<p class="ql-block">有人登山是為了享受過程的感覺，有人登山是為了接受登頂?shù)奶魬?zhàn)。前者會說過程重于結(jié)果，后者會說結(jié)果大于過程。我大概屬于后者。所以當(dāng)亨利告訴我，“你只不過在那個(gè)山上，其實(shí)你并沒登頂”的時(shí)候，我不得不探索當(dāng)時(shí)的所有細(xì)節(jié)以得出結(jié)論: 我到底有沒有登頂。在多次審閱我拍的照片和GPS軌跡，并向他人求證之后，我還原了當(dāng)時(shí)的事情。</p> <p class="ql-block">這座山的名字叫紅頂山(Red Top)，它位于Anza Borrego加利福尼亞州立公園，它的海拔高度只有3240英尺（988米）。登山組織summitpost有這樣的描述：“它也許是圣地亞哥郡最難的登山一日行?！?一位登山者Evan對它的難度總結(jié)出兩點(diǎn)：“它位于沙漠中的群山之中，任何方向的一日行來回都需要15英里以上；它的上方由巨大的花崗巖組成，沒有清晰路線，人們必須攀爬陡峭的大石頭，一些石頭像房子那么大。有的人在最后幾百英尺處望而卻步，無功而返。” </p> <p class="ql-block">亨利建議我們一起去登紅頂山，我欣然同意了，因?yàn)槲艺跍?zhǔn)備一個(gè)越野賽，紅頂山之行可以是一個(gè)耐力訓(xùn)練。行裝基本是100公里越野賽的裝備，除了對水的要求：由于沙漠無水源，路上我要帶上八升水。</p> <p class="ql-block">我們?nèi)率湃罩苋樟璩恳稽c(diǎn)由爾灣出發(fā)，三個(gè)小時(shí)開到停車處。4:05我們進(jìn)入沙漠，繁星閃爍；除了風(fēng)，沒有別的聲音；那一天，我們在沙漠和山上看到的唯一生物是一只兔子和一條蛇。</p> <p class="ql-block">去紅頂山有三條路線，我們選擇的是最長的，從路口到山頂有10英里。開始的三英里是在一個(gè)略為狹窄的谷底。在黑暗中我們戴著頭燈走完彎曲的三英里，然后來到“內(nèi)地牧場”。我們沿著峽谷的方向直行，幾分鐘后，亨利說我們走錯(cuò)了，然后開始右拐。這將是我們第一次嘗受到失誤的結(jié)果。</p> <p class="ql-block">晨曦侵蝕了黑暗，然后朝陽把山染成紅色，仙人掌在陽光下顯得格外溫馨，盡管幾分鐘后我必須修正這個(gè)有關(guān)仙人掌的看法。</p> <p class="ql-block">內(nèi)地牧場是一個(gè)被山包圍的開闊地?！澳翀觥币苍S是人們的幻想。這里除了仙人掌，還有絲竹、龍舌蘭、蠟燭木，但沒有牧場所應(yīng)該有的水源。</p> <p class="ql-block">由于出狹谷后我們曾走錯(cuò)了一小段路，我們失去了沙漠中的小道（表面是沙子，腳下沒有植物），所以在沙漠中遇到第一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)：仙人球。只要稍微碰到它們，你的身體就像一個(gè)吸鐵石一樣把刺吸入肉里。</p> <p class="ql-block">在內(nèi)地牧場走了大約兩英里后遇到一個(gè)小山包，這里我們左轉(zhuǎn)，前方一英里左右就是沙漠的邊緣，也是山的開始。蠟燭木是沙漠植物中的“長頸鹿”。前方是我們轉(zhuǎn)彎后迎來的鋸齒山。</p> <p class="ql-block">沙漠的結(jié)束，野路的開始，至此，我們走了7英里。由于這條路線較其它兩條長，很少人走這條路線，來這人會在沙漠邊緣扎營一晚，第二天再登頂紅頂山。我們在這個(gè)巖石底下各留3瓶水。負(fù)荷也因此減輕了1.5升水的份量。</p> <p class="ql-block">下一段有兩英里遠(yuǎn)，要到前面的山腰。 一路上荊棘刺腿，巨石擋路。</p> <p class="ql-block">山腰就在前方。我基本上沿著左側(cè)的山坡，設(shè)法避開扎人的灌木叢。我告訴亨利，“我們不能走綠色路線，必須找黃色路線”。</p> <p class="ql-block">在山腰附近我拍下照片，我一路上問亨利什么時(shí)候可以看到紅頂山。 在這張照片，其實(shí)應(yīng)該可以找到它。放大照片，在右側(cè)上方的高點(diǎn)是我后來起名為“大拇指”石的那塊巖石。大拇指石的左側(cè)的第三個(gè)石群應(yīng)該就是紅頂峰。</p> <p class="ql-block">山腰處的小平地。從我們上來的方向，左手上紅頂峰，右手上鋸齒峰。</p> <p class="ql-block">山腰離紅頂山峰距離只有一英里。我提議在山腰留下背包和手杖，只帶上水，輕裝登頂。在山腰我們左轉(zhuǎn)，爬上第一個(gè)山崗。</p> <p class="ql-block">然后第二個(gè)山崗。</p> <p class="ql-block">在第二個(gè)山岡中間，亨利建議從左側(cè)上，從距離上來看，這個(gè)方向離紅頂山距離更近，但后來才知道路線更難。</p> <p class="ql-block">亨利拍下這張照片后不久，我們在紅頂山上就沒有再相會。</p> <p class="ql-block">過了上面的那條窄縫后，前方的巨石需要勇氣和技巧。這時(shí)亨利落在后面，我多次喊他，有時(shí)會聽到他的回應(yīng)，但更多時(shí)候，是沉默。</p> <p class="ql-block">過了這個(gè)滿布巨石的山峰后，后面是個(gè)小山包。爬過房子般大小的巨石后，走這個(gè)山頭宛如漫步街頭。因?yàn)樾螤睿医羞@個(gè)山崗為“饅頭山”。</p> <p class="ql-block">過了饅頭山，見到一個(gè)大拇指形狀的巨石。它后來成為我是否登頂紅頂峰的一個(gè)參照物。</p> <p class="ql-block">過了大拇指后，我走在山脊上，尋找紅頂山的頂峰，在山脊上，我看到最高點(diǎn)是這個(gè)山包。</p> <p class="ql-block">過了這個(gè)山包，沿著山脊繼續(xù)走了100米左右，一個(gè)懸崖阻擋了我前進(jìn)的腳步。