I'm just back from the final stage of my 6000km bike ride along the Yellow River from sea to source. The last 1000km was a bit of housekeeping - retrieving my bike from storage in Chengdu and ferrying it it to the in-law's place in Guilin. I travelled for two weeks through Sichuan, Guizhou (Cishui river via the Maotai valley) and the Duliu river into Guangxi. A nice trip, and my first chance to explore a bit of Guizhou.
For my next trip in retirement I am looking at doing a long distance walk to link up all the places explored by Joseph Rock: namely the Nujiang (Kawakarpo), Yading, Muli, the Yalong river, Gongga Shan and then north into Gansu to visit Zhuoni (Choni) and Zhagana.
It's only a thought bubble at the moment, but much of the 200km route looks do-able, and I have visited almost all these areas already at least once, so I know what to expect. The main problem is finding a way to cross the Yalong river between Muli and Jiulong, near to where I recently visited at Bawolong. There is no road on the western side of the river, but I have seen reports of a ferry operating across the river and a new bridge to service the building of the new Mengdigou hydro dam.
Timing wise, it would take about four months and I would have to wait until spring (March-April) to avoid the bitterly cold weather at high altitudes. I'll be camping along the way and staying in hotels and guesthouses in some areas.
I'm discussing this with my Chinese friends, who may come along for some of the trip. If you have any thoughts or suggestions - especially about routes to cross from Muli to Jiulong, do let me know in the comments!
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