According to photos I found online about climbing in Qingdao, I learned that Laoshan is the place to visit. Since I did't have a climbing parter, I decided to just go and tour Laoshan, go for a hike and do some sightseeing. I also thought I may be able to go boulder on my own for a bit, maybe on the beach!
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| Photo by qdrocker |
I had to do the Asian thing, I didn't really have a choice. I took the tour bus up like everyone else, and planned to hike down slowly. Similar to Acadia National Park, the mountains border the sea, creating an unusual marriage of the two.
There was a coastline bus route and a mountain route, though only the coast route was open during my visit. One interesting thing about national parks in China is that many of them contain old villages with locals still living in the park. In this case, there were several Cinque Terre-esque villages along the cost, some build-up on rocks. It almost reminded me of the one time that I visited Sardinia. Many locals make money by growing tea leaves, which are on small terraces facing the sea. At the same time, the cherry blossoms are blooming. It was such as beautiful, peaceful sight. If only I can live in one of these small houses, and hide from the rest of the world. Behind me would be multi-pitch cliffs and more beyond what I can see, waiting for me to explore. Looking out to the sea, there are areas with boulders laying on the beach, as if telling me that it's ok to take a break from the ropes and go play with them for a bit.
There was a Buddhist monastery along the way that I decided to stop and check out. It was built about halfway up one of the mountains, facing a valley with some beautiful rock faces across. The scent of the incense filled the air as I walked into the main courtyard, and people paid their respects to the different Buddhas by kneeling in front of the statues. I picked a spot where no one else was at, and did a few bows. I wasn't really sure which Buddha or what I was really praying to, but I wanted to show my respects. I think it was the god of earth/land, which is quite appropriate for me.
Pray for my safety when I go and disturb the rocks.
Pray that nature is gentle to all the people I care about and that they do not end up hurt too badly when they take risks.
After my prayers, I went further up the mountain behind the monastery, where I noticed several large rock piles. I was sick of crowds by this time and decided that I should go and explore the area alone, with the hope that I could go and climb something. Anything.
Behind the monastery, I found a thin trail heading up the hill, between a row of bamboos and a brick wall. After hiking for about 10 minutes, I found myself in front a large boulder. There was a small spray paint mark at the bottom of the boulder. I wondered if that was how they marked the bouldering spots. I decided to give it a try, though I admit I was scared of getting injured with no one around me. The problem was really easy, with a face start and continued with a flake up to the top. When roped, I would have gone up with no hesitation. Without a crash pad and the landing uneven, I hesitated. Rich just told me that he sprained his ankle bouldering, and he's been bouldering for a long time. I've only been out once at P-way and another time at Lincoln Woods. The top was at least twice my height, probably almost three times. After evaluating each move, I decided to give it a try. After topping out, I still wondered how someone would consider highballing a problem even with a sea of crash pads.
I tried two more problems on the same boulder and decided that I better not let my excitement control my judgement. I wandered further into the woods, looking for more rocks to explore. Finally, I found what I was looking for, something that looked more like the White Horse standard route, longer than a bouldering problem, a bit slabby, but nothing that would injure me badly if I did trip and fall. I went up some fun corners, then up some diagonal laybacks with ease. I felt very comfortable and in my element. After what felt like 'a pitch' of climb. I looked back into the valley, enjoying the moment.
The phone suddenly rang. It was Yu from the office wandering when I was coming back to the office. The call probably saved me, and kept me from continuing up further and losing track of time. It was already 3:30, and I had a sudden panic. What if I didn't remember where I placed my pack at the base? What if I couldn't come down for some reason? I realized that I was being selfish and probably stupid for going up this high on my own. Luckily, there was a 4th class way down, much better than the original route.
After my little adventure, I walked for another 10 miles or so along the road, looking out to the sea, hoping for some boulders. But I was already too tired and the sunset was racing me. Though I was tired, it was still no comparison to the day when Max and I did our 48+ hour marathon J-Tree --> Pasadena --> Yosemite epic.
I miss you all, and hope you are all well.
Miss you <3.
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