Travel Notes | Hikers’ Paradise—Meiliyu Beng (19)

Hiking Meiliyu Beng was our alternative, and we really didn’t expect to use it. "Heaven is on the left, Yubeng is on the right." In addition, it is also the most suitable high-altitude hiking route for beginners, so it was a matter of course.

Meili Snow Mountain in Yunnan, together with Mount Kailash in Tibet, Mount Animaqing in Qinghai, and Gaduojuewo in Qinghai, are known as the four sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism.

The main peak Kawagebo has a standard pyramid-shaped mountain. The altitude is 6740 meters. It is the highest mountain in Yunnan Province . The mountain is steep and the glacier is unstable. Extremely dangerous. It is the "virgin peak" that humans have not conquered so far. When the sun shines on Jinshan Mountain, the peak is as bright as gold. The mountain top points straight into the blue sky. The clear water cuts deep into the canyon. The peak is surrounded by rich virgin forests and Fertile natural pasture. In the 1930s, American explorer Locke called it "the most beautiful mountain in the world" in the National Geographic magazine. It is recognized as the most beautiful snow mountain in the world. It is known as "The God of Snow Mountains", the first of the eight sacred mountains in Tibetan areas.

Meili Snow Mountain is a group of snow-capped mountains running from north to south. The mountains are connected one after another. The peaks are as powerful as knives and axes, and they stretch for hundreds of miles with extraordinary momentum. In addition to the famous Kawagebo Peak among the Thirteen Peaks, we have to mention the other two popular Mentsim Peak and Jiwaren'an Peak on the south side of Kawagebo Peak.

Mentsim Peak, Tibetan means the goddess of the sea, so it is called "Goddess Peak". It is said to be the wife of Kawagbo. It is the most beautiful peak among all the peaks. The snow-capped peaks are shrouded in clouds and mist, making them look like shy Mentsim. The veil teases every traveler who hopes to see the true face of the goddess.

It is said that only kind people can be lucky enough to see the Rizhao Jinshan of Goddess Peak.

Jiwa Ren'an Peak,also known as "Five Buddha Crowns" or "Five Crown Peaks", is located on the north side of Mentsim Peak, with an altitude of 5770.5 meters. It is shaped like a broken palm and is unforgettable.

This is Meili Snow Mountain!

It is said that here, seeing the true face of Meili and encountering Rizhao Jinshan, means that Kawagebo Mountain accepts you, and you will have good luck for a whole year. When we passed by Feilai Temple, the weather was also very good that day. The Thirteen Peaks of Meili stood in the distance and were clearly visible. Although it was not as spectacular as what we saw on the Feilai Temple viewing platform, the scenery in front of us was satisfying.

Yubeng Village is located in the hinterland of the Meili Snow Mountains, surrounded by mountains. You can see the snow-capped mountains in the distance through the cracks. The village feels safe under the gaze of the Goddess Peak. Forty-one households, more than one hundred aborigines Living in seclusion with the back of the God of Snow Mountain "Kawagbo" Because of faith and life, In their hearts, Yubeng is the true meaning of Shangri-La the epitome of. In the past, the only way to enter this sparsely populated village was a horse-riding post road leading to the outside world. Therefore, Danzi said that when her second sister traveled to Yubeng in 2013, there was no current off-road vehicle to ride on, so she walked the entire journey. Go in. Now it is more like a down-to-earth paradise, with off-road vehicles for transportation, electricity and signal in the village, and seamless integration with modern times. Inns and restaurants have sprung up like bamboo shoots after a rain. With the improvement of commercial infrastructure, after a hard hike, you can take a comfortable hot bath, lie on warm and clean bedding, and eat rich food. .

The Ice Hell Bridge is located on the Yubeng River. It is the only way from Shangyubeng to Yubeng. Under the bridge, the rapids are surging, the deep ditch is quiet, and the ancient trees are densely covered. It is said that after crossing the bridge, you can experience the eighteen levels of hell. "Ice Hell". Every time I walk there, I feel a little scared and just want to walk by quickly.

