An early and yummy breakfast with real bacon and we piled into a minibus with five other people for the drive out to the start of the Tiger Leaping Gorge (TLG) hike. We tried to get a bit of dialogue going, but the two poms were reluctant and the rest just plain unfriendly. It was a quiet trip out made even longer by the continuous traffic jams and roadworks but V and I passed the time with a little more Bill Bryson. The weather was clearing as we arrived at Jane’s guest house around 12 and realizing that we had at least 6 hours of hiking to do we stored our packs and hit the trail while the rest of the arrivals sat to have lunch – we guess due to the delays that they decided to hike tomorrow.

We almost took a wrong turn early on but my V got us going in the right direction and we started to climb. It was a pleasant hike and we were making good time in the overcast but warm conditions. A small 10l day-pack ensured we weren’t slowed too much by excess luggage and we hit the first toll booth (a ‘donation’ of £1 each and some expensive bananas), after passing through a few farms, feeling strong. Form there the trail got steeper and more tricky but by no means hard. Very few people were out on the trail and after passing one of the bigger Naxi villages we started up what was supposed to be the hard part – 28 switchback bends to get to the top of the gorge.

As we approached what we thought was the top (around N27.18825, E100.09781 :gps:(GPS)::27.18825::100.09781:gps:) we walked past a roughly painted sign at a farm-stall indicating that we should rest up and refuel for the 28 Bends ahead ! We ignored the warning and plodded on. Just after going round the ridge was another sign… “Game On”… I had to laugh.

I counted 29 bends to the top (the error possibly induced by lack of blood to the brain as it rushed to my skinny legs) and it was tough going but we topped out in 4 hours (precisely what was estimated from Jane’s). The view from the top, in fact for the entire afternoon, was magnificent. Some industrious and annoying locals had erected a boom and were charging for photos to be taken from the viewpoint – we declined. From the high point (around N27.19024, E100.10272 :gps:(GPS)::27.19024::100.10272:gps:) at 2600m the path descended, much to V’s frustration after climbing all the way up, through stunning forests and along gorge edging trails. With the views of the TLG it was an amazing walk. We had been concerned about our gear selection for the hike – some websites had recommended hiking boots, rain gear etc. We had no problems at all with strops, shorts, a change of underwear, thermal tops and umbrellas. Two hours after leaving the viewpoint, and not a moment too soon, we ambled into the Halfway Inn (Total of Six hours including a 15 minute lunch break and about 30 minutes of ‘strategic rests’).

There are some annoyances on the trail. Telephone poles and wires obscure the view for large portions, the roads at the bottom are an eyesore, litter is as always an issue along with horse dung, and every obvious rock has guest house advertising painted all over. It is still a stunning walk. The Halfway Inn is huge, slick, clean and advertises great views of the gorge from the toilet. We sat on the terrace enjoying the incredible view with a beer and barbarian portions of food until the cold and then rain sent us inside. Another awesome day (maybe 15 000 hotdogs).

[Pictures: V looking a little worse for wear at the top of the 28 bends and looking back from where we hiked. More in linked gallery]

– Posted from my iPhone via Wifi