Originally, there was no plan to hike so far. I just wanted to catch a glimpse of the Taiping Bridge, which was featured in a movie ten years ago.
The names of Taiping Bridge and Gutan Reservoir have been in my memo for five years. Because they are located in Xianju County, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, I still need to drive there after arriving, which is difficult for me without much time.
When I accidentally looked through my memo, I found that I still had the urge to reach these places when I saw these pictures. So I made up my mind that I couldn't let my wish go unfulfilled this year. The place I couldn't reach at the age of 20 can be reached at the age of 30.
When preparing for the trip, I found that the Taiping Bridge is actually located at the end of one of the top ten ancient roads in Zhejiang, the "Cangling Ancient Road". As a hiking enthusiast, I couldn't resist and decided to give it a try.
The Cangling Ancient Road was an important transportation route from Wuzhou and Chuzhou to Taizhou in ancient times, known as the "Wu (Jinhua) Kuo (Taizhou) Kong Road" in history. The Cangling Ancient Road starts from Canglingjiao Village in Jinyun County and extends to Canglingkeng Village in Xianju County, with a total length of about 50 li (25 kilometers). Because Jinyun County produces pancakes, this route is also jokingly called the "Pancake Ancient Road".
Cangling was not there since ancient times. The road was created by people, and the ridge was climbed by people.
As early as the Tang Dynasty, part of the ancient road was opened. During the Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi also walked this road when crossing the Cangling and passing through Yanmen. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the road was extended, and its popularity gradually increased. During the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, it became an important gathering town for the three prefectures and four counties. During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, the magistrate's office of Jinyun County drew a map of the Cangshan Mountains for office needs, determining the route of the Cangling Ancient Road from Xianju Canglingkeng to Nantian, becoming an officially certified ancient road.
We parked the car in Kanxia Village. On the way, we passed the birthplace of Dai Hongyan, an imperial censor during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. There are many small shops selling bayberries along the way. The top-quality bayberries, the size of table tennis balls, cost 35 yuan per kilogram, while the slightly inferior ones cost 28 yuan per kilogram, which is not expensive compared to the mainland. As we went deeper into the village, the prices became cheaper. Even these bayberries, which I consider to be of normal size, were only 1 yuan per kilogram.
Kanxia Village was already a stunning place for me. The water flowed gently on the gentle slope, splashing water droplets when it encountered stones, polishing the rough years into smooth pebbles.
The rain was a little heavy, and the stream overflowed and flooded some roads. A few pieces of stone slabs could create a new path. After entering the hiking route, it started with a dirt road, and as we went further, the vegetation became denser, entering a path through the woods.
Like every hike, there is always excitement at the beginning. When encountering mountains, water, and large rocks in the stream, everything is a magnificent creation of nature, and the joy is indescribable. The beginning of the ancient road runs through the stream, and because of the steep slope, you can still feel the rapid descent of the stream from a high place, splashing a mist of water, the stream is clear and cool to the touch, and the sense of happiness in summer suddenly increases.
If you hike this ancient road under the scorching sun, it will undoubtedly be the best experience. The sun outside the mountains is scorching, but the trees in the mountains shade the heat, and the stream calms down the restlessness. However, when we hiked during the rainy season, I was worried because it was cloudy when we set off. Hiking in the mountains, especially in places with a lot of water, is a taboo during heavy rain. If it rains heavily, the water will rush down the mountain, and hiking along the water will become a life-threatening matter that will make it into the news.
After passing through this stream, we entered a section of the ancient road where the road was almost invisible. Due to inadequate preparation, we were all wearing short sleeves, and after a hike, our arms were covered with insect bites, scratches from thorns, and the creepy feeling of encountering caterpillars that could appear at any time.
The sky started to drizzle, and the rain fell on the ancient road covered with fallen leaves, making the road slippery. The sky also became gloomy. It was already past three o'clock, and we couldn't help but feel a little worried and scared. Being in a foreign place with no cell phone signal, unfamiliar environment, and unfamiliar accents, I was afraid that even if I called for help on the radio, I wouldn't be understood.
We could only drag our tired feet and walk between the trees and bamboo. The conditions in the woods were more difficult, and the bamboo forest was much drier and more comfortable. In the woods, you never know which vine is strong enough to help, but almost every bamboo standing in the mountains can give you a sense of security.
Finally, we reached a mountain pass, and we finally felt a glimmer of hope when we saw the traces left by previous hikers. Following the traces, we suddenly smelled the scent of recently rotten fruits. There was a bayberry tree ahead, and the fallen bayberries were left uncollected.
Without caring about cleanliness, we picked them up and put them in our mouths. They were so sour that our eyebrows twisted, but we were delighted. This was our first encounter with a bayberry tree. Behind the bayberry tree, there was an abandoned house. As we went deeper inside, we realized that we had come to a village called Malin Street. Although there was a lot of thatch, standing on the collapsed stone wall, we could still see the distant mountains and the clouds and mist entwined around the mountainside, and our field of vision suddenly became clear.
There was a locked courtyard that looked well-preserved. Through the crack in the door, we could see that it was also desolate inside. If it were a sunny day, there would be nothing unusual about it, but because it was close to four o'clock and the sky was gloomy, coupled with the drizzling rain, a sense of horror and desolation crept up from the back of our necks.
While hurrying to leave, my companion and I lamented how difficult it must be for the children here to go to school. Later, I heard that at most times, this courtyard had nearly 30 people from five or six households, including five college students, one of whom became a medical doctoral supervisor.
After leaving Malin Street, everything returned to normal. Although the road was difficult, we no longer had to worry about getting lost or being unable to get out of the mountains in the dark, which reduced a lot of psychological burden. Although the road was difficult, as long as our mindset was calm, half of the difficulty would be resolved. The rain became heavier as we descended the mountain, so we gave up struggling and let ourselves get soaked.
There were many wild bayberry trees along the roadside, and the fruits they bore were not large, but when they ripened, they were quite sweet. When we were close to the foot of the mountain, we found a bayberry tree. I would call it the Eden bayberry tree. Each fruit was heavy, weighing more than 29 grams. The whole tree was in a state of abundance, and the joy of the harvest is inherent in human beings.
On the last 200 meters downhill, there were almost only bayberry trees, and some of them looked like they had been there for a long time. I don't know if they can be considered ancient trees.
As residents of a mountain city, we also experienced a bit of the feeling of hiking in the postal area. There are many hiking routes in Zhejiang, and I hope to explore more if I have the opportunity.
The weather is getting hotter, so let's cherish the opportunities for hiking. The next time I'm in Chongqing, maybe I'll go for stream tracing and drifting. If you want to learn more about interesting pastimes, please follow us~