Huashan is one of the five great mountains in China. The other four great mountains are Taishan in Shandong, Hengshan in Hunan, Hengshan in Shanxi and Songshan in Henan. Not only as one of the five great mountains, Huashan is also reputed to be the most dangerous hiking mountain in China.

There are five peaks in Huashan which form the shape of a flower. Flower is pronounced as hua in Mandarin.

A fall view.

Cant recall what was the building behind me, could be a Taoist shrine.

The North Peak is 1614 meters high. It is also known as the Cloud Terrace Peak as it is surrounded by cliffs on all sides which makes it look like a flat terrace in the clouds.

The locks on the chain links were placed by lovers to symbolize their commitment to one another.

Locks are seen everywhere. They are sold on some spots on the mountain. The gold locks are also meant for prayer for health and safety for family and friends.

A welcoming flat path. Have to loosen the jacket and scarf as it gets warmer with the climb.

The climb is not always up, sometimes one has to go down before another climb.

More rocks and cliffs.

We were contemplating on how to climb up this steep stairway. We rested for a while and watched others went up the stairs and finally decided to follow others foot steps. The iron chains give climbers support.

An evergreen stands boldly among other trees that had turned to the fall colours.

Another view of a peak above the clouds.

We stopped for a hot bowl of instant noodle to replenish our energy and rest our tired feet. A well worth spending of RMB15 (CAD2.50), considering the trouble the vendor has to endure to transport them up the mountain.

We turned back at this point after seeing the climb ahead.

We came across the above calligraphy on our way down. The four largest characters read as Brave Heart No Risk. Ben said he don’t think so.

This is the entrance to a dangerous lookout.

This part is a pleasant climb. The view is just spectacular.

We knew what goes up has to come down. I asked Ben to take a photo of me going down but he insisted that I concentrate on my steps. He only took the picture after both of us were down.

So long Huashan.