The Dangerous Huashan Hiking Trail

Story written by Rick Archer
A special 'Thank you' to Milt Oglesby for the email that got this article started.
Originally published: January 2007
Most recent update: May 2009

July 2008 Note from Rick Archer:  In the year since this page was first posted, this story about Huashan has been widely circulated around the world.  The story you are about to read has become a favorite place to visit for anyone interested in a good story.  Thanks to all the people who visit, this page has become a fixture on Google's Page One for anyone who types in "Huashan".

As a result of the prominence of this page, over the past year I have received a great deal of fascinating correspondence.  For example, several people who have actually climbed Huashan in 2008 have written in to share their experiences. 

I have also received many kind letters from people who enjoyed reading the story, the letters, as well as viewing the pictures.  To these people I am grateful.

I have also received some highly critical letters as well.  I never expected my story to become a center of controversy, but then life is full of surprises.

In the beginning, I listed correspondence here on this 'Original Page'.  However this page just kept growing and growing, so I decided to move all the letters on a separate page.  When you finish the story, I am a certain you will enjoy the Huashan Letters as well!  
 
May 2009 Note: In early May 2009, I received a remarkable letter from P. Allen, a man who climbed Huashan with his 8 and 11 year old children.   Be sure to read it at the bottom of the accompanying Huashan Letters page.  After seeing the pictures and reading the story with all the controversy surrounding it, Mr. Allen's wonderful note will likely answer practically every question you have.

Mt. Hua is located in the Shaanxi Province of China.  It stands to the south of Huayin City, 75 miles east of Xian.  From the map, this mountain is located close to Himalayas of Tibet.   'Shan' means 'mountain' in Chinese, thus the name 'Hua-shan'.

According to Travel China Guide, Mt. Huashan is definitely not some neglected little spot in the middle of nowhere.  Quite the contrary!  Mt Huashan is one of the five sacred mountains in China (the other four mountains are Mt. Taishan in Shandong, Mt. Hengshan in Hunan, Mt. Hengshan in Shanxi, and Mt. Songshan in Henan.)

Mt. Hua is home to several influential Taoist temples where emperors of past dynasties made pilgrimages, making this mountain the holy land of Taoism. Many emperors came to pray and sacrifice to the God of Mt. Huashan. 

It is said that Lao Zi (Lao Tze), the founder and patriarch of Taoism, once lived and gave sermons here.  Today many Taoism temples are located on Mr. Huashan which helps explain why this area is visited by thousands of people.

Huashan consists of five peaks.   When seen in a certain way, the five peaks of Huashan look like five petals of a flower.  Originally Hua was called Xiyue - meaning 'Western mountain' - because it was the westernmost of the five sacred Taoist peaks. 

Formerly the five mountains were dotted with temples but today only a few remain. These days the majority of visitors to Huashan are Chinese youth on vacation.  However the mountain routes are still trekked by devoted pilgrims and wandering monks intent of visiting the sacred shrines.  

The East Peak is 2,090 meters (about 6,857 ft) high above sea level. It is also called Facing Sun Peak because the top of the peak is the best place to watch the sunrise.

The Middle Peak is also called Jade Maiden Peak. Story goes that Nongyu, the daughter of King Mugong (659B.C.-621B.C.) of the Qin Kingdom (770B.C.-476B.C.), was tired of the life in the court. So she and her husband moved to Huashan and lived alone at Middle Peak.

The West Peak is 2,087 meters (about 6,846 ft) high.  It is always called Lotus Peak because of its unique shape. This peak is formed by a huge rock. Hence it's very steep.

The North Peak was called Clouds Stand by ancient people. Today it is called the Cloud Terrace Peak as it looks like a flat terrace in the clouds. The peak is 1,614 meters (about 5,295 ft) above sea level. An important site on the North Peak is Zhenwu Hall (God of North).

Three sides are cliffs that are nearly impossible to climb and the fourth side is the 'ear rubbing cliff'.  This route gets its name because there are places on this precipitous path where tourists can climb up only by pressing an ear close to the cliff. 

The majestic South Peak is the tallest. With an altitude of 2,160 meters (about 7,087 feet), ancient people called this the 'Monarch of Mt. Huashan' because it is the highest peak of Mt. Huashan.

It is also the highest peak among the Five Sacred Mountains of China. The temple for the God of Mt. Huashan is situated on the South Peak.

Tourists who summit South Peak are rewarded with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. The famous Yellow River wanders far below and everything seems small.

Legend has it that the wild geese returning from the south often landed at South Peak, giving the area the name 'Landing Wild Geese Peak'

The South Peak is the dangerous peak at the center of our story.  The South Peak is very popular for climbing despite its peril. In the middle of South Peak trees are luxuriantly green, creating a good rest spot.