Ice Hell Bridge

The natural geographical conditions make Yubeng Village the best viewing place for "Goddess Peak" and "Wuguan Peak", so getting up early to see the Rizhao Jinshan Mountain has become a necessary part of our schedule. I remember that morning, after I washed up, I was called away by Lu Xi without even combing my hair. He walked forward quickly with a SLR in one hand and a confiscated tripod in the other. I also picked up my camera and followed him closely. Time and light are so important for photography, so hurry up early instead of late. Seeing how Lu Xi wanted to run but dared to run while carrying a tripod, I wanted to laugh many times from behind. Fortunately, I was not far away. I came to the pool next to the White Tower, set up my camera and waited for the sun to shine on the Golden Mountain. The Rizhao Jinshan here may be different from the magnificent Rizhao Jinshan in Feilai Temple. The atmosphere of the Golden Dome leaking out of the mountains is full of atmosphere, as if you can reach out and touch it. It is a bit more shocking. I can only say Each has its own good, each has its own beauty. It’s also at a similar location. The night before, Danzi, Zhiqiang, and I came to take pictures of the starry sky. We found a relatively dark place. When we looked up, we could clearly see a Milky Way. I remember seeing this often when I was a kid. At night, the starry sky was vast. In order to record it, I used my mobile phone to try multiple sets of data before I managed to take a photo. Lu Xi and Yang Qiang no longer have any extra energy to go out and walk around because of the high-altitude rebellion, which makes people a little helpless.

The starry sky of Beng Village when it rains

The glacial lake known as the Holy Lake is a moraine lake. The lake water is unusually cold and turquoise, like emerald. It is regarded as the soul lake of Kawagebo Mountain. Snow water melted by ancient glaciers continuously collects here and flows down the mountain, nourishing the grass, trees and people below.

On the way to the glacier lake on foot, we passed through subalpine meadows, sea buckthorn forests, and mixed fir and red birch forests, with rain and rivers dripping all the way. During the climb up to the Xiaonong Pass, everything was green, like a natural oxygen bar. After climbing over the Xiaonong Pass, there were mountains of alpine rhododendrons, missing birdsong and the sound of rushing streams. Arriving at the Sacred Mountain At your feet, you can see the various colors of the surrounding mountains, the red and yellow bushes, and the autumn scenery, which makes people unable to take their eyes away. The ice lake is about an hour away from Xiaonong Base Camp. Go upstream along the creek beside the camp. A high mountain ice lake will appear in front of you. It is as green as emerald. , holy and tranquil, sitting quietly by the ice lake, looking up at the blue sky, snow-capped mountains and glaciers, all fatigue was diluted by everything in front of me. But not all people feel this way. People who suffer from altitude sickness want to end it as soon as possible. For example, Yang Qiang went down the mountain early due to strong physical discomfort, and Lu Xi fell asleep sitting by the ice lake unknowingly. He was unable to walk steadily, so his camera was accidentally dropped once. They moved step by step to the glacial lake, but they could not immerse themselves in the beautiful scenery. Therefore, they really felt that their eyes were in heaven and their bodies were in hell. I can only pray that they adapt as soon as possible.

The glacier lake in the embrace of the mountains is always moving. The collapse of the glacier and the sanctity of Kawagbo have never reduced the gentleness of the glacier lake by half. This is approachable tenderness. The glacial lake is always hidden deep in Meili, calmly recording every melting of the glacier. I also try to record the scenery I see.

The little elves I kept seeing along the way

The time here passes very slowly. Watching a cloud shadow drift by and listening to a gust of wind. It seems that everything has become lazy. It seems that doing nothing is very beautiful. This place is even more popular among hiking enthusiasts. Paradise is a holy place in the hearts of people who yearn for poetry and distant places. Can time stay in beautiful moments?

Shenhu Lake is located at the foot of Cimu Peak on the Meili Snow Mountain, surrounded by plateau flower meadows. However, the road is difficult and dangerous, and it has not yet been developed. I also found that many business leaders do not have a place like Shenhu Lake. Climbing over a thousand altitudes, and being on a plateau, it is said to be very steep. It seems that even casual mountain climbing is out of the question. The boys were also persuaded to quit because of their high antipathy. Only Danzi and I took this route, and we instantly lost our sense of security. I heard from travel friends who stayed at the same inn that it took them 11 hours to go back and forth to Shenhu Lake. Time was tight, I didn’t know the road conditions, and I felt increasingly unsure. Just as we were leaving,

A travel friend asked: "Where are you going?"

