Mountain Camping in Guizhou

Up the mountain

The plan was to go camping outside of Guiyang – I have no idea where exactly and what amenities the campsite would afford, if any. Mandy picked me up at my hotel and we headed to a noodle joint for lunch. On the menu… well…. I’m not quite sure of the specifics, but she ordered extra beef stomach for my bowl. It wasn’t that bad actually. The stomach strips were clean and cut slim. I was able to get through most of it.

After lunch we picked up Mandy’s friend Mario, an exchange student from somewhere in Mexico. Luckily, his English was fluent. We then picked up Mandy’s BFF. The name escapes me, but she is best described as… the loudest and most obnoxious person I have met, in China.

 

Preparing for only one night in the outdoors, Mario and myself waited in the living room of Mandy’s parents’ home, while the girls cooked, packed and prepared. After 3-4 hours of trying to small talk Mandy’s mother and brothers, we were about ready to go. Mandy’s SUV was packed to the brim. With what? Who knows. There wasn’t enough room for Mario’s and my bags so we stuffed what we could into our backpacks and jammed into the car – It’s already getting close to dinner time. We swung by a restaurant, where the girls disappeared for a good 20 minutes, returning with a paper KFC-sized bucket in a plastic bag. Half a day from now this would be a part of our dinner.

 

Several hours of driving through rural Guizhou and we were a bit lost. Mandy and her friend were asking anyone they could spot for directions, and weaving up and down narrow one way roads to find this place. At one point she got us jammed a narrow passage way and the opposing driver had to get out, and back Mandy’s car up for her, so she can avoid a dangerous plummet off-road.

 

By the time we got to where we needed to be, a small farming village in a remote valley, it was quite dark. My phone didn’t have bars. Turns out, Mandy packed just one flashlight and one bottle of water.

 

Here’s the view of the mountains we were to hike up. Farmhouses in the foreground.

A couple inhabiting the farmhouse where we parked came out to great us. The woman, very kind. The man, complete drunk and yelling. Mandy, her friend, and the man argued for quite some time–the specifics of, to this day, I am not sure. Neighbors began to poke their heads out to see what the commotion was. Mario and I just stood back and questioned the whole situation, occasionally injecting in some small talk.

 

It was then that it began to rain.

 

My guess is that the argument was about the late arrival, that Mandy wanted to hire locals to lug our stuff up the mountain, and that it was complete darkness and raining quite a bit. It was inconvenient, dangerous, and pretty absurd. I was about to argue the same.

 

After a local phone call by the wife, another woman appeared with two sticks baskets, and some strings of fabric, and began packing our stuff up.

 

In complete darkness and moderate rain, we had a blind 3 hour hike up the mountain. Each lugging more than we could ever use in one night. The guides each wore an LED headlamp and, sticking close to one of them, I was able to see enough to not misplace every step to took. I did slip and slide often, as did everyone, but for the most part I felt like I was managing. I’m not sure low long it was before we stopped to rest, but it was at a small creek. The guides grabbed some stray plastic cups from the grass and scooped up some raw water for us. A bit worrisome, but I drank it down. It was all I had. We continued the trek and while I was wet and very cold, I was holding up. I have done worse.

 

There was a point at hour two at which we had to cross the creek. No longer a small spring, but a roaring torrent. There goes my pair of slightly damp shoes and socks. We all dipped in to about thigh-high. Then again further up stream. It’s freezing cold, but on the other hand I’ve been climbing for the last several hours, with a full backpack and some black garbage bag full of who-knows-what. This hike would probably be enjoyable if taken in better conditions, with better preparation, and not hauling every one of Mandy’s possessions up.

 

When we made it to the top, we were faced by an erie setting. Dimly lit by moonlight, we found ourselves in a gravelly clearing, surrounded by a the rocky stream on 3 sides and towering cliffs on the other. Next to the cliff, a mysterious shack, half open, rest closed, with a dim light shining though the gaps in the enclosed half. I had no idea who’s shack this was. Is someone there? Are we trespassing?

 

Taking advantage of a break in the rain, we began to set up the tents. Mandy and her friend working on their pop-up, Mario and myself on ours. It didn’t take long for Mario and myself to find our tent was completely busted. About as long as it took for the rain to start up again. We decided to migrate the air mattress, blankets and comforters (yeah, that’s right) to under the shack’s porch roof where we set up. The girls slept there – we took the tent out in the open.

 

With their tent erected properly, Mandy and Whatsherface prepared for dinner. They unpacked a portable grill and all the lighters and cigarettes one could want on an overnight hiking trip, but what we didn’t have was any wood. We did find a metal bowl full of coals, and the two girls also decided that breaking apart some crates and chairs that clearly belonged to someone would be appropriate. After a struggle, we had a decent fire going.

 

 

The girls cracked open some beers, turned on some tunes, and began cooking veggies and rice. My socks, shoes, and coat are off and hung up overhead to dry. I’m exhausted yet wary. Mario’s spirits are up.

 

Pots, pans, spoons, cups, bowls, chopsticks, veggies, wine bottles, tea — some of the stuff we lugged up the mountain.

 

The main course: a whole chicken chopped up, bones, feet, beak and all, and soaking in a spicy Hunan sauce without refrigeration all day — oh well, I’m hungry.

Not bad at all. I didn’t go nuts, assuming I would toss it all up later — but I survived.

 

 

Morning on the mountain

I woke up first and stepped out of the tent. For once in the last several days I saw the sun shining. It was quite nice.

A woman, not a part of our group, was sitting on the shack porch, weaving sandals from reeds. I grabbed my camera and walked around waiting for someone who could speak Chinese to wake up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mandy and her friend wake up, and they head down to the creek to wash faces and makeup and all that girl stuff.

Restarting the fire, the girls begin boiling water for noodles and reheating the chicken from last night. All while arguing with the local lady that apparently owns the property. From what I understand, it was about the price for the night’s stay. I don’t know many details, but when I offered to my group that I would pay, I was told 10 yuan was the fee. The lady didn’t like this at all, nor did I. The argument continued for over an hour while I roasted my socks over the fire and packed up the tents and stuff. I’m pretty fucking thirsty at this point.

After breakfast we decided to head upstream to the waterfall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upon our return the argument appeared to be settled, and within minutes, the two ladies that helped carry our stuff up the mountain showed up to help us down. I didn’t see much of them after they left, as they probably didn’t feel it was necessary to lead us down in daylight. We took our time. More accurately, Mario and myself went down at a normal pace, Mandy and her friend struggled and took more smoke breaks than scenic ones.

 

 

 

 

It was when we reached the run of the mountain flat we camped on that I realized how far up we were. As we took the trail down, I then realized how close we walked along the edge at times. Yikes.

 

Wish sticks

 

 

After an hour or so, the village is within reach.

 

 

A sign asking visitors not to dump trash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally down into the village.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just slept most of the way home.

Mandy, recognizing that this may have not been the most comfortable use of my vacation travel, put me up in a hot spring resort for the night and provided this buffet of local cuisine. The wine is actually from the States, but the rest is pure Guiyang. I can’t recall what all of it was, but I can recall that this meal was phenomenal.  Starting from the wine and going clockwise: (in the foil) BBQ pork, (below that) fried glutenous rice cakes (dip in sweet peanut powder and eat), fried pork strips, BBQ chicken, fried rice, various toppings and condiments, spicy fried potatoes. In the center… I can’t recall–but it was delicious. There’s a fig hiding in there too.

The next day, breakfast was provided by the hotel. A delicious mix of buns… and a giant mushroom?

Nope. Just a sweet bun made to look like one.