The photographs below are taken on a mountain in China called Mt. Hua Shan. At the base of the mountain there are some stone stairs called “the Heavenly Stairs.”. When you start to walk up the stairs they take you high into the mountainside at which point the dramatic journey commences.

After scaling the stone stairs, you then join  one of the worlds most dangerous trails. A patch known as Hua Shan plank path. In turn this trail leads even higher up the mountain which is just outside the city of Xi’an.

Although wearing any kind of safety gear is not mandatory, it really is recommended. You are about the see why.

The journey starts on the ‘Heavenly Stairs’.

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Believe it or not, this is the easy bit.

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You really would be in trouble if you were afraid of heights.

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Even though it is so dangerous, the trail is incredibly popular with tourists.

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When you reach the top of the stairs, you get a gondola ride to the next stage.

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Yes you are thinking right. You walk on that plank and hold those chains. Thats it!

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It all must lead somewhere pretty special for these people to risk their lives.

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As you can see, the planks are very narrow and the walls are terrifyingly steep.

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Oh yes and some parts don’t even have the planks. You need to climb these bits using holes in the rock.

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It makes me dizzy just looking at these photos.

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But if you stick with it, you get your ‘reward’.

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At the very top of the southern peak is a Taoist temple that was converted into a teahouse.

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All those thousands of people make the treacherous journey just for a cup of tea.

19It must be some pretty darn good tea to go through all that to get there.

Source: Go Social