The world comprises of the most astonishing wonders. Some wonders are so stunning that it ‘s hard to stay away from them, despite how hazardous they may be. In fact, it seems like the danger is the major aspect that attracts individuals to them. This is because they appear to enjoy the rough challenge of the hard weather conditions and rough terrain. In this article, we’ll describe some the most dangerous footpaths with different meanings of difficulty and enjoy everything nature has to offer. Oddly enough, man is the creator of the most of these dangerous footpaths.
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Most Dangerous Footpaths
Below is a list of the 5 most dangerous footpaths in the world, and most of them would not exist, if it were not for man’s interference. Such instances can be observed in trials that exist due to narrow wooden planks that have been fastened against cliff faces. Some of these cliffs range thousands of feet above the ground level. Some of these footpaths include:
The Death Trail, Mount Huashan in China
China is home to one of the most dangerous footpaths on the entire planet. The Mount Huashan stands at 2,154 meters in height and is also the steepest mountain too. All the trails that lead to the top of the mountain are likely to be dangerous and treacherous with minimal handholds and narrow vertical staircases. However, none is deadlier than the plank trail found in the southern part of the mountain. Appropriately referred to as the ‟Death Trail″ it is comprised of narrow routes made from wooden platforms and nailed to the side of the mountain. It ‘s hard to get towards the trail hence making visitors to climb up a vertical steel staircase.
Worn wooden planks, rusty chain handles and overall, the lack of planks makes this trek a treacherous one. To add to that, the large number of people that come here to climb the Taoist monasteries, more so during summer increases the risk. There are no official statistical deaths hence making it difficult to determine the exact number of people that have died in this footpath. However, rumor has it more than 100 people each year die in this trek.
It is one of the world’s most terrifying footpaths. Even though this path is known as the ‟Little Kings Path″, it was declared illegal to trial on in the year 2014. Some daredevils still walk on this footpath that heads towards to the cliff. The path was open to the public again in 2015. But soon they closed it, as a result of the significant number of deaths and the crumbling pathways. Since its closure, it has drawn more adventurous hikers to see the sight.
The old paths run along the Guadalhorce river gorge, hanging 100 feet upwards on the cliffs. Hydro-electric workers constructed these pathways over a period of 100 years ago. Ragged safety ropes are the remainders that act as a guide for hikers. Dizziness is the primary source of fear with this hiking trail. If you do not take pleasure in heights, you might want to avoid this trek.
Taghia in Morocco
This trail in Morocco has evolved for the past ten years. Initially, there were some juniper and oak logs lodged into cracks and a range of stone stacks to go up parts of the trail. The French Alpine Club included some cables during spring in the year 2006. This trail is a portion of the circumnavigation of the Oujdad Mountain. Several high pastoral areas where the main reason why the path was created. The canyon underneath is cut off by waterfalls in quite a few places. And the walls on top are sometimes rising 2,600 feet. This small trail cuts across a very exclusive part of the canyon to form a passageway. Unfortunately, some shepherds lost their lives as a result of slips on the unforgiving and steep ground.
The Maroon Bells South Ridge in Colorado
The Maroon Bells are in some of the most adventurous hiking areas in the nation, and scores of people finish the hike safely each year. However, this trail can be severely dangerous. The 12-mile trail to the top of the South Ridge is full of gullies, steep paths, loose rocky fields. Plus, there is the variable weather. The hike is relatively straightforward until you reach above 11,000 feet on the eastern part of the slope. From this point, the trail becomes tougher as you move higher.
The Maroon Bells got its lethal reputation after eight individuals lost their lives in five separate incidences hence earning the name ‟The Deadly Bells″. The climbs are not technically extreme, but they are incredibly deceiving. The rock is unstable, loose, rotten, and downsloping. It claims lives without warning. The snowfields are poorly consolidated, treacherous, and not ideal for a novice hiker. Expert hikers who did not understand the whole routes have perished on these peaks.
The Huayna Picchu in Peru
The Inca Trail towards Machu Picchu can prove to be a challenging trek, and it claims some casualties every year. However, the actual problem starts when you follow the path past the mythical city towards the Huayna Picchu also referred to as the ‟Hike of Death″. The ancient Inca staircase exists mostly of granite and is about 1,000 feet less compared to a mile. Additionally, the trail is full of exposed corners, stones that are slippery, crumbling rock, and rotting wood. The most of the visitors face the path when not fully prepared, i.e., with no water and wearing flip-flops. Mist and clouds often make the trail tough, and in some areas, climbers have to hold on to old steel cables. Going up is very easy, however, coming down paralyzes majority of hikers with fear.
Some dangerous footpaths mentioned above, have claimed dozens of lives and people still return for more. You may think that they are stupid, or unaware of the risks. But the truth is that the prize is worth the danger. Apart from being treacherous, the hikes pass through some of the most dramatic landscapes in the world. They offer expansive scenery that will make you feel inspired and humbled at the same time. If you possess the stamina, experience, skills as well as courage, then such trails might be worth hiking.
