非洲之巔·環游世界200天 坦桑尼亞 游記+攻略【中英】Tanzania
第三天：高地灌木原--->高山草原
Day 3: highland moorland —> alpine tundra
爬升高度：750米/2450英尺
elevation gain: 750m/2450ft
既然Frank想讓我早點登頂，我又早早地起床了，吃完早餐之後，我們離開之際太陽才剛剛升起。一開始上坡路走的很簡單，但是很快小道便變得陡峭無比，再加上缺氧，儘管我去過喜馬拉雅之後就不怎麼會有高原反應了，但這樣子的路還是很難走。
I had an early morning as well, since Frank wanted to rush me through the climb. I had my breakfast, and set out as the sun was beginning to rise. The climb was very pleasant in the beginning, but quickly got quite steep. Putting some drop of oxygen on top of it, that became one of the hardest workouts even though I had no symptoms of altitude sickness.
下圖：日出
Below: sunrise
After an hour, we reached a strange stone pile. Upon walking around it, we found out that it was actually a grave. Ian McKeever apparently gave his life to this sacred mountain. We paid our respect by putting another pebble on top of the pile, as all climbers around the world do for people who devoted their lives to getting ever higher.
在我們繼續向上的同時，我也在想：為了登山而獻出生命真的值得嗎？我覺得很值。我認為，你要做一件事情最好的辦法就是用盡全力做到最好，如果你做一件你喜歡的事情，一件你熱愛的事情，儘管有可能你會在途中遇到危險，但是也並不意味著你不應該去做。對於我來說，我很喜歡爬高山，因為我喜歡挑戰自己，這不單單是爬一座山而已，這是一個讓自己越變越好的過程，而我為了這個會不顧一切。
As we continued, I could not help but think: is it worth it, to lose one’s life climbing mountains? I think so. I think the best way to do something is to do something with all your best efforts. If you do something you like, something you LOVE, then there is nothing too much to feel sorry for, even if it means dying for it. And for me, I think I do love challenging myself, including climbing tall mountains. It is not about climbing a mountain; it is about becoming a better self, and I am willing to devote my life to it.
We continued to climb, and quickly even the grass disappeared. Just the sun, rocks, and me. After two hours of excruciatingly hard climb, I reached the Lava Tower before noon. The climb was absolutely insane, as I gained almost 800m of altitude in just a morning, but that was great for acclimatization.
Above:Lava Tower Camp, 4600m above sea level
Frank決定在這裡吃午餐，然後再往下回到大部隊走的普通登山道。由於我能力比較強，他之所以特意安排了走這個岔路是為了讓我以後幾天更好的適應。午餐儘管是打包在盒子裡面的，但是還是應有盡有：炸魚，香蕉，果汁， 三明 治，感覺就像我的生日~！（開玩笑啦，我的生日哪有吃的這麼好）熔岩火山塔就是堅硬的岩石，比較經得起風吹雨打，所以它們旁邊的石頭都被侵蝕掉了，只剩下這些適合搭帳篷避風的 石柱 了。
We had lunch there, and then descended down back to join the main trail. The lunch, though boxed, was still fantastic. Fried fish, banana, juice box, sandwiches, it must had been my birthday! (okay joking, in reality my birthdays usually have worse food than this.) The lava tower is a rock tower made of lava-cooled granite rocks. (duh) Erosion took away most of the other softer rocks and left this giant piece of rock standing there, which was great for a camp to be set up.
