The location of Chaoyang Cave is about 30 kilometers away from Xi'an, on the Taipingyu Inner Mountain, and I have heard of its name for a long time, but I have never been there. The main reason is that the mountain road is long (20 kilometers, 2,000 meters high) and you have to climb ladders to go up and down the cliffs. This made me afraid of heights timid, and I felt that there was no need to make a trip.

However, after listening to a traveler tell me the year before last that there were many purple azaleas on the way to Chaoyang Cave, I was moved again. I plan to wait until the purple azaleas bloom, and in addition to enjoying the flowers, I will also fill in the "gap" in the 72 valleys of the Qinling Mountains, the only one in the famous climbing route that has not been reached. Lest the thought of not having gone to this famous route yet, you will always feel that there is still one thing missing.

May is the season when the alpine rhododendrons bloom at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters above sea level in the Qinling Mountains. In recent years, I have spent the weekends climbing high altitude mountains and admiring alpine azaleas. Last week, on the mountain east of the watershed, I saw the purple azaleas that bloomed earlier than usual, and I thought of Chaoyang Cave.

When I saw that on Saturday, May 19th, there was an outdoor club to send a line to Chaoyang Cave, I felt that the time had come, and immediately signed up.

The road to Chaoyangdong into the mountain overlaps with the road to Wanhua Mountain. That stretch of concrete road was eight kilometers long and could not be passed by large tourist vehicles. In the past two times I went to Wanhua Mountain, I didn't take the cement road. One time was when a minibus drove to the trailhead, and the other time I hired a local motorbike to take me and my companion in. This time, when I set off, I decided to hire a car to go up.

As a result, this time the driver did not come, did not stop at the fork, and asked the team leader if he turned in, and the team leader snorted. He drove into more than five highways, which made the whole car very happy. However, it is really dangerous for a big car to drive on that road. The road is still too narrow, one side is close to the mountain, the other side is a deep ditch, and the wheels are pressed against the edge of the ditch. It scared me so much that I might as well go, and that's too sadistic. The driver also yelled at the team leader: I'm afraid of taking the cement road, and I don't even want my life!

It's really your grandfather's thigh (I'm scolding in my heart)! I have never entered a bus on this road, and you yourself are not in a good situation, and you have listened to the words of the team leader and put us in a dangerous situation. The good thing is that during the time when the main station is full, there are no cars coming from the opposite side. Otherwise, at this time, let alone the car, even if anyone comes, they can't get through.

The reason why the team leader took the risk of letting the driver drive in was because the departure was more than half an hour late in the morning, and everyone was complaining. In addition, he also wants to save everyone 10 yuan per person for hiring a ferry car. However, the team leader also has your grandfather's leg (also scolding in his heart). For ten dollars, you will not want the safety of thirty of us, and my life is worth those ten dollars?

Fortunately, this driver is really skilled, roaring in his mouth, the car swept the branches, and drove angrily to the gate of a courtyard that could turn around, he stopped with relief, and we got out of the car in the same mood.

After officially going up the mountain, I found that it was a bit like a deep canyon in the ten-mile long gorge. The forest vegetation is lush and green to the eye. Mountain streams and streams gurgling. The air in the mountains is humid and fresh, today is cloudy and foggy, the temperature has dropped a little, it is not very hot, and it is very comfortable to be in the natural big oxygen. It's just that it's just rained here, and the road is slippery, so I'm still very careful when walking on the mossy stones.

From the beginning of entering the mountain, it is all the way to the high, and soon after walking the gentle slope of the river, you will arrive at the straight slope that is called "training donkey slope" by the climbers. Almost all of them cut the hill, you have to be highly concentrated, pay attention to your step, otherwise you will roll down the hill. With such a steep road, everyone was worried that when the original road went down, the road would be wet and slippery after a day of fogging.

In front of the "donkey slope", the mountain is relatively gentle, the water vapor is abundant, the weeds and shrubs are dense, the forest layers are scattered, very dense, the sky is almost invisible, a group of thick green, green leaves are full of eyes. After entering the "donkey slope", the altitude is higher, the primeval forest is full of ancient trees, and the fir is the majority, the trunk is several zhang, straight and upright, the canopy is towering, and the forest is empty. Under the tree, a kind of grass called five-bell flower blooms from time to time in clumps. The petals of the five-bell flower are attached to each other like five purple swans, which are delicate and beautiful, and very beautiful. I love it.

