Friday, September 2, 2011

Cat Mountain Hike

Last weekend we went to Cat Mountaion, which got the name Cat Mountain for its peak looks like a huge cat. The main peak of the mountain is about 2,141 meters high above sea level and is known as the "Summit of South China". There were 12 of us, took the express bus to Cat Mountain at 9:30 AM and arrived at the gate of the scenic spot at 12:30, it taken a while for us to bargain with the staff at the entrance to carter a bus get up to the top of the mountain. Finally Simon, our group leader, got the deal of CNY1500 totally for the 12 of us, meanwhile we had some instant noodle and some cookie and fruits for lunch. At 1:20PM, we started hiking from the foot of the mountain till Tiziling, where we can get on our rented bus to go up to the mountain.

The hiking tour was very much different than the other hike tour that I had before. We hired a local farmer as a guide as the roads bumpy; we did not see other companion all the way, it was cool, however it was an arduous trip for most of us: you have to use you hand to balance yourself on the mountainous "road", actually it cannot be called road most of the time, as there was barely any sign or guidance, our guide was fast, I did not see him much, as he was always ahead of us and we hurried up to catch him. Xiaobai, one of my friend, got exhausted half way; I tried my best to follow the group without taken backpack; and we rested every 30 minutes, everyone was try his/her best to finish the tour, which lasted for 4 hours, the view on the way was beautiful however we did not taken much picture as we have to arrive at Tiziling to get on the bus. Finally we see the cement road and get on the bus await us.

At around 5:50PM, we got on the top of the mountain and check-in the Cat Mountain hotel, we have to camp at night in the hotel as there was no rooms available any longer. It was cold on the mountain top, I taken on my jacket and followed Simon to tent and take shower when there was still hot water available.

  We had a fantastic evening, enjoying the sunset and taken photos of the Shenxianfoot on the top of the mountain and shared a simple but unforgettable dinner, which was hot pot chicken. The next morning, we got up at 4AM and hiked from 4:20AM till 5AM to the peak of the mountain to enjoy the sunrise, the highlight of cat mountain tour. It was impresieve to see all the stars blinked so close to me, and faded away in every passing minute, the color of the sky changed as well, the prettiest moment turned out to be the very moment before the sunrise. Attached are some photos in the mountain; however the best memory was always in my mind.