We went to Mt Qingching (for some reason that word is pronounced Chenching).
Every bone in my body and every muscle in my body are absolutely whipped. I may not be able to walk tomorrow…probably because I can’t walk right now.
Mt. Qingching makes Chimney Rock’s “eye of the needle” look flat.
Kansas flat.
The whole mountain “trail” is a staircase. 3 miles of stairs. That would be one step up after another. Pre-formed, pre-made, man made steps. For Chinese length legs. So they are small steps. That go up and up and up and up. And when they finish going up, they go up some more.
Every bone in my body and every muscle in my body are absolutely whipped. I may not be able to walk tomorrow…probably because I can’t walk right now.
Mt. Qingching makes Chimney Rock’s “eye of the needle” look flat.
Kansas flat.
The whole mountain “trail” is a staircase. 3 miles of stairs. That would be one step up after another. Pre-formed, pre-made, man made steps. For Chinese length legs. So they are small steps. That go up and up and up and up. And when they finish going up, they go up some more.
It’s a beautiful mountain. Full of Taoist temples which are pretty incredible especially when you think that some poor Chinese guy 1000 years ago had to drag all that construction stuff up each one of those steps build these things. Did I mention there were stairs? Oh, yeah. Sorry. My brain stopped there for a moment.
Anyway. It rained just as soon as we got there, but after a 2 hour car ride, we weren’t letting any rain stop us. So, we started up. At first, I thought all the stairs were cute. I figured eventually we would get to the trail I had heard and read about. Apparently, “trail” in Chinese means “Steps from hell”. So there is no trail. Just more stairs.
They have these guys with what look like stretchers, but instead of the passenger laying flat, it suspends a type of chair and they carry you up the stairs. Some of these guys look 70 years old. And when they come by, get out of the way or they will run you over. Talk about being in shape? They are it!
As soon as they saw me, it was like wolves movin’ in for the kill. So naturally, I said no. I do have my pride. No mountain is gonna whoop me. By the time we got to the top, my legs were quivering and muscles aching and I KNEW there was no way I going walk back down. But it didn’t matter. I beat the wolves. I walked to the top.
Every … stinkin’ … step!
Fortunately, there is a cable car you can choose to ride back down (for a fee of course). That decision was easy. We’re ridin’ the car. That’s how bad my legs felt. I was going to ride in the cable car. I figured I could always just stand in the middle of the car, stare at the floor and in 30 minutes, be at the bottom. So I paid.
That was when I discovered that “cable car” in Chinese means “rickety looking ski lift seat with non-locking safety bar over your stomach with a teeny tiny bar to put your feet on that moves off the platform and you are staring at a 1,000,000 foot drop to the bottom” car.
I quickly mentioned to Jianghui that I wasn’t overly fond of heights, but since my legs were dead, I was riding it anyway and I just closed my eyes for the 1st ten minutes until we were low enough it was OK. She smiled and said “you’ll miss the greatest view”, and I growled some sort of an “I don’t care”. No photos on the way down.
At the bottom, you land at a lake and hop onto a ferry boat that traverses across a 400 yard lake and then another 20 minutes of going DOWN stairs and we were done.
It was really fun. And I would do it again. But I am absolutely beat. A hot shower, 3 Advil, and a cold beer later and I am ready for bed and can only pray that I can move tomorrow.
The scenery was wonderful. In many ways, reminded me of the Blue Ridge Mountains…well, the Blue Ridge Mountains with STAIRS that is.
Despite what you are thinking now, I had a great time. Which is good. Because it just might be the last thing I ever do.
Anyway. It rained just as soon as we got there, but after a 2 hour car ride, we weren’t letting any rain stop us. So, we started up. At first, I thought all the stairs were cute. I figured eventually we would get to the trail I had heard and read about. Apparently, “trail” in Chinese means “Steps from hell”. So there is no trail. Just more stairs.
They have these guys with what look like stretchers, but instead of the passenger laying flat, it suspends a type of chair and they carry you up the stairs. Some of these guys look 70 years old. And when they come by, get out of the way or they will run you over. Talk about being in shape? They are it!
As soon as they saw me, it was like wolves movin’ in for the kill. So naturally, I said no. I do have my pride. No mountain is gonna whoop me. By the time we got to the top, my legs were quivering and muscles aching and I KNEW there was no way I going walk back down. But it didn’t matter. I beat the wolves. I walked to the top.
Every … stinkin’ … step!
Fortunately, there is a cable car you can choose to ride back down (for a fee of course). That decision was easy. We’re ridin’ the car. That’s how bad my legs felt. I was going to ride in the cable car. I figured I could always just stand in the middle of the car, stare at the floor and in 30 minutes, be at the bottom. So I paid.
That was when I discovered that “cable car” in Chinese means “rickety looking ski lift seat with non-locking safety bar over your stomach with a teeny tiny bar to put your feet on that moves off the platform and you are staring at a 1,000,000 foot drop to the bottom” car.
I quickly mentioned to Jianghui that I wasn’t overly fond of heights, but since my legs were dead, I was riding it anyway and I just closed my eyes for the 1st ten minutes until we were low enough it was OK. She smiled and said “you’ll miss the greatest view”, and I growled some sort of an “I don’t care”. No photos on the way down.
At the bottom, you land at a lake and hop onto a ferry boat that traverses across a 400 yard lake and then another 20 minutes of going DOWN stairs and we were done.
It was really fun. And I would do it again. But I am absolutely beat. A hot shower, 3 Advil, and a cold beer later and I am ready for bed and can only pray that I can move tomorrow.
The scenery was wonderful. In many ways, reminded me of the Blue Ridge Mountains…well, the Blue Ridge Mountains with STAIRS that is.
Despite what you are thinking now, I had a great time. Which is good. Because it just might be the last thing I ever do.
3 comments:
So now you know how I felt at Chimney Rock!
Come on the steps could not have been that hard to climb Mr. i'm bigger meaner and stronger than you.
I have seen both of you. Sam may perhaps be meaner, but I do not think bigger or stronger!
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