Climbing the Phoenix

Today, CIEE held an excursion to Phoenix Mountain, just outside Beijing. The hike is a few hours long. 

The mountain is full of history, and Buddhist/Daoist temples line the path. A lot of the monks live there permanently, being at peace in the relative solitude of nature (until twenty loud Waiguoren come stomping through). 

So sad! I guess it has a pretty strong message though.

I was really unsure about my ability to keep up with some of the more athletic people in our group. Traditionally throughout my life, I have been the one dying at the back of the pack. This time, however, I had absolutely no problem keeping up, which was a nice change. Maybe I do have an ounce of athleticism SOMEWHERE in my body!

Some boundaries were pushed today! There was this stretch called the "Stairway to Heaven" which was basically a vertical path in the face of the rock with little footholds and a chain to provide support. It goes on for quite a while, too, the picture is deceiving. I was really excited for the thrill of doing something crazy, but about halfway up I started silently panicking! All I could think about was slipping and plunging to my death, taking out three or four people with me!  :O

I held on and told myself to knock off the melodrama, and I got to the top! It was really cool! Everyone in our group did it. No one turned back at any point, which really impressed the resident director. 

The blossoms have come out, and the view of the Beijing plain was absolutely gorgeous. 

Rock that could collapse at any moment? Yawn. 

The top!

Cassie scales the mountain. 

Summit joys! 

Resident director Lu Laoshi is kind of a boss. Totally fearless. 

The summit from a little ways down.

Stopping at a little pavilion. 

Overall, I was really impressed with our hardiness today. I was always a little abashed that one of the meanings of my Chinese name was "ascending the misty mountain" because I was always horrible at these types of things. Today, however, I held up well! 

I guess in a lot of ways, climbing a mountain is really metaphorical. You really have to pace yourself while not being daunted by the sheer mass of height before you, also not letting yourself panic at the dangers you must face. The summit isn't the end, either--it is only the halfway point! You still have to come all the way back down, with legs shaking and water running low. Once you get to the bottom, though, sheer euphoria sets in!

I was so glad I went. I felt fine once I finished, that is, until I passed out the moment I got home and slept for five hours! It was the type of nap where you wake up stuck to a drying puddle of drool. Beautiful imagery right there. I'm still tired, but I feel like these things make life exciting! The challenge, the rush, and the bonding really make it all a memorable experience.