When I was a child, every time I looked up at the sky, I still thought: "The sky is so far away, so high, how can I get there". Later, when trekking to high mountain peaks, I learned that those cloud layers, no matter how high they are, go forever, sometimes people can still stand higher.
At the end of December, cold air waves cause temperatures to drop and rain is more likely. Although it was not the most beautiful time, we still decided to set out to conquer this mountain peak. A moderate journey of Bach Moc should last for 3 days and 2 nights, but most of the members of the group could not arrange, so we agreed to go in 2 days and 1 night. The shortening of time makes me worried about whether the weather is favorable, whether it will be in time to enjoy the scenery, hunt for clouds, whether something will happen...
After the night from Hanoi to Sapa, we rented a motorbike to go to Bat Xat. Our journey is 3 hours. The first signal was not very happy, making the excitement somewhat less. It is dew. The mist spread white the way. From O Quy Ho Pass, we turned into the road leading to Bat Xat, driving while shaking from the cold, and afraid because we were out of sight. The cold numbs my limbs.
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The climbing journey started in a small village in Sang Ma Sao commune. The destination on the first day is Muoi mountain. Fog, rain and the first muddy dirt road clung to my feet. The bamboo forest is dim in the mist. We regret that if there is sunshine, the journey will be less strenuous and the scenery will be fresher. Then the rain appeared, making the footsteps even heavier.
I don't know when the slopes in Bach Moc have been named "Give Up", "Desperate" slopes..., just hearing the name, I felt suffocated. After the first day of passing through steep slopes and streams, it wasn't until 7 p.m. that we arrived, spinning our pants by the fire.
That night, I was faced with 3 options: one was to stay for another day so that I could catch the sunrise of Muoi Mountain in the morning and go to the top later, the second was to stay in the shack, go down the mountain and return to Sapa early and the third was to get up early to the top to catch up with the schedule to return to the mountain. Two-thirds of the members of the delegation chose not to go to the summit and returned to Sapa early because they thought that "bad weather has nothing to see". That made me more or less shaken. But in the end, I still decided to keep the 2-day schedule as it was originally.
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That morning, it took all my courage to get my legs out of the blanket in the cold of 5-6 degrees Celsius. For the first 2 hours, we were in the dark. The section from the shack to the top of the slope connects the slope, rocks on top of rocks. The porter said: "When it's dark, you don't see the abyss, so you are less afraid."
As the day dawned, I could see the fog more clearly. The last ray of hope that the fog would dissipate seemed to be extinguished. With the confirmation of the local porters, who are very knowledgeable about the weather, I believe it was a very bad day.
However, at about 7 a.m., I heard the cheers of the members who went ahead. "What is this?", I muttered as I saw the sun weaving on the mountainside. The fog dissipated completely and just a few minutes later, suddenly the sea of clouds was at his feet. The sun rises. The sky was clear blue. I couldn't believe my eyes. Standing for a while, the cold wind was numb, but the feeling of lightheadedness made me forget it for a while. I feel like I have stepped into another world - from a gloomy, dark world to a paradise of light, of clouds and sky and the melodious harmony of the wind.
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Encountering the sea of clouds this season is not difficult. But I met the sea of clouds as soon as I stepped out of the fog, and in my mind I was sure that the weather was 100% bad until the afternoon, which made me still unbelievable. The natural world still does not cease to bring surprises.
The sun is the same everywhere, but for some reason, I feel the sun above is pure and strangely warm. Perhaps it was because that sunlight traveled a very long distance, through the pure air, transparent as glass, without a hint of dust to gently touch the flesh and play with the hair.
I continued to walk and think. It turned out that I had been deceived by that layer of fog at first. The dawn, the brilliant scenery, the things I want to see are still waiting on high. If that morning, I choose to stay in the shack wrapped in a warm blanket, or for 1 minute I am weak and do not walk anymore, what I want to see will never appear in front of my eyes.
We have 2 hours left to reach the top. Even though it is very cold and even though the flowers do not bloom, the scenery in the sun is still as fresh as spring. The journey was sunny, the landscape was so beautiful that my senses kept trembling. The vibration is indescribable. Beams of shimmering sunflowers through the leaves in the bamboo forest swayed and danced in the sun. The rhododendron forest spreads ghostly arms with moss.
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From Sang Ma Sao to Sa Pa, he only had time to eat in a hurry to get on the car to return to Hanoi. The journey is over, whether sad or happy, it is also part of the journey that has passed. For me, joy can't stay with me forever, but sadness has passed. Therefore, such journeys help me know that accept all happiness and difficulties with a receptive heart.
For me personally, Bach Moc is a trekking bow that converges all the beauty of waterfalls, primeval forests with diverse vegetation changing leaves, sea of clouds, dinosaur life... However, what is visible, the measurable factors - altitude, distance, difficulty... is not the deepest thing that remains. If anyone suddenly asks how high the peak is, how many kilometers are traveled... It must have taken me a few minutes to rummage through my memory. And the sensations go from one surprise to another, from trembling to cheering like children, from fear, disappointment to extreme joy,... Just mentioning it is like resurrecting the whole thing.
Le Phuong