Tiger Leaping Gorge - Sounds Impressive, Eh?

More details to come later...


Tiger Leaping Gorge is the epic sounding name of the large canyon carved out by the upper Yangtze River in its beginning phases, before heading out through the rest of China. This area is said to contain one of the world's largest gorges from top to bottom (if not the largest), a massive 3,900 meter (over 12,000 foot) difference from the snow capped peaks of the top to the brownish river below. Instead of trying to deal with public transportation, I took a shuttle bus from Lijiang along with about six others, making the two hour ride quite easy and worry-free, other than the ridiculously loud songs spouting from the radio, piercing our ears with each shriek as the high pitched voices crooned love songs in Chinese. At a quick stop for the driver to pick up some fruit, I discretely lowered the volume and did so even more obliging a request from the back seat, but our plan backfired, as the driver then raised it up to an even higher level when he realized that the sound was back down to a non-ear drum shattering volume. Despite the gloomy, overcast weather, I was planning on making a two day hike in the area, hoping that I'd get lucky and the clouds would clear, while the rest of the group was just doing a day tour, meaning they would just stop at a few viewpoints and overlooks and then head back to Lijiang.

After passing through the entrance station (a tiny store in the side of one of the buildings in town), the driver soon pulled off to the side and pointed to a windy, uphill driveway, apparently indicating that it was the start of my trek. Not knowing where I was really going, I followed the road which eventually turned into a trail, passing farmers and a few horses along the way. Many bends and hills later, I reached the top of the trail, stopping at one of the scattered guesthouses along the way for some lunch before continuing on in the cloudy, misty mountain top. I wound along the side of the ridges, at moments getting glimpses of the massive mountains all around and sometimes even the river below, but it was mostly fog that I saw. I also made a valuable purchase of an umbrella at a tiny stand/bench selling one umbrella, a few bananas, Snickers bars and marijuana (I can't verify the quality of it) on the top of one of the passes. The cheap umbrella had its faults, but it was definitely worth the $2 I paid for it, keeping me relatively dry for the rest of the afternoon. Though not being able to see the whole expanse of the canyon, the walk was still quite scenic, with the dramatic mist rising and falling to reveal waterfalls, cliffs and even some areas of thick forest along the way. I spent the night at a guesthouse midway through, having walked through rain and clouds for the better part of six or seven hours. My clothes were all completely soaked, and it wasn't much better in the morning. Mostly descending, it was an easier day, and I even made it down to the river to the spot where a tiger supposedly jumped from one side of the canyon to another, giving the place its name. After some pictures with some Chinese that I met along the way and others that just wanted a picture with me, I made the step ascent back to the main road and headed back to Lijiang, a tiny bit disappointed that I never saw the canyon without a bit of clouds but still quite impressed with the sights and happy to get away from the chaos of Chinese cities for two days.

(One of the first views of the Yangtze or Yangzi or Yantse or Yang-C or however you want to spell it. As I learned, English transliterations from Chinese aren't too strict.)

(Part of the wooded, muddy and slightly slick trail during the middle of the first day. I was also reminded of hiking the muddy Kalalau Trail in Hawaii during parts of this, trying hard not to fall, yet trying to take in the impressive scenery.)

(A slight break in the clouds would always yield an inspiring view. Though it was rainy and a little bit cold, it gives it that mysterious, foreboding look.)

(The roof of my guesthouse, and the mountains across the river. I had an incredible Naxi sandwich that night, basically two thick tortilla/pita bread pieces grilled with an assortment of grilled squash, cucumber, pumpkin, potato and more inside. And Naxi is the name of the indigenous people here, not a reference to those infamous Germans. I'd like to try to see them make a sandwich that good.)

(Breakfast was almost as impressive: a honey and banana pancake on the left and a chocolate and banana pancake on the right. I couldn't decide, so, as usual, I chose both. With my soaking shoes and socks, wet pants, damp backpack, Snickers bar and two banana pancakes, I was truly living the life of luxury.)

(A view of the "town" and guesthouse where I stayed. The guesthouse is the one the furthest to the left, near the bottom corner.)

(Along the trail, I came upon a herder and his goats and horses. I eventually had to make a pass, but the goats weren't too friendly about letting me by. They also smell terrible. Maybe I should have told them that after I passed instead of before, and they would have been a little more amiable.)

(The winds came and cleared out the fog for just about 3 minutes, enough to get a wonderful view of this huge waterfall along the trail. You can sort of see the trail crossing the base of the falls just a little way from the bottom of this picture. At this point, I was wet enough that crossing a waterfall really didn't matter.)

(From the main road, there's another trail down to the river below. I had to pay a cute, toothless old lady about $1.50 to let me pass. I may have been able to answer her questions three to avoid the toll, but, again, I don't speak Chinese.)

(The whole area is a pretty popular place for corn farmers, so it had a bit of a Latin American feel here. Disappointingly, when I asked, they told me that it wasn't ready to be eaten, so I had to just stare longingly at it.)

(And this is the Tiger Leaping Gorge from the precarious trail carved into the side of a cliff. Right about where that cloud is near the top is where the tiger was said to have jumped. I think there may be a bit of exaggeration going on in this area.)

(I don't know if you know, but I'm a pretty big deal around here.)

(A completely safe looking bridge from one rock to another, just before getting to the river. Of course it shakes when you walk on it - it's supposed to do that. Good thing they have that wire/railing, too. Surely that could support a baby or extremely small child if pulled.)

(Another shot of the gorge, mostly the same as before, but check out the big rocks in the river below. The tiny specks on the top are people, to give you a little perspective.)

(This one has a flower in it.)

(Of course, as I was leaving, things started to clear up just a bit, but I had to get back to town.)

(Two more Naxi sandwiches. These are the more traditional versions made of goat cheese, eggs and tomatoes. Once again, these were amazing. The one of the left is open for your viewing pleasure.)