11/7/25
We tried to pack our hiking bags in the morning but it was futile. The bag we’d bought was useless. A tiny, shapeless rucksack, suitable only for some urban adventures. Luckily we spied an appropriate hiking sack, covered in dust, under the stairs. We asked the boss woman and she gladly let us use it.
The boss had also messaged on WeChat to tell us that breakfast was included. We could only eat some kind of spicy seaweed dish, some steamed buns and our favourite: big slabs of purple sweet potato.
The woman offered to take us to the start of our walking adventure. She wanted ¥400 yuan. Not cheap. We soon found out why. It was 30km. Half of which was tarmac. The other half was a very bumpy stone track. She raged her fancy car through it, in a manner we could never imagine doing. We would have been crawling along. It was either a huge amount of confidence, or stupidity.
At the end of the track was a building beside a metal gate. The gate appeared locked. Though, as we were shown, it was just a chain wrapped around. Designed to deter. Two motorcycles appeared. They were coming down the path we’d naively assumed was only for walking. Porters now used bikes, not ponies apparently. The path meandered through the beautiful woodland. Slowly ascending the valley. The trees were laden with algae and lichen. The ground was solid underfoot with just a few soft patches. Mainly caused by motorbikes. We saw a few Chinese hikers coming down the path towards us. They didn’t seem to be carrying anything other than a day pack.
Frankie was having a difficult time. It was hard work managing the start of your period while setting off on a multi day hike into the unknown. We were already at 3000m when we started our walk and the air was feeling ever so slightly thin. We reached a fast flowing river and crossed a substantial bridge. We ate a peach while ascending a small hill. We looked back on the valley. It was nothing but trees, our path obscured. The next section took us up and down steeply, following the edge of the river. Its width and peacefulness made it look more like a lake.
The two motorcycle riders came back, offering us a lift that we gladly rejected. It was a little windier and cooler. We were still very much out of breath. It wasn’t just the hiking, the view took our breath away. A deep gorge, mysterious half submerged dead trees. Steep rocky mountains leading all the way to the edge of the water.
The wind quietened when we got back down to the side of the lake. The path turned into a silky, set mud. We reached an impassible river crossing. We could have waded, but instead we found an alternative route up the side of the bank. Insects flushed out of the loose soil when we disturbed them. We crossed the river by utilising some dead trees. It was a little bit sketchy. On the other side we joined a wide track.
After some steady pounding on the track we came to a few river crossings. One of them required us to remove our shoes and socks. It was time consuming to cross the water. The weather was still favourable. In fact it had improved. It was bright and sunny.
We imagined Alaska to look similar. The enormous pine forest covering the mountains. The tree line was thousands of metres above sea level. It was a beautiful place, scattered with flowers of every colour. Orange, red, blue and purple.
We were pleased when the village came into site. We left the roaring force of water below us and hiked up high. Classic Chinese style buildings lay ahead of us. Big boulders were strewn above and below the road, if it could be called that. We could see many landslides waiting to happen. The earthquake in 2022 would no doubt have isolated the village.
Small colourful flags flapped in the wind on a small bridge over raging torrents, as we walked into Zimei. It was a tiny village nestled in the valley. We followed the scree road. It was eerily quiet. After we passed a monument, to something, there was a courtyard with more substantial buildings. A woman in traditional garb sat just inside, a metal object in her hand. We made the universal sign for sleep. She took us inside one of the large buildings and led us to a surprisingly comfortable room. Two large beds. Even a kettle. She managed to communicate to us that there was WiFi. There certainly wasn’t any phone signal. She told us to come upstairs after we’d dumped our bags.
When we arrived in the living/dining room there was a young woman tending a fire. It was like being on the edge of civilisation. There was plastic, televisions and UPF, but a lack of sophistication. We managed to secure some, rather salty, tea. Then sat listening to the wind howling against the windows.
We had a delicious dinner of rice, fried potato, courgettes and pepper. We sat in the living room for a long time enjoying the atmosphere. The young girl seemed to do everything. She made the dinner and cleared up. We didn’t stay up late and went to bed reasonably early. It was very peaceful, a very quiet and gorgeous place. In a hidden corner of ‘Tibet’.
Surly They Won't Make It 