunrise. It was extraordinarily cold, especially because we were in a high and open space, where we could clearly hear the wind blow. We huddled together, sleepy, tired, and chilled, waiting for the sun to appear. However, the moment the sun emerged, I felt that all the effort was worth it.
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After seeing the sunrise, we began our descent. This extremely narrow path is called One-Line-Sky.
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This special tree in Mount Huang is called the Guest-Greeting Pine because its trunks lean only to one side as if welcoming the visitors.
This journey not only presented me a wondrous mountain with stunning views, but also allowed me time to think. The universe is so marvelous, carving these many great mountains and rivers. Faced with nature’s masterpiece, we humans are so small. From this distance, the problems and challenges we think we are facing seem unimportant, and the world still functions without us working. So while we are still young, we should act as though we are young. We should go out into the world and see it in different perspectives, which will certainly open up a new world for us. The paths we go through, the books we read, and the people we meet will eventually come back to shape who we are.

Liu Yi is a senior at Wuhan University.