Above: lunch under the lava towers
我討厭下山。上山很慢，也很好玩，你可以看得到新的東西，也可以隨時停下來休息，而下山則危險多了。如果你犯一個錯，十有八九你就會摔一個四腳朝天，Frank看起來很清楚這個，所以他一路小跑簡直就是要謀殺我，我們要從4600米下降600米才可以回到大路上，儘管路不是特別陡，但是在這種速度下還是非常可怕的。我感覺到我的每一根骨頭都在關節那裡打架，而我的鞋子也由於在石頭上摩擦而磨損嚴重，我肯定是受到了我親愛的女神Zoe Deschanel冥冥之中的眷顧而沒有扭傷腳踝，嗯，肯定的。兩個小時之後，草和小樹叢都重新出現在了眼前，然而這些樹看起來就是怪怪的。。。
I hate descending. Climbing up is slow and fun. You get to see new things, and you get to take breaks if you want. However, going downhill is fast and dangerous. If you make a mistake, you are more than likely to fall. Frank seemed to know that, and sprinted his way down back to the main trail like he was attempting murder. Lava Tower Camp sits at 4600m/15100ft, and we had to descend a solid 600m/2000ft before we could rejoin the trail. It was not particularly steep, but it was absolutely traumatizing with that kind of speed. I felt like my leg bones were clashing with each other in my joints, and my shoes sustained significant abrasion from simply skipping over so many rocks. It must be some kind of miracle that I did not sprained my ankle. Within 2 hours, grass returned, and bushes returned, but this time the kind of plants seemed to be really strange.
Above: what the hell is this?
下午三點的時候，我終於來到了Baranco營地，我今日的終點。在簽到的時候，我抄了前面一個人的日期，結果因為我是這一天第一個到的人所以填錯了，這也太離譜了吧？我多走了5公里，多爬了600米，然後又爬下來，結果我還是比其他人都快？
By 3 pm, I finally reached the Baranco Camp, which was my destination for the day. I signed in and put down the wrong date, since I copied the person before me but it turned out I was the first one on that day! It was nuts, I went to a different camp and came back down, literally walking an extra 5 km and climbing an extra 600m, and I was still faster than all others!?
Above: two porters watching the clouds
由於我超早就到了營地，我的帳篷真的是坐落在了一個風水寶地，面對著一片雲海，而背靠著 非洲 最高峰的山巔。我在剩下的時光裡面幾乎什麼事情都沒有做。這裡什麼都沒有：沒有電話信號，沒有收音機信號，沒電沒網沒書，也沒人陪我聊天陪我玩，沒有動物可以看，沒有東西吃，沒有水喝，沒有舒服的大床，也沒有可以擦我孤獨憂傷眼淚的餐巾紙。。。我意識到我真的真的什麼事情都沒有了，我恨死這種感覺了。我一般都會有很多事情要做，我也常常會因為我最 大化 自己的做事效率而很開心，但是今天卻是完全相反的。我獃滯地坐在了一塊石頭上，然後盯著遠方，看了很久，很久。。。
Since I was super early, I had a great location for my tent. The tent f ace s the cloud-covered horizon, while having its back against the peak of the mountain. I did almost nothing for the rest of the time. There was no phone signal, no radio signal, no electricity, no internet, no books since I need to minimize the weight, nobody to play with, nobody to talk with, no animals to play with, no food to eat, no drinks to drink, no tissue to cry with, and no comfy bed to sleep with. It was one of the times that I realized I REALLY had nothing to do, and I absolutely hate that. I always try to maximize my efficiency with things, especially time, but this is almost the exact opposite of that. I just sat against the rock, stared into the cloudy distance, for hours, and hours…
Above: my tent and the peak
我獨自一人在一塊大石頭上吃完了晚餐，然後黑夜漸漸地靠近了，在無聊無比的情況下，我來到了Frank和背夫們的帳篷裡面看看他們究竟在乾啥，結果發現他們在做他們自己吃的本地晚餐。這種看起來像是玉米粉加水泡出來的濃稠半固體據說可以讓一個人能量滿滿，他們還煮了一個超鹹的蔬菜小魚乾亂燉，包括了秋葵，青椒，番茄，胡蘿蔔和洋蔥。我想要試試看攪和那個粘稠的玉米粥，但是發現這簡直就是不可能的事情，我用盡全力也才攪和了一分鐘，徹底感受到搗糨糊是多麼的困難。我希望嘗一嘗他們的最終產品，於是乎也舀了一盤子。
I had a great dinner by myself, and I sat outside after darkness, my old friend, set in. I got really bored, so I decided to stay in Frank and the porters’ camp for a bit. I got really curious of what they were making for dinner. And it turned out that they were making a kind of local food that they eat for a lot of energy. What it looked like was some kind of corn powder mixed with water and cooked by stirring, along with a very salty stew of vegetables and little fish. It looked like it had okra, bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, and onion. I wanted to have some too, so of course they served me a bit. However, I tried to mix the sticky corn powder first. It was so difficult. I almost broke my hand mixing a pot of virtually what I would call glue.
