Huihang Ancient Road Hiking

In early April, the weather is mild and pleasant, perfect for outdoor activities. As planned, we embarked on a one-day hiking trip.

Huihang Ancient Road, temperature 6-21°C, sunny

Day 1:

Departing from Shanghai at 1:00 PM, a 390 km journey took 4 hours and 50 minutes to reach Jixi County's Duoli International Hotel.

The hotel is located on the outskirts of the county, greeting us with a magnificent lobby. The overall decoration style is distinctive, and the rooms are spacious. The front desk attitude was a bit indifferent but not a big deal. Breakfast was relatively abundant. Overall, good value for money, recommended.

After checking in and taking a short break, we drove to the Huicai Museum for dinner. Upon entering, we were immediately attracted by a two-meter-wide pot. The overall architecture and decoration were quite imposing. Led to a private room, the rustic decor and old-fashioned eight-panel folding doors were impressive. The food was good, with an average cost of 140 yuan per person. The only complaint was the wild chive stir-fried with large intestine; not only was it served cold from a large wok, but it also cost 138 yuan per serving, quite baffling. Overall, the ambiance was unique and the taste was good, recommended.

After dinner, since it was still early, we booked a KTV for some entertainment. Only two KTVs were found in the city, relatively simple, so we skipped the details.

Day 2:

At 8:30 AM, we set off for the starting point of the hike—Jiangnan Village, 21 km away, taking 30 minutes. The designated driver we had arranged was already waiting in the parking lot. After handing over the keys, he drove our car to Yonglai Village parking lot. Although the hike was only 15 km, driving required circling around the mountains, about 85 km, taking 2 hours. The driver was nice; two hours later, he sent a photo showing the car parked and the keys handed over to the ticket seller. The fee was 350 yuan per car, saving us at least 2 hours.

At the parking lot, some elderly women were selling bamboo walking sticks for 2 yuan each. We bought a few and then purchased tickets to enter. From the ticket gate, it was an uphill path, about 3 km taking 1.5 hours. Then we entered a relatively flat mountain trail, about 3 km, making the going easier. The first section was probably the most scenic, with plenty of opportunities to stop and take photos.

Next came another climb. We had lunch at a farmhouse restaurant in Xiaxuetang. After half a day of trekking, our appetites were excellent, and the food tasted great. Average cost 60 yuan per person.

After lunch came a particularly strenuous uphill section, the most exhausting part of the hike. We struggled up to Shangxuetang and Lantianmen, eventually reaching Nantianmen. Nantianmen was the last scenic landmark, with cold drinks for sale and views of distant mountains. After a short rest, we began the final 3 km downhill path. Chatting and laughing, we quickly reached the exit, without the breathlessness from earlier.

Thus, the hiking trip concluded smoothly. The total hiking distance was 15.6 km (measured from Jiangnan Village ticket gate to Yonglai Village ticket office), taking six and a half hours. This direction generally had more uphill than downhill, making it relatively tiring.

At the parking lot, some elderly women asked us for our walking sticks, so we gave them away. Their business seemed quite good—no capital investment, collecting sticks for free from hikers at both ends and reselling them for 2 or 5 yuan to the next group.

We retrieved the car smoothly and drove to that night's accommodation, Shimengxia Hotel, located halfway up the mountain in the Shimengxia Longmen Scenic Area. We expected a decent hotel, but from check-in onward, it was a series of mishaps.

1. The front desk said they were giving us rooms on the second floor but actually gave us rooms on the fourth floor.

2. The key cards for both rooms wouldn't open the doors. Later confirmed: one was not sensitive, the other had a broken card reader on the door.

3. The rooms looked like an old, budget hotel.

4. When we arrived for breakfast at 8:00 AM, there were only noodles and a bit of plain congee, with the noodles cooked by the security guard—truly a rarity.

5. The worst part was the dinner at the restaurant: ingredients were not fresh, dishes were bland, and there was no taste at all. The only dish that everyone found barely acceptable was scrambled eggs.

Choosing this hotel was probably the only regret of the trip. Fortunately, we entertained ourselves by drinking, adding some fun.

Day 3:

After a quick breakfast, we headed back at 9:00 AM. The journey was 310 km, taking 4 hours.

The entire trip concluded. Hiking experience rating: 7/10; scenery rating: 5/10. In fact, these didn't matter much. The key was having a group of people sharing the same space and interacting fully. Overall, this trip was satisfying.