Kangding Part 2 (7-13)

Sunday night it rained heavily most of the night. So Monday morning was chillier and cloudy. But, if it’s going to rain—and it’s the rainy season; so it will rain—night is a good time. My plan was to walk up Julian Mountain behind the hostel to the pasture, but I was tired and considered rethinking my plan. However, after lying down for half an hour after breakfast, I felt OK, and off I went. I had been told that the trip up would take three or four hours. 

First it wound around a graveyard that goes up the mountain. Most of the graves are stone shelters above ground. 

Some are cement and some have a brick front. 

Those in the forest itself have plants growing on top and blend in well. 

The next section of the path goes through an area with lots of prayer flags strung between the trees. 

One section has Spanish moss hanging from the trees. 

The cloudy day made it seem mystical. 

Lots of moss-covered bumps are in another section. I really enjoyed walking through this forest. 

As the path nears the top, there are good views of the valley and city below. From this side, the layout of Kangding seemed clearer than it had on Sunday from the other side. It is a long, narrow city in the narrow valley between the two mountains. 

Also, from the higher elevation, I could see how far the city extends. I also enjoyed seeing the temples on Paoma Mountain as I went higher and was directly across from them and as they became visible through the rolling clouds.

After three hours, I was ready to be at the top. I did OK walking uphill in the altitude. Although I was stopping more frequently, I was near enough to the pasture that I was determined to get there. And I did—after three and a half hours. 

By this time the clouds were rolling in and the surrounding mountains were covered by the clouds. (The German and Chinese couple I’d met on the bus had been there on Sunday and said that they saw the snow-capped mountains, which would have been lovely.) 

There were several horses grazing near the herders’ hut. I sat on another partial wall and relaxed and enjoyed being in the pastoral area. Then it was time to head down, which took two hours. I was tired when I reached the hostel and took a nap before dinner.

I do like watching clouds roll in and out, and there was plenty of opportunity to do that throughout the day. A mountain top would not be visible and later it would. 

Small patches of mountain peeked through the moving clouds. The cloudy day gave the experience a different feel than it would have had on a sunny day.