Today was our hike up the mountain, and I think it is an experience that the group will never forget! Our day started by me getting up at 3:30am to shower and prepare for our trip. After packing a backpack with items such as sunscreen, food (chips, peanuts, water, and fruit leather), money, camera, and a long sleeve shirt, we met at 5am to begin our trip. The bus ride was 3 1/2 hours to where we would get on the shuttle, but there was a lot of beautiful scenery on the way, including farm land and small villages nestled at the base of the hills. When we arrived to the shuttle we got our tickets and got on another bus, which took us up the first part of the mountain. The ride took about 20 minutes. They are crazy drivers!! There were a lot of tight turns and very narrow roads with flimsy looking or no guard rails, and the buses were going really fast!
There were mirrors around a lot of the corners so the driver could see if another bus was coming- I would never want to drive a coach bus like that, let alone so fast. However, I supposed that the faster they drive, the more trips and therefore the more money they can make. When we reached the end of the bus ride, Fiona and Dr. Li went to get our lift tickets, while the rest of us stretched in an open area. We got a lot of strange looks and picture-taking from the local people, and we even saw one of the security people trying to copy us! We then got in line for the lift that would take us up another step of the mountain. Because we are students, we were able to get a discount by showing our ID’s- I didn’t bring mine with me on the trip because I didn’t want to lose it, so I’m glad that they accepted my student business card. We had Bella and Lin with us climbing up the mountain so it was nice to have the interaction with the local students. We got into the cable cars with 8 people in the car, and then the door shut behind us and we continued up the mountain. Some of our group didn’t like the heights and looking back down the mountain, but I enjoyed having the eagle eye view of what was passing by. Even though I’m not sure I was supposed to be taking pictures, I think I got some really cool shots from the ride- I just hope that there are some that don’t have the glare from the glass. It was also cool to see both the cars in front of us that were also going up the mountain, and the ones that were passing us by going down. When we 
reached the top there was an observation area where we could look out over the mountain. After taking some pictures we split up into an even and odd group, so that we didn’t lose any group members and could divide up to pass through the more narrow areas. Our hike started off fairly easily, with a mostly flat path around the mountain. I think that most people thought at this point that the hike wouldn’t be much of a challenge, but boy were we wrong. The rails to keep people from falling seemed kind of scary and very flimsy because they looked like they were wood, but we later found out by seeing some being made that they were 
concrete that had been sculpted to look like the wood. Our hike began getting much more difficult, and it seemed like the stairs going upwards were never going to end. My legs began to get sore because they were not used to the physical exertion, and the high altitude made it harder to breathe, since the air was thinner, meaning there wasn’t as much oxygen. We passed by a bridge that had a bunch of locks chained to it, which I was told was for lovers to do when they came to the mountain. Hopefully you never break up, because I was told that if you do you are supposed to come back to the mountain to remove the lock! We stopped a little 
further down the path to eat our lunch. I was disappointed to find out that the chips had a fishy taste to them, even though they were the original flavor- I guess next time I’ll just get Lay’s! I ate some peanuts and the fruit leather, and drank some water, and then it was time to continue on our way to the top! We finally reached one peak a little sore but in fairly good shape and feeling accomplished. Dr. Li told us that we had 20 minutes to get something to eat if we wanted, and that if the local people asked to take pictures with us to do it as a courtesy, since I guess not many foreigners climb this mountain, especially to the top. I spent my time taking some pictures, and looking at the mountain from the different views. There were many tour groups with the leaders holding flags at the top, and it looked like not many people were climbing the mountain alone. I decided to try some corn from the stand at the top, but it was definitely nothing like Nebraska sweet corn! 
