Jade Mountain part 13

It's difficult to truly explain how strenuous this hike was.
8 kilometeres uphill with cliffs, chains, trees, and darkness to add to the craziness of it all.
We all started the trek together, but others needed to take breaks more often and longer than we did. So it wasn't long before our one team was split into 2 or 3 different groups, with the foriegners leading the way.

The trials were pegged with signs telling us how far we'd come and how much further we had to go. This was rewarding at times.....and other times made you mad thinking..."Where is the next sign already!"


Other than the sound of our breath there wasn't too much converstion happening.

We found this rest stop, and climbed up and rested for a while.
It was awesome....we laid on our backs, resting our feet, and watched as the sky continued to fill with star after star. I don't think I have ever seen so many stars in the sky at once....it was beautiful. I got out my MP3 and played some music for us all while we caught our breath and relaxed.

Our friend Andy had gone ahead...determined to make it to the top first.
But we waited for everyone else to catch up and taake a break before beginning again.

This break was really good for me. It totally recharged me. So once we started off again I took the lead and left the others in search for Andy and the top!
Wow...the last 2 kilometers were a killer! The mind does strange things when your that exhausted walking in the darkness, searching for the end...or a sign that your friend didn't fall off a cliff.