And it turned out okay, as the saltiness of the stew complements the tasteless glue very well. A little bit bitterness also helped me from getting nauseated from this kind of texture. 9/10 would try again.
由於身處高海拔，雲層又把下 方城 市的燈光污染蓋住了，這裡的夜晚就是一個美麗星星閃耀的舞臺，我甚至可以看得到銀河唯美的緞帶從天空的一頭延伸到天空的另一頭。我裹著睡袋在外面靜靜地看著一顆又一顆流星划過天空，心裡想著我怎麼會在這個時候在世界上的這個角落無所事事。能夠看得到這麼美麗的星空，我感到很幸運，在很多地方有些人一輩子庸庸碌碌也沒有機會看得到這麼美麗的天際，更少的人能夠做到我正在做的事，環游世界看遍天下滄桑，更何況我那時候才21歲呢。但是，我也很羡慕那些能夠找到一生的陪伴的那些人，有一個人曾經對我說她寧可一輩子和自己珍惜的人平平庸庸也不要一個人獨自過的風風烈烈。她可能是對的，因為有些時候我感覺，如果我不是一個人的話，我做的很多東西都有可能會被無限的放大，感受也會截然不同。如果我真的要選擇一輩子的孤獨或者是一輩子的普通，我感覺到我真的會被難倒呢。我不知道我會選什麼，但是我很感激我現在所有的一切。
夜色越來越深了，所以我在山頂冰川冷風吹下來之前回到了我的帳篷。
Since I was so high (haha), and there was minimal light as the cloud was beneath me, covering up the light coming from the ground, the stars were responsible to light up the cold nights up here. I could clearly see some constellations, and the milky way was visible after some time of adjustment. I stared into the night sky, as a shooting star flied by. I contemplated about how, why and what I was doing here. I felt really lucky, as some people will never be able to see such beautiful night skies like this, and definitely fewer people get to do what I was doing, not to mention at the age of just 21. However, I could not help but to feel jealous for those who were able to find a company, no matter how their circumstances are. I once heard someone say that he would rather just live a normal life with great company than living a fantastic life with none. Is he wrong? Maybe, maybe not. Does seeing and doing something extraordinary all by myself inferior than doing the same thing with someone you really care about? Definitely. But trade a lifetime of good company for a lifetime of amazing experiences? Now that is a difficult bargain. I don’t know what I prefer, but I know I can get by with what I have. The night drew darker, and I had to retreat back to my tent as the glacial wind was blowing downhill with heart-piercing coldness.
Day 4: alpine tundra —> polar desert
爬升高度：700米/2300英尺
elevation gain: 700m/2300ft
我與往常一樣一大早比其他人先起來，今天還要再跳過一個營地，也就是說再次把兩天的行程合併成一天。太陽才剛剛在山的另一邊升起來，所以整個營地還籠罩在清晨的迷霧之中，今日的第一部分是一小段很簡單的攀岩上升段叫做Baranco岩牆，但是4000多米的高度使得爬上去也不是所有人能夠做得到的事情。然而，還要考慮到最近的醫療站還是兩天的長途跋涉開外，所以不能有任何的差錯。這一天的前一個半小時就是在岩石上跳來走去，所以等我來到岩牆的上方時，我看到下麵的營地才剛剛從夜晚之中蘇醒過來。岩牆之上，美景簡直就是無法用語言表達的完美，雲霧早已經退散到腳底下麵去了，所以感覺我是在一個雲海之中的孤島上面慢慢地行走。。。
Again, I woke up earlier than most of the other trekkers, as I had to skip another camp this day. The sun just rose over the other side of the ridge, so the camp was in the shadows as I departed. The first part of this day’s trek is a little bit of easy rock climbing over the Baranco Wall. However, add another 4000m height on top of this, it was not an easy feat. The fact that the nearest medical attention would be two days away from here also did not help either. The first good hour and half was just spent criss-crossing on the rock wall right next to the camp, so by the time I reached the top, I could see the camp down there finally getting ready to move out. On top of the rock cliff, the views were simply stunning. Clouds had been covering the entire area ever since I started, so the mountain did not feel as tall as I felt like I was walking on an island above the ocean of clouds.
