Pushing my body to the breaking point in the name of beautiful views

Let me tell you about one of my favorite places, Zhangjiajie!

In case you are not familiar, Zhangjiajie, is a small town in southeast China and it is widely known for its mind-blowing national park.

A few mornings into my trip, I started the day off with a relaxing boat ride on Lake Baofeng Hu. Let me tell you, the water is a beautiful, deep, jade color. It truly is the most unique color water. It is one of those sights, where the picture never quite provides justice. Along the boat ride we enjoyed listening to the locals sing Chinese folk songs.

Afterwards, I went back to the National forest and took a quick 30-minute nature walk through the 10-mile gallery and then started my journey up the Tiazi Mountain. At the top of this mountain is where you can look out and be eye level with these huge, incredible mountains!

Little did I know that I would be pushing my body to a whole new level.

About 20 minutes into the hike (which were nothing but stairs) I stopped and started to rethink my decision. Standing there, I was already EXHAUSTED and heavily questioned whether I wished to continue with this trek or not. Not knowing how long the hike would take, I pushed on.

Let me tell you, it was nothing but stairs after stairs after stairs and then more stairs.

Well, two and a half hours, 2,900 stairs, 180 floors, and 1,320 calories burned, I made it to the top! This may not seem like a lot for some people, but for me, it was the hardest I have ever pushed my body in my adult life. There was a point where I questioned my sanity, my will to live, and whether I would be able to finish.

The entire climb up the mountain you will find men. These men have chairs. And, as you approach them, they will hassle you to pay them to carry you up the rest of the mountain. Now, do not for a second think that I did not contemplate taking them up on their many, many offers. I mean, let’s be real, I was prime real estate for these men. There were times where I would barely be able to catch my breath long enough to tell them no and the I got closer to the top; they simply received a head shake.

BUT, I 👏MADE 👏IT👏!! 🎉 🎈 🎉 🎈

Once, I arrived at the top, I rewarded myself with well earned, ice-cold beer, and a cucumber!

CHEERS🍻

Kendall | Tennessee | Instagram

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Fast Five

1. Three hours early to the airport or running to the gate? 3+ hours early

2. Pretzels or Lotus Biscoff cookies? BOTH! No shame in my game.

3. Excel planned trip or just wing it? Always just wing it!

4. Favorite continent? Asia

5. Dream destination?  Greece