峭壁的對方是三塊豎立的巨石。我給它們?nèi)∶叭齻b客”。</p> <p class="ql-block">回頭路上，我把注意力放在山脊上的山包，認(rèn)為這是紅頂山的主峰，因?yàn)樗幱诖竽粗负腿齻b客之間山脊上的最高點(diǎn)。</p> <p class="ql-block">同時(shí)，我盡快地把周圍的景色納入鏡頭。</p> <p class="ql-block">我在山脊上補(bǔ)拍一張饅頭山照片，然后放棄了尋找登峰紀(jì)念簿的念頭，因?yàn)楹嗬€沒有上來，我需要下去迎他，然后再回到山脊。</p> <p class="ql-block">我呼喚亨利的名字，卻沒有任何答復(fù)。我不得不得出一個(gè)結(jié)論，亨利撤退了，因?yàn)橹坝袃纱嗡谖液竺?，在我不知道到情況下撤退。由于沒有注意到方向，我大大偏離了上山時(shí)走的路線，直到GPS表告訴我走偏了。圖中右手是我上山的路線，左手上我下山的路線。我在下山時(shí)，走到了山腰的另一側(cè)。靠著GPS表，我右轉(zhuǎn)重新爬上連接山腰的山脊，找回上山的路線。一路上，我在假設(shè)，如果我真的迷路，我將沒有頭燈，沒有水，沒有足夠的衣服。</p> <p class="ql-block">回去路顯得格外長久。亨利在巨石陣前決定返回，據(jù)他說，一是因?yàn)槔щy，二是因?yàn)樗粔?。他回到山腰等我，我也告訴他，在接近山腰的地方，聽到他喊我，我是多么寬慰。路上，我繼續(xù)選擇“黃色”路線，躲避帶刺的荊棘。</p> <p class="ql-block">第二天我把我的松拓表GPS軌跡和Garmin衛(wèi)星軌跡發(fā)給了亨利，也送去山脊上我拍的照片。亨利讓他的朋友iron hiker 考證這些照片是否來是紅頂山。Iron Hiker是南加州登山的佼佼者，曾登過紅頂山。</p> <p class="ql-block">這兩個(gè)不同裝置都報(bào)告我已經(jīng)登頂紅頂山。</p> <p class="ql-block">根據(jù)iron hiker的答復(fù)，亨利說：沒有到紅頂山的主峰石（summit block）就不算登頂。我不知道哪一個(gè)是紅頂山的主峰石，但確信我走在山脊上，經(jīng)歷了山脊的最高點(diǎn)。我對亨利的判斷有些不悅，因?yàn)樗麤]有到山脊，對那里的情況不清楚。我們之間的不愉快的交流第二天仍然持續(xù)著。為了搞清楚我是否登頂， 我需要求證于到過紅頂山峰的人。</p> <p class="ql-block">我有兩個(gè)人可以求證，iron hiker本人和一開始說到的Evan。Evan有自己的網(wǎng)站和聯(lián)絡(luò)信息。iron hiker的聯(lián)絡(luò)方式只有summitpost 登山團(tuán)體的電郵地址。 我先聯(lián)系到Evan，將我的照片和軌跡送給他后馬上收到他的答復(fù)?！皩Γ∧蔷褪羌t頂山”。</p> <p class="ql-block">但亨利堅(jiān)持說就連Evan本人也沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)登頂紀(jì)念簿，他可能也么沒到過紅頂山主峰石。亨利把主峰石和峰頂?shù)韧?，但我的角度是紅頂山的最高地為峰頂，不一定就是主峰石。他說每個(gè)登頂紅頂山的人不一定在登頂紀(jì)念簿上簽名，但一定會為紀(jì)念簿拍照。我既沒有在紀(jì)念簿簽名，也沒有照片，其含義很明顯：我沒有登頂紅頂山。他的說法讓我感到牽強(qiáng)。我甚至在想有兩個(gè)可能性，他把自己沒有登頂和我“沒有登頂”等同，另一個(gè)更大的可能性是激勵(lì)我和他重新再來一次。</p> <p class="ql-block">為了徹底求證，我必須直接向iron hiker請教，在summitpost上我試著給Keith（iron hiker）發(fā)一個(gè)郵件，索求他的日常電郵地址，以便向他確認(rèn)。得到他的答復(fù)后，我先把經(jīng)過同他大致講了一下。</p><p class="ql-block">Hi, Keith, </p><p class="ql-block">Thank you very much for your help to solve a mystery for me. Here is a brief account of what happened.</p><p class="ql-block">Henry and I started around 4:05 am on Sunday morning from the agua caliente direction. After traversing the low vegetation terrain for seven miles, we got to the narrow valley going up the saddle between Red Top and Sawtooth. After two more miles, we got to the saddle. We made a left turn going up the slope with boulders. We scaled the first one. Then the next one. Then Henry suggested that we turn leftward going up the next hill (there were two more bumps as Henry showed me on his map). This hill was towering with very large boulders and was very steep near the top. I was leading the way, but Henry eventually turned left as he thought the direct ascent