Above: break time
Baranco岩牆上休息一陣子之後就是越發困難的漫漫路途。一開始緩緩的山坡逐漸變成了一個陡峭的山谷，很明顯是被冰川融雪而深深刻下的痕跡縱谷，爬下去的時候我甚至要轉過身來面朝山才可以倒退下來，可見山谷之陡峭。在谷底我把水杯裝滿，然後慢慢地，一步一步地，向上爬去。一個小時之後，我終於到達了山脊的Karanga營地，一個小小的，完全沒有防護的營地。儘管風很大，但是這個營地的景色真的很不錯。
After a short break at the top of the Baranco Wall, it only got harder. First it was gentle hills along the side of the mountain, but after an hour, it quickly turned into an extremely steep valley. Sometimes I had to reverse my body to f ace the cliff in order to climb down. It was clearly a valley cut by glacial river of snow melted from the peak. After filling up my water bottle at the bottom, it turned into a slow grind back up the other side of the valley. After a solid hour, I finally reached the Karanga Camp on top of it. The camp was completely exposed to the elements, with just even more mountain behind it. It does have a great view though, since it is on the tip of a ridge.
Above: Kanranga Camp
小歇一陣之後，我準備繼續前進，很多人會在此結束一天的疲憊，而我則要繼續向下一個營地前行，我實在是太強了哦吼吼吼吼 。坡度並不是很陡，我們漸漸地向上，又向上，然後繼續向上。。。小草漸漸地都消失殆盡了，只剩下大石塊，亂石頭，小石子，和我了。
After a little break, I was ready to head out to continue the trek. A lot of people would finish here today but I was just too good for this . The incline was moderate after this, and we slowly made our way up, and up, and up. Grass slowly gave way to tiny flower bushes, and bushes quickly disappeared for good. It was just rocks, pebbles, rocks, boulders, and more rocks.
Above: when you reach others' destination for the day before lunch
我看到了一塊自己喜歡的石頭，然後告訴了Frank我想在這裡吃午餐，於是和我又打開了裝的鼓鼓的午餐盒，奇怪的是，一般人在這個高度已經吃不下什麼東西了，但是我的食欲還是非常的旺盛，高原反應是什麼？可以吃嗎？很快好幾個朋友開始在我的身邊聚集起來，我也很高興終於有了個伴，喂了他們一些骨頭和麵包屑。
I reached a pile of rocks that I really like, and I suggested we have lunch there. I opened up my boxed lunch, and it was again full of goodies that I desperately wanted. Interestingly, I still had a great appetite despite I was really high up already. Altitude sickness ain’t got shit on me! Quickly a few friends joined me for lunch, and I gladly fed them some chicken bones and bread crumbs.
Above: my friend
這個無盡的爬升又繼續了3個小時，但是感覺起來至少有10小時那麼久，終於在四點左右，我到達了最後的一個營地：Barafu，一個超級巨大的帳篷之城。5條線路在此匯合，而且所有人都會在這裡住上兩晚上，一個是上山之前，一個是上山之後，所以這個營地無比巨大，從一邊走到另一邊要至少20多分鐘。這裡沒有水源，所以我還得提前灌滿自己的水壺。
The climb continued for another 3 hours. It was just really, really long. Finally, around 4 p.m., I reached the last camp, Barafu Camp. This camp is MASSIVE. One side of the campsite to the other takes 20 minutes of walk. All 5 routes converge somewhere before this, and every group has to camp here before summiting and after that. However, there is no water around here, so I had to carry some more natural snow water with myself for the next two days.
