| Hiking the Tiger Leaping Gorge is not really sufficient for acclimating to climb Haba Xueshan (Haba Snow Mountain). I found this out during the long descent back to Haba. My stomach was getting twisted and my head started to ache.
After spending a long night in the barracks at base camp, I started up the mountain at first light. Lacking a flashlight, I didn't feel like starting in the dark. As I approached a sharp ridge which led to the snowcap, I passed a few chinese climbers on their way down. I fought the wind and warily viewed the shifting clouds. Eventually I made the summit.
The crux just may have been finding my 'binguan' back in Haba after dark. I wandered around the upper edge of town for several hours trying to find my way back to the main road; I don't think there was a connection by road. I had to cross through the rice terraces and follow the peasant trails. I felt like a rat in a maze. Where's my 'nailao'?
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