At the top of South Peak, the 'Black Dragon Pool' at the summit and the 'Greeting Pines' on the southwestern cliff are two attractive resorts.

Mt. Huashan is famous for its egregious cliffs.  Nowhere are the cliffs more difficult to climb than the South Peak. There are rugged cliffs on all four sides of South Peak.

A tortuous 15 kilometer stepped path leads to the Black Dragon Ridge (Bilong ji) where other trails lead to the major peaks.

In order to reach certain temples and the caves of the sages great courage is needed.  The climbers must scale steep cliffs with only a linked chain for support. 

The most dangerous place is called 'Changkong Zhandao' (a plank path built along the surface of a vertical cliff) which is about 4 meters (about 13 feet) long and about 0.33 meters (about 1.1 feet) wide.

Below is the bottomless gulf which makes tourists shake with fear.

To fall is certain death.

The picture on the left illustrates an area known as the "Heavenly Stairs".  Maybe that is because if you fall off of them, you go to Heaven...

These steps are the Starting Point for the hiking trip up the West Peak mountain.

As you can gather, the initial part of the climb seems steep, but safe. 

In addition, the view is awe-inspiring.

Who wouldn't be tempted to look for the incredible beauty said to greet each traveler at the end of the climb?

 

After the Heavenly Stairs, Canglong Ridge (aka
Black Dragon Ridge), is Part Two of the climb. 

Now the grade becomes even steeper than the Heavenly Stairs.

You may be incredulous to discover people make this climb in the winter snow!  

After Canglong Ridge, you reach Jinsud Pass.

Jinsud Pass is Part Three of the journey.  Judging from the pictures, this area seems narrow.  Looks must be deceiving. Although the ridge seems barely wide enough to allow people to walk on it, there is obviously enough room to support several structures.

At the end of Jinsud Pass, there is a choice:
West Peak or North Peak.
 
Many people continue to the West Peak for a good reason: The West Peak route is quite safe. the perilous The perilous climb is located at the North Peak. 

As stated earlier, Mt. Huashan has 5 peaks. The West Peak seen in the pictures above is said to be the most graceful peak.  I think "Graceful Peak" is Chinese-speak for 'you don't have to risk your life to visit the temple.'

On the other hand, judging from the picture below, even the West Peak Temple doesn't look that easy to reach.   That said, the view atop the West Peak Summit is breathtaking!  Now you see why people make the climb. 

The temple below has a name: It is the Playing Chess Pavilion. 

For the second time on this trip, we had to drop to our knees for safety.  The gust had taken us off guard.  Just when we thought we were in the clear!  Slowly we got to our feet and started climbing again, albeit more slowly this time.  My heart was thumping at the near call.  This climb was definitely not for the faint of heart.

From that point on, we were completely exposed to a strong wind that never let up.  However, now we were ready for it so we continued to make headway anyway.  Despite good winter coats, Laura and I were both shivering.  It had to be close to freezing this high up and the wind sure didn't help things.  No wonder they call it "wind chill". 

But we were too close to stop.  One step at a time we climbed the stairs.  Gosh, my legs ached!  But we made steady progress and soon we were finally safe inside a beautiful Tao temple atop the summit.  

As I stared out the windows safe from the wind and the cold, I don't think I have ever felt happier in my life.  I was so relieved to be here.  I could not believe what Laura and I had to overcome to make it this far. 

I made a quiet prayer of thanks for our safety to the Almighty. 

There was an observation post at the very top that allowed us a 360 degree look at the world around us.  Everywhere we looked, huge mountains and deep valleys greeted our eyes.  The beauty of the view really escapes description.  I could have stayed there all day just to watch.  

But our reverie was shattered when a Chinese park ranger came up and warned us that it had begun to snow further down.  For our own safety, maybe we should go now.  Right now.

Laura's face turned white with fear.  Me too.  Sorry to say, any courage I had in reserve left me immediately.

Oh, shit.

All that work to get here and all that risk for a lousy ten minutes on the top of the mountain.  But we didn't have any choice.  It was time to go. 

Laura and I gathered the courage to descend South Peak.  I was astonished to realize I had not given a second thought to getting back down.  I was sick in my stomach again.  Knowing what we had to go through to get back down with snow and ice making things worse had me worried.

Sure enough, the winds were even tougher as we climbed down the treacherous Staircase.  But at least we enjoyed having gravity on our side for a change.  Snow mixed with ice fell on us. 

The snow had just been flurries as we climbed down the steep staircase.  Now as we reached Foothold Lane (known as Somersault Cliff to the locals) the snow began to fall in earnest.  As a result, we found the steps were filled with slush.  That didn't help a bit.  Moving at about the speed of molasses, we took it one step at a time.  I was so glad there weren't any chirpy college kids around expecting us to move faster.  

