C.J. Neff

I suspect it was glaciers that cut the dramatic landscape at Huà Shān, but I suppose it could also have been erosion. This is the river that was across from our hotel in the mountains; if it’s erosion that cut these mountains, this river is likely the force that cut the cliffs we’re now able to climb. It doesn’t really much matter to me where the cliffs came from; I just like to climb and even just marvel at nature’s intrinsic beauty. It’s a simple formula, nothing complicated here: the mountains are beautiful; beautiful things make me happy; therefore, I go to the mountains. Q.E.D.

I took the picture above while perching on a rock that was poking just above the water’s surface. It’s the best place to sit: water rushing by all around you, only an inch or two off the water’s surface. It kind of feels like you’re floating out in the middle of the river, without getting too wet (this mountain water was pretty chilly).

This next photo strongly reminds me of Lang Tengah in Malaysia. There’s something strange and beautiful that happens to granite when it interacts with water; it almost seems to rust. You can see that the rocks in the photo below are much more orange than the other rocks I’ve shown you in Huà Shān. The granite in general is grey-ish white, but the rocks in the river turn orange at and below the water’s surface. Brandon, do you remember this in Malaysia too?




Yes, those are my über Chinese flip flops. You can’t knock them until you’ve tried them. These bad boys only cost me about two U.S. dollars and, other than having no traction left, are still going strong. Best 15 kuài I’ve spent in China!

Location:Huà Shān