Mount Huashan, China
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The sacred Mount Huashan in northwest China’s Shaanxi province has long been a place of pilgrimage thanks to its mystical five peaks and Taoist temples but modern visitors flock here for a thrill of a different kind – completing one of the world’s deadliest hikes.
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A network of trails snake around the mountain, including steep stone steps. But it's the infamous Plank Path – narrow and rickety planks bolted onto the sheer mountainside around 5,000 feet (1,524m) in the sky, only navigable with a safety harness – that is the most treacherous stretch. Sadly, a university student died after falling from the path, which is bolted onto the eastern side of South Peak, in 2019.