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Day 37 - Xian, Hua Shan
28.08.09
Today's idea is either very very very stupid, or perfectly safe and will result in a fantastic morning view. Just outside of Xi'an is a 2160m mountain called Hua Shan, in all the literature it is know as a very dangerous mountain and has resulted in deaths from climbers falling off it's steep sides or venturing off the path and falling down a sheer cliff face. To put some scale into it, Scafell Pike is 977m, Snowdon is 1085m and Ben Nevis, Britain's tallest mountain is 1344m high. The interesting twist to the story is that I want to do a night climb to make it to the peak for sunrise, which is supposed to be an amazing sight. I've done my research and know it's possible and many people do it and I have all the right equipment with me as I think I might not be the most technological traveler I've met, but I am definitely the best equipped and have the essentials (torches, first aid kits, thermals, water purification tablets, etc.)
I get on my train at about 3pm and get to the train station, which is a 20 minute taxi drive from the mountain's base at just after 5pm and considering I want to start climbing at about 11pm I've got some serious time to kill. In an interesting note the taxi drivers think I'm crazy when I say I want to climb Hua Shan tonight and because of the rain tell me it's very dangerous and one even said I'll be swept off the mountain (a nice touch). It's about 7pm, far too early to climb, so I kill some time at the base listening to music and mandarin tapes. Interestingly, the wind picks up and the rain starts coming and it actually gets quite nasty, so I have a walk up to the mountain gates and buy my ticket and then toy with the idea of starting the climb early, but decide against it as I don't want to be on the summit waiting for ages for sunrise. Lucky I didn't as about an hour later, they shut the gates and don't allow anyone else to climb up as the conditions are too dangerous. There are around 15 of us waiting and at around 12.30am we have to leave the gates and I end up with 4 Chinese students who decide to sleep it out in the village over night. Once again I manage to bump into some lovely people who help me out.
Today's idea is either very very very stupid, or perfectly safe and will result in a fantastic morning view. Just outside of Xi'an is a 2160m mountain called Hua Shan, in all the literature it is know as a very dangerous mountain and has resulted in deaths from climbers falling off it's steep sides or venturing off the path and falling down a sheer cliff face. To put some scale into it, Scafell Pike is 977m, Snowdon is 1085m and Ben Nevis, Britain's tallest mountain is 1344m high. The interesting twist to the story is that I want to do a night climb to make it to the peak for sunrise, which is supposed to be an amazing sight. I've done my research and know it's possible and many people do it and I have all the right equipment with me as I think I might not be the most technological traveler I've met, but I am definitely the best equipped and have the essentials (torches, first aid kits, thermals, water purification tablets, etc.) 
I get on my train at about 3pm and get to the train station, which is a 20 minute taxi drive from the mountain's base at just after 5pm and considering I want to start climbing at about 11pm I've got some serious time to kill. In an interesting note the taxi drivers think I'm crazy when I say I want to climb Hua Shan tonight and because of the rain tell me it's very dangerous and one even said I'll be swept off the mountain (a nice touch). It's about 7pm, far too early to climb, so I kill some time at the base listening to music and mandarin tapes. Interestingly, the wind picks up and the rain starts coming and it actually gets quite nasty, so I have a walk up to the mountain gates and buy my ticket and then toy with the idea of starting the climb early, but decide against it as I don't want to be on the summit waiting for ages for sunrise. Lucky I didn't as about an hour later, they shut the gates and don't allow anyone else to climb up as the conditions are too dangerous. There are around 15 of us waiting and at around 12.30am we have to leave the gates and I end up with 4 Chinese students who decide to sleep it out in the village over night. Once again I manage to bump into some lovely people who help me out.
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