Gosh Dang, Yichang!: Saturday Sanctuary at Xiao Lao Xi

Almost every weekend, Lindsey and I make the journey out to Xiao Lao Xi. A 1 RMB bus ride and a few hitchhikes away from the north end of Yichang, this beautiful river canyon hike features a trail that runs alongside a crystal clear tributary with lush, overgrown cliffs towering up on both sides. Walking up this canyon feels like you've stepped into the animated Tarzan movie.. and sounds like it too, being that Lindsey and I somehow get "Son of Man" stuck in our heads every time we go up there.
The following pictures are from our most recent trip to Xiao Lao Xi on a beautiful, sunny Saturday.

Waiting at the bus stop

two friends with matching outfits

Amazing color on this guy.. had to do some research to identify. He is a white-capped redstart (Chaimarrornis leucocephalus) [白顶溪鸲 bái-dǐng xī-qú, 'white-capped brook robin'].

view from the road

Wow, look at that garden. Not an inch of ground wasted. There's a house in there somewhere!

beautiful mountains over farm valley

pomelo tree

another white-capped redstart in a less pretentious pose

part of the trail has stairs, a common feature of Chinese hiking trails

really neat teal-blue pool.. checkpoint no. 1

mystical grove with animal-shaped tree trunks, checkpoint no. 2

another weird "same wavelength" moment.. "Dude that looks like an animal, I kind of want to ride it"

The second part of the trail gets pretty exciting. The trail drops out in places and hikers are left to traverse over the water, clinging to the cliffs using chains and various types of footholds, including precariously rigged log bridges, metal loops screwed into the cliffside, and wet moss-covered stones. I'm sure these portions of the hike are greatly treasured by Lindsey, as she gets to put up with me freaking out and yelping about the funnel-shaped spider webs right by our faces..