Mt. Huashan is an absolute majestic gift from Mother Earth. Known as one of the five sacred mountains in China, Mt. Huashan stands tall amongst endless peaks that form this mountain range, which lies about two and a half hours out of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. There are five peaks on Mt. Huashan itself. The mountain paths are equipped with steel chains to grasp as you ascend the treacherous and uncountable number of steps that lead you to its summits. Along the way, you will find pleasure in stopping to rest at religious pavilions and temples. While the mountain itself is home to numerous religious heritages, including Buddhism and Taoism, it also hosts incredible views. You will find yourself gazing down in awe at the heights and pondering endless, unanswerable questions - How was it possible to carve steps into this mountain at these heights? How many people died on the way up? How did people live up here? My friend and I had planned to climb this mountain while traveling around China for two weeks. We knew we would be in Xi'an and had seen the crazy ads online and in travel blogs about this steep mountain. We successfully found our way to her foothills and begin our climb somewhere between 9-10 a.m. With only a little food in our bellies, we headed up. I don't think we had anticipated the challenges that were to come (at least I hadn't) because with every step our strides grew slower and slower. I was struggling to get up that mountain! With many rest stops, photos with Chinese cheerleaders (not literally but literally, they encouraged us up the mountain), and lots of water; we made it - only to the first peak! I believe we finally finished summited all five peaks around 6 p.m. that evening. When we reached the tea house, we decided that we had to climb down to check it out. It was scary to strap on a small harness and climb down a rock crevice, knowing that if anything happened, you're done. But, that's the thrill of the adventure right? We survived the leaps across a few gaps in the rocks and sat to enjoy the views for a few brief minutes before climbing back up. I remember my legs shaking so bad that I barely trusted my footing or the strength in my arms. The scariest part of the entire climb was when we had reached the plank walk on our final peak. There are probably one hundred different names, but to me, the plank walk is the most forward term. There are steel rods between the rock crevice leading down to a small path that is carved into the side of a 90-degree mountain face. While you balance yourself on the bars going down, there are other climbers passing by you or more like over you. Again, the small harness is your lifesaver, and your carabiner is strapped to a thin cable that runs along the path. When you reach the boards you can walk atop of, otherwise known as the "plank," you find they are secured by bolts that have been drilled into the mountain. It's not for the faint of heart: looking down can be quiet intimidating. I suppose our minds were just incredibly too tired to fathom the fall that was easily possible or perhaps we were well aware of the dangers but, we had to keep our minds strong. After being on the mountain for 9 hours, going up and down, sweating in the ridiculous heat and barely able to catch a breath, the last thing you want to do is let your mind and body slip while you're in that situation. We had made it! As excited as we were to achieve our goals, we were exhausted and hungry. Our plans to build a fire were soon visibly impossible as the wind began to pick up and the sun crept lower into the sky. Our bread from Muslim Quarter in Xi'an had made it and so did the veggies we packed to put inside. After our light dinner, we hung our hammocks and decided to rest. We sipped our victory Budweiser on the peak and watched the sunset. It was freezing and the night was anything but short; however, the experience was incredible. It was evident that we were unprepared as the sun went down. Others had pitched tents and wore warm coats and pants to stay warm. We were in for a long night in our light clothes, but through the shivers, we managed. In the morning, the famous sunrise was hidden from clouds and haze. We decided not to hike down after that exhausting experience the day before and instead opted for the cable car down the mountain. Despite the long queue to get down, the cable car was amazing and offered us views that we could only capture in this way. It was a nice way to end our journey to the top, and once our feet were back on the lower altitude, we were ready for the next adventure.