手機版 | 簡體版 | 發布廣告 |常用工具 | 網站地圖

登錄註冊找回密碼切換風格

我要發布

倍可親首頁 › 日誌 › RidgeWalker › 日誌

RidgeWalker

https://big5.backchina.com/?279140

走過了春夏秋冬

作者：RidgeWalker 於 2011-1-6 02:48 發表於最熱鬧的華人社交網路--貝殼村

作者分類:中英文遊記，攝影|通用分類:原創文學|已有90評論

關鍵詞：

1。

人體在呼喚著四季。生長於四季分明的地方，自己身上無疑帶有四季的烙印。而今，生活在氣候平和的海濱，大海以其巨大的胸懷控制了季節變化。這一年到頭氣候變化就不甚明顯，溫差不大，植物不再在乎季節輪迴，只是隨著雨水的變化起起伏伏。

這樣平和的環境里還是能夠感受春天，夏天和秋天的。比如，歲末的街上還有成排的楓樹，葉子艷紅。

唯獨冬天不再，沒有了大雪紛飛的時日。因此，在過去的十年裡就形成了冬季去大山裡欣賞雪景的習慣。也可以說身體在一年裡需要感受雪野。

2。

今年年末是個難得的晴明日子，下了個把月雨和雪突然打住。要知道在大雪封山的季節進山必須瞅好天氣，雪景美極之處也蘊含著危機。

晨5：30起床，天還未亮，室外溫度華氏38度（攝氏3度半不到）左右。沒有急於上路，一邊燒茶，吃早點，一邊清點細軟，相機的三腳架，盛裝白雪的恆溫箱，大衣，手套，還有至關重要的雪鏈子。東方露白，入車，差五分七點。

當天第一個驚喜當數令人心儀的朝霞。車子在高速公路上向東飛奔，微微清亮的地平線先露出了粉色之光，然後很快湧出了滿天的嫣紅。原本晴朗的天空出現了一些細長的雲彩，從天這邊通向天那邊。整個世界突然間充溢著輕柔但卻強勁的霞光。這一切發生得如此突然，讓人不禁為之一振，一下子想起了兒時。童年不全是幸福的，但是對朝霞的記憶卻一直溫熱在心頭。

3。

朝霞妍麗還僅僅是個序幕，這一天註定要上演不朽之篇章。你看那起伏跌蕩的小山包從繞著山谷遊走的霧靄里露出一個個圓頂，晨光輕灑，個個顯得神秘而又有詩味，韻味十足。高一些的山頭更是沐浴強光，佛光環繞，格外清新。

車到加州的中心川道 (California's Central Valley)，晨陽正在把昨夜的霜凍化成薄霧，在那平坦的農田裡漫延。所有的景緻幾乎有三分消失於霧靄里，綠色田野影影綽綽，可就是那不甚完整的田野，房屋，樹木好像比平常更具魅力。

4。

這一路開去也有沮喪。過了斯達克頓 (Stockton) 就有山形進入視野。內華達山脈(Sierra Nevada)的雪峰鱗次節比，特別是太浩湖 (Lake Tahoe) 附近的那片荒原(Desolation Wilderness)，金字塔峰(Pyramid Peak) 清晰可見。晨光極佳，地面的薄霧同化了七零八落的地形，把那山峰拉到近前，形態畢現。近前新綠的草地，牛兒四處散落，給遠處挺拔鋼勁的山峰平添了幾分柔美。一幅絕美的圖畫啊。那時我很想找到一處高地停車，把這些美景攝入境頭，雖然我自知攝影技術還不盡人意。

可就是找不到合適的停車處，成排的車輛以每小時60英里速度緊隨其後，若想停車，必須乾脆利索，絲毫不能猶豫。20英里的距離，也只看到一處高度和場地比較合適，可是思維還是沒有跟上車速，呼的一下過去了。唯一的補救就是回程時記住那個位置。

5。

溫度還在下降，中心川道28度（攝氏零下2度），內華達山腳處有新綠的小草依著薄薄的雪層，地面溫度25度（攝氏零下4度）。

在海拔6000英尺之前，我還僥倖地以為再有45分鐘就可以到達銀波湖 (Silver Lake) 了。然而，路面不斷堅硬的冰層很快就證明我的感覺失誤，路邊的電子顯示牌提醒人們前面需要給車帶上防滑鏈。有人在檢查站之前已經自行安上了鏈子。

一年前就買了一副鏈子但是從來沒有從包里拿出來過。外面奇冷，我不想自己躺在地上安鏈子，就僱人安了。新鏈子安裝拆卸都很方便。

6。

車輪上了鏈子就不好開了，車速限制在每小時25英里，可是有些車，特別是那些四輪驅動的運動興多用車和小卡車還是憋足了勁朝45英里上靠。我是來看雪的所以樂意慢行，觀賞風景。好厚的積雪啊，路邊的雪牆擋住了駕車人的視線，只有些大樹，巨石，和遠處的山峰偶爾可見。

