5 posts tagged “hiking”

Hiked all day and danced all night! I couldn't be happier... or more tired. *smiles*

Because it was the sunniest day.
Because the challenge was to reach the Great Wall at the ridge of the mountain, and we made it.
Because the view was spectacular.
Because it was HARD. My quads were quivering three quarters of the way up -- and then I still had to get *down*.
Because a bunch of random people agreed to go hiking with me and they liked each other.
Because there was a feast of fresh grilled trout and fish dumplings at the end.
Because I went into it tired from a long week and came out of it happy happy happy.
Because it was preceded and followed by a night of dancing.
Because I still have Sunday.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect hiking day. The brightness of my room at 6.15a.m. (yes, on a Saturday morning... I'm incapable of sleeping in. It's a curse.) said it was going to be a sunny and hot day. Rather than do the group hike this weekend, I arranged with three friends to rent a taxi for the day to take us outside the city, which gave us a lot more flexibility on where and when to go. The key to being able to do this is a new book

I got, "The Insider's Guide to Beijing: Excursion Guide" -- nothing like that was available when I lived in Beijing last time. It's now officially my Bible.

We negotiated RMB450 (about $50) for a taxi for the day. By noontime we had reached the mountains outside Beijing and picked a park to explore. Though crowded near the entrance, there weren't the throngs you find at the Great Wall, and this spot had the added bonus of lots of greenery, ponds and waterfalls -- it was lush

and (comparatively) cool. A godsend considering temperatures were pushing 100 degrees.

After two and a half hours up, we were rewarded with spectacular views. It felt all the more worthwhile when we arrived back in the sweltering, hazy city, tired and refreshed from the day outside.

After two weeks in this mucky, grey weather, I got outside Beijing for a day of hiking -- was really craving the clear head and burning muscles of a 10-miler, not to mention some greenery. It was a long, hard week and I worked Saturday but wasn't as far along as I'd wanted to be by the end of the day (interspersing work with errands didn't help) so seriously considered skipping the hike to get more done. In the end I decided my sanity was at stake and that a few hours outside would make me more productive in the coming week.

The hike was organized by a group called Beijing Hikers. I generally don't like to hike with a group, especially people I don't know, since the point to me in hiking is to GET AWAY from other people. But there's not much choice at the moment, being without a car, and not knowing the hiking spots outside town. This allowed me to pay someone else ($25 -- pretty steep!) to organize everything, and all I had to do was hike. Though a bunch of folks were chatterboxes, there were points of quiet (usually at the top of a steep incline when everyone was out of breath... but that's when you want to quietly enjoy the view most anyway); they said it was a 12 km (7 miles) but I don't really think so. Anyways, until I can figure out another way to spend time outdoors, Beijing Hikers it is.

Unfortunately we weren't able to escape the grey, as you can see from the photos. The ones of the Great Wall didn't really turn out well, but there are some ok ones of farmhouses and the villages in the distance. Note the satellite dishes. I put the photos into a collection, but here are a few of my favorites:

Because then we can go to Muir Woods again. It's our favorite hiking spot, but it also happens to be a national monument overrun with tourists from May until October.

There aren't many serious hikers there, probably because it's considered a tourist destination rather than a place to hike. What many don't realize, though, is that once you get through the throngs of people at the entrance, most of the trails aren't used. Miles and miles of trees, streams, and sunshine for a hikers enjoyment.

We did a seven mile loop from the base of the park to its uppermost trail, Troop 80, which we'd never done before because a bridge had been washed out for months when we were going regularly last year. The great thing about Muir Woods is not just the amazing trees and trails, but the incredible diversity available in just one hike -- everything from steep, narrow, misty trails through the tall redwoods, to dry, hot dusty paths through dense manzanita bushes.

Amazing. And it's only 25 minutes from home.