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The Deadly Mt Huashan Hiking Trail
As far as we were concerned, the worst was over. Let it snow.
We were now on the original Staircase of Suicide. The cable car station was just a couple hundred yards away. The end was in sight. Suddenly something happened that I will never forget for the rest of my life.
About fifteen yards in front of me, a Chinese man was walking carelessly along a relatively flat portion of the walkway. I had noticed he wasn't even holding the metal chain. Without any warning, he suddenly lost his footing, slipped and fell.
With only a few thin pine trees on the snowy slope separating him from a 600-foot drop off a sheer cliff, he reached back with one had to grab onto the safety chain just as his feet slid under it. If he had missed the chain or his grip broke, the pine trees would be his last chance. But he held tight and broke his momentum. Slowly he pulled himself back to his feet.
Laura and I were too stunned to even move. Only a lucky last second grab of the chain have saved him. This guy had missed death by a hair. Before I could even muster a breath, he turned straight around and looked at me. In perfect English, he calmly said to me, "It's very dangerous here. You should be careful."
I just about fell off the mountain myself from shock. An instant before, only a rusty, icy chain had come between this man and almost certain death. But the man's first thought after almost dying was to warn ME to be careful! What an amazing man.
Fear of heights must not be part of the Chinese ethos. Not me. This guy's brush with Death had me spooked. Now I kept BOTH HANDS on the safety chain. I had not taken one carefree step in over an hour, but now I concentrated even harder.
Not two minutes later, Laura screamed in terror as she slipped on the ice just like the Chinese man had. She saved herself from careening down the slope by bear-hugging the safety chain just as the Chinese man had. I was there in seconds, almost slipping myself as I hit an ice patch. These icy steps were deadly!
As I helped her up, I did not feel as much shocked, scared, or relieved as I just felt angry at myself for allowing us to be in this spot.
From the very start, my better judgment had been put aside by a combination of wanting to get "my money's worth" and from observing all the Chinese people giggling up and down the mountain without regard for consequences. Always way too competitive for my own good, I had allowed my judgment to be clouded by my need to think I was just as brave and athletic as these kids.
As a result, we had spent nearly two and a half hours on this icy, treacherous mountain path with scant guardrails and few safety features. Deadly drop-offs were just one mistake, one slip away the entire time.
Now as exhaustion set in, Laura had made a near-fatal mistake. I was beside myself with anger at my stupidity for putting us in this spot to begin with. If she had gotten hurt (or worse), I would have never been able to forgive myself. I was furious with myself for my ignorance. I had no idea how easy it was to slip going down the steps.
But mostly I was angry for trying to compete with the Chinese. I had gotten so used to thinking the Chinese knew what they were doing that I did not realize until the man slipped in front of me that my judgment had been right all along - this mountain path was a death trap.
Someone could have a heart attack from exertion and fall to their death. Or a trembling foot could miss a foothold and make a fatal slip that would cost them their life. Even a simple mistake like Laura's could end it. We were lucky to be alive.
.......................
Ironically, two days later, we stopped at a temple in nearby Xian. Laura picked up a pamphlet and started to browse. I heard her giggle. Curious, I asked her what was so funny.
She handed me the pamphlet and told me to look for myself. The first thing I noticed was this particular pamphlet was written in English.
Laura grinned as she pointed to the Third Wisdom of Tao:
"He who knows when to stop does not find himself in trouble."
The Deadly Mt Huashan Hiking Trail
As far as we were concerned, the worst was over. Let it snow.
We were now on the original Staircase of Suicide. The cable car station was just a couple hundred yards away. The end was in sight. Suddenly something happened that I will never forget for the rest of my life.
About fifteen yards in front of me, a Chinese man was walking carelessly along a relatively flat portion of the walkway. I had noticed he wasn't even holding the metal chain. Without any warning, he suddenly lost his footing, slipped and fell.
With only a few thin pine trees on the snowy slope separating him from a 600-foot drop off a sheer cliff, he reached back with one had to grab onto the safety chain just as his feet slid under it. If he had missed the chain or his grip broke, the pine trees would be his last chance. But he held tight and broke his momentum. Slowly he pulled himself back to his feet.
Laura and I were too stunned to even move. Only a lucky last second grab of the chain have saved him. This guy had missed death by a hair. Before I could even muster a breath, he turned straight around and looked at me. In perfect English, he calmly said to me, "It's very dangerous here. You should be careful."
I just about fell off the mountain myself from shock. An instant before, only a rusty, icy chain had come between this man and almost certain death. But the man's first thought after almost dying was to warn ME to be careful! What an amazing man.
Fear of heights must not be part of the Chinese ethos. Not me. This guy's brush with Death had me spooked. Now I kept BOTH HANDS on the safety chain. I had not taken one carefree step in over an hour, but now I concentrated even harder.
Not two minutes later, Laura screamed in terror as she slipped on the ice just like the Chinese man had. She saved herself from careening down the slope by bear-hugging the safety chain just as the Chinese man had. I was there in seconds, almost slipping myself as I hit an ice patch. These icy steps were deadly!
As I helped her up, I did not feel as much shocked, scared, or relieved as I just felt angry at myself for allowing us to be in this spot.
From the very start, my better judgment had been put aside by a combination of wanting to get "my money's worth" and from observing all the Chinese people giggling up and down the mountain without regard for consequences. Always way too competitive for my own good, I had allowed my judgment to be clouded by my need to think I was just as brave and athletic as these kids.
As a result, we had spent nearly two and a half hours on this icy, treacherous mountain path with scant guardrails and few safety features. Deadly drop-offs were just one mistake, one slip away the entire time.
Now as exhaustion set in, Laura had made a near-fatal mistake. I was beside myself with anger at my stupidity for putting us in this spot to begin with. If she had gotten hurt (or worse), I would have never been able to forgive myself. I was furious with myself for my ignorance. I had no idea how easy it was to slip going down the steps.
But mostly I was angry for trying to compete with the Chinese. I had gotten so used to thinking the Chinese knew what they were doing that I did not realize until the man slipped in front of me that my judgment had been right all along - this mountain path was a death trap.
Someone could have a heart attack from exertion and fall to their death. Or a trembling foot could miss a foothold and make a fatal slip that would cost them their life. Even a simple mistake like Laura's could end it. We were lucky to be alive.
.......................
Ironically, two days later, we stopped at a temple in nearby Xian. Laura picked up a pamphlet and started to browse. I heard her giggle. Curious, I asked her what was so funny.
She handed me the pamphlet and told me to look for myself. The first thing I noticed was this particular pamphlet was written in English.
Laura grinned as she pointed to the Third Wisdom of Tao:
"He who knows when to stop does not find himself in trouble."