It seems I’m a bit attracted to danger.
I guess this is partially because I spent a fairly large part of my life being absolutely terrified to step outside of my comfort-zone, and now I’ve realised how amazing it can feel when I do (and the good things that can come of it).
So you won’t be surprised that when I stumbled across something touted as “the Most Dangerous Hike in the World”, it went straight to my hiking bucket list.
Hua Shan is a sacred mountain in China’s Shaanxi Province, about 120km east of Xi’an. This pilgrimage hike to a Taoist temple at the top is mainly undertaken by locals, but is becoming more and more popular with international tourists. Many visitors begin the hike in the dark, so that they arrive at the top in time to meditate as the sun rises.
If you thought “The Walk of Faith” looked scary, this will have you absolutely shitting your pants. There are reports of many people dying while attempting this trail, but the reported numbers I’ve found vary so much that I’m choosing not to believe them. It definitely looks scary as hell, but it actually seems that (with due care) it would be relatively safe. I’d be willing to take the risk.
The hike begins on steep and narrow pathways and staircases, but in some sections the only place to walk is on narrow wooden planks, chains, or even foot-holes chiselled into the side of the mountain. More chains are attached to the rock-face for holding on to, and harnesses are used as a safety precaution.
I won’t spend too much time explaining it, since I’ve found a YouTube video that shows the trail off fairly well. Check it out…
What do you think? Are you happy to leave this one for the daredevils? Let us know by commenting below.
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Hell no! Just watching this makes me feel poorly! No way in the world I could do it as I have severe vertigo. I’ve tackled it enough to become an indoor climber, but this is another leauge! The one big safety thing that does stand out to me are the people holding phones and cameras in their hands whilst climbing and moving across. Surely having both hands free, and being totally focused on what you’re doing is pretty important for climbing or via ferrata? Sticking to a head-mounted cam, or even having a lanyard around the neck with a camera or phone attached seems much safer to me. Fair play to anyone who likes this sort of thing, but for me it’s a big fat nope! ?
Haha very good point about the cameras. I reckon I’d be brave enough to give this a go but I certainly wouldn’t be doing it one-handed!
Thanks for stopping by Shell
Neil
I would LOVE to do this!
Thanks for the comment, Anna… It’d be pretty awesome!
Cheers
Neil