Tiger Leaping Gorge - The Big Hike

One of the biggest natural attractions in Yunnan, and really all of China, is the Tiger Leaping Gorge, just outside of Lijiang. A giant mountain range with peaks over 15,000 feet high is split by a diving canyon called the Tiger Leaping Gorge, at the bottom of which the mighty Yangtze River winds its way through. Inhabiting the Gorge and surrounding area are the local Naxi people, who are mostly farmers.

There is a 15-20 mile trail through the mountains from one end of the Gorge to the other, through steep terrain, and frequent hazards, from slippery waterfalls to narrow wood planks crossing gaps high over the canyon. Weather changes are frequent, with heavy rains leading to dangerous washout and landslide conditions, or alternatively bright, burning sun to parch your throat and cramp your muscles.
This is the foolhardy 2-day journey that Tiff and Zach decided to attempt.

It started innocently enough, with absolutely no intentions of doing anything other than taking a nice drive up to see the Gorge, and maybe an hour or two of hiking around before turning back and heading home. Unfortunately, the few hours from their starting point was almost straight up, so that by the time the terrain levelled out and the brilliant views became apparent, the last thing our two intrepid explorers wanted to do was climb right back down. As well, they ran into two fateful, Israeli backpackers who promised, in return for some heart attack-inducing ascents and ankle-breaking descents, natural beauty unheard of in China and heretofore unseen if we continued further along the high trail. And animals. Lots of animals. And with that, Tiffany sealed their fates with a firm, "It's GO time." The decision was made to "just hike a few more hours until we see some cute animals, then go back..."

They would never come back that way again.

As it turned out, they hiked along the high trail until reaching a mountain lodge guesthouse in the afternoon. Three beers later at around 10,000 feet altitude, and there was no more talk of returning that day. In the great economics of rural China, those drinks, the ensuing dinner, one night's lodging and the following day's breakfast cost our two hardcore backpackers an astonishing $35! Instantly, talks of retiring on the spot broke out, and after heated discussions, the idea was firmly placed into the "maybe later" category.

The rest of the trip was exactly as the prescient Israelis had foretold. Stunning scenery, mysteriously carved cliffsides (in the picture below, look for a broad-nosed man and veiled woman), spring flora and incredibly friendly, hardy local Naxi farmers along the way. Oh, and some animals.