Taishan

This last weekend (5 April), I went with a bunch of friends and climbed Taishan (Mt. Tai). Did I mention, that when you climb a mountain here in China, it's not really climbing....more stair-stepping? Don't believe me?....Just look at the pictures. I'm told there are over 6,600 steps from the bottom of Taishan to the top...and I don't doubt it! I had to keep reminding myself that for every step, I had to be losing a pound! I'm sure I lost 30 lbs by the time I got to the top! haha. I don't think it happened, but at least it got me to the top! There were 9 people in the group I went with. All English speaking people! I know, hard to believe but true...they came from 5 different cities and we met up at Taishan. In case you were wondering, I met them all at church. Most of them are teaching English here. It was soooo much fun!!! I loved climbing the Mountain! I miss the mountains in Utah!
One of my students is from Tai'an (the city at the base of Taishan) and I think I will come back with her and climb the mountain when it is greener and warmer!

The first picture is of us on the train to Taishan (it was a 4 hour train ride). Jennifer, Amber and I shared a compartment with 4 other Chinese people (2 of which spoke some English). The second pic is a photograph of a map of the mountain. Just follow the yellow flags from the bottom to the top...you can try to read it, but it's all in Chinese...that's the trail to the top. The next 2 pics are actual pics taken of the mountain...as you can see, all the trees are bare and it was really cloudy so you couldn't see the trail very well. I'm in one picture with Kip (a teacher in Qingdao) and Ajay (a medical student from India). The last is a picture I took from the internet to give you an idea of what the trail to the top actually looks like. Yep! It is straight up the mountain!! Nothing like the trails back home. haha.

Mount Tai is one of the "Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism" and is said to be the most popular of the five. Its history dates back some 3,000 years. It is a very sacred temple and many people hike it for religious purposes. There are some 22 Temples along the way with many ancient writings that date back hundreds of years. As you climb, there are gates (or arches) that signify the walk to Heaven. You start at the First Gate to Heaven and walk about 3 miles to the Middle Gate of Heaven. From there, it is a climb of 2 miles and an elevation rise of about 4,500 ft (yeah, its steep!) to Heaven (or the top). I've decided climbing the stairs isn't really that bad, you've just got to pace yourself and rest... It was soooo much FUN!! (I've got to figure out how to do photoblog or something so you can see all the pics I have...if not, i'll just have to show you when I get back!).