第一次讓車，曾經巨大的觀景點如今最多能停靠三輛車。雪牆擋住了相機，試圖爬上雪牆，不到頂就滑下來了，弄得褲子和鞋子全是雪。哎呀呀，還得往前開呢。

到了銀波湖，順著一串腳印登上了雪堆，那景色一下子變得開闊，遼遠，令人驚嘆。湖面凍成了一片平地，遠山似乎變小了，厚厚的積雪試圖把整個世界變成渾然一體。只有一些參天巨松巍然屹立，不屈不撓。

給那山，那湖都攝影留念了，就想轉身拍攝別的景緻。一轉身，前行一步，人就跌入深深雪窖。剛才所站之地經很多人踩踏腳下結實，那片地周圍可都是又松又深的積雪。眨眼間胳膊拐已經陷入，好在一隻腳還在堅實處，趕緊從雪坑裡爬出，長噓了一口氣。

這血看上去潔白，鬆軟，卻處處是陷阱啊。

7。

看了一眼車裡的溫度計，說外面的溫度為華氏21度（攝氏零下6度）。找到了一個大的停車場，可容十多輛車。這裡是銀波湖的最低處，通往吉特 . 卡爾森旅店 (Kit Carson Lodge) 的路口。旅店冬天關門了，這裡成了喜愛雪地運動人們的路口，還真有人腳蹬雪地鞋 (snow shoes)，手執各種滑雪設備彙集於此。

我只有相機，踏著人們在雪地留下的小路前行，心存感激。

那小道把我帶到了平平的湖面，那是拍攝周圍的山峰，樹木的最佳位置。

拍攝了整整半小時，感覺很溫暖，只是巨大的湖面此刻成了一面反光鏡，強光入眼，一片茫然。鏡頭也許攝光過多，也不知照片質量如何，反正當時是沒辦法查看的。

8。

回到停車場，從車裡拿出恆溫箱，開始往箱內裝雪。這雪可以回家用來冰鎮酒水。

午餐時間到了，可是實在沒有地方落座。我可不想坐在車裡吃飯，既然身處冰雪仙境，就不應該躲在車裡。找到一停靠處，就站著用餐，邊吃，邊看，樹呀雪的，嘴在動，騰出一隻手不停地摁快門，就這樣，抓緊每時每刻欣賞美景。

這一路最好的停靠處能看到北面20多英裡外荒原 (Desolation Wilderness) 的金字塔峰 (Pyramid Peak)的地方。這陣子，人也適應了，上下雪堆如履平地，站在雪牆之上，嘁哩喀喳，摁了無數次，回到家裡還得花時間清除重複的圖片。那地方太美妙了，任何角度都是那般新穎和奇特。

9。

回到中心川道還是沒有忘記雪峰的遠景。只是陽光不再，雲層厚重。這是雨季，又要下雨，下雪了。開車轉悠了個把小時，沒有拍攝到任何值得一看的圖片。

總的來說，此行激動人心。下午五點鐘到家，天還沒黑。人是累了，同時因為經歷了一個真正的冬日而感到愉悅。真是美好的冬日。

2011年1月1日，英文稿

2011年1月4日，譯文

Silver Lake in Summer

Four Seasons in a Body

1.

I know my body desires four seasons in a year. I grew up in a part of the world where each season took exactly three months of the year. This had no doubt left some mark inside of me.

Now, residing in this amazingly mild seaside, the ocean exercises its marvelous magnanimity to take control of the seasons. As a result, each month doesn't seem to distinguish one from another. Temperature doesn't vary as much from day to day. Trees and plants flourish and hibernate with the coming and going of the rain, not the change of seasons.

Still, in such a toned down environment, it's not hard to experience spring, summer and autumn. At the end of the year, the streets in town are still lined with maple trees of bright red.

Obviously missing is winter, the big snowy variety. In the past 10 years also, I have adopted the habit of going to the high mountains to see snow every winter. Or, should I say my body guides me to snow fields when the time is right.

2.

This year, New Year's eve was the only clear day in a while, as it had been raining or snowing off and on almost daily. Going to the mountains of deep snow, one must take the weather conditions into consideration. The winter wonderland can be stern and perilous.

I got up around 5:30. It was still dark. Outside temperature was hopping around 38 degrees Fahrenheit. I took my time having tea and breakfast while double-checking all the details, such as tripod for the camera, cooler to collect snow, big coat and gloves, and above all, snow chains for the car. When the first light of dawn came, I started the car. It was about five minutes before 7 o』clock.

The first pleasant surprise came in the form of a sweet sunrise. As the car ran up the highway to the east, the faintly lighted horizon became first pink then the light red started to permeate the entire sky. A seemingly clear sky suddenly had some bold lines of clouds arching from horizon to horizon. The world was filled with soft and yet powerful glow of light. The change happened fast. The experience was uplifting, reminding me of the days when I was a little child. Days of my childhood weren't exactly happy times. But the morning glow left a remarkable impression that warms the heart forever.

3.

The dramatic sunrise was only a prelude, as the day continued to unfold its scroll of masterpieces. There was a thin layer of valley fog around the necks of rolling hills with tender green grass. The round tops of green hills appeared mysterious with a touch of poetry and great elegance. The morning sun highlighted the hill tops; and the taller peaks appeared golden and delicate.

