Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan Province 虎跳峡
About 75 km north of Lijiang 丽江 and 50 km south of Shangri-la 香格里拉 lies the massive Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡. The gorge was named after the legend of a tiger that jumped across the river. The gorge measures 16 km long and 3900 m (22,000 ft) from water to mountain peak. The echoes of the powerful river reverberate throughout the gorge.
The Lonely Planet guidebook instructed hikers to follow a specific path to keep away from traffic. I think that upset the locals as I got yelled off the trail by an old woman. Fortunately I got back on the trail a short distance past the village and skipped the traffic. This was taken on the first day as I ascended up the hill. The village is Nuoyu Village.
I stayed here my first night and can't speak highly enough of Naxi Family guesthouse. I had a dorm bed with a window looking out at the mountains. I remember calling Laurel from this exact location. All I could hear was the sound of birds and free range chickens in the background along with the roar of the river below.
I should have started the hike earlier, but I do love sitting and drinking coffee in the morning. In this case, it was tough to get started.
This is looking back at Nuoyu village before turning the corner for main stretch of the Gorge. The river flows back south towards Lijiang.
This is the last stretch of the way and, due to the steep cliffs, tough to get a photo of the gorge without shadows (or I could have just sat there for two hours and let the sun move). The end of this path has a mountain range with valleys that shoot back down to Lijiang.
Sharing the road. There were more goats than people on this trail.
A glance back at the Jinsha River 金沙将.
I finished the hike in a day. Not as strenuous as I imagined, but no cakewalk either. This was a special place for me. I recall grabbing my torch and walking down to those patches, away from my guesthouse, to stargaze. I spent at least an hour under the stars that night.