Travel Notes丨Falling in love with Songshan Mountain for the first time, checking in on the ten peaks of the mountain - Zijin Peak
Today is December 5, 2020, Saturday, the 21st day of the tenth lunar month, sunny.
Maybe it’s because of the graduating class, or maybe it’s because I’m too obsessed with the “perfect” in my heart and want to do so-called “good” in all kinds of things, so I’ve been dominated by all kinds of things since the beginning of school. , sometimes I wish I could have a clone. Although I have gone out to participate in several outdoor activities since the beginning of school, I have never had time to organize photos and write something.
This week is the thirteenth week of school. Several courses for this semester have been completed. Although there are not many courses left, the graduation project takes up most of my time. This week I saw that many outdoor groups have announced New Year's Day activities, and I realized that there is not much time this year, and I have to pay back the "travel debt" I owe this year!
Perhaps people really can only think about many things when they have some free time and calm down.
On October 27, 2020, for my first trip after the start of school, I chose Zijin Peak, the first peak of the Zhongyue Ten Peaks Songshan 100-Kilometer Climbing Challenge.
Songshan Mountain is the place where Wang Zijin lived during his lifetime. Wang Zijin is the ancestor of the Wang family of China. There is a peak named after him, called Zijin Peak.
Zijin Peak is one of the thirty-six peaks of Taishi Mountain in Songshan Mountain, with an altitude of 1,073.0 meters. It was the place where Prince Ling, Prince Jin, left the palace to live in seclusion during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. It was named Zijin Peak because Prince Jin lived in seclusion here. Prince Jin’s real name was Ji Jin. It is also known as Prince Qiao, Wang Qiao, and Prince Jin. Due to its important position in the hearts of the local people, the Prince Temple was spontaneously built as a commemorative temple. According to current historical data, it existed at least before the Song Dynasty. Today, there is a cave for Prince Jin to practice. remains. There is Yinhe Pond on the top of Zijin Peak, and there are Taizigou and Taizi Pond below.
The nearby relics related to the ancestors include Fuqiu Peak, Sanhe Peak, Phoenix Peak, Huixian Peak, Yusheng Peak, Laixian Peak, Baiheguan, Fengshan, etc. These peaks have experienced thousands of years of wind and rain.
Songshan Meadow is located on the top of the northwest mountain of Taishi Mountain and belongs to the boundary of Gongyi City. It is a famous scenic tourist area. There is the famous peak Wangdu Peak in the east. Under the cliff in the south is the Shaolin Scenic Area and Yongtai Temple, and you can overlook the panoramic view of Shaoshi Mountain. To the northwest are the mountains in Gongyi and Yanshi.
The northwest top of Taishi Mountain is large and flat. Except for a few low shrubs, it is like green grass. In winter, the grass and trees turn yellow and become golden. The meadow is also known as Dianping or Paomaling. There is a path running from the foot of Wangdu Peak to the west, about 1.5 kilometers. There are small mountain cols, pools, etc. in between. It is generally flat. It is a rare excellent alpine pasture in the Central Plains. On weekdays, A prairie scene during cattle star scattering.
The Songshan Cat Trail is a ridge on the Songshan Grand Meadow above Yongtai Temple. The ridge is steep and winding, so it is vividly called the Cat Trail. Along the way, the mountains and rocks are rugged and abrupt, with different postures and natural formations. There are a lot of climbs along the way, using both hands and feet to climb over five hills and reach the Songshan meadow. The intensity is moderate and not too difficult. It is the best route for training new donkeys.
Itinerary
Itinerary: about 6 kilometers, starting altitude: 583 meters, maximum altitude: 1151 meters, cumulative elevation: 564 meters.
Features of the route: First experience the fun and charm of climbing the Songshan Wild Line.
Scenery along the way
Departing from Zhengzhou in the morning, we arrived at Yongtai Temple at nine o'clock. In the past, I often heard travel friends mention that Songshan Mountain is close to Zhengzhou, but I didn’t expect it to be so close. Still I was surprised as I had never participated in Songshan activities. I should usually go there at this time. The service area of Taihang Mountain is connected to hot water.
Arriving at the gate of Yongtai Temple, maybe due to the epidemic and the renovation of the temple, the gate of Yongtai Temple was closed.
Yongtai Temple is located at the western foot of Taishi Mountain in Songshan Mountain. It faces east and faces west. It is said to have been founded during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It has a history of more than 1,500 years. It is the first temple for female monks built after Zen Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains. It is also the first existing temple in my country. The earliest Buddhist nun temple, it plays an important role in the history of Chinese Buddhist nuns.
In front of the temple gate, everyone took a "family photo" after receiving the number strips, customized bags, customized magic towels and commemorative items required for the Zhongyue Ten Peaks competition.
