May 2, 2019: Departed from Xiamen to Tai’an at around 10 a.m., arrived at around 8 p.m.
Itinerary Introduction:
Xiamen—>Tai’an: High-speed train for about 9 hours
Tai’an—>Mount Tai: Bus, queue up at the high-speed train station, about half an hour
Mount Tai Parking Point—>Hongmen (Mountain Climbing Entrance)
After exiting Tai’an station, there is a dedicated bus to Mount Tai. Due to the May Day holiday, there were quite a few people in line, and I had to wait for two buses before it was my turn to board.
The bus stops near the Hongmen parking point. After getting off, you still need to navigate and walk for more than 10 minutes to reach Hongmen. There are vendors selling hiking sticks on the way, a few yuan each, made of bamboo; those in need can purchase them.
At Hongmen, there are many people climbing at night. Unlike Huashan, there are no streetlights on the night climbing trails of Mount Tai, so it is recommended to bring your own flashlight or headlamp.
I started climbing at around 11:30 pm. I had previously arranged with a group of friends from all over the country online, and we all set off together at 11 pm.
After entering Hongmen, you still need to walk a section of the road to reach the ticket office. This section is relatively flat and not difficult. There are lights on this section of Mount Tai, but not further ahead.
You can bring two bottles of drinking water, three in summer, or buy them further up. Don’t burden yourself too much. You don’t need too much food; nuts, bread, and biscuits are fine.
Around 1:30 am, we climbed to Zhongtianmen. There were many people, and it was not easy to find a place to rest. Therefore, it is usually recommended not to choose holidays; there are really too many people.
It takes 10 minutes to walk from Zhongtianmen to the cable car station, but since it was night, the cable car was closed. We found a step to sit on and rest for a while, eating something to replenish our energy. Although it was already midnight, Zhongtianmen was as crowded as a commercial street.
At this point, the temperature was a bit cool, and the local vendors had already put on military greatcoats. It was too cold to take photos, so please imagine the scene for yourself.
After resting, continue to set off.
In fact, the challenge of Mount Tai really begins here, followed by the famous eighteen bends, with long roads and steep slopes. It’s pitch black around, and it’s crowded with people. After walking for more than half an hour on the eighteen bends, some people had already started to come down the mountain. I stopped a brother, and he said that there were too many people ahead, and it was blocked, so we couldn’t go up.
After walking for a while longer and looking up, it felt like the movie “Curse of the Golden Flower.” It was nothing but people, and you couldn’t see the end. Our faces were almost touching the buttocks of the people in front of us. The speed of moving was slow, taking one step and resting for five.
When we reached the South Heaven Gate, it was almost 5 o’clock. We were exhausted and waited for a few friends to rent coats before heading to Tianjie Street.
There were too many people, and we couldn’t squeeze through, so we missed the sunrise.
When we finally made it through, the sun had already risen, which was a pity.
Later, other friends in the group sent two pictures, which made up for the regret. Next time, we must take our own photos.
Because we had to catch the afternoon train, we took a short rest and then started to hike down the mountain, taking the opportunity to take a photo of the South Heaven Gate.
The road down from the eighteen bends is long and steep. If you are acrophobic, you can walk on the sides, holding the handrails as you go down.
It is recommended to walk slowly on the way down, as you may be physically exhausted from climbing up and the journey down is long. For safety reasons, be sure to walk steadily. If you are out of strength, you can choose to take the cable car down the mountain, which is better.
Overall, Mount Tai still feels quite tiring. If it weren’t for coming during the May Day holiday when there were too many people, it might have been more relaxed. The time we were stuck last night could have been reduced under normal circumstances. Next time, we will choose an off-peak time to better enjoy the leisurely pleasure of mountain climbing.
Goodbye, Mount Tai, goodbye, Hongmen!