Walking China’s “Plank Road in the Sky”
Clenching the rusted metal chains bolted to the rock wall does little to help subside the anxiety of the thousands of metres vertical drop we are looking at and clipping our carabiners onto a plastic-coated guide wire similar to my mother’s washing line does little to reassure us either.
Blindly we put our trust in the thousands of terror-riddled hands that have gone before us and worn the rusted chains smooth, and step out onto the path that lies ahead of us - a walkway constructed of wooden planks resting on steel spikes that are held together by wire and the odd steel pin - a path infamously known as the 'Plank Road in the Sky' on Mt Hua, in China's Shaanxi province.
Leaving the warmth of a newly commissioned bullet train hours earlier, the piercingly cold and misty winter’s morning hinders our search for a local bus heading to one of China's five great mountains.
The sacred mountain of the West is revered by Taoists and Buddhist, and has been adorned with temples and shrines for thousands of years, with Taoists believing in the mountain lives the god of the underworld.
After a bus and the not-so-helpful advice from the usual hawkers we find ourselves in a frozen gondola creeping our way out of the mist. Through the clouds the striking peaks of Mt Hua arise. Consisting of five main peaks with the highest being the South summit, reaching 2,154 metres.
Unnervingly, we are dragged towards the towering stone walls by cables rolling over neighbouring mountain tops. With the end of the line entering a tunnel carved into the face of the mountain, we enter the heart of Mt Hua. Climbing a few stairs delivers us out into the blue skies, sunshine and the true magnitude of where we have arrived.
Perched on the top of razor sharp ridge-lines paths etched in stone lead mobs of festive Chinese tourists from peak to peak. Caught up in the madness we scramble to the top of the first peak, shedding layers of clothes as we climb.
At the top we are greeted with staggering views of the surrounding peaks floating amongst the clouds. Even a local shirtless man overwhelmed with excitement joins us as we pose for pictures. The attempt to exchange some tangible conversation is short-lived and instead the gleaming smiles of excitement about the experience are exchanged.
Cautiously we descend the first peak and begin to follow the paths leading around the mountain tops. With ample signage warning about the strikingly obvious risks of falling off the paths, we are supported on the icy stone steps by the odd chain link fence or branch blocking a route that has since perished. Even with all the apparent danger it is common practise for many visitors to scale the mountain in the morning darkness to avoid the fear of what they are climbing.
After many relentless climbs from peak to peak we reach the main drawcard for many visitors to Mt Hua: The Plank Road in the Sky; a crudely built, but surprisingly robust, pathway wrapping it's way around a perilous cliff-face. With the exchange of a few coins to the teenage gatekeeper we are granted access, two well-used chest harnesses and a silent demonstration of how to clip a carabiner on and off.
Setting off with the rising fear of my partner's father being of a greater danger to me now (if he ever finds out what I have lead his daughter in to) than this plunging drop into the valley below, we join the frightening but somewhat entertaining journey to what must have to be the most delicately-placed shrine in the world. With the ducking and bobbing of on-coming traffic (it is a two-lane, two-foot-wide pathway) it is not long until we reach the shrine and return with a couple of photos safety stored in our cameras.
With the easing of adrenalin and the return of our gear to the gatekeeper we join the throng of fellow visitors still simmering with the excitement of the day’s activities, and head towards the exit signs.
Descending from the sacred mountain in the clouds we pass people surrounding a path-side stall getting padlocks engraved for prayer to their families or as sign of everlasting love that will be locked shut on the mountain.
Among them we notice our shirtless friend. He has found himself a shirt and as he too notices us he casts the same wide smile we were greeted with earlier. Smiling back we pass by and drop into the cold mist, safely making our way to the valley floor we thought we would be falling to not long before.
After reading that thrilling account do you think you’d ever be brave enough to walk the 'Plank Road in the Sky'? Have you ever been to China?
Please let us know in the comments below.
Written by James Thomson. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
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