I had two thoughts.  I smiled as I realized the experience of going up did make getting down a lot easier.  But I frowned at the unbelievable amount of concentration I was forced to use to ensure my safety.  The pressure was enormous. 

Next we climbed across the path carved out of the cliff.  This part wasn't so bad because there was actually a chain fence for safety.  The path took us back to the Chimney.  Heck, the Chimney was just a ladder. At this point, I was starting to feel about as confident as I had all day.  After Foothold Lane and Boardwalk, the rest was just a hike.  Nothing too scary.   Laura seemed to relax as well.  Holding on tightly, we made it down in good time. 

As far as we were concerned, the worst was over.  Let it snow.

We were now on the original Staircase of Suicide.  The cable car station was just a couple hundred yards away.  The end was in sight.  Suddenly something happened that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

About fifteen yards in front of me, a Chinese man was walking carelessly along a relatively flat portion of the walkway.  I had noticed he wasn't even holding the metal chain.  Without any warning, he suddenly lost his footing, slipped and fell. 

With only a few thin pine trees on the snowy slope separating him from a 600-foot drop off a sheer cliff, he reached back with one had to grab onto the safety chain just as his feet slid under it.  If he had missed the chain or his grip broke, the pine trees would be his last chance.  But he held tight and broke his momentum.   Slowly he pulled himself back to his feet. 

Laura and I were too stunned to even move.  Only a lucky last second grab of the chain had saved him.  This guy had missed death by a hair.  Before I could even muster a breath, he turned straight around and looked at me.  In perfect English, he calmly said to me, "It's very dangerous here. You should be careful."

I just about fell off the mountain myself from shock.  An instant before, only a rusty, icy chain had come between this man and almost certain death.  But the man's first thought after almost dying was to warn ME to be careful!  What an amazing man.

Fear of heights must not be part of the Chinese ethos.  Not me. This guy's brush with Death had me spooked.  Now I kept BOTH HANDS on the safety chain.  I had not taken one carefree step in over an hour, but now I concentrated even harder.  

Not two minutes later, Laura screamed in terror as she slipped on the ice just like the Chinese man had.  Even though she was on guard, her feet still went right out from under her.  Fortunately she had a firm grip.  She saved herself from careening down the slope by bear-hugging the safety chain just as the Chinese man had.  I was there in seconds, almost slipping myself as I hit an ice patch.  These icy steps were deadly!

As I helped her up, I did not feel as much shocked, scared, or relieved as I just felt angry at myself for allowing us to be in this spot. 

From the very start, my better judgment had been put aside by a combination of wanting to get "my money's worth" and from observing all the Chinese people giggling up and down the mountain without regard for consequences.  Always way too competitive for my own good, I had allowed my judgment to be clouded by my need to think I was just as brave and athletic as these kids.

As a result, we had spent nearly two and a half hours on this icy, treacherous mountain path with scant guardrails and few safety features.  Deadly drop-offs were just one mistake, one slip away the entire time.  

Now as exhaustion set in, Laura had made a near-fatal mistake.  I was beside myself with anger at my stupidity for putting us in this spot to begin with.  If she had gotten hurt (or worse), I would have never been able to forgive myself.  I was furious with myself for my ignorance. I had no idea how easy it was to slip going down the steps. 

But mostly I was angry for trying to compete with the Chinese.  I had gotten so used to thinking the Chinese knew what they were doing that I did not realize until the man slipped in front of me that my judgment had been right all along - this mountain path was a death trap. 

Someone could have a heart attack from exertion and fall to their death.  Someone could faint for even a moment and lose their footing.  Or a trembling foot could miss a foothold and make a fatal slip that would cost them their life.  Even a simple mistake like Laura's could end it.  Laura had been concentrating as hard as she could and still slipped.  We were lucky to be alive.

Ironically, two days later, we stopped at a temple in nearby Xian.  Laura picked up a pamphlet and started to browse.  I heard her giggle.  Curious, I asked her what was so funny. 

She handed me the pamphlet and told me to look for myself.  The first thing I noticed was this particular pamphlet was written in English.  Laura grinned as she pointed to the Third Wisdom of Tao:

"He who knows when to stop does not find himself in trouble."

Amen to that.

About Rick Archer and the Huashan Story

I am the owner of a dance studio in Houston, Texas, known as SSQQ (slow slow quick quick).

The SSQQ Web Site came online in late 1998.  Right from the start I realized the power of my web site to help build my own business.  The more I could interest my dance students to visit the site, the more they would stay interested in my dance studio.  So I started a monthly email Newsletter to my dance students. 

I soon realized that dance newsletters were tough to make fascinating (dancers don't exactly cause much trouble).  I began to publish information not just about the dance studio, but anything interesting that crossed my path (e.g., stories about dangerous hiking trails in China).  This worked.  As one person said, my Newsletter was better reading than most magazines!