Instead of being juicy and sweet, this Chinese corn was a lot drier. Oh well, I guess that will just be something to look forward to when I get back! Thinking we were headed down the mountain now, we didn’t realize that we still had two more peaks to climb! Next, we were headed for the highest peak on the mountain! Along our way, we saw men carrying heavy loads balanced across their back, climbing up the mountain. Definitely not an easy job and not one I’d want. They must be very strong because someone told me the loads weigh 200 lbs. each! Since it is the only way to get things up the mountain, it helps explain why everything is so expensive. We passed through a narrow passageway, which Dr. Li said had been used to trap the enemy in civil wars, since the rocks were high on either side. David Jacobs showed off by doing a handstand on top of a tall rock, attracting a lot of attention from the locals! Our legs started failing some of us, and it was really a team effort 
to make it up the mountain- group members encouraging each other, and carrying heavy backpacks for those who were struggling (it also helped slow the really speedy people down so the rest of us could keep up.) I was never expecting to be the last person up the mountain, but with the thin air making it difficult to breathe, and my muscles getting sore, I kept feeling like I had to stop and give my muscles a chance to recover, but every time I stopped moving my legs started to shake. Michael followed behind me, encouraging me and helping me to make it up, and even taking my hand and leading the way when I wanted to stop. It was a hard-fought effort, but we finally made it to the top! The view was beautiful, and ti felt like a huge accomplishment to have made it to the highest peak, both mentally and physically. Alone, I probably would have given up before 
reaching the top, but as a group, all 20 of us were able to make it. We got medals at the top to commemorate our journey, engraved with our name and the date we reached the top. I was proud of how well our group had worked together, and the teamwork we had achieved. We began our descent down from the peak, and I was surprised at how steep it was. The stairs and railings were carved out of the stone, and it was a slow descent to ensure that no one slipped, which would cause a chain reaction among the group. Although some of our group members thought this was more difficult than our climb, my legs were glad for the change and it was much easier to breathe. We stopped at a third peak, and then to see a tree that is said to welcome 
visitors to the mountain. I bought a flavored water at a store and it was 15 Yuan! Definitely more expensive than I’d ever seen. It was 2:30pm and we thought our walk was done and that we would take the cable car down the mountain, but we were definitely wrong. Dr. Li said that since it would be a 1 ½ hour wait for the cable car and cost us more money, we would take the “45” minute walk down. Even though some group members were upset about having to walk, I didn’t mind because the walk was short. It would be a good chance to see more of the mountain, and it wouldn’t do any good to complain since the decision had been made. However, our 45 minute walk turned into 2 ½ hours, and while in some ways our teamwork strengthened, our team morale also began to decline. The group was separated into several different segments, and we spent a large amount of time not knowing where the rest of the group was, since some were very far ahead while others were behind us. Dr. Li was far down the trail, which was frustrating because no one knew where he was with him walking quickly and far ahead. We came to a fork in the path, and while we went one way, another part of our group went another because of a lack of communication and direction, and so ended up getting to the bottom of the mountain 15 minutes after we did. Our group did a good job working together as the Osmonds helped me so I didn’t lose my balance and Lin and Chad helped Fiona because her legs were starting to fail. The worst part was not knowing how much longer it was going to be to the bottom, since the 45 minutes was long past. My feet hurting badly from the hard surface, we finally caught up to Dr. Li, and made our way to the bottom. Izzy and Peter were waiting at the bottom, having made it down about 30 minutes before. All in all, I was told we walked somewhere between 23 and 25 miles! It felt so good to sit down, I didn’t want to get back up! Despite complaining from some people about how made they were it had taken so long, I think our whole group felt really accomplished. We loaded
back into the bus, and started the 3 ½ hour trip back to Hangzhou. Hungry and exhausted, we stopped at a rest stop to eat. I was surprised the food was warm, but learned the reason they made it so salty was so that you would purchase more rice. A man walked by us and kept staring at Chris and I- I asked Catherine what he was saying, and I guess he was impressed with how well we used chopsticks! (When you are hungry you have no choice but to figure it out!) We made it back to Hangzhou and Dr. Li had pizza waiting for us, knowing that we might still be hungry from the climb. Some of the guys even went and got more after the pizza also! Everyone tired, we all showered and crashed for the night. Hopefully everyone’s legs aren’t too sore for too long!
There were mirrors around a lot of the corners so the driver could see if another bus was coming- I would never want to drive a coach bus like that, let alone so fast. However, I supposed that the faster they drive, the more trips and therefore the more money they can make. When we reached the end of the bus ride, Fiona and Dr. Li went to get our lift tickets, while the rest of us stretched in an open area. We got a lot of strange looks and picture-taking from the local people, and we even saw one of the security people trying to copy us! We then got in line for the lift that would take us up another step of the mountain. Because we are students, we were able to get a discount by showing our ID’s- I didn’t bring mine with me on the trip because I didn’t want to lose it, so I’m glad that they accepted my student business card. We had Bella and Lin with us climbing up the mountain so it was nice to have the interaction with the local students. We got into the cable cars with 8 people in the car, and then the door shut behind us and we continued up the mountain. Some of our group didn’t like the heights and looking back down the mountain, but I enjoyed having the eagle eye view of what was passing by. Even though I’m not sure I was supposed to be taking pictures, I think I got some really cool shots from the ride- I just hope that there are some that don’t have the glare from the glass. It was also cool to see both the cars in front of us that were also going up the mountain, and the ones that were passing us by going down. When we 
reached the top there was an observation area where we could look out over the mountain. After taking some pictures we split up into an even and odd group, so that we didn’t lose any group members and could divide up to pass through the more narrow areas. Our hike started off fairly easily, with a mostly flat path around the mountain. I think that most people thought at this point that the hike wouldn’t be much of a challenge, but boy were we wrong. The rails to keep people from falling seemed kind of scary and very flimsy because they looked like they were wood, but we later found out by seeing some being made that they were 
concrete that had been sculpted to look like the wood. Our hike began getting much more difficult, and it seemed like the stairs going upwards were never going to end. My legs began to get sore because they were not used to the physical exertion, and the high altitude made it harder to breathe, since the air was thinner, meaning there wasn’t as much oxygen. We passed by a bridge that had a bunch of locks chained to it, which I was told was for lovers to do when they came to the mountain. Hopefully you never break up, because I was told that if you do you are supposed to come back to the mountain to remove the lock! We stopped a little 
further down the path to eat our lunch. I was disappointed to find out that the chips had a fishy taste to them, even though they were the original flavor- I guess next time I’ll just get Lay’s! I ate some peanuts and the fruit leather, and drank some water, and then it was time to continue on our way to the top! We finally reached one peak a little sore but in fairly good shape and feeling accomplished. Dr. Li told us that we had 20 minutes to get something to eat if we wanted, and that if the local people asked to take pictures with us to do it as a courtesy, since I guess not many foreigners climb this mountain, especially to the top. I spent my time taking some pictures, and looking at the mountain from the different views. There were many tour groups with the leaders holding flags at the top, and it looked like not many people were climbing the mountain alone. I decided to try some corn from the stand at the top, but it was definitely nothing like Nebraska sweet corn! 
