Emei Shan

He and the Tibetan whom he befriended at the hostel decide to climb Emei Shan right from its base. To the both of them, it is a pilgrimage. A cleansing of the soul. A test of strength and perseverance. If their ancestors could do it, so can they.


The trail winds around mountains and takes them from mountainside to mountainside. It leads right under a sheer cliff with a stream trickling down its smooth wall: a thundering waterfall of several hundred metres during the rainy season.

The trail passes monasteries by, sometimes going through them. They meet two Buddhist nuns along the way. One of them starts to sing a Tibetan prayer when she finds out that the Tibetan comes from Lhasa.

Blood


Halfway, few people hike this far up. Only locals who transport basic necessities and essential commodities up to the scanty population who inhabit the mountain and make a living out of hungry, thirsty and sleepy tourists trying to conquer the mountain.

A woman carries a block of stone on her back for the construction of steps higher up along the trail. It's so heavy that neither he nor the Tibetan can lift it off the ground. A man carries vegetables in two rattan baskets hanging from a bamboo pole on his shoulder. His trapezius bulges red under the heavy burden, swollen with blood. His gastrocnemius bulge under the sheer effort. Others carry huge cartons of oil and tanks of gas. It must be hard to live up here where basic necessities are hard to come by.

Sweat


The last two hours have been the most excruciating part of his life. It takes a Herculaneum
effort just to life his foot and take the next step. The stairs are endless. One after another. So steep that he's forced to crawl on all fours.

He grips his faithful walking stick tighter. It's helped him this far from the bottom. A mere fallen branch. He grips it so hard that he can feel the angry blisters trying their best to emerge from beneath the irritated skin.


This high up, it's freezing cold. Yet, he's sweating tremendously. Sweat drips down from his face. Causes his shirt to cling to his body.

His muscles scream at him in protest. Sue for mercy. They ache so badly he feels like giving up. Letting go and crashing to the ground. The stairs are endless. Steep.