Having worked at the panda base for a solid month, everyone decided to spend a few “relaxing” days in the highly recommended mountain town of Emeishan. Mt. Emei, as it is also called, is renowned for its Buddhist temples, wild monkeys, and impressive hikes. It is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains in China, and as we later found out, has over seventy temples and monasteries scattered across its slopes. Like all adventures, our trip began with a small snafu – taking the bus to Meishan instead of Emeishan. We are still trying to grasp our Chinese tones… Back on the (right) road in no time, we arrived in Emeishan around 2pm, ready to begin exploring Emei.

At the Teddy Bear Hostel – aptly named with teddy bear photos and stuffed toys covering every square inch – we sat down to eat and map out our plan for the next three days. Deciding to spend the rest of our first day close to the base of the mountain, we wandered around Baoguo Temple, the Shengji Wanzhong (Bronze Bell), Yingbin Square and the Pavilion of the First Mountain. Baoguo was beautiful; red and black buildings with ornate gold designs, surrounded by lit prayer candles and incense. The temple was crowded with Chinese tourists, Buddhist monks, and four lone foreigners, but it was a surreal moment with the mountains towering overhead.

Our second day started without a hitch. Packed to the gills with water, snacks, and cameras, we began our trek from Wuxian Gang. Hiking past clear blue pools and elaborate rock carvings to Qingyin Pavilion (elevation 710m), we still had 6 kilometers to go to reach Hongchun Ping (elevation 1120m). We also had to pass through the “Natural Ecological Monkey Area,” or colloquially, “Joking Monkey Zone.” Little did we know that these large, endemic macaques were extremely habituated and had no fear leaping from person to person, stealing water bottles and any food they could reach. Fighting our way through the troops of monkeys and hordes of tourists, we were finally able to continue our hike, eventually reaching Wannian Temple.

After two nights at the hostel down in town, we decided to hike to the Golden Summit and stay overnight in a temple along the way. In theory, we were all excited by the idea: simple accommodations, few tourists, and a spiritual experience. However, our ten-hour hike was 10 miles of stairs ascending almost 10,000 feet. We hiked (and hiked and hiked) straight up into the clouds, passing countless temples, monasteries, and spectacular views. By the time we reached the top, we weren’t ashamed to admit we wanted warm showers and comfortable beds. Thankfully, a wonderful family from Shanghai took pity on us and helped us get a deal at a hotel only fifteen minutes from the Summit.

On the fourth day, we woke to the “Sunrise Wake Up Call” (meaning the hotel night guard pounded on every door at 5:30am so we could make the last trek up to the Golden Summit). As the Summit sits above the cloud line, you are able to watch the sun rise above the “Sea of Clouds.” Our journey (and it truly felt like a journey) to the peak of Mt. Emei was incredible, spiritual, and well worth the dead legs we’ve been carrying around since returning to Ya’an on Thursday.

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Katherine Brantley is a PDXWildlife Giant Panda Intern, conducting research at the CCRCGP Bifengxia facility. If you enjoyed her post or pictures, be sure to let her know by leaving a comment below. Also, if you would like to know more about Emeishan, I know she would be thrilled to help you design your visit or give a few recommendations. PDXWildlife is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, conducting novel research on Giant Pandas. To learn more, click HERE.