"Now I don't care about the hotel at all. This car, this driver's seat makes me feel at ease and reasonable. I don't know where the car is going, and he doesn't know either. Anyway, it doesn't matter where it is in front of us. As long as the car is moving, just go and take a look.”
——Yu Hua "Going out for a long journey at the age of eighteen"
Before going to Wugong Mountain, I knew nothing about it. The source of the idea was just a glimpse of a photograph: In the morning light, the hills stretching to the sky were covered by tender green meadows, with a layer of mist lingering on the grass, as if a giant beast was covered in soft green felt. Sleeping. When I saw this scene, I was already fascinated. I seemed to have seen the flowers blooming in the mountains and fields, how I stretched my limbs while lying on the meadow, and how comfortable and liberated my soul was surrounded by the mountains... In short, the moment I encountered beauty, I had a strong impulse, without thinking and extremely optimistic: I decided to start hiking for the first time in my life.
Picture source: Weibo @叶叶声声
Source: Weibo Photographer Yao Yuqing’s UFO cloud
I spent the long March with unbearable excitement. I started to buy the equipment needed for hiking one after another after signing up: quick-drying clothes, waterproof shoes, gloves, kneepads, trekking poles, water bags, and street lights. , rain cover, as well as bread, milk, chocolate, energy bars... Until 9:30 pm on April 2, take the bus to the travel destination. I leaned back in my seat with my whole body relaxed, and I felt extremely happy when I thought about opening my eyes tomorrow to see the long-awaited green mountains.
However, the above description does not truly capture the state of mind I felt when I woke up the next morning. Although I noticed that the green mountains on both sides of the road at this moment were exactly the same as I imagined, my attention was distracted by other things, including my stiff and sore neck from not changing positions all night, and my hair. His temples were swollen, and his throat was aching from the cold.
The lush green scenery in front of the highway
As the bus approaches its destination, the dream is about to become a reality. But at this moment, I suddenly became tired and bored. I imagine the specific situation of my climb, and it can't help but be scary: the muddy ground under my feet is inaccessible, or the slippery and loose rocks are covered with moss; My body will be broken into pieces; if it rains, I will have to put on a stuffy raincoat. The rain mixed with dust will slide down my cheeks, leaving a trail of mud, and my eyes will become sour. Not being able to enjoy a good lunch, having to wake up in a strange bed in the middle of the night, and possibly being left alone due to falling behind... I seem to have seen myself dragging my tired body forward... Thinking of this, the dream of climbing suddenly came to me. Eclipsed.
Facts have proved that these worries are not unfounded, and all of this has actually happened. The most tiring part is the climb at the foothills, especially the first eighth. I repeatedly felt exhausted as I had yet to find a rhythm on the climb. I almost ran out of breath after walking a few steps and had to stop and rest. When I was exhausted, I regretted it more than once: "Why bother to actually travel when you can just sit in a chair and leisurely look at the magnificent pictures presented in geographical magazines?"
However, once you go up the mountain, there is no way out. When you think about the difficulty of going down the mountain, you have to grit your teeth and keep climbing. It is worth mentioning that I met an aunt who looked a bit old on the way. Although her steps were very slow, she was very steady. I followed her climbing silently at her speed, and I actually found some clues. Later, I came up to strike up a conversation during the break, and we chatted with each other throughout the rest of the road. In this way, the fatigue that had been bothering me until now gradually dissipated, and the hiking finally began to get better.
When we arrived at the halfway point, I said goodbye to my aunt. Here he met his teammates Xiao Chen, Xia Mei, and Quinoa, and headed to the Fayun Realm together. Fayun Realm is a warm ocean platform, with the sea of clouds rolling in front of you and the whispering waves in your ears. In front of these magnificent landscapes, people are like belated dust. Interacting with it makes people happy and intoxicated. It also makes people deeply feel their own insignificance and fragility when faced with power, change and vastness. Faced with this situation, even the compressed biscuits became less difficult to swallow.
Everyone is taking a rest in Fayunjie
Wufa Inn can be said to be the only belief in the second half of the first day's march. A solitary man-made object, there is no other road leading to it, only this dangerous path under our feet. It is a third space that belongs neither to the city nor to the mountains. It is the territory of travelers and a lighthouse independent of the cape. Traveling in the wilderness does seem to have a magical power that can give all ordinary or even not beautiful experiences a different taste and interest. The crowded room, damp bedding and poor-quality sound insulation panels were all gifts from God after a day of climbing.
