Woke up and got some breakfast thanks to Allen and headed for the Yuping Cableway that would lead me off of the mountain. By this time it was 8:15am and I had to be at the train station at 2pm to catch my bullet train back to Shanghai. Based on the map, it said it would take me 4 hours of hiking to get back to Huangshan and from there about an hour taxi to the station. I was a bit stressed on time but I had no other options.
So the hike begins. This time I have all of my luggage. My rolling suitcase weighed probably 20lbs and my backpack with cameras, laptops, tripod, watches, etc. was on my back. It was grueling. I basically spent the first 45 mins entirely in prayer because I surely felt doomed to fail. My legs were aching and started shaking, I was running low on water, and the stairs kept climbing higher and higher. However, after that intense 45 mins, I reached Bright Top and things leveled out for a time. Also I stopped feeling the ache in my legs and the scenery became even more beautiful. The hike continued and once I reached the Bayiun Hotel, I had only 2 hours left until I reached the cablecar. The whole place was magnificent. There were many forks in the road and I kept asking for directions, but each time I asked I was directed toward the more difficult option. Awesome. I really wanted to launch my drone in a few spots but I knew it wouldn't be worth missing my train so I snapped a few pics while walking and made it to the cablecar about an hour ahead of schedule!
The cablecar was the finish line. I finally got to sit and enjoy the wondrous beauty around me. I had a gondola all to myself and just listened to the bugs chirp and the wind blow through the small windows. Dragonflies the size of canaries were everywhere on the mountain but they vanished once I began my descent. Hoped on a bus to Huangshan and took a taxi to the train station.
I spent most of my time editing (as usual) but I also read a bunch too! When I finally got back to the Chase's home I was so sore and exhausted. They fed me wonderful food and caught up with me on my travels until we all crashed and went to bed.
