Chapter 18: Snowy Mountains
Ten years of the new calendar, cold winter
On the fourth day of the mountaineering trip, Lawrence stood at the top of the Great Snow Mountain, looking around.
A sea of white clouds, a strong and dazzling light, a cold wind that makes it difficult to breathe, and a dark mountain covered with snow and ice, and many bare rocks.
The hike was safer than expected, with no encounters with dangerous beasts or kilometres of cliffs.
All it takes is a period of time, a thought, a healthy body, and plenty of food to replenish.
After actually climbing the highest mountain in view, Lawrence wanted to keep some proof.
So in the temperature of minus twenty or thirty degrees, Lawrence untied the thick six-layer clothes on his body, and released the long-suppressed craze on the pure snowy mountains that had been clean for thousands of years, or maybe ten thousand years ago.
The snow that has not melted all year round quickly melted a layer, revealing the gray stone underneath.
"The snow here isn't thick at all, not as thick as the snow in front of my house."
Breathing in the cold air, Lawrence quickly left the place where he had left his mark, carrying a heavy backpack and spear in hand, walking down the steep ridge.
The dazzling light and the rolling sea of clouds make it possible to see only the nearby mountains and in front of you, and from time to time there are surging clouds rushing over, and when you reach them, they will turn into a gust of damp wind passing by.
The ridge at your foot is lined with a not-so-steep slope covered with a large amount of snow and ice, and if you roll down, you may form a huge snow mass.
There was not enough road on the steep ridge to continue walking, and soon it was downhill.
Lawrence grabbed his spear and quickly slid down the steep snowy mountain like a slide.
The way down is slightly easier than when you climb up.
If you have a clear direction and a stable sense of direction, and at the same time remember the road and have a healthy body, then the difficulty of climbing the mountain will be much less.
Lawrence skied more than 100 meters and was about to land between two hills.
It's a very dangerous place, and Lawrence measured it when he came, and the depth of this place is at least ten meters, and it is difficult to climb up if you fall.
Especially if there is a hole underneath, it will be troublesome to climb up yourself.
As he approached the finish line, Lawrence leaped and grabbed the spear in his hand with both hands and pointed it at the mountain that landed in front of him.
The sturdy and powerful body quickly jumped out of a distance of six or seven meters, and slowly fell towards the position covered with a large amount of snow in front of it.
Boom!
Lawrence plunged his spear into the ice with both hands, and the force of his body slammed the nearby snow down to the ground, creating a shattering sensation like ice.
Patches of snow fell from Lawrence's side, and Lawrence waited as he clutched his spear into the ice and stones with both hands.
After a minute, Lawrence looked up at the ridge dozens of meters high above, and reluctantly climbed up a little bit.
Because of the snow falling from the lower layer, the snow and ice that had been covered on the slopes for a long time became unstable, and avalanches could easily form.
Fortunately, when he came over, Lawrence was like an ape venting his excitement, creating several avalanches, bringing down a lot of snow above and channeling the wrath of nature in advance.
As Lawrence climbed the ridge for more than an hour, the sky became overcast, and the sun and sunlight were obscured by thick clouds, and bright bright light could only be seen from the distant horizon and the edge of the clouds.
A blizzard is coming.
Lawrence's face grimened, and he looked back at the road ahead.
The endless mountains and clouds ahead show that there is still a long way to go.
"It took more than six hours to get here, and now it will take at least a few hours to escape the blizzard, but will there be a blizzard on the mountain?"
Lawrence pondered the possibility of a blizzard, and if it were so easy, the snow would not be more than a meter high.
"Or is there more snow that I didn't see?"
"That's right, there's not much snow on the top of the mountain, and it's not flat here."
Lawrence sighed and decided to take a little risk.
Dismantling the assembled spear into two short spears, he opened the heavy wooden block backpack and checked the various items he was carrying.
More than half of the food was eaten, Lawrence stuffed a few pieces of sugar into his mouth, drank a little more wine, and then unpacked the wooden box and backpack wrapped in animal skins.
Lawrence patiently made the skis and discarded the superfluous items, making the journey back a little easier.
After making all kinds of mental preparations, Lawrence decisively slid down the slope when the snow began to fly and the cold wind became more arrogant.
The world's first mountaineer was born!
The air on the snowy mountains was extremely thin, and Lawrence held his breath and it only took a few minutes to escape from this dangerous place.
The hands holding the iron spear constantly provide power to the skis, and the feet and skis bring more inertia by sliding, while also avoiding some dangerous large rocks.
The body is rapidly escaping from the snowy mountains, but due to the vigorous exercise, the snow that should have been deposited in the cold winter has become unstable.
Soon as Lawrence streaked across the calm ice, the heavy force upset the balance of the ice and awakened the snowy mountain.
Daisetsuzan only shook slightly, and the snow on the mountain began to crumble and slope down.
The snow was falling faster than Lawrence's, and it was getting more intense, causing even more movement.
The rushing snowdrifts tumbled down like a flood, and the snow in front of it was swallowed up by the snow that was even more raging behind, burying all the stones and snow in front of them.
"Whoosh~"
Lawrence's body quickly turned away from the slope and into another slope below the ridge.
The snow on the mountain crashed into the slopes, and the large amount of snow only accumulated for a few seconds, and soon turned back to Lawrence's position and continued the chase.
The movement of the avalanche made the snow near the road ahead begin to become unstable.
Lawrence felt like he had offended the mountain, so he provoked some minor punishment.
But there's no time to think about it right now.
The height of each mountain here is no more than 500 meters, and the highest mountain is always surrounded by more mountains.
The avalanche soon stopped between the mountains, and Lawrence, who was dodging like a rat, managed to escape from the avalanche area with his dexterity.
"I'm sorry, goddess of the mountain, but I would like to dedicate the food and supplies left on the mountain to you who are forgiving and generous."
Lawrence wasn't sure if the mountain had a soul, but over the years he slowly embraced faith and the existence of mystery.
Lawrence, who knows how to learn a lesson, stands in a safe area and apologizes religiously, no matter whether there is anyone in front of him, and whether the avalanche is a coincidence or not, the awe in his heart can never be missing.
If you believe, you will have, and if you don't believe, you will not.
There was silence all around.
Lawrence waited a few seconds, slowly untying the skis on his feet.
Suddenly, Lawrence sensed something, and when he looked back, he saw a large snowdrift sliding down the mountain behind him.
"Grass Nima!" Lawrence quickly ditched his skis and quickly escaped with two spears.
After an insult, Lawrence quickly fled.
The awe that had just arisen in my heart was not affected by this.
The norms are respectful, not the norms.
(End of chapter)