Why Wugong Mountain

After finishing the Southern Taihang, I said I wouldn’t carry a backpack for three months. In the end, I broke my resolve after two months.

It started when I came across a video of Wugong Mountain: clouds churning over alpine meadows, set to that kind of very sentimental music. I watched it three times, then quietly opened 12306.

The Shenming Line is Wugong Mountain’s most classic through-hike route. It starts from Shenzi Village, passes Golden Summit and Fayunjie, and ends at Mingyue Mountain. Three days and two nights, about 25 kilometers. Sounds like not much, right? But add 1,500 meters of cumulative ascent and a 20-kilogram backpack, and it’s a completely different matter.

Shenzi Village to Golden Summit

We didn’t start into the mountains until three in the afternoon. That timing was actually pretty stupid.

Normal people set off in the morning. Because our high-speed train was delayed and the chartered car got stuck in traffic, it was already afternoon when we reached Shenzi Village. My teammate said, “How about we go tomorrow?” I said, “We’re already here, let’s go.”

Those four words—“We’re already here”—are deadly.

The first half wasn’t bad: we climbed up along a stream valley, shaded by trees and not too exposed to the sun. But the higher we went, the steeper it got, and the sun began to sink. I looked at the map: still one third of the route left, and it was almost dark.

I basically climbed the last section in the dark. My headlamp lit the stone-slab path underfoot; on both sides were pitch-black woods, with occasional calls of unknown birds. To be honest, it was a bit scary, but there was no way back.

At a little after 8 p.m., I finally saw the lights of Golden Summit. At that moment my legs went weak—not from exhaustion, but from relief.

Sunrise at Golden Summit

The next morning I was woken by the cold at five.

The wind outside the tent was strong. I wrapped myself in the sleeping bag and crawled out; the horizon was already turning white. Quite a few people were already standing on Golden Summit, all holding up phones and waiting.

I didn’t take many photos of the sunrise. Because at that moment you realize your phone simply can’t capture what your eyes see. The sea of clouds churned below my feet; the sun rose bit by bit from the clouds, dyeing the whole sky orange-red. Distant peaks appeared and disappeared in the sea of clouds, like an ink-wash painting.

I stood there, the wind stinging my face, but I didn’t want to leave.

A woman next to me was on the phone, loud: “Let me tell you, it’s so beautiful, come see it quickly!” After hanging up she called again: “Mom, I’m doing fine here, the scenery is really beautiful.”

I listened nearby and suddenly felt a bit homesick.

Alpine Meadows

From Golden Summit to Fayunjie is the most beautiful section of the whole route.

Wugong Mountain’s meadows—how should I put it—are that kind of green that, when you see it in a photo, you’d think was Photoshopped. The whole mountain is green; no trees, just grass, spreading all the way to the horizon. When the wind blows, waves of grass roll one after another, like the sea.

Walking on the meadow, the ground feels soft, much more comfortable than concrete. But the sun was fierce, with no shade, and after a while I was covered in sweat. I took off my quick-dry shirt and tied it around my waist, walking shirtless; a teammate took a photo, and it later became a meme circulating in the group chat.

At noon I found a wind-sheltered spot for lunch: compressed biscuits and pickled mustard tuber, with hot water from the thermos. To be honest it wasn’t tasty, but in that environment everything tastes good.

The Starry Sky at Fayunjie

That night we camped at Fayunjie.

This place is a pass, with strong wind; it took three attempts to pitch the tent. At night I cooked instant noodles and added a sausage, which counted as improving the food.

The starry sky at Fayunjie was even better than at Baodu Village. Because of the high altitude and clean air, the stars seemed to hang right overhead. I lay on the sleeping pad and looked for a long time.

I saw four or five shooting stars; I forgot what I wished for. Probably some vulgar wish like getting rich.

That night I slept especially well—maybe from exhaustion, maybe because of the high altitude and good air. Anyway, I slept until dawn, and the dew outside the tent had frozen into ice.

The Steps of Mingyue Mountain

The third day was the descent.

From Fayunjie to Mingyue Mountain, the road wasn’t hard to walk, but there were many steps. Wugong Mountain’s steps are the standard scenic-area kind, built neatly one level after another. For heavy-load hiking, these steps are actually harder on the knees than wild trails.

By the later part, every step down hurt my knees. I started using a zigzag walking method; slower, but my knees felt better. My teammate laughed behind me, saying I looked like a crab.

At noon twelve I reached the entrance of Mingyue Mountain, my legs were shaking so much I couldn’t stand steadily. There were people selling water at the entrance; I bought a bottle of iced cola, drank it in one go, burped, and felt it was the best cola I’d ever drunk in my life.

Cost List

I’m writing this as a reference for people who want to hike it:

Item Cost
Round-trip high-speed rail about 200 yuan
Chartered car about 100 yuan
Food about 100 yuan
Gas canister about 25 yuan
Total about 425 yuan

Not expensive, right? But you have to pay with stamina and knees.

Advice for Future Hikers

  1. Start early. Don’t follow our example and enter the mountain at 3 p.m.; hiking in the dark is not fun.
  2. Bring enough water. There is water for sale at Golden Summit, but it’s expensive. Bring 3–4 liters yourself.
  3. Sun protection. There’s no shade on the meadow; if you don’t apply sunscreen you’ll peel.
  4. Knee braces. That section of steps downhill is really killer.
  5. Bring a thick layer. It’s cold at Golden Summit at night; even going in May you’ll need a fleece.

Afterword

After returning from Wugong Mountain, I rested for a week. Every day I went to work, got off work, went home and lay down, staring blankly at the ceiling.

But my mind kept thinking about those meadows, those seas of clouds, those starry skies.

Some people say Wugong Mountain is the ceiling of hiking in East China; I don’t think so. A ceiling means you’ve reached the top, but every time I finish a route, I find there are still farther places I want to go.

Maybe this is the magic of hiking. You think you’re looking at scenery, but actually you’re looking at yourself.

“If the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain.”

The photos from this route are collected in the Wugong Mountain Shenming Line album. You can also browse the Wugong Mountain Scenic Area album, or continue to find other destinations from the footprint map.