Above: Barafu Camp，4673m amsl
我很快在我的小小帳篷裡面歇了腳，吃了一頓很快的便飯，然後睡覺了。為什麼要這麼早呢？原因就在於我要在半夜時分起來去山頂看日出！所以我吞下所有的麵條之後便呼呼大睡了5個小時。
Then I was settled in my tent, and quickly had a meal before taking a nap. Why so early you ask? Well, you silly little egg benedict, I need to wake up at midnight to go for summitting! I had an awesome pasta meal, and I slept for a solid 5 hours.
Day 5, summit day: polar desert —> ???
爬升高度：1200米/4000英尺
elevation gain: 1200m/4000ft
半夜剛過，我的侍者兼背夫打開了我的帳篷，給了我一些熱水喝茶，並祝我好運。我做好了準備，把所有東西全部放到了我多層的衝鋒衣裡面，便和Frank向山頂前進。許多人已經出發了，在山上留下了一道頭燈組成的道路，儘管有很多層衣服的保護，我還是凍得瑟瑟發抖。這最後一程是最為艱險的一段路，和我在之前四天做的完全不一樣，這一次的戰術是超快上升1200米，在5小時內達到山頂，然後在高原反應開始殺死我之前下來。越高的地方高原症越可怕，而且要死在這種環境下簡直就是折磨，我沒辦法照任何的相片，這裡只有漆黑的夜晚，一彎皎潔的明月，和我在沙土上留下的一道腳印。
By midnight, my waiter-porter opened my tent to offer me some water and tea. I got ready, put on all my gears, and set off with Frank. A lot of people had already left, leaving a trail of headlamps above me. The night was very cold, and under so many layers of professional climbing jackets, I still felt incredibly chilly. Stars were all shining bright, but only to be out-competed by the full moon. This last leg is the most brutal, as the camp is almost 1200 meters below the peak, and that means I had to gain that much altitude in a short time span of 5 hours in order to witness the sunrise on top of Africa. Just as a comparison, in the first four days, I did not have anything close to this kind of elevation gain, and the higher up, the more dangerous it is. Acute altitude syndrome can easily kill you in a painful way. I do not have any pictures to show as it was just me walking slowly under the moonlight with Frank.
我還算爬的非常快的，還播放了一些最喜歡的音樂以防止我睡著，凍昏，累趴或者是精神渙散。5000多米的海拔加上零下15度的氣溫，帶上些許的風那就是零下30度的體感溫度，這都不是開玩笑的。直到醜時時分，我發現我的雙腳已經完全喪失了知覺，市面上最厚的棉毛襪子也無法抵擋住這無堅不摧的酷寒，我的鼻子開始無法控制地流鼻涕，而且我的呼吸在衝鋒外殼上結了一層冰，我這輩子也從來沒有感受到這麼冷的感覺。
I was relatively quick in the climb, and I played some music just to keep myself from falling down since I was quite tired, very out of breath like everyone 5000m above sea level, and extremely cold. When we started out, it must had felt like -15°C/5°F, but as time slowly progressed into the wee hours, it went as low as -30°C/-20°F with wind chill. My feet froze even under a think pair of boots and the thickest socks I could find. My nose were running like a broken f ace t, my breath’s moisture froze on my parka, and I could not feel my hands even though I was wearing a thick pair of gloves. It was the coldest I had felt in my life.
