Winter wander land

A wild flower blooms on Shengtang Mountain.[Photo provided by Chen Liang/China Daily]

Shengtang Mountain

Compared with the easy and pleasant walk in Lianhua Mountain, to reach the summit of the Dayao Mountains is quite a challenge.

According to my local friend, the starting point of the hiking trail in Shengtang Mountain is around 1,190 meters above sea level. The summit has an elevation of 1,979 meters. There is a hotel on top of the mountain. If visitors choose to stay in the hotel for a night, they can drive their own cars from the entrance of the scenic area to the starting point of the hiking trail. Yes, you read it right, you have to climb to the mountaintop to stay at the hotel.

I didn't want to carry a heavy backpack to scale the mountain. So I chose to reach the scenic area and catch the first shuttle bus from the entrance to the starting point of the hike at 8 am.

The ride took me about half an hour. On the bus, I could see the sheer mountaintop towering above the clouds. It was both tantalizing and intimidating.

I started my climb at 9 am. The stone path is quite steep and ascends quickly. As you climb, your breath quickens and your heart rate accelerates. I chose to stop from time to time to admire various plants, including a rich variety of trees and shade plants, and look for flowers.

After about one hour's climb from the starting point, there is a fork in the path. The left path leads to the Yunhai (Sea of Clouds) Hotel on the top of the mountain, which is a slightly shorter path, but steeper. The path to the right is a longer route, but offers more spectacular views, according to my friend.

I chose the longer route.