Tiger Leaping Gorge
10 May 2004
  

  
  gang minus me  
  posing for a photograph before embarking on the first trek of our Yunnan tour  
  
  
  dragon hidden in the clouds  
  straddling the deep void between the Haba Mountains and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is the Tiger Leaping Gorge  
  
  
   
  two yuan  
  a few villages are scattered along the entire length of the trekking trail that runs high along the northern face of the gorge  
  
  
  colourful  
  horses are the main means of transporting loads (and tourists) on the trail  
  
  
  giants behind  
  the Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest gorges in the world, measuring about 16 km along its entire length, and a giddy 3900 m from the waters of the Yangzi below to the mountain tops  
  
  
  looking back  
  our trek starts from the little township of Qiaotou at the eastern end of the gorge and climbs high onto the northern face of the gorge, offering great views back to the upper reach of the Yangze (at this point is known as the Jinsha River)  
  
  
  purple landscape  
  mid May is a good time to visit the region as the the hill sides are afire with flowers  
  
  
  harvest time  
  this period of he year is made more colourful as it is also the time for the first harvest of the year  
  
  
  rest stop  
  it was tiresome as the trail painfully snakes even higher along this old miner's track  
  
  
  persistence  
  this opportunistic horse owner tailed our group all the way from the start in hope that one of us may tire out and use his services  
  
  
  firewood  
  the local population still very much depend on the surrounding forest and natural resource for their daily needs  
  
  
  meandering  
  this high trail is also known as the 24-bend path, as the namesake suggests the many switchbacks making the steep contours more manageable to climb  
  
  
  leaping lizards  
  near the zenith of the trail is a vista point to look down the giddy heights and admire the full splendor of the gorge  
  
  
  looking down  
  the gigantic rock in the middle of the river is the point where the assumed ancient tiger leapt onto in order successfully to cross the gorge  
  
  
  all terrain sleeper  
  Mike at his best... an art hard for others to muster  
  
  
  more to go  
  at this point about a quarter across its entire length, backlit by the afternoon sun the westward view of the gorge beyond was simply stunning  
  
  
  bamboo forest  
  a varied flora diversity on the steep slopes, from pine forest to Rhododendron forest to bamboo forest  
  
  
  over the edge  
  the gorge trek should not be taken lightly as over the years a few careless visitors have perished over its edge  
  
  
  high road, low road  
  at Yacajiao Village, the team descended from the high walking trail towards the low vehicle track  
  
  
  the gorge  
  viewing eastwards from at about the two-thirds point of the gorge reveals its terrifying steep and high walls  
  
  
  dangerous road  
  travel along the lower track is very dangerous, with a constant risk of rockfall and landslides  
  

  
 

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