(The article was original in Chinese)
Besides walking on the casual path of
mountain, I haven’t go mountain hiking for over 10 years.
I mean carry over 10 kg of backpack with a sleeping bag, food
and other equipment, far away from civilization.
I had been Dabajian and Yushan, and are the
same as the younger brother Monkey together.
Even
backpack and hiking shoes are then told my brother borrowed the same set.
The difference is due to a temporary condition,
this time only two of us.
So there is a lot of time, feeling I am one
person along in 3,000 meters above the ridge walking trail.
Blue sky overhead, the foot on top of the
earth,
Looking full of magnificent mountains,
undulating stretches, an endless sight.
Human beings totally gone there, only the cold wind
shears, hot sun burns.
And my own efforts gilded thin air suction
sound.
The rubble on hilltop are as big as a table. The
forces of nature made me feel small.
All the moments through the trail, every step is a deep dialogue to my own body.
I have not climbed many mountains as his sixty
several of the 100 Peaks in Taiwan.
He got good strength.
As I climbed halfway , I asked if he would feel that I climb slowly.
He gave me a frank understand.
“Oh Oh Oh” He laugh superiority with a little self
up.
Then Monkey say, do you think I am very sarcastic?
I said, NO, climbing is something about their own, very
personal things.
Because I know that I can really accompanied only by myself.
Through every stride, every body movement, I feel each
part of the body carries its own weight forward.
I feel the gravity pull me back to the earth,
such as deep-rooted Yushan juniper on the mountain peak.
When I walk on the trail of the scree top at the Holy Ridgeline,it's small like a goat walking trail, with both sides of slopes downward 800 meters to scree
bottom
It’s the first time I felt so scared when
mountaineering.
So isolated and on the verge of death threats.
No one can help me anything,
The only way is to let myself keep walking, but my
legs feel pain to not work!
I told myself,
"I trust you (my body), I give myself up to you."
I sense every part of the body, feel the moving of muscles and the changing of gravity center.
Keeping awareness walk, step out for my own
responsible for every step.
Breathe with awareness, every inhale thin oxygen
into the legs.
Then exhale the aching deep in the legs out.
Over and over again until I am in a
grooving.
Alive, and alive only.
Living focus at every step, every second.
Living in the moment, no aware of fear and
sadness.
Time back to the first day in the evening in 369
Villa,
Monkey asked if I want to go to Snow Mountain
North Peak
I said, "I want to take the challenge, but I'm
not sure my physical condition."
The next day we wake up at 2:30 am.
In the star-filled sky, we cooked tea.
He asked me again.
And I still hesitated (worried).
After we walked in the Black
Forest in the dark for two hours,
and 30 mins climb to the scree to Holy
Ridgeline,
the ache in my right foot tells me maybe I should go
back.
But I still wanted to try it !!
I give some massage and words of encouragement to my
right knee.
I even made up a song about Holy
Ridgeline to pleasure myself.
So we go forward to the Snow Mountain
North Peak
When the pain in my muscles reached the limit, we stood at 2.5 km of
the trail.
I told myself that I really great.
I am willing to go for the dream.
But I stop now, and turning back.
It is my responsibility for my own, as a partner too.
I knew we could not get back to 369 Villa on schedule if I insist to go
forward to the Snow
Mountain North
Peak
Even if we got there, we couldn’t sleep in Mountain House at Snow Mountain
North Peak
Let go the persistent to my dream.
Face the truth of physical limited.
So I cried out in front of Snow Mountain
North Peak
As I said so, Monkey turned around and told me, "Mountains are always there. Come back anytime."
My heart felt warm.
It’s nice to have someone understand you near
by, and response just in time.
Way returning to Mt. BeiLinChiao 3800 meters ,
I can hardly breathe, shouting Monkey to wait.
Dizzy rush to me, I had altitude sickness
attack!
Monkey was still 40 meters in front.
He ask me to put down the backpack, sit down, and
forced some cough.
Force myself to increase breathing frequency.
Do not think to keep up with the pace of the front.
With your pace, your breathing, and walk slowly.
My body adapt the situation in a while, and finally I
make through it.
Later, when we drop altitude ,I felt much better.
Honestly, at that breathless moment I felt
very panic.
I was still on Holy Ridgeline , it was a very
low probability to get emergency help.
I only got Monkey in front, no idea if he
could help.
Go forward, or go backward, each way probably take
3 hours to get to 369 Villa, which is still a long way from civilization.
I was really scared.
That moment I think about the words I wrote on the book last night at 369 Villa for my
wife and children, which said ”I love you. In my next life I want to be your family.”
I felt grieved.
And a voice said, “I want to go back alive, I
want to go back alive. “
That became louder and louder. Finally, it’s
loud like beating drums like thunder.
But actual sound I heard was only voice of
the wind and the distant birds singing.
I was in this situation, mixed with clear and
tinnitus condition, until I got out of the circumstances.
Way down the mountain,
For the feet that already close to the
limit,
It’s simply like rub salt into the wound as
torture.
Pain has been shouted out all the way to Ouch
Ouch Ouch ...... ...... ah ...
I became the spokesman for the legs.
Took pictures of my legs, and later wrote
on FB:
“It’s painful, but pain is also a way of living.”
She senses the cold of my body and said “cold
cold….” with a very dramatic act and shivering.
After that my cold became better.
Just like that experience, my legs pain was
crying out through my voice, meanwhile I also became better.
And therefore I can successfully return to
the trailhead before dark.
The three-day trip shorten in two days.
Went home early to get rest.
End my trip to Snow Mountain