Arrive at the inn. Great
A change of scenery means an opportunity for rediscovery.
Just as I discovered that after I truly stayed away from the city and temporarily got rid of the "rigid daily life" and "irreconcilable selfish comfort" and stayed in nature, I felt inexplicably desolate and lonely, and I looked forward to the appearance of human beings all the time. For example, during the climbing process, every time I encountered large rocks that were obviously man-made to facilitate climbing, or protective fences specially built for scenic spots, I was ecstatic and grateful. Peeling away a layer of familiarity and indifference, peeling off a layer of taken-for-grantedness, these traces left by human beings to improve living conditions are so intimate and not easy.
Also, there are people that I rediscover. There was Chang An who was enthusiastic when we started to help park the car; there was Xiamei who accompanied me all the way, reaching out to me when I was afraid and cowering and stagnating, and pulling me over the slope of despair; there was Xiao Chen who was very considerate and helped me when I climbed to the steep place. I was half-lugging my schoolbag to reduce the weight; an aunt I met on the road gave me a headscarf to prevent me from catching a cold in the humid mountains; there was the delicate and versatile Quinoa who suddenly took out disinfectant wipes to solve your trouble; there was a big pot on my side The encouragement and patient waiting when I didn’t dare to go downhill; the exchange of heavy bags with Oreo and carrying the whole journey; and the “escort” of Mountain Man, lemon tea, and blues when I returned to school...
"Traveling at the age of eighteen, meeting everyone can be a miracle because of the lack of the past." These strange friends, these careful and small acts of kindness fill me with warmth, so that even if I am in a bad environment, I can deal with it calmly. , so much so that I can find touching stories when I recall every detail of my hike.
Wugong Mountain
w U gong mountain
Although the original goal of this trip was to "see with my own eyes the beautiful scenery in the photographs," the meadows were still dry and yellow because the season had not yet arrived. "The scenery you see after going through all the hardships may be far less beautiful than the photos." Normally, this would be the biggest sin of a trip. But what surprised me was that when I saw the real scenery and the thought "It's just that" flashed through my mind, I felt extremely peaceful. Maybe it’s because walking slowly and leisurely has given me an unprecedented experience, maybe it’s because the companionship of my teammates along the way brings a simple sense of satisfaction that I haven’t had in a long time, allowing me to let go of my obsession with pursuing results.
What's more, even though I didn't see the "classic famous scenery" in photography, I also experienced the valley where winter and spring meet, and more magnificent landscapes that no one photographed due to danger. We imagine that the beautiful scenery in front of us can bring us happiness, but the key to true happiness is that we must first satisfy some of our more important emotional or psychological needs. If I have a dispute or quarrel with my teammates, or if I am left behind by my teammates, I will definitely feel resentful, and I will not be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery safely.
"Travel can be very paradoxical in terms of expectations when you set off and the results when you return." But when you actually go to a place to face additional challenges, what you think and gain will be unimaginable, and the purpose and results will also change. Insignificant. Modern technology may make beauty more accessible, but that does not lead to more positive and meaningful observations. There should not be too many concepts, too many presuppositions, too many followers, too much knowledge, too many rumors, but the most cherished ears, eyes, intuition and specific details have been abandoned. As a result, we have gone everywhere, but we have gone so far. Empty, so following every step, so following what others say.
When we went down the mountain, we took the tourist route. There were gradually more tourists, and restaurants, hotels and signboards gradually became everywhere. I chatted with Oreo, who I had just learned was my direct senior sister, about the liberal arts school, about my major... As we chatted, all the anxiety, selfishness, and confusion came up again. This is indeed a magical experience. Why can I be free from the harassment of "hateful desires" by being close to a waterfall, a mountain or any part of nature? Why can't it be done on streets that run side by side? The spiritual comfort I got from spending two days immersed in nature lost its effectiveness once I was among the crowd.
At that moment, I couldn't help but want to escape to the wilderness again and spend a longer time with nature. They can make me accept those incomprehensible and distressing things with conviction, and accept my own limitations and insignificance...
“Train, let me go with you! Ship, take me out of here!
Take me away to a distant place. Here, everything is filled with tears! "
——Baudelaire