Tiger Leaping Gorge Brought to you by Snickers (TM)

As promised, Tiger Leaping Gorge. First, let me say that I do actually have pictures of this beautiful natural wonder, however I choose not to share any of them with you at this time. Neener, Neener, Neener!
But before you throw up your hands in disgust and vow never to visit me again, hear me out; I do have my reasons and they are good, if not the best. Unfortunately, due to the covert nature of these reasons, I will be unable to reveal them to you, so you will simply have to take this part on faith. Let it suffice that starting this Friday, I will be on the Chinese version of Spring break and I will be going to what amounts to the greatest place on earth. When I return, sometime in the coming week afterwards, I will open up a flood of pictures here such as the internet has never seen (maybe a slight exaggeration). So with patience, good things will come.
And now on to Tiger Leaping Gorge. For those of you who are in the know when it comes to geography, the Yangtze is one of the main rivers of China. It originates in the West of China and then flows due south as if it would escape China and drain through Burma into the Indian Ocean. However, there is a place called the Stone Drum where a massive wall of rock forces the Yangtze back onto itself and up to the north again. There is a saying that were it not for the Stone Drum, the waters of the Yangtze would be lost to China forever. It's believable when you see this formidable wall of rock.
But as the Yangtze flows back north into China again, it passes through a gorge made by two 19,000 ft. mountains, Haba Mountain on the Western side, and Yulong Mountain on the Eastern side. These to mountains ensure that the gorge through which the Yangtze flows is as sheer as possible. The trail we took through this spectacular gorge followed the Western and less steep side of the gorge. Usually we were walking about a thousand feet above the river, which was still visible however, directly below us. The trail makes a triangle of sorts, rising until about halfway and then descending for the rest of the time. Often as we walked we were in the shadow of Yulong mountain. It was amazing to see this mountain rise out of the gorge in dramatic cliffs upon which nothing could grow, nor any snow could hang. The clouds, moving from the east, came over the mountains casting moving shadows along out trail.
I was actually surprised by the lack of development this trail has received. It's never a rough or impassible trail, but it is not your typical Chinese tourist spot with marble stairs ensuring you never get your feet dirty. There are guest houses dotted along the way, but seeing as they are in villages which have probably been living on the edge of the gorge for a long time, it is understandable that they profit a little off the tourism. Besides, the guest houses have fairly good food and wonderful beds. You forget that you are hiking around in the wilderness of Himalayan foothills, what with your warm showers, your heated bed, and your cup of fresh coffee (which really wasn't that good, but I had not partaken of that wonderful beverage for a week, so it seemed better than it should have).
The wildlife in the gorge is apparently diverse, although I was only witness to small forms of this. There were many goats which looked like normal goats but behaved like mountain goats, throwing themselves carelessly over the edges of cliffs and running about like I often do (with what some might call a death wish). There were also many little birds which I think were either Thrushes or some species of sparrow (both wild guesses made in order to convince the ornithologists amongst you that I do not know what I am doing). They made a strange clicking noise and had tails which stuck up awkwardly behind them. Also there were snakes. On our way into the gorge (driving) we say several fellows selling large dead serpents for eating purposes. However as I was hiking, I suddenly came upon a big green snake--maybe four feet or more in length and as thick as my wrist--sunning itself. I'm not an especially brave person, so I did not undertake hand-to-hand combat with the beast, but rather let it slip away off the cliff to some unknown den where it probably digested less fortunate tourists. At the next village I asked one of the old men who looked like he would know if the snakes of the region were dangerous. He assured me that they were most definitely not. But when I described the particular creature I had seen, his face grew solemn and even a little pale and he told me not to "mess with the vile thing" (in Chinese of course).
After this, I was on the look out for more green death snakes.
There are also many locals trying to make a little cash by offering to give you rides on their "very good" horses--usually at the steepest portions of the trail. Usually at the peak of ever large rise you would find a little hut with water bottles, fresh fruit on ice, and of course Snickers. Actually by the time I had finished with my journey through the gorge, I was edgily searching the high cliff walls for Snickers' logo to be engraved or carved into some forest. Apparently the candy bar sponsors this gorge. So if you ever have the chance to hike Tiger Leaping Gorge, be sure to purchase a goodly amount of Snickers so that the gorge may continue to exist in its pristine state.
Phil.