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Adventure Travel – The Most Dangerous Hiking Trail

October 7th, 2010 by The JetSetter Team | Comments Off on Adventure Travel – The Most Dangerous Hiking Trail

adventure travelWho among us hasn’t had the fleeting (sometimes permanent) urge to test ourselves against the earth with nothing but two feet between ecstasy an disaster? Would you settle for old, rickety wood, a stout chain to hold onto and a deadly plunge down the side of a Chinese mountain? If you’re really dialed into adventure travel, don’t miss out on the chance to journey to Mount Hua for what might be a trek across the most dangerous hiking trail in the world, known as the Huashan Trail.

Located 120 miles east of Xi’an City, and on the vertical slopes of one of China’s five sacred mountains, some people come for the rugged natural scenery and others for the ancient Taoist temples. But in this area, it’s all about the Huashan Trail and those who dare to tread upon it. Thanks to the Chinese government’s policy of censoring such information, we don’t know exactly how many people die each year on the trail but unofficial estimates put the number upwards of at least 100.

The thing to keep in mind with the Huashan Trail is that this is hiking, not mountain climbing, so generally you don’t get to rely on fancy gear to keep a misstep from plunging you into the abyss. However, a pair of work gloves and a strong grip are helpful. The worst part of the trail is a thirteen-foot long, one foot wide plank path hammered into the rock of a vertical cliff face. There is a chest-high chain hammered into the rock also, which would be a great place to hook yourself to with

a mountain climbing harness. Other portions of the trail only have chain and a few footholds to keep you from tumbling back down the mountain.

That picture up there? Yep, it’s the trail. Good luck. Don’t forget to leave word where they should ship the body to.

The Jetsetter Team

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Flickr / topgold

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