At this moment, there is a mellow aroma in the forest, which should be released by a tree, which smells very good and refreshes people's hearts. At this time, like dwarfs, we walked up the slope in the misty forest, as comfortable as a fairyland.

This is also the only refreshing moment in the four hours from entering the mountain to climbing the "donkey training slope" to the pass. In addition, the road is all in the dense fog of the forest, with high trees and deep forests, covering the sky and the sun. When I returned in the afternoon, it was raining lightly, and I only heard the sound of the rain hitting the leaves, and rarely fell on the top of my head. This shows how dense the forest is.

It was almost one o'clock at the pass, and after lunch, I continued to move forward. At this time, I finally walked on the top of the mountain, and my vision was relatively broad. Soon I found three or three azalea trees, all of which were tall pink and white rhododendron trees, and the flowers had been gone. As I continued walking, I saw a purple rhododendron on the side of the road, which was also a relatively tall tree, more than two meters tall. The flower pattern is beautiful and beautiful, and it is even more showy in the dense fog forest. There are also those who open and lose, and more of them open just right.

There are too few purple azaleas here (I later learned that the traveler said a lot, and it was on another road to Chaoyang Cave.) ), less than ten trees before Chaoyang Cave. This is what also makes me very satisfied, and I finally saw the purple azaleas in Chaoyang Cave, and it was worth the trip.

The road up to Chaoyangdong from the mountain beam was even more difficult, and I was scared to pass several times through slippery and steep stones or two erected logs. Later, because of repeatedly looking for the way with his friends, he had the idea of giving up several times, but he was unwilling. Thinking that if we go over this hillside and arrive at Chaoyang Cave, then we will give up at this time, and we will not lose a lot. My companion and I encouraged each other to find our way carefully. But there was no one to come, and we were still very scared when we turned around on the slope of the forked road.

When I couldn't walk or see Chaoyang Cave, when I came to a cliff again, I didn't want to go at all, I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to get off the way back, it was too dangerous. The little friend said, "It's a pity to give up now." According to the team leader, it only took 40 minutes from the pass to Chaoyang Cave, and we both walked for almost an hour. ”

There is some truth to this. I asked her to go up first and see if she could see Chaoyang Cave. After she climbed up and turned around, I couldn't see her anymore, and I was about to call her down, but I heard her excited voice: Hurry up, hurry up, we have arrived at Chaoyang Cave.

I hurriedly climbed up, and sure enough, when I turned the corner, I saw Chaoyang Cave. It's only three minutes from the cliff I just wanted to give up. I really want to thank my peers for their cooperation. Otherwise, it is a trip of "regret".

Chaoyang Cave gives me the feeling that it is really unique, blessed with a unique environment and excellent environment.

It is in a unique boulder, "unique" because the boulder is blue and white, the sunny side is nearly vertical, about fifty meters high, the height and width are almost equal, in the form of a cube, there is not a single grass on the stone, and it is connected with the densely vegetated earth mountains on both sides, as if sandwiched in the middle, and it is the highest peak.

On the boulder mountain, there are three caves of different sizes carved by ancient cultivators (perhaps the cave age, the dwelling of the ancients), all of which have no doors. You need to climb a ladder at the entrance of the cave to enter the two large caves about two meters above the ground. The walls of the cave have been weathered over the years, and there are no chisel marks to be seen, and they are as smooth as cement. Therefore, it is also said that it is a naturally formed hole. The big hole is five meters high and about ten square meters. The smallest hole is nearly three meters high, and it is about five square meters, and it can accommodate people. Because its entrance to the east is facing the sun, it is named Chaoyang Cave.

The altitude of Chaoyang Cave is the highest in the area. The front is far away from the opposite mountains, forming a hug with the surrounding mountains, so the view is safe and open. Sitting in the cave, you can see the clouds rolling in the distance, so uncomfortable.

Today, we are fortunate to see the beautiful sea of clouds, which is simply like a dreamlike fairyland. Moreover, the presentation of the sea of clouds is still in the ten hours of climbing the mountain today, the only ten minutes of sunshine appeared, we just came to Chaoyang Cave, and we were lucky to meet it. If it is in the forest in front, no matter how beautiful the sea of clouds is, we can't see it.

