At Home in the Mountains
Xiannairi Mountain, Yading
The long road to Yading is one that can be avoided by simply taking a one hour flight from Chengdu to Daocheng airport. From there, it’s just a couple of hours in a car to the reserve and check-in at any of the hotels in the village. With that said, the experience of the drive from Chengdu is 100% worth it if you’re willing to commit just a couple of extra days to the trip. Going through Kangding and the many smaller towns, up and over mountains, and across the expansive plains, is like nothing else. In case you’ve not read part one yet, check out that journey here - Journey to the West -
After arriving and settling in at the hotel, we took a short walk down to the river and explored a bit. It was exciting to see the very obvious marks of wildlife around the area and hopefully a sign of what could be spotted throughout the trip. An early night was on the cards in preparation for the early starts and long days being immersed in nature that were to come. We headed back to enjoy some freshly cooked food at the hotel and hit the sack.
24th August
The first morning started with a spectacularly clear view of Xiannairi and the valley, which provided the opportunity for one of my favourite images from the whole trip. The panoramic image of the mountains below. After some breakfast, we caught the bus down the valley to the entrance of the main hiking route. The intention was to make it up to the lakes at 4,700m, roughly a 5km hike from Luorong Pasture. That did not happen.
Apparently, walking 5km at 4,100m altitude and climbing is not just your average stroll in the park. The combination of altitude and stopping to look around at everything and take photos slowed down the first couple of kilometres to a good 2-hour walk. This wouldn’t have been a problem, but some pretty miserable weather rolled in very quickly. Despite pushing on a bit further up the route, we were soon getting wet and hailed on quite a lot with no choice but to head back down for safety.
Of course, as soon as we got back down to flatter ground, the skies cleared and were full of big fluffy clouds again, as if nothing had ever happened. Aside from the obvious beauty of the scenery, it was also a good day for wildlife spotting. I managed to see 5 or 6 bird species and even some mammals. Whilst hiking up the path, a family of goats were grazing off to the side. Just as we were leaving to catch the bus back up to the hotel, a troop of rhesus macaques rolled through, looking for food and playing around in the trees.
25th August
Day two kicked off with burning skies and another panoramic of the mountains, shortly followed by an incredible experience of watching clouds form from the trees below and slowly cover the whole valley in a thick mist. Then it was straight up to grab supplies, jump on the bus, and head for the second shorter route up to Peal Lake and a fantastic viewpoint looking out to Xiannairi peak. By the time we were at the trail, the mist had mostly cleared. The bright blue skies were starting to shine through again, and this time the trail took us up past Chonggu temple and through the forest. Whilst hiking up, we were lucky enough to encounter a lone macaque climbing through the trees. Further up the trail were squirrels and chipmunks taking full advantage of the other tourist's generosity.
After an hour or so of hiking, more or less straight up, we got to the lake and spent the afternoon relaxing and walking around. I took full advantage of the fluffy clouds and the clear skies to get some lovely images of the mountain and lake together. Still, I really need to invest in a filter set to get those smooth daytime long exposures! Despite being 4,100m up and the temperature only around 10 degrees, it was surprisingly hot as soon as the sun wasn't obstructed by clouds. The combination of the sun and cold really reminded me of those ideal days during the winter back home. 5 degrees, blue skies, sun out, everyone thinking you're crazy for wearing shorts in the winter, perfect.
26th August
An overcast morning sadly threw away any chances of a sunrise. Still, given the previous mornings, that was nothing to complain about. Without the heat of the sun but a reasonable weather forecast for the day, the time had come to reach the lakes. Having done the photo part on the first attempt, we powered through the initial section from Luorong Pasture in 30 - 40 minutes. Feeling confident we’d almost made it to the top last time, we were prepared for the final push to the top to enjoy the magnificent views of the lakes and mountains. That was when the smooth sailing crashed into the rocks and sank miserably to the bottom of the sea. We weren’t close. Distance-wise we were there, having only 1km left of the total 6km, but that kilometre was up. Straight up. Despite getting used to the altitude, the stairs took their toll, and the rest of the hike was another two hours of stop-start climbing to the top. Reaching the lakes came with a well-earned rest and the opportunity to finally take in the crystal blue colours of the water and the mountains reaching into the clouds above. Feeling a bit worse for wear, we ventured back down and took a relaxing evening to enjoy more of the fantastic food at the hotel. Taking the chance, I sat outside for a while after dinner, staring at the sky. The Milky Way was due to appear gloriously from behind the peaks. Sadly, the clouds drifted on, blanketing the sky in a dark grey and filtering out anything from view. Another time.
27th August
For the rest of the holiday, the rain became a prominent feature. Nevertheless, with the busyness of the weekend over and the drizzle hopefully putting a few more travellers off, it was the perfect day to go off-route and follow some random trails for a quiet hike in the woods. Taking the bus down the mountain, we walked the usual route from the drop-off point. Still, this time crossed to the opposite side of the river where there was a natural trail that took us off the main path and zig-zagged up an alternative route to Chonggu Temple. The quietness definitely paid off, giving us a glimpse of a deer through the trees. Sadly, it was out of sight before I could take a photo.
The wet weather also had its benefits, giving some good chances for images of raindrops on leaves and bringing out the colours of the damp mosses and bark. The rest of the hike came with various bird encounters and more shots of the chipmunks and squirrels. The absolute highlight of the day came from simply sitting down in the trees and enjoying the peace and quiet of nature all around. Looking out from under the tree, I snapped this shot of the forrest without really thinking about it, and it’s become one of my favourites from the whole trip. The evening ended with some spectacular mist and clouds grazing the mountains and giving them a completely different feel to the previous few days. The images seemed to suit a simple black and white edit, but you can be the judge of that.
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The End
The final day in Yading was overtaken with some heavy rain and thick clouds. This resulted in us mostly just relaxing and enjoying any views we could get from the hotel, a little hiking around without a camera, and no intentions but simply enjoy nature. The last day passed way too quickly, and I’m already planning my next visit back. The following day, I got an early start to grab some final moody shots of the mountains in the clouds. Then it was back on the bus, up and over the mountain, and down to Shangri-la town. From there, we took local transport back to Daocheng to spend the final evening in the previous hotel before flying back to Chengdu and, finally, Shenzhen. One last surprise came en route to the airport. As if the snow in July wasn’t enough to top off this holiday, while slowly winding up the road to the airport, a grey wolf ran across the road and disappeared down the side of the mountain and into the snow and mist. And that right there sealed the deal, back to Daocheng at the next possible chance. How could I not?
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Head over to Instagram to see more images from the trip.
Sunrise, 25.07.21, Xiannairi Mountain,