Testing... Testing.. Testing Tiger Leaping Gorge

Coming up with a challenge for the next Hope in Motion took some planning, so I decided to outsource the creative process to a group of my friends. Luke, a longtime friend from high school, suggested I try to walk the Uinta Trail in Utah, a trail that is 100 miles long. This idea immediately grabbed my attention, and I began making preparations.

From the Boundary Waters Canoe Trip, I realized that Lionel had some difficulty with the portages. With his lack of depth perception, it was difficult for him to see changes in inclination as well as troublesome roots on the ground. This led to some stumbles and stubbed toes. That being said, there weren’t many complaints, and I figured that with a little practice lifting his feet a bit higher and some verbal instruction on where to step, Lionel would be able to handle it. Another challenge of a hike, compared to what we have done in the past, is that Lionel would need to navigate much more of the terrain on his own.

Before setting the stakes on a 100-mile hike, I wanted to check the following:

     1. Does Lionel have the endurance and determination for a walk like this?

     2. Will he be able to traverse uneven footing?

     3. Is he interested in it?

Near the end of December, we decided to see what Lionel could do by going through Tiger Leaping Gorge, a 30 km trek through the Haba Snow mountains in Yunnan. Lionel was joined by his aunt Anne and Uncle Dan, as well as his two cousins, Ben and Kevin. I remember making the hike my first year in China and being in awe of the sheer beauty and lack of safety rails. I knew the walk would be very challenging, but I thought that with the encouragement from his cousins, we could slowly but surely achieve success.

Lionel with his two favorite cousins -Ben and Kevin

To begin training for the hike, Lionel and I stopped taking the elevator up to our 17^th floor apartment and opted for the stairs. We wanted to build some climber’s legs for the “28 Bends,” a famous section of the walk that features 28 switchbacks to get you up the mountain.

Lionel was very excited for the trip, and I was apprehensively excited. I knew it would be very challenging, but I wanted to see how Lionel could handle it. As we drove out to the area, we saw gorgeous scenery in the valley. Lionel was excited to get climbing and had no problems when the driver dropped us off at the base of the mountain and informed us that we would have to walk along the roadside for about two hours to get to the start of the trail.

We reached the Naxi Guesthouse feeling famished. After refueling with several dishes consisting of rice, eggs, and noodles and, most importantly, coffee, we were feeling pretty good. Ben busted out his dirtbag, and after kicking it around for several minutes, he nearly kicked it into my poorly placed cup of coffee, which split Lionel’s sides with laughter. We left Naxi feeling good and ready to take on the “28 Bends.”

Lionel promptly replied, “Bu Xu Yao,” which translates to “I don’t need.” The woman, who was very familiar with the rugged and grueling pathway ahead, smiled skeptically at what she believed to be a seven-year-old’s ignorance. As we started, she walked behind us with her donkey and reminded us that she was there for when we needed her.

Now, there is no official starting sign or number counter for the bends. Some of them stretch for a very long way, while some of the switchbacks are only several steps. You don’t really know how far you have gone, or how many more bends you have to go.

I do know that Lionel and I stopped to catch our breath at several corners of the climb, but we never once considered taking the donkey. After we were about two-thirds of the way up the mountain, the donkey lady cut her losses and decided to try to peddle a ride to my sister, who was about 20 minutes behind us.

Making it up the bends offered a spectacular view, but it also filled us with a great sense of pride. The path was not easy, and at times Lionel needed to use his hands to help hoist himself up over the rocks.