Gorgeous Xiling Mountain, Saturday August 22

秀美的西灵, August 22
醒来就是悲伤. 想起这么多年的付出和受到的伤害, 眼泪就流出来. 去集合地要一个多小时, 一路上还是心情很糟. 也许地铁里的其他人, 也会看到我抹去眼角的泪.

The journey to Xiling Mountain was quite long. It seemed forever that our minibus steered along the winding mountain road. Three and a half hours later we were finally at the foot of the mountain.
去西灵的路很漫长, 全部是弯曲的山路, 好在我们的司机技术娴熟. 三个半小时后我们到达了山脚下.

Soon we were in a forest of white birch trees. It felt very comfortable that our feet stepped on soft and loose soil.
开始上山. 很长的时间, 我们都是穿行在白桦林里的小径上.



Often we saw mushrooms growing from under the trees.
脚下的泥土松软, 不时能看到有蘑菇长在路边树下.

This one happened to be growing on the trail and was knocked down accidently.
这一个长在小路上了, 不小心被人碰倒了.

We entered a wood of red birch trees as we ascended. And then, firs (杉树) covered the mountainsides near the top. Look at these lovely fir cones.
再上升, 是红桦林. 快到山顶时, 我们就穿行在杉树林里了.

抬眼看, 白云团团, 漂浮在洁净湛蓝的天空, 映衬着青青挺拔的杉树. 心情好多了.

Still, high mountain meadows were on the mountain top. This season the meadows were bursting with all kinds of flowers.
鞍部和山顶, 照例是高山草甸. 这个季节的花儿在竞相盛开. 由于昼夜温差的加大, 草叶的顶部已经开始变色. 秋天在临近.

I'm gaining weight lately.
我最近也长胖了.

Xiling, it is like a paradise to me.

Adventure Trip to Xiaowutai Mountains

Itinerary: 小五台西台-三岔-中台-南台-隧道口

我们在从南台下撤至隧道口时迷路了，领队不认路，带路的子弹大哥因为大雾可能恐慌而找不出正确的路了。同时迷路的还有大山队的几个人。
然后在黑漆漆的夜里等后队，等了好久。我们的后队还收了大山队的两个人，一男孩一女孩，他们不认路，也已经联系不上领队，他们真够幸运。

夜里很冷，山里风大，大雾中头灯也看不清多远。当时我就想，回去一定告诉阿猫，不要参加小五连穿了！
黑夜中硬撑着不能睡着！最大的威胁就是冷！那时穿羽绒服都不会热。——所以，保暖的衣服很重要！饿一天不会饿死，但那样的晚上，冻一晚，冻死的可能性不是没有。幸好没有下雨。

后来还是小山羊（他是大山队的领队）找到另一个老驴友（典工？），那位驴友对那一带非常熟悉，来接应我们下去了——其实我们离终点很近了。当地的警车也在等候，把我们全部带回上车，已经是第二天早上5点多了。所以我们是昨天上午到家的。

哈哈，平安回来啦！

教训就是：大强度的活动，不排除滞留山上的可能，带一件棉衣至关重要！

只顾走山了，没照几张PP。
On the way to South Peak.


The third from left, is me.

Wildflowers Along the Riverside of Houhe - 后河

Itinerary: 龙聚山庄-后河-栅栏门-黄柏寺
Today, the first day of autumn this year, I took a leisure walk along Houhe.

Houhe means back river, but it is more like a babbling brook. It flows through a famous valley in Yanqing, Beijing.

Houhe is shallow and clear. The stream passes through rocks and boulders, at some places it is really fast.

Plants are growing high along the banks of it, and of course many flowers are in full bloom along the valley.

Here are some pictures from today's walk/hike.

香山 - 好汉坡 - 新望京 - 西杨坨

Sunday, August 2, 2009
I was supposed to be home this past Sunday. But when I woke up in the morning I felt sad. Then I took out my pack and opened my refrigerator for some food and water. After breakfast, I rushed out of the door. When I arrived the rendezvous, 香山邮局, a few groups of hikers were already there.

I joined a team, the organizer was a girl named Little Fish. The itinerary is 香山邮局-好汉坡-新望京-西杨坨. The scernery was beautiful, which was far beyond what I had expected. Because it rained Saturday night, the air was clean and the clouds were above the mountains. I forgot to take my camera with me, so here are pictures taken by other people of our group.

"The mountains are calling, and I must go!" -John Muir

Trip to Inner Mongolia, July 24 -26, 2009

此行主要去了三个地方：岗更湖、贡格尔草原和达里诺尔湖。

We began our journey at 8pm Friday evening. This is our travelling bus.
The bus running in the dark and we all fell asleep soon. I remember that the sky was all red when I opened my eyes once - it must be the time when the sun was rising, but I fell back to my sleep again.

When I finally awoke, I was amazed! We were in a wonderland!

