The Most Dangerous Hike in the World

Mount Hua (Huashan):

We started on the north peak and rode up by cable car. We made our way to the other peaks ( there is only one way) by the blue serpents pass. This is very steep and had a lot of steps. Then we made our way to the East Peak. Here is where the flipping cliff was located. Here, you could go down and see this small pavilion with a Chinese chess board inside. According to our guide and the signage, many years ago the Emperor came and challenged a Taoist monk to a game of Chinese chess. The Emperor wagered the entire mountain that he could win. The Taoist monk agreed and played the game. The Taoist monk eventually won and so, the mountain became the only part of China the Emperor did not own himself. The mountain became a place for Taoism and there are still Taoist monks worshipping there today. Anyway, to get down to this infamous location, you had to scale down a cliff. This is a very dangerous task so the Chinese hook you up to a harness in case you should lose your grip and fall. This mountain is also famous for the boardwalk in the sky. Sadly for us, too many people were taking off their harnesses and committing suicide so the walkway was closed for the time being. I was really bummed about this. The rest of the hike was still very cool. The jagged peaks and Taoist temples were fun to look at. After the cable car down, we found a little roller coaster that took you down part of the mountain. How could I refuse? It was a blast!