"God Lake."

"Oh, you guys are so awesome. I don't dare to go to this place." So many people don't dare to set foot in it. How difficult is it to go?

Let's go find out.

I turned off my phone and said to Danzi: "I think we should go in this direction. I won't look at the trajectory."

"good."

Later, someone reminded us that we had passed by, and luckily we checked in time. Then we got lost and couldn't find the track. I was looking for a way through the primeval forest with towering ancient trees. The further I went, the more nervous I felt. I tried to climb vertically and get closer to the trail.

"Is this the way to the Divine Lake? This doesn't look like a road. Are you on the wrong path? Do you want to give up?" "Forget it, keep looking. I haven't found the right track yet. I'm giving myself a chance." While looking at the phone, all kinds of thoughts were running through his mind. Broken leaves are all over the ground, dead branches are crisscrossing everywhere, and the surroundings are eerily quiet. The time has come to test people.

The moment I finally found the trail, the stone in my heart finally fell and I felt much calmer. Danzi said bluntly: "Just now I was afraid that some wild animal would come out of the jungle!"

We followed the trail and kept climbing up. It felt like we would never be able to see the top of the mountain. There was another slope after going up this slope. Is it difficult to say? It’s not difficult, just like climbing Wutong Mountain. The hardest part was getting lost and helpless at the beginning.

During the climb, I felt the changes in vegetation caused by the altitude change, including virgin forests, bamboo forests, shrubs, and plateau meadows. These are visible changes. When I stood on a high place, looking level with the glacier next door, and seeing the rolling mountains in the distance, I felt my own energy, inexhaustible energy, and it turns out that I can do it too!

Compared with the lake itself, the scenery on the road caught my heart more, especially where the bushes cut across it. Red and yellow shrubs, dark green coniferous forests, dark blue mountains, and white dotted with thick clouds, a picture of the plateau unfolds in front of you, just like visiting the oil painting gallery and immersing yourself in the colorful colors of Meili . We moved forward as if we were touching the pulse of the snow-capped mountains.In a daze, we really thought we could pick up a piece of white cloud with our hands and regard it as a souvenir from Meili.

divine lake

It was only on the way back that I discovered that this road turned out to be really steep. I didn’t feel it when I climbed up. When I walked down, I relied on trekking poles to support me. But it was also complete.

Ninong Canyon is the only way to get out of Yubeng. It is full of ravines and winding paths. The cement road is paved from beginning to end, and with all the 40 kilograms of luggage on my back, I should be able to walk the more than ten kilometers easily. Later I found that I had overestimated myself. Although it was downhill, the road was smooth, especially since it rained slightly from time to time, making the road even more slippery. The anti-slip labels on the shoes were probably just a boast, and they didn’t save me any effort at all. Thanks to the trekking poles, I walked down smoothly.

The Yubeng River under the canyon, also known as Yubeng Saqu, originates from the divine waterfall deep in the Meili Snow Mountain. It is a surging rapids. The sound of its water flow has been echoing in the valley, as if it is racing with us, and it has been shouting non-stop. Afternoon. Standing on the edge of the cliff and looking down, I saw only a narrow gap through which water flowed out. It flows through the entire Yubeng territory, through the entire Ninong Grand Canyon, and finally merges into the Lancang River. We walked the entire journey with it. When it merges into the Lancang River, we will almost reach the end.

Regarding Yubeng, some people say that it is a paradise on earth, while others say that it is a hell on earth. In my eyes, it is an undisturbed paradise with sacred mountains, sacred lakes, sacred waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, forests, and meadows. , the sea of ​​flowers, the clear stream, and the flowing clouds are so beautiful that it feels like you have accidentally stepped into a fairyland thousands of years ago. On the road, we set foot in the wilderness, challenged ourselves, and conquered ourselves. My first plateau hiking route has ended successfully.