In front of the Chaoyang Cave boulder, there is a gently sloping open space, which can be seen to be in use, about half the size of a football field, separated by a small road in the middle. The fertile slope on the left is leveled into miniature terraces, and the black soil of the terraces is neatly planted with green vegetables. In addition, in the fourth-level terraced fields, it is just sprouted, and it is impossible to see what kind of vegetable seedlings it is. The large area on the right is sloping and does not look like it has been planted with crops, and it is in good condition or has been used for a long time, and there are no weeds on the loose black soil, and it is possible that it has not yet budded.

This should have been cultivated by the people who practice here. It makes Chaoyang Cave, which is populated in the distance, have a breath of life and vitality. Let us feel anxious all the way, as if we walked to a post station, our hearts are relaxed and steady.

There should be a practitioner living in the largest cave on the right today. As we stood in the courtyard, we could see a clean green outdoor professional tent spread out in the cave, on a simple wooden bed set up. Out of respect, I didn't climb up to look. So what is in it besides the tent, I don't know. A few travelers climbed into the cave and said, "The monks are probably in tents." "Some teammates said there was no movement in the tent. This tent, which was later sent to me by a traveler in the early autumn of '16, also has this tent in the photos taken here, along with two yellow-robed monks.

I also saw some simple household items in the smaller hole below, such as barrels, cutting boards, and tools for planting. Everything is neatly and neatly arranged.

What impressed me the most was the hole to the left of the big hole. After climbing the ladder, I saw a clean hole, a simple wooden bed erected, near the end of the hole, a clean transparent plastic travel bag, containing a set of clean bedding, on a piece of paper written: Please feel free to open and use, just put it neatly and unconditioned after use, so that it is convenient for others to use.

The climbers who had been to the team before said they had seen the futon in previous years. He heard from the monks here that it was for people who came here and needed to stay overnight. This is because there are not many long-term practitioners here. When they leave, they also leave their tents here.

There are also several household utensils in the cave.

This could be a legacy. As you can see from the photos taken by the travelers in previous years, this is not the same monk. What remains unchanged is that the inside and outside of the cave are the same. Just like the vegetables grown in this yard, they are available all year round. But the one who sows the seed is not necessarily the one who eats it.

At this time, a team leader who is cooking here wants to pluck two green vegetables and noodles. Another father and daughter who climbed the mountain were also cooking on the side. Seeing this, the woman said: "Just now I also said that I pulled two green vegetables into the pot, but my father didn't let me, saying that it was not easy for the masters to grow vegetables in such a high mountain." ”

The team leader said that he led the team to climb the mountain here all the year round, and many times there were no people living here at all, but vegetables grew in the field. It's not wild, it's all neatly planted with a few vegetables. Depending on the season, the long dishes are also different.

I think there may be a tacit understanding between the monks who have traveled here. It's like "the predecessors planted trees, and the later people enjoyed the shade". Whatever season the monks of Yunyou come, they will sow whatever seeds they have. That's why they just said that autumn is all neatly planted with turnips and potatoes. So that there is always a full atmosphere of life in front of the cave.

In this way, in addition to the kindness of the monks and the ability to benefit others, it is not easy to survive here. We should be grateful to the ancestors for cultivating this land here. Only in the depths of the Qinling Mountains, the inaccessible Chaoyang Cave, the torch is eternal, the cultivators stop and the medicine pickers stay here.

In my years of climbing, I often encountered cultivation huts in Zhongnan Mountain, and many of them collapsed. Wherever there is a thatched hut, there must be large or small land around the front of the door that can be planted. The hut fell, and the land was deserted. Then, like Chaoyang Cave, it's really rare. This may also be due to the fact that the cave is located in a boulder and will never collapse, so it can survive in peace.

I am not religious, but respect the way of life of others. The land in front of the door is still very inspiring to me. I would like to bring some vegetable seeds with me when I climb the mountain in the future and sow them in the field in front of some abandoned thatched huts in the mountains......

It is precisely because of this that this trip to Chaoyang Cave is not only the scenery for me, but also the inspiration: benefiting others is self-interest.

May 19, 2018