Hong-cun has a small lake (or large pond) in front it, and a stream meandering through the village. With a few water birds on the lake and clear reflections of the mountains behind the village, it is so relaxing to take a break sitting on one of the stone benches along the lake side. Xi-Di has a smaller lake beside it, but the residential architecture of Xi-Di seems to be more characteristic. 　

Early next morning, we boarded the mini bus booked through the hotel front desk to Tang-Kou, the front gate of Huang Shan. At Tang Kou, we took the park shuttle to Ci Guang Ge where we took the cable car ride to Yu Ping Feng. We thought we would be early birds, but the place was already packed with crowds, like a market place. A long queue waiting for a turn to take a photo in front of the Guest Greeting Pine (Ying Ke Song). We didn't wait and moved on. It was a long uphill from Yu Ping Feng to Tian Hai, but we were not alone, accompanied by fellow tourists before and after us, and loud talks, amplified by loud speakers, of the tour guides.

It was a sunny day, with lots of blue haze, making the scenes look flat. After much sweat and struggling for breath, we reached Tian Hai and checked into Bai Yun Hotel. To make sure that we have a good night's sleep, we reserved a room with a queen size bed. The hotel had just been remodeled and the room was very nice and clean. 

After a light lunch, we walked a gentle downhill road to Bai Hai to see the Lion Peak, and See-to-Believe Peak. On the way back our steps became increasingly heavier and our legs felt like loaded with pounds of lead. We were so glad that we had brought two hiking poles. We probably wouldn't be able to make it without the poles. The comforting thing was that the hotel room had hot water supply. After a day's hiking, it feels sooooo good to have the feet bathing in hot water for 20 minutes. 

Hearing some rain drops early next morning, I peeped out of the window and saw the ground was wet and some people in raincoats. After a substantial buffet-style breakfast, we took off. Going west for about half an hour, we reached the brim of the West Canyon. Looking back, we could still see the hotel on top of Tian Hai in the distance. On the right side, misty clouds slowly rose from the bottom of the canyon, constantly changing shapes and density. We saw a lookout point about 100 yards below on the right, but we couldn't see any path nearby that appeared leading to it. As we heard it usually takes six hours to walk through the Canyon, we felt we should head on and not dwell on every sight we saw.

A long steep downhill led us to the bridge of Walking Like an Immortal. Once past the bridge, wonderful scenes revealed themselves one after another. As tourist agencies don't bring groups here, we met very few people on the way. Showers were intermittent. When it rains, the whole valley was wrapped up in a blanket of fog and visibility could be less than ten yards. When the rain stops, clouds swelled up from the bottom of the canyon, concealing and revealing picturesque peaks and rocks in a continuously changing display. Scenes change with every step. The clouds could be explosive and mountain-devouring in one minute, and then elusive and delicate like floating feathers the next minute. It was truly a wonderland.

The long walkway clinging to the perpendicular rock faces of the Canyon is very solidly built and feels secure enough. However, some sections are rather steep and need extreme cautions. Never walk and watch the scenes around at the same time. Stop to enjoy the scenes. When walking, watch the steps.

The best scenes of the Western Canyon are along the two loops. From Tian Hai to Xi Hai, the left path of the first loop is easier to walk, but the scenes are not as good as the right path. So, we took the right path. The second loop is the opposite. So, we took the left path. Make sure that you take the right path at the junctions. It's easy to miss and return to where you start. We missed the first split and didn't realize until we saw the same scenes recurring.

As we wanted to catch the cable car before 4:00 p.m., we forced ourselves to bid farewell to the Canyon and hurried to the White Goose Ridge Cable Station, which was another hour's walk away. We heard that the scenes along the line of the White Goose Ridge cable are very good, but we were met with dense fog and couldn't see anything on the way down. 

A service guy of the Station came up to us and asked if we'd like to join a cab pool of four. A cab had just dropped off a couple of passengers and wanted to make some fare on the return trip. It costs less per person than taking the bus. 

Lessons learned: (a) Huang Shan deserves more than one visit. We'll be back; (b) The Western Canyon has the gems of Huang Shai; it's a must-see; (c) The Western Canyon should be good whether it rains or shines. Maybe better with some rain.  Mist comes with rain, bringing about a sense of mystery and unpredictability. However, if there's too much rain, the fog could be dense, making it hard to see anything; and (d) Hiking pole is a big help. It'd be difficult for us to get through without the poles.

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