In California's Central Valley, the morning sun was converting last night's frost into a thin layer of ground fog across large fields of flat farmland. Everything had about one third lost in the fog; the green field was faint and yet the reduced images of the land, houses and trees were more beautiful than ever.

There was also frustration during the drive. After Stockton, the mountains started to come into view. I saw the white tops of the Sierra Nevada, especially the Pyramid Peak in the Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe. The morning light was perfect and the ground fog unified the million objects between my eyes and the mountains so the peaks seemed closer and more defined at that hour of the day. The foreground of soft green grass with scattered castles added a touch of beauty to the muscular snow mountains afar. It was picture perfect. I wished to stop at a higher point to take a picture of such sweeping view, though I knew that my photography skills weren』t up to the task yet.

However, I couldn't find an ideal spot to stop. Cars running 60 miles per hour were right behind my heels. Had I wanted to stop, I must be decisive and do it promptly. For about 20 miles, I only saw one place that was high enough and room enough to stop and picture. The mind was slower than the speed of car. So I missed it. My only hope was to remember the spot on my way back.

Temperature kept dropping. In Central Valley, it was 28 degrees. At the foothills of Sierra Nevada where grass and thin layers of snow coexisted, it was about 25 degrees.

Prior to elevation 6000 feet, I thought the current speed could bring me to Silver Lake in less than 45 minutes. But I was wrong as the ice on the highway soon started to harden and roadside electronic warnings indicated that chains were required ahead. Some folks put chains on by themselves before the check point.

The chains were purchased a year ago but had never been out of the bag. It was too cold for me to lie down on the frozen ground so I paid the crew to put them on for me. New chains were easy to snap on and off the wheel.

Chained wheels weren't fun to drive with. The speed limit was set at 25 miles per hour, though some folks, especially those with four-wheel-drive SUVs and trucks, liked to flirt with 45 miles per hour. The snow was my destination of the day; so I was glad to slow down and enjoy the scenery. Big snow aplenty there was, as snow walls along the highway easily blocked the driver』s view. What left to be seen were just tall trees, occasional rocks and distant peaks.

At the first turn-out, I recognized the old vista point could now barely hold three cars. The snow walls were in my way of picture taking. I tried to climb up a snow slope but eventually slid down, with snow all over my pants and shoes. Oh, well, it was time to move on.

At Silver Lake I managed to follow some well-trotted steps to get on the roadside snow pile. The view was wide, sweeping and magnificent. The lake was frozen into a flat field. The mountains around appeared small as deep snow tried to blur the entire world into one. Only those towering pine trees stood up tall and defiant.

After taking some pictures of the mountains and frozen lake, I tried to turn around for more scenery. As I took one step in the new direction, I fell deeply into the snow. I was just on a patch of solid snow, stepped on by many feet before I got there. Any other direction was nothing but soft and deep snow. In a flash, snow buried up to my elbows. Good that my other foot was on solid ground. I quickly unplug myself out of the self-created crater and took a deep breath of relief. The snow was white and soft but could also be unforgiving. Whew.

7.
Inside the car thermometer indicated that it was 21 degrees outside. I found a parking lot that was big enough for a dozen vehicles. This was the road to the Kit Carson Lodge at the lower end of Silver Lake. The lodge was closed for the season so this place now served a trailhead for snow-boarding folks, as many came with snow shoes and cross country ski equipment.

I only had my camera. So, I was thankful to follow the little trail folks had created into the woods, along the lake. The trail took me to the lake, a wonderful platform to take pictures of surrounding mountains, trees and all.

I spent almost half an hour there clicking away. It seemed warm there but the light was blinding as the surface of the lake now served as a giant reflector, reinforcing all the light into my eyes and my camera lens. I only hoped that the pictures were good, as I had no way to check them out on the spot.

8.
Back to the parking lot, I took the cooler out and started to scoop up some fresh snow. I filled up the cooler with the fun idea to chill some drinks at home.

It was lunch time but there was a single spot to sit. I preferred not to sit inside the car for lunch. In the middle of winter wonderland I wasn't going to hide inside the car. At another turn-out up the road I had lunch standing. I ate while watched the trees and snow fields and clicked the camera while chewing. That was my way to enjoy a packed trip.

The best roadside turn-out was the one that could view the Pyramid Peak of the Desolation Wilderness some twenty miles up north. By then I also mastered the skills of jumping up snow walls. Standing up at the edge of the great wall of snow, I clicked way so many times that at home I had to eliminated many redundant pictures. The place was so marvelous that every glance seemed new and magic.

9.

Back to Central Valley, I was still looking for the grand view of the snow peaks from afar. But the sun light had changed and clouds were moving in. Another rainy and snowy day was brewing for the wet season. I wasted about one hour driving around and didn't get a single shot worth my while.

All in all, it was an exciting trip. I got home before 5 pm and it was not dark yet. The body was tired but happy to experience a real winter day. A beautiful winter day, it was.

Trip: December 31, 2010
Write: January 1, 2011