Instead of being juicy and sweet, this Chinese corn was a lot drier. Oh well, I guess that will just be something to look forward to when I get back! Thinking we were headed down the mountain now, we didn’t realize that we still had two more peaks to climb! Next, we were headed for the highest peak on the mountain! Along our way, we saw men carrying heavy loads balanced across their back, climbing up the mountain. Definitely not an easy job and not one I’d want. They must be very strong because someone told me the loads weigh 200 lbs. each! Since it is the only way to get things up the mountain, it helps explain why everything is so expensive. We passed through a narrow passageway, which Dr. Li said had been used to trap the enemy in civil wars, since the rocks were high on either side. David Jacobs showed off by doing a handstand on top of a tall rock, attracting a lot of attention from the locals! Our legs started failing some of us, and it was really a team effort 
to make it up the mountain- group members encouraging each other, and carrying heavy backpacks for those who were struggling (it also helped slow the really speedy people down so the rest of us could keep up.) I was never expecting to be the last person up the mountain, but with the thin air making it difficult to breathe, and my muscles getting sore, I kept feeling like I had to stop and give my muscles a chance to recover, but every time I stopped moving my legs started to shake. Michael followed behind me, encouraging me and helping me to make it up, and even taking my hand and leading the way when I wanted to stop. It was a hard-fought effort, but we finally made it to the top! The view was beautiful, and ti felt like a huge accomplishment to have made it to the highest peak, both mentally and physically. Alone, I probably would have given up before 
reaching the top, but as a group, all 20 of us were able to make it. We got medals at the top to commemorate our journey, engraved with our name and the date we reached the top. I was proud of how well our group had worked together, and the teamwork we had achieved. We began our descent down from the peak, and I was surprised at how steep it was. The stairs and railings were carved out of the stone, and it was a slow descent to ensure that no one slipped, which would cause a chain reaction among the group. Although some of our group members thought this was more difficult than our climb, my legs were glad for the change and it was much easier to breathe. We stopped at a third peak, and then to see a tree that is said to welcome 
visitors to the mountain. I bought a flavored water at a store and it was 15 Yuan! Definitely more expensive than I’d ever seen. It was 2:30pm and we thought our walk was done and that we would take the cable car down the mountain, but we were definitely wrong. Dr. Li said that since it would be a 1 ½ hour wait for the cable car and cost us more money, we would take the “45” minute walk down. Even though some group members were upset about having to walk, I didn’t mind because the walk was short. It would be a good chance to see more of the mountain, and it wouldn’t do any good to complain since the decision had been made. However, our 45 minute walk turned into 2 ½ hours, and while in some ways our teamwork strengthened, our team morale also began to decline. The group was separated into several different segments, and we spent a large amount of time not knowing where the rest of the group was, since some were very far ahead while others were behind us. Dr. Li was far down the trail, which was frustrating because no one knew where he was with him walking quickly and far ahead. We came to a fork in the path, and while we went one way, another part of our group went another because of a lack of communication and direction, and so ended up getting to the bottom of the mountain 15 minutes after we did. Our group did a good job working together as the Osmonds helped me so I didn’t lose my balance and Lin and Chad helped Fiona because her legs were starting to fail. The worst part was not knowing how much longer it was going to be to the bottom, since the 45 minutes was long past. My feet hurting badly from the hard surface, we finally caught up to Dr. Li, and made our way to the bottom. Izzy and Peter were waiting at the bottom, having made it down about 30 minutes before. All in all, I was told we walked somewhere between 23 and 25 miles! It felt so good to sit down, I didn’t want to get back up! Despite complaining from some people about how made they were it had taken so long, I think our whole group felt really accomplished. We loaded
back into the bus, and started the 3 ½ hour trip back to Hangzhou. Hungry and exhausted, we stopped at a rest stop to eat. I was surprised the food was warm, but learned the reason they made it so salty was so that you would purchase more rice. A man walked by us and kept staring at Chris and I- I asked Catherine what he was saying, and I guess he was impressed with how well we used chopsticks! (When you are hungry you have no choice but to figure it out!) We made it back to Hangzhou and Dr. Li had pizza waiting for us, knowing that we might still be hungry from the climb. Some of the guys even went and got more after the pizza also! Everyone tired, we all showered and crashed for the night. Hopefully everyone’s legs aren’t too sore for too long! 
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