Return from Mount Huangshan Part 2
We set off at 8 am, with the guide and the car already waiting for us. It takes an hour's drive to reach Tangkou Town. Along the way, the guide introduced us to the local history and specialties of Huizhou, and finalized our hiking route. Due to the pandemic, entry to Mount Huangshan is concentrated at the southern gate in Tangkou, where we transfer to the scenic area bus. The guide initially thought we would take the cable car, but we had already discussed beforehand that we wanted to hike up. So the guide directed us onto the bus to the Yungu Temple cable car station, starting our climb from the gentler back mountain. The guide, who frequents the mountains, would not accompany us on the hike; she took the cable car to wait for us at Bai'e Ridge. Conveniently, we asked her to take our backpack items like spare clothes that we wouldn't need on the climb, as carrying them would be a heavy burden.
The hike itself had no special scenery. The scorching sun and high temperatures we had imagined never appeared; it was overcast, with occasional mountain breezes that felt cool when we stood still. The first half offered no views, but as we climbed higher, scenery began to emerge. Several spots with signs pointing out peaks and oddly shaped rocks invited us to use our imagination. The entire hike took three hours, with two places along the way to replenish water, food, and even ice cream. Upon reaching Bai'e Ridge, the view was breathtaking—misty clouds swirling around the distant mountains, truly evoking the feeling of 'clouds rising in my chest.' I never imagined I could make it up here on foot, and suddenly I regained some confidence in my physical fitness.
Though there was no sunlight, the ultraviolet rays seemed strong. I applied sunscreen at the foot of the mountain, but at the spring near the mid-mountain pavilion, I washed my face. By evening, my face felt hot and tingling, and I must have darkened a bit the next day—a lesson learned.
During the ascent, a man in a yellow T-shirt, holding two trekking poles and carrying a backpack of bottled water, was always ahead of us. He seemed to become our target and direction. When we rested, he kept climbing, and after a while we would see his bright figure again. We exchanged a few words—he had been left behind by his friends and planned to reach Bright Summit today, having already drunk most of his water. That man became an inspiration for the kids and an unusual sight along our way.
The guide had already waited for us for two hours. The bright man continued toward Bright Summit, and we followed the guide down a 20-minute mountain path to our accommodation for the night, Shilin Hotel. We passed by 'Dream Pen Gains a Flower' where there were few people, so we quickly took photos. Shilin Hotel is basically right next to Beihai Hotel, which is under renovation. Behind Shilin Hotel is the Qingliang Terrace, only 20 minutes to watch the sunrise. The hotel room was very small, but we couldn't expect more on the mountain. After dropping off our things and resting a bit, we set out at 3 pm for the afternoon tour of the back mountain.
On the back mountain, besides 'Dream Pen Gains a Flower', the main highlights are Shixin Peak and Qingliang Terrace. Shixin Peak looked far but turned out to be a quick walk. At the summit, we could see everything clearly, including Taiping County to the north. Just before reaching the top, a mountain rain shower caught us, and we took shelter under a mushroom-shaped pavilion. Soon the rain stopped, and the sun came out. I wondered if there would be a rainbow, and to our surprise, there was—a rainbow spanning across the distance, making all tourists overjoyed.
Returning from Shixin Peak, we passed the Black Tiger Pine, turned right at the hotel entrance up to Qingliang Terrace. Along the way, the guide pointed out several spots for watching the sunrise the next morning. Straight up to the peak is the closest point to 'Monkey Gazing at the Sea', but unfortunately there was no sea of clouds, so we could only see the monkey gazing at Taiping.