陡峭的山坡感覺起來根本就沒有要結束的樣子，前四個小時，我和Frank慢慢地一步一步往上走，超過了很多正在休息的大部隊們。有一群四十歲左右的阿姨正在路邊休息，她們想要喝水卻發現水壺都已經完全凍住了，其中的兩個人臉色蒼白，很明顯的高原反應。我們還看到兩個人實在是無法完成登頂，於是乎便決定放棄與嚮導一起下來。這是一個非常明智的決定：在這種高度，你逞強，你就死。
The climb was very steep, and it seemed to be never ending. For the first four hours, Frank and I just meandered our way up this steep slope, passing many larger groups who were resting or helping each other warm up. There was a group of ladies in their forties who appeared to be in significantly acute altitude sickness were sitting on the side of the trail, breathing heavily. One was feeding another water only to realize that all the water they had had frozen. I eventually saw a group coming down, and apparently two of the members of that group were unable to carry on, and their guide escorted them back down to the camp. It was never a good idea to push yourself too much on this kind of elevation. Simply put, if you play tough, you die.
四點多的時候，氣溫已經下降到我無法感受到的地步了，我無法感覺到我的手和我的腳，儘管我把穿著手套的手放在褲子口袋裡面加熱也無濟於事，我也只好用大腿拽著我的腳前行。我的包也凍得牢牢的，手機也因為超低氣溫導致的鋰電池失效而被迫關機，我人生之中沒有幾次感覺到像那時候一樣的絕望，我真的意識到了生命有多麼的脆弱。。。
I continued with Frank, passing more and more people, until about 4 hours in the climb. The coldness at 4 a.m. was absolutely devastating. I could not move my hands even if I put them in my pockets while wearing gloves. I completely lost connection with my legs and I was just dragging them with my thighs. My shoes had a thick layer of dust and frost on it, and my bag was frozen rigid. My phone died quickly after as extreme coldness completely shut down the battery by gapping the electric potential difference, making anything with lithium batteries unusable. It must be one of the times in my life that I realized how precious life is, and how fragile it can be…
五點，我終於爬上了這個超長大坡的最後一部分，由於這個地方是火山的火山口部分，所以它特別的陡峭，爬上去之後我便來到了火山口的邊緣，一個叫做Stella Point星辰之處的休息點。果不其然，這個地方簡直就是看星星的最佳之地，千百萬顆璀璨的繁星點綴在漆黑的蒼穹之中，沒有雲，沒有燈光污染，沒有其他煩躁的一切，只有我，和無數個萬億光年之外恆星的曼舞，這就是我們祖祖先先所看到的，這就是激勵和啟發他們去創造和崇拜的源泉，這就是讓你感受到你是多麼渺小的大自然，這就是我的信仰。
At around 5 a.m., I finally finished the last stretch of my steep climb. This part is so steep because it is the “cone” of the volcano, and now I had reached the edge of the crater. This point was called Stellar Point, and oh boy the stars! I could see hundreds, if not thousands, of stars shining all around me. No clouds, no light pollution, no annoying disco balls spinning with brain-shattering beats. It was just me, on top of a huge mountain, surrounded by the milky way stretching from on side of the horizon to the other. It felt like some kind of celestial heaven, as there were stars all around me, even below me. This must be what our ancestors saw, and this must be what inspired them to create, to inquire, to admire, and to revel. This is the kind of thing that makes you humble, very, very humble.
Above: Stella Point, 5756m/18885ft amsl (taken on the way back)
但是九九八十一難還沒有結束，我還要繼續沿著火山口走到 非洲 的最高點，Uhuru山巔，儘管路不是很陡，但是5個小時完全不停的向上爬升已經完全把我的魂靈帶走了，我機械性的走向前方，一步，又一步。。。漸漸地，地上開始有一點點霜了，然後我發現我走到了一個冰原上了。這是我連續第六年在夏天遇到冰雪了，結果這次居然還是在 非洲 。
The climb was not over, though, as I needed to continue and reach for the absolute top of Africa: Uhuru Peak. The climb was very gentle, but after 5 hours of steep climbing with no break at all, I was simply not myself anymore. I walked like a machine slowly up the slope. Slowly the sandy ground started to have ice, and then before I realized, I was walking on ice altogether! Who would have thought I got to touch snow for the 6th summer in a row, and this time it is in Africa?