was difficult. At that time, I did not know he had changed the direction. I was calling his name from time to time, but the responses were on and off. After I scaled this peak, immediately I saw the next bump: it was relatively small and had symmetrical round top. After I went over this hill, I saw a finger like giant solo column of rock. I passed it on the right side, while debating if this could be Red Top, because of its stature. As the area it commandsed was small, I gave up the idea that this was the summit. I continued and the next I saw was a cluster of rocks forming a mount. I told myself this could be the summit, as it was the highest point on the ridge along which I was traveling. To verify if there were other high points along the ridge, I proceeded further until a precipice stopped me: ahead of me and on the other side were three giant monoliths. I had to return and accepted the idea that the mount which formed the highest point on the ridge between the finger-like column and the three monoliths was the summit of Red Top, as there were no other higher locations on the ridge. I took the pictures in the surrounding areas. Because Henry did not show up, I decided not to spend too much time looking for the register box. I was thinking that after I met Henry, I would come up again with him and we could look for the register box together. I called his name on my way down numerous times, without hearing a response. When I manuvered down that most difficult false summit, I made a mistake in my route. I had come up turning left from the direction of the saddle, but when I went down, I kept straight instead of making a right turn into the direction of the saddle. Eventually, my Suunto watch alerted me that I had deviated from the route coming up. I was actually on the other side of the saddle. I moved rightward and climbed up the mountain side that connected with the saddle and found my way. When I was near the saddle, finally I heard Henry calling my name. He aborted his climb before that large false summit.</p><p class="ql-block">After we became back, I sent some pictores to Henry. They were of the mount sitting on the ridge and the finger like upright rock between the round mount and the high-point mount. They (the finger like monolith, the mount of rocks and the cluster of three monoliths) were all along the ridge. Henry sent these pictures to you and told me that you said this was not the Red Top summit block. Then I looked at my GPS image and found an appearance of a large cluster of boulders that was located lower than the ridge/ They were on the side facing Sawtooth mountain. I checked all the pictures