The Ladder of Love (Part II) Zhang Baotong 2017.10.10

It was the day of the National Day Golden Week in 2001, and our expedition team of 12 people left the ancient town of Zhongshan in Jiangjin, walked about 20 kilometers south, passed through a small market called Changle Village, and came to a big Buddha and Bodhisattva temple located by the river. Next to the temple, a seven- or eight-meter-long single-plank bridge is built on the Feilong River, which is called a big wooden bridge by local villagers. On the opposite side of the bridge is a 1,500-meter-high mountain called Banpotou. This mountain is really big, we walked through the same four mountains two days ago, the mountains are like the sea, the momentum is majestic, look up, only to see the deep mountains and valleys, hanging mantle waterfalls, bamboo forest pieces, forest recklessness, people can not see the top at a glance.

The local guide told us that this is a primeval wilderness that is inaccessible to people, and that no one dares to venture into the mountains in normal times. Captain Fan Zhilong said that we should take an adventure. So, the expedition members went up the mountain with more vigor and continued along a vague path.

In the middle of the mountain, there are alder forests, and there are almost no roads in the forest, so we walked on the soft ground paved with dead branches and leaves, and walked towards the mountain. Sometimes it's hard to walk in the forest, so we walk on the edge of the forest. However, at the edge of the forest was a bottomless cliff, and the rising clouds and mist were slowly fluttering around us, and from time to time there were branches of alder trees sticking out in front of our eyes, so we pulled open the branches and walked by. Along the way, you can see exposed maroon rock formations everywhere, which are said to be the Danxia landform at least 60 million years ago.

When we came to a dense forest, the wind suddenly rose in the mountains, and then we saw dark clouds rolling over our heads along the black pressure of the wind. Someone shouted, "It's going to rain." As soon as the words were finished, a thick fog swept before our eyes, and the rain fell down on us in a hurry. We hurriedly took out the poncho from our travel bag and draped it over our bodies. Soon, the rain began to fall heavily, and it became heavier and heavier. We stood in the jungle and waited. After about ten minutes, the rain stopped. We continued on the road, and after walking for less than half an hour, the sun came out and shone a golden light between the heavens and the earth, as if it also illuminated our hearts.

It was about two o'clock in the afternoon, when we finally crossed the alder forest, and suddenly someone at the front of the line shouted, "Found the way, found the way." So we all walked up a steep slope at a brisk pace. Standing on the high slope, we saw a stone path slanting from a nearby col and stretching towards the steep hill into the dense forest above the mountain. The stone blocks of the staircase are hewn from the sandstone of the Danxia landform, about half a foot wide, about one meter for the elderly, and only one foot for the short. The stones have been ground to the ground, but we are amazed that there are still people living in the depths of this untouched mountain.

However, the guide looked puzzled at the stone steps, and he said to us, "I have been up this mountain several times, and I have never seen anyone living here, and I have never seen this stone steps. However, this stone staircase mountain path was really placed in front of him, as if it was refuting him with facts. If the mountain was uninhabited, there would be no such stone steps. Therefore, we believe that this mountain is not only inhabited, but also inhabited by many people, otherwise, it would not be possible to build this stone staircase mountain road, because the construction of this stone staircase mountain road is a huge project, and it is impossible to complete it without the joint efforts of many people.

We walked up the stone steps, one after another, and the stone steps became more and more difficult to walk, and the more dangerous we walked, and some places had to be stepped on with our hands and feet to pass. In some places, there is a small bridge made of a few pine trees, and walking on the bridge is surrounded by a sea of rolling clouds, which makes you feel like walking among the clouds. Some of the stone stairs are built on the cliffs, the road surface is less than a foot wide, and there are several stone steps that are almost 90 degrees long, reaching a height of thirty or forty meters, like a cloud ladder.

I have climbed the ladder of Mount Hua, the ladder is the most dangerous climb of Mount Hua, vertically upward, and next to it is the abyss. I remember that time we had six of our fellow hikers climbing together, but when we got to the ladder, the two ladies were immediately frightened and sat down on the ground, and it was the four men who pulled them up from under the ladder. Although Huashan is dangerous, it is a national tourist attraction with very safe protection measures. However, the ladder in front of me was a very narrow step, and there was no protection at all, only a few small stone pits that could be clasped with your fingers. Therefore, if you want to climb up, you have to step on the stone steps below with your feet, and you have to buckle the stone pit above with your hands, and you can climb up with all your strength. There were also four or five young ladies in our team, but they were the backbone of the expedition and they were very bold, so with everyone's help, it didn't take much time to climb the ladder.

Ascending the ladder, we continued along the path paved with stone steps. The trail leads us to the flatter slopes, into the dense forest, and up the steep mountain paths. But the steep mountain roads are paved with stone steps. So, the journey was relatively smooth.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, we entered a primeval forest. The forest is very deep, very dense, very quiet. I can't see the edge for how long I walked. We kept walking along the path, walking, and suddenly, we heard the sound of rustling in the forest in front of us, and we thought we had encountered a wild beast, and immediately shouted, "Attention, everyone, there is a wild beast ahead." So, everyone immediately got nervous, gathered together, and took the knife and electric baton in their hands. Because the forest was a little dark, I couldn't see what kind of beast it was. We're quietly approaching that side. When we walked twenty or thirty meters from there, we saw two animals walking upright, so we thought that they might be two wild men.

We took cover from the trees and quietly followed them. It wasn't until they came out of the jungle that we saw that both men were wrapped in black cloth on their heads, and it was clear that they were not savages. Listening to their voices, it was as if one was a man and the other was a woman, each carrying a bundle of firewood behind him. When we saw that it was not a wild man, we were relieved and walked towards the forest together.

Out of the forest, there is a bright world in front of you. The afternoon sun casts a dazzling golden light on the forest sea and the mountain peaks. The mountain wind blew from a distance, blowing the half-human-high barren grass on the side of the road, making people begin to feel a chill. And the two men who walked in front of us were old men, dressed in old-fashioned blue cloth shirts. The man seems to be 70 years old, and the woman seems to be older than him.

They were startled when they saw more than a dozen of us rushing over at once, and the woman screamed and hid behind the man. The man was holding a machete, as if he was ready to defend us against us. The guide immediately said to the two old men, "Don't be afraid, they are tourists from Chongqing. ”

As soon as they heard that we were tourists from Chongqing, they immediately relaxed. The man put away the machete and spoke to the captain Fan Zhilong, "*** Is he in good health?" When we heard this, we were very stunned, what age is it now, and he would still ask such a thing. Fan Zhilong said to the two old people, "*** His old man died in 1976, and it has been 25 years. Now the country's leaders are *** and ***. When the old man heard this, he shook his head and said, "I haven't heard of it. Fan Zhilong said to them, "The Cultural Revolution has long ended, and now the country is carrying out reform and opening up." However, when the old man heard this, he seemed inexplicable, and it was obvious that they did not understand it at all.