This morning I was out at Shipton’s Arch, near Kashgar, Xinjiang, China.

It was unknown outside of local lore until British traveler Eric Shipton “discovered” it in the 1940s.  It is probably the tallest natural arch in the world.  It grows out of a mountain slope and then bridges over a deep canyon.  So one side the arch is only 60 meters or so up from its base, but on the other side it is about 450 meters.  There is a great view through the arch to rugged mountains beyond.

The hike up to the arch was a strenuous 45 minutes, starting as a gentle slope, but working up to a steep scramble over ice and snowy rocks, with metal or wooden steps in the steepest parts.  The observation platform at the top is at about 9500 ft.