I took there and found a couple that might be of the so called summit block. Because the base of the rocks was much lower than where I stood near the ridge, at that time, it did not occur to me that the cluster of huge rocks below and near could be the summit block, as I was looking for something that made the highest location on the ridge. When I enlarged a picture, I found one rock surface looking like the picture you took of the summit block. Yours had the blue sky in the background, but mine had Sawtooth in the background, as I took the picture from a higher position. But I am not 100 percent certain that was the summit block.</p><p class="ql-block">I will send you these picture to you along with the enlarged image of my GPS route showing the likeligood of the summit block as well as the my actual GPS travel.</p><p class="ql-block">Thank you for your help and for your inspiration: your record of hiking and climbing is lengendary. Hope that one day I can have the privildge of meetin you.</p><p class="ql-block">Yi </p><p class="ql-block"> </p> <p class="ql-block">在看過我的GPS后，Keith把他自己的軌跡與我的重合以便比較。黃色是他的軌跡，紅色是我的。在比較之后，他的結(jié)論是：</p> <p class="ql-block">“毫無疑問，你在峰頂上走過。我用一個(gè)綠色園圈精確標(biāo)出峰頂所在?！?lt;/p> <p class="ql-block">我也給Keith發(fā)了我在山脊拍的一些照片；一個(gè)照片很像Keith拍的紅頂山主峰石。</p> <p class="ql-block">看過我送過去的照片后， Keith說 “Nice photos. The terrain is very jumbled. I think #3 is the summit block.” 這張照片是上面第一張的局部擴(kuò)大。他認(rèn)為那就是主峰石。</p> <p class="ql-block">Keith所拍的主峰石。他的照片背景是藍(lán)天，而我的背景是對面的鋸齒山。如果我的照片確實(shí)是Keith所相信的主峰石，那就驗(yàn)證了我站在山脊的高地，而主峰石在稍微低一點(diǎn)的地方。</p> <p class="ql-block">至此，有關(guān)我是否登頂紅頂山已經(jīng)沒有那么重要了。當(dāng)時(shí)，背八升水走進(jìn)沙漠，忍著仙人球的刺痛，在荊棘亂石中開路，最后幾百英尺陡峭巨石上的攀爬，站到一個(gè)高于“紅頂山峰石標(biāo)記”的地方，我已經(jīng)感到完成任務(wù)了。至于是否找到登頂紀(jì)念簿簽字，更不重要了?；爻搪飞?，月亮升起，太陽隱去，周圍更顯得安靜。</p> <p class="ql-block">內(nèi)地牧場就要到了，然后，就不用躲避刺人的荊棘了。那時(shí)我仍擔(dān)心仙人球，但當(dāng)時(shí)還不知道我們最終會找到由沙子組成的沙漠小路，避免了仙人球的襲擊。</p> <p class="ql-block">重新回到內(nèi)地牧場，回首再望一次下來后的山谷，在這里用衛(wèi)星通訊給家里報(bào)一個(gè)平安信。</p> <p class="ql-block">最終我們晚10:17回到停車處。18多個(gè)小時(shí)，20英里的路程，近4000英尺的爬升，完成了圣地亞哥郡最難的一日爬山行。</p> <p class="ql-block">盡管我是一個(gè)追求目標(biāo)的人，但也可以捕捉到過程的美好。再荒涼的沙漠，也有頑強(qiáng)的生命。 </p> <p class="ql-block">后記：如果你想登紅頂山，下面一些事項(xiàng)可以參考。1: 帶夠水，在登山腰谷之前（七英里處），可以留下一些水以便回程用。在兩英里后山腰處，可以留下背包，輕裝登頂（帶上水和其它必要品)。2: 出狹隘山谷右轉(zhuǎn)進(jìn)入內(nèi)地牧場時(shí)，要跟著沙漠小路走，以避免仙人球。3: 穿長褲，褲子大概率會被荊棘割破。4: 進(jìn)入山腰山谷后，走一小段沙子路，然后左面上到山坡前行，這里荊棘相對少，路上會看到一些登山者留下的石頭標(biāo)記。這次我也留下了十幾塊標(biāo)記。5: 在山腰登頂時(shí)，可以朝右向上過渡到山腰另一邊，上到山脊后左轉(zhuǎn)，一直到紅頂山的山脊。在這條路線上，攀巖相對容易一些（我的下山路線），路上你會經(jīng)過饅頭山和大拇指石。6: 過了大拇指，前方山脊最高點(diǎn)是一個(gè)山包，到了山包后，在左前方處尋找主峰石，登頂紀(jì)念簿應(yīng)該在主峰石腳下。7: 如果需要GPS軌跡，請與我聯(lián)系。</p>