Above: permanent summit ice shelf
又是五十分鐘的艱苦爬行，我終於看到了此行的最終目的：著名的標誌，標識著我到達了 非洲 大陸的最高點，除此以外這裡其實什麼也沒有了。儘管這個不是最最美麗的地方，但是我認為一路上來的過程才是最重要的。
Another 50 minutes passed, and I finally saw the thing I was coming for. The famous sign indicating that I had reached the roof of the continent, and… basically that is it. Yeah… not the most exciting pl ace to be, but hey, it is the journey up there that matters!
Above: arriving 2 days earlier than planned to the tallest peak of Africa, 5895m/19341ft amsl
兩組人已經在我之前到達了頂端，然而太陽還是沒有出現，東邊的魚肚白已經開始把大部分星星的光芒給吞噬了，所以太陽也因該不是很遠了。我和Frank互相慶祝了對方一番，等待著旭日從東邊升起。
Two groups of people had already reached there, but the sun was still not up. The white light gleaming from the east was just enough to shun all the stars in the sky, and that indicates the sun should be coming up quite soon. I looked around, congratulated with Frank, and waited for the sun to rise.
Above: super low angle of the rising sun stretches the shadow of the mountain to infinity
20分鐘之後，在我快要被凍死之前，天空終於開始變成橙紅色了，很快，那個熟悉的橘紅色球球從東邊的地平線上緩緩升了起來，太陽終於向我們這些勇敢挑戰自己的人們綻放出了溫暖的微笑，給這群最厲害的登山者們一個獨一無二的 非洲 日出。
In about 20 minutes, as I was barely enough to hold myself against all the coldness, the sky started turning orange. Quickly, the bright warm color spread through the horizon like wildfire. The entire sky was lit up in a fire of glory, hope, and warmth. Before too long, the sun poked its head out, and waved a good morning to everyone strong enough to reach the peak before its advent.
Needless to say, this must be the best sunrise I had seen in my short life. It was not about the sheer beauty that put everyone speechless, but about the fact after so many days of hard climbing and coldness, I was able to felt that I finally accomplished something. It was that kind of warm fuzzy feeling you feel inside when you realize you worked just so hard for so long, that you finally achieved the moment you had dreamt and imagined so many times in your head.
We quickly started our descent after the sunrise. I needed sleep and food and warmth, and I knew I had to go all the way down back to my tent for some comfort. The walk back to Stellar Point was pointless (haha), and the steep descent down really killed my boots. It was probably one of the hardest I had done. Basically you have to slide with the pebbles that completely took over the descent route. It felt more like skiing on top of rocks instead of actual walking, since it was too steep and slippery to actually walk down. This continued for a solid hour, which made me realize my knees were too hurt that it could not express how painful it was anymore. I got back to my tent, got my certificate, and crashed into my sleeping bag. Ah, that is what burnt out feels like.
Above: my water bottle was frozen solid
下午一點，我終於從昏迷之中蘇醒，吃了一頓早中晚餐，由於過度疲勞，我已經沒了食欲，這之後我們開始了往下回去的漫漫長路。下坡慢慢走還是很簡單的，但是一個小時之後我看到了一個很奇怪的金屬東西躺在路旁邊。
I woke up around 1 pm, to have my lunch/breakfast/dinner. The food was not that great this time as the chef had started running out of materials to work with, and because I was so exhausted that I had no appetite. After the meal, I started working my way down the return route. The walk was significantly easier with gentle slopes downwards. However, within one hour of walking, I found some bizarre metal things lying by the side of the road.
I asked Frank what the hell this was, and he told me that it was for those who were injured or with severe altitude sickness. Four porters will hold each side of this “mountain ambulance”, and they will run down the trail with this glorified unicycle as fast as they can to seek medical attention. However, another ten minutes of walk brought me to this even weirder thing.