It seemed that everyone could no longer hold back their excitement. Before the people behind them could pack up their equipment, some people started to go up the mountain along the path on the right side of the temple.
Not long after walking, a brick tower was exposed in the mountain stream. I heard from old donkeys that this is the Yongtai Temple Tower. It was built in the Ming Dynasty and is also called the "Ming Tower". You have to pass under the tower when you go down the mountain in the afternoon. This news made me full of expectations for the story behind this Ming Tower.
At this time, it is autumn, and the wild pepper trees along the way have gradually matured, and the strings of green beads have turned from green to red.
The red leaves are also changing color one after another, showing the beauty of autumn.
After walking on a gentle slope for less than a kilometer, we arrived at the first climbing point, which was relatively easy.
Further ahead, we start to climb higher, basically moving left and right on exposed rocks. These rocks are extremely hard, but most of them are rounded, and the individual stones are not very big, and there are concave and convex textures that you can climb on, as long as you are not too brave. Small, not acting alone, generally not a big problem.
Next is the catwalk. The catwalk is a ridge with steep, winding and ups and downs. It is vividly called a catwalk.
Along the way, the mountains and rocks are rugged and abrupt, with different postures and natural formations. There are a lot of climbs along the way, and you use your hands and feet to climb. Teammates jokingly call it four-wheel drive.
The higher you climb, the wider the perspective becomes, the more scenery you see, and the number of red leaves in the mountain stream begins to increase. The mountains and fields are green with red, and red with green, with distinct layers, really like an oil painting.
There are several tough spots along the way that require the use of arms to risk climbing. But if has poor arm strength, there are paths to go around.
Seeing the nimble traveler brother walking on flat ground facing the rock wall, I could only silently applaud. Because there are some places that I really don’t dare to try.
The landmark of the peak is a pine forest, and beyond that is a flat meadow. It is hard to imagine that there is such a large area of meadow on such a rocky mountain top.
Songshan Meadow is located on the northwest summit of Taishi Mountain, which belongs to the boundary of Gongyi City. There is the famous peak Wangdu Peak to the east. Under the cliff to the south is the Shaolin Scenic Area and Yongtai Temple, and you can overlook the panoramic view of Shaoshi Mountain.
There are a few unique-looking pine trees growing sporadically on the meadow, dotted with the vast sea of grass. Come to the meadow’s iconic Internet celebrity tree to check in and take photos, which will be used as the basis for successfully completing the challenge of this peak.
The groves around the meadow were almost all red, turning into a sea of red, which also made my friends and I extremely excited. Running proudly between the woods, various angles, various shots!
The clouds are white, the sky is blue, and the trees are fiery red. Stroll deep in the red leaf forest, embrace the fiery red of autumn, and indulge in the beautiful scenery.
Not only are the red leaves, the meadows on the ground rippling with blue waves, but they also stretch endlessly, giving people the feeling of a martial arts mountain, giving people the urge to gallop.
At this moment, the most comfortable thing is to sit or lie on the meadow on the top of the mountain, listening to the surging pines and watching the undulating mountains...
After running around and taking pictures, we started making lunch. Lunch is the highlight of every trip! Must be balanced! (Egg noodles, roast duck, secret dried radish, fruit...)
After lunch, we took a brief rest and went down the mountain from Wudaozhuang.
Songshan Wudaozhuang is located at the western foot of Taishi Mountain and the back mountain of Yongtai Temple. It is composed of five peaks with different shapes, so it is called Wudaozhuang.
Standing at the foot of the mountain, looking back at the meadow, due to the unique perspective, I was once again shocked by the red leaves I saw. I couldn't help but take out my camera from my backpack and take a few photos.
The entire route of Wudaozhuang is winding, sometimes steep and sometimes gentle. There are many rocks of different shapes along the way, and the rocks are hard and angular.
Slopes of sixty or seventy degrees can be seen everywhere, and vertical slopes of 90 degrees are not uncommon. There are many small trees along the way that have become shiny because they are often grabbed by travel friends.
Perhaps because we had less expectations for the beautiful scenery, everyone walked down the mountain quickly, climbed over five buildings, and reached the bottom of the mountain in a short while.
When you reach the bottom of the mountain, you will see the Yongtai Temple Tower that you saw when you went up the mountain.
The tower of Yongtai Temple is square in plan. It is an eleven-level brick tower with dense eaves. It is about 30 meters high. The outer outline of the tower is in a graceful parabola shape, and the tower body is covered with beige and white ash.
There is also a golden pagoda.
Passing through the Yongtai Temple Tower and arriving at the parking lot, our car is already waiting here!
This trip is over!
The truly precious things should be what you see and hear in life. Personal experience is the best understanding of life, and it is the most important story in life.
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