Our bus running fast. Out of the window was wide, open green land under the cover of the clear blue sky and magnificent clouds. On the land small grass growing like a carpet. Little dewdrops shining on the tips of grass blades and the morning sun cast light and shadows on the air, as if the lightest mist was rising.

Gang Geng Lake
Gonger Grassland
Sunflower Field
Me at the lake. I need to learn how to pose naturally next time. :)

I am back!

I came back home Sunday evening from our trip to Bashang!
We had a wonderful time riding horses and enjoying the beautiful scenery.
Bashang is not quite like what I imagined before, - it is a rolling prairie, not level grassland.
The land is wide and open. You can see long-tailed horses grazing leisurely in the distance and herds of sheep on the hillside.
Here are some photos from the trip.


Relaxing in the shade:

又去海坨了！

今天跟的是绿野的达达驴队，走的阎家坪。玩得很开心。回程司机绕道沙城，车沿着白河，两侧的山、平原，一路风景优美。白河堡水库很大的一片水，很美。在此感谢达达驴 - 上山时还帮我背了东西。

海坨山顶的草甸上有很多这样的小花。

Trip to Xiaowutai Mountains - 小五台山

Last Friday at 8:30pm, we left Beijing for Xiaowutai Mountains, which are the highest mountains in Hebei Province. We arrived at about 12pm and then slept in a rough and crude room in the small village at the foot of the mountains.

We got up early the next morning, and started off to the mountains after breakfast, carrying our heavy backpack.It was the first time that I went hiking with heavy load. My back felt sore soon and finally in the afternoon we reached our campsite at the altitude of 2,200 meters.

I took a walk along the mountainside with a friend, and took some pictures of the high mountain flowers. The mountains are very magnificent. All the mountainsides were covered in trees and wildflowers.
The mountains are famous for this golden flower, which is also a member of the Buttercup family.
That night when I was lying in my tent, how I missed home! and my tears came out:(. The phone had no signals in the mountains, and we would have to walk many many hours to be out.I was worried my daughter, she insisted staying at home and not going to her grandma's.

海陀山 - Haituo Mountain, June 6, 2009

上山的时候一路下雨. 雨不大, 我们行走在湿湿的小径上. 林木遮掩下几头牛站在那里, 它们一动不动, 安详地望着我们. 牛角短短的, 很漂亮.
It was raining when we hiked up the mountain. We walked on the wet trail. A few cows were standing under the cover of trees, watching us innocently.

上到山顶, 云雾铺面而来. 鼻孔清透. 山谷里也满是浓浓的雾和云.
山顶的草甸上野花星星点点的开放. 蒲公英的花瓣都合拢着, 它们在等着太阳出来, 即刻绽放.

这是狼毒花, 它们的根和茎都是有毒的.
这是银莲花(white wood anemone), a member of the Buttercup(毛茛) family. They are also known as windflowers, because they tremble in the slightest breeze.
这是虞美人, 不是罂粟.
This variety of yellow flowers is my favorite. They bloom facing down at the tip of every stalk.
我一整天都在后悔没有拍牛的照片, 当时主要是怕影响队伍前进.

如果再去海坨，我最想看到的就是那些牛——它们的眼神，它们那种与自然一体的状态，似乎与我的心息息相通.

海陀之行，印象最深的是那些牛，它们有不同的颜色、斑纹，在雨中，站在那里，那是触动心灵的美.

另一个印象深刻的画面是，在大海陀村的田地里，一个妇女手里拿着镰刀，身后跟着她的小孩。那种老式的镰刀，我还是在只有几岁的时候见过，现在看到，格外的亲切。那个小孩，短短的头发，红红的圆脸，只有四五岁的样子，手中的绳子上牵着她的玩具小汽车。我小的时候一定就是那个样子的吧。
为什么我看到那些牛，心里会感到安详，而看到这个去田里劳动的妇女，心里就感到悲凉。有多少女性，一生生活在大山里，偏僻的乡村，长大，嫁人，生育，劳作，然后老去。生活在城市，又有区别吗？

雾灵山

刚从雾灵山回到家. 雾灵山是我见过的最美的山, 茂密的原始森林, 蓝蓝的天, 洁白的云 - 云在很近的山峰的背后慢慢的移动着.

All the mountain ridges are covered in trees.

Wildflowers are everywhere. They color the mountainsides, they bloom happily at my feet and keep me company all the way.

With this magnificent scenery, I was feeling happy and my sorrow was gone.

野三坡 - 十渡

长周末, 我和女儿去了野三坡和十渡.

过去的一年, 我经历了很多, 也成长了很多. 最大的收获, 是我懂得了珍惜 - 珍惜亲人, 珍惜自己, 也珍惜每一天. 如果是以前, 我会为风景的不完美感到失望, 我会为那些人工的建筑破坏了景致而惋惜. 现在, 我坦然的接受. 我看到美的一面, 我呼吸新鲜的空气, 我享受温暖的阳光, 我珍惜和孩子相处的分分秒秒. 也许, 我的成长是从空中楼阁踏到稳固的地面上, 但我不会与自己的原则妥协. That is, I will always be true to my heart.

