Tian mu shan
I spent Saturday hung over in bed. On Sunday, I woke up at seven in the morning and headed to Lin An with Aaron, David, Wei, Monica, Xi, Andy, Xiaokui, and Professor Milne (who has climbed most of Everest). We took a van to Tianmu Shan, a national nature reserve and one of the (many) holy mountains.
The mountain is about 4000 feet high, all stone steps, many of which were covered in a light layer of snow and sometimes ice. We climbed up through the forests of redwoods and bamboo.
It was a nice day for hiking, around 40 F and sunny. The snow was manageable even in our sneakers. On the way up, nearby cliffs taunted me with their beautiful cracks and features. (I haven’t been climbing in six weeks. Have pity on me.)
We crossed roaring streams and moss covered rocks
and visited an empty temple about half way up.
The sign in front of the temple said:
A Brief Introduction to Scenic Spot of Old Temple
The Old Temple was the site of orthodox school Buddhist temple which was the originiative temple of Buddhist Fountainhead Temple. It was built by the Buddhist monk Gao Feng and his disciples Duan Ya and Zhong Feng in 1283-1287. It was a birthplace of Japanese Buddhism Yong Yuan Grup. Only remained the gate and front hall after several times damaged and rebuilt. And was moved the location to Buddhist Fountainhead Temple is 1665.
I was worried about Wei going on this hike. She isn’t very athletic and has not really been hiking. When we were about two thirds of the way up the mountain, Wei turned into a hiking animal. I had a difficult time keeping up with her as she bolted up the stairs.
At the top of the mountain was a weather station. We climbed over some barbed wire to have a look.
To get back down, we walked through a rickety rangers station. I was concerned about the integrity of the floors as Aaron and I wandered around in the dark trying to find the exit.
We hiked down the path a bit to a restaurant. Really, it was three tables and a bunch of people, not customers, wearing camouflaged clothings (including a camouflaged apron). They brought out boiling soups and stews of chicken, wild boar with radishes, bamboo and green vegetables. We sat in the sun and ate this freshly cooked meal. And then we headed down the mountain.
I was pretty tired and Aaron was cold so we decided to take the most direct route down. It was treacherous going down—the stone steps were uneven and loose, and slippery. I was missing my sturdy hiking boots as I stepped onto sharp edges in my running shoes.
By the time we got to the bottom, I felt like my legs were made out of rubber. Near the bottom, we stopped in a temple. The doors were locked but someone came and let us in. There was a large gold Buddha and, in the inner courtyard, a gong that I rang. We didn’t get to see the inner temple and, peeking though the cracks in the door, I couldn’t make out the deities.
Further down the path, we passed some houses. Here I am with a duck. Quack quack.
Today, when Wei and I went to lunch, we walked down the front steps of the CMS like old men.
The mountain is about 4000 feet high, all stone steps, many of which were covered in a light layer of snow and sometimes ice. We climbed up through the forests of redwoods and bamboo.
It was a nice day for hiking, around 40 F and sunny. The snow was manageable even in our sneakers. On the way up, nearby cliffs taunted me with their beautiful cracks and features. (I haven’t been climbing in six weeks. Have pity on me.)
We crossed roaring streams and moss covered rocks
and visited an empty temple about half way up.
The sign in front of the temple said:
A Brief Introduction to Scenic Spot of Old Temple
The Old Temple was the site of orthodox school Buddhist temple which was the originiative temple of Buddhist Fountainhead Temple. It was built by the Buddhist monk Gao Feng and his disciples Duan Ya and Zhong Feng in 1283-1287. It was a birthplace of Japanese Buddhism Yong Yuan Grup. Only remained the gate and front hall after several times damaged and rebuilt. And was moved the location to Buddhist Fountainhead Temple is 1665.
I was worried about Wei going on this hike. She isn’t very athletic and has not really been hiking. When we were about two thirds of the way up the mountain, Wei turned into a hiking animal. I had a difficult time keeping up with her as she bolted up the stairs.
At the top of the mountain was a weather station. We climbed over some barbed wire to have a look.
To get back down, we walked through a rickety rangers station. I was concerned about the integrity of the floors as Aaron and I wandered around in the dark trying to find the exit.
We hiked down the path a bit to a restaurant. Really, it was three tables and a bunch of people, not customers, wearing camouflaged clothings (including a camouflaged apron). They brought out boiling soups and stews of chicken, wild boar with radishes, bamboo and green vegetables. We sat in the sun and ate this freshly cooked meal. And then we headed down the mountain.
I was pretty tired and Aaron was cold so we decided to take the most direct route down. It was treacherous going down—the stone steps were uneven and loose, and slippery. I was missing my sturdy hiking boots as I stepped onto sharp edges in my running shoes.
By the time we got to the bottom, I felt like my legs were made out of rubber. Near the bottom, we stopped in a temple. The doors were locked but someone came and let us in. There was a large gold Buddha and, in the inner courtyard, a gong that I rang. We didn’t get to see the inner temple and, peeking though the cracks in the door, I couldn’t make out the deities.
Further down the path, we passed some houses. Here I am with a duck. Quack quack.
Today, when Wei and I went to lunch, we walked down the front steps of the CMS like old men.
posted by Michelle at 6:54 a.m.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home