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常常孤身走入大山5-7小時，10-16 英里

RidgeWalker: 常常孤身走入大山5-7小時，10-16 英里

不怕碰到野獸？

RidgeWalker: 常常孤身走入大山5-7小時，10-16 英里

心有忌諱不假，可是常常看到在山裡走了好多日子的單身行人。

6. Minaret Falls

I started the charcoal for the grill; that counted as my contribution for tonight's cooking. Dinner won't be ready at least one hour later.   It was 6:30. I had a quick calculation in my mind and thought I might just have time to catch a glimpse of the Ninaret Falls before dark.   I quickly found the little wooden bridge. Not only did this bridge take to Minaret Falls but also it provided John Muir and the Pacific Crest trails a way to cross the San Joaquin River at this juncture.   John Muir trail zigzags across the entire Sierra Nevada and certainly goes to Yosemite. The Pacific Crest trail in turn connects Alaska, Canada, US West Coast and Mexico, mind-boggling territories to imagine.


I was in a hurry because Minaret Falls were located on the east slope of the tall mountains. Not only were the waterfalls already in dark shadows but the sun was setting fast. Normally a mile and a half was nothing for me. But when I had to race against the clock, it felt long and hard. The mountains were tall and shadowy but also largely empty. I met not one person all the way to the bottom of the waterfalls. Even though lone hikers like myself had no fear, the mountains appeared monstrous nonetheless at this hour. Nobody knew if the onrushing river noise actually helped to disguise a few wild beasts behind some trees and rocks taking a peek at me. I wasn't going to quit yet and I found the waterfalls in less than half hour. That was real fast walking.

The waterfalls were wild and menacing. Unlike the beautiful Rainbow Fall I saw earlier in bright sunlight, Minaret Falls seemed to jump off the dark cliffs above. Powerful flow of water kicked and screamed its way down huge boulders and rock outcrops. Compared with tamed 101 feet of Rainbow Falls, this wild beast roared down for 270 feet. For the first time in my life, I felt a bit threatened by water directly above my head. Though I was safely standing on steady rocks, I still could taste the bitterness of the insecure feeling stirred by the darkness, the enormity of the mountains, the emptiness of the place, and the unyielding noise of angry water. It was a challenge I must face, alone. I knew the light was rather heinous but took some pictures at the base of the waterfall nonetheless.   Later I discovered that the light was terrible because stronger sunlight above the cliff rendered the waterfalls into ghostly dark blue. Under the circumstances, I had no time to think about light and angles.   It required concentration to just stand firm on my legs and pretended everything was normal.   I was not going to run away from this. I even climbed up on the left side of the waterfalls and took some more pictures, with the hope that a few of my shots would be viewable.

It was time to go back.   It was such a solace to see a few tall peaks on the other side of the river gorge still basked in warm evening sunlight.   It was time for dinner.   But, I was on top of a steep cliff.   I couldn't rush, for I must deal with each rock, each bush and tree along the way before descending to the trail down below. This was essentially a hiker's constant task, keeping an eye on both time and safety.  

On my way back, I met one guy, speaking with European accent. I told him that he should hurry up if he wanted to see the waterfalls. But, no, he wasn't interested in any waterfalls. He was hiking the Pacific Crest trail, for who knows how many days already, with full gear of tent, food supply on his back. As if to console me, he said that he was going to stop somewhere in the wilderness around 8 o'clock, 「preferably by the water.」 I looked at my wristwatch, it was 7:15. Good lord, he was going for another two miles into the depth of those monstrous mountains and spent the night all by his lonesome. That spoke volumes for this man's courage. He really had no fear. He accepted the challenge of the entire Sierra Nevada without blinking his eyes. Suddenly I felt funny about the fear bubbling inside. I was about to be out of the woods and into the campground with hot food soon.

人和大自然融合為一體, 是身體和精神最大的享受.