We went hiking in the canyon first day, along the long loop trail. We spent the second day at 十渡. We walked into a village, where all the houses were built at one side of the mountain. It was the first time I had been in a real mountainous village. Dogs were barking in the distance. Chicken were chucking and sheep bleating. The village was peaceful and tidy.

过年

应该记录下来的, 是大年初一我哇啦哇啦一直在哭. 初二一早醒过来, 又满眼是泪, 接着哭.

会不会要哭一年呢?

即使是哭一年, 又如何呢?

哭完了, 我会哈哈笑. 我才发现自己其实是个乐观开朗的人.

我感到自己就象一只狼. 独自一人, 我行走于这个城市.

holiday again

节日里, 看着走亲访友的人群, 看着那些幸福的一家三口, 尤其使人感到凄凉.

今天中关村电脑城终于开始上班了. 我去为笔记本买个新电源, 因为旧的坏了. 看着车外的人, 善良的, 丑陋的; 看着这个城市, 它的过去, 它的将来; 还有路边的树木, 它们会在春天的时候开花 - 那些美丽的花, 柔弱不堪的, 瞬间就被风沙和城市的污染淹没了. This city does not deserve those flowers, and I feel sad for them every springtime.

看着外边的一切, 我觉得自己是这么坚强. 这种坚强没有来由. 我是这么弱小的一个人, 但是, 这一颗心, 在支撑着我自己. 我的眼睛里没有悲伤, 没有孤独, 我知道的, 那里有的是生命的力量. 我为自己骄傲.

November

November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.

- by Clyde Watson

最有价值的工作是没有报酬的

It is true that the most important work in the world is done without a salary. When a mother staying at home cooks meals, washes dishes or changes diapers, she is in charge of another human being's well-being and future.

And an education is not about job training, or knowledge teaching. An education is the building of the soul.

与朋友聊天, 我们都为自己感到自豪. 我们为了孩子的健康, 为了孩子的成长, 所付出的努力, 会让孩子受益终生. 我们的孩子又会把他们得到的珍贵的东西传递给将来他们的孩子. 这是比挣多少钱, 做多高的官都要有价值的.

我很高兴, 孩子在健康地长大. 我很高兴, 在她的成长过程中我一直没有离开. 我也很高兴, 我的努力已经有了可喜的成果, 她是那么优秀, 快乐和健康.

I am happy also I am starting a new career after this holiday. I feel fulfilled that I chose to take care of her when she needed me.

flowers blooming in the moonlight

Flowers are flourishing beside the door, around the window. Delicate petals. Pleasant fragrance. Can't depict how beautiful they are.

Time like this I wish I had someone to share the moment with, to enjoy the flowers I grow.

I've realized that most part of love is to share joys together. And to give support or help at hard times. Fragile souls.

I would feel more peace and safety walking in the darkness of night, than among crowded people.

喇叭花开到了阳台的顶上

立了秋, 那三株喇叭花的藤上就迅速的长出了花蕾, 一串串的. 每天的早晨, 许多的大喇叭花向着太阳盛开着. 有一支竟沿着衣架爬到了房顶上, 无处再爬, 只好盘旋在那里, 花儿们也开成了团团的一簇.

游故宫

Even under the baking sun, there are still many tourists visiting the Forbidden City. (I don't think Forbidden City is an exact translation for this former imperial palace.)

Places like this you can see people speaking different languages, and with different skin colors. They are taking pictures with great interests.

The Palace is not a good place to live in. The more we look around, the stronger we feel this way. We have to watch out for all the stone doorsteps to every house, and all the thresholds between rooms. Rooms are not drafty. Few trees are growing there. I do have seen some pines, which seemed to be their liking, but they have small crowns as we know.

You can feel the supreme power emanating out of even the architecture. You can see ancient treasures from all over the country, although some of them look timeworn and even covered with dusts now. What had those emperors really owned? Power, jewelries, or the comfort of living in this large palace, with many women? I deeply doubt about that. And I deeply feel sorry for those women who had lived in such a place, which was nothing better than a tomb. Even as a mere material place it was not humane, to say nothing of the feudal system.

I even feel glad when I find wild grass growing in brick crevices in a patio, almost treeless like all the others.

Power is such an awful thing if you can not use it correctly. And all the treasures, the largest jade carving, the longest ivories... once someone owns them, they ruin them.

The tour makes me getting angrier. The whole history of Chinese feudalism, is totally a history of killing women and children. When power was being used to oppress people, it led to its own demise. The history decayed all the way.

那些价值连城的珍宝, 笼罩着一股破败之气. 那巨大的玉雕, 那世界上最长的象牙...一旦人们拥有了它们, 也就毁坏了它们.

封建社会的历史, 可以说就是一部迫害妇女和儿童的历史.