VI
EN
Waking up at 4 a.m., each person was given a headlamp at 5 a.m., the group gathered, and then, leaning on their walking sticks, began to climb. It was pitch black, and the optical field of our eyes was limited to the beam of light from the headlamp. I thought, that's actually a good thing, because if we could see a wide area, it would be easy to get discouraged. The section from the hut up was quite steep, with some parts where the head of the person behind was very close to the feet of the person in front.
Nhiu Co San (2,965m) is located in Sang Ma Sao commune, Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province, 70km from Sa Pa.
My eyes, nose, ears, and mouth were all gasping for breath, panting, gasping, and in all sorts of ways. Sweat dripped down the climbing path, covering my face, sometimes even soaking my glasses, forcing me to stop and hastily wipe them with the handkerchief tucked into my back pocket. My legs moved, but my brain kept telling itself that just a little further, ahead was a flat area like the courtyard of a cultural center, that's what gave me the strength to keep going, to keep going. So when I stood up straight and turned around, my eyes were dazzled, and my gloved hands couldn't rub them because I'd been climbing and crawling at the same time…
The magnificent view from the mountaintop.
A magnificent and awe-inspiring space, like standing before the sea, suddenly a huge wave rushes in, engulfing one's body, almost suffocating. The sun, like a giant, dazzling star, clear and brilliant with millions of fiery rays, slowly rises from the vast expanse of pure white clouds, enveloping, clinging, and playfully caressing the majestic, undulating blue mountain ranges. Some mountains are divided into three colors: the white expanse covered by clouds, the golden streaks illuminated by the rising sun, and the green mass hidden behind, not yet caught by the clouds and sunlight.
A beauty that neither words nor paintings can adequately describe, giving way to the minds of adventurous travelers who feel and reward themselves for their arduous journeys, climbing, and crawling, to behold the scenery of paradise in a fleeting moment.
Everything was pristine: the morning sunlight, the pure sea of clouds covering the mountains and land, a white as if freshly peeled from cotton, dyed a shimmering, light yellow by the sun. The majestic Hoang Lien Son mountain range, "worthy of its reputation," was proudly displaying its exquisite forms in a clear dawn, like the skillful brushstrokes of a renowned artist, their emotions overflowing. I stood silently gazing, feeling as if all my senses were intoxicated…
It was because the scenery was so beautiful, because I was tired, because it was my first time living in this place, because I was completely immersed in the trees, mountains, clouds, wind, and the space filled with the radiant, pristine sunrise.
The scenery is breathtaking and captivating.
Eventually, I had to sober up. Ignoring the crowds of climbers and boisterous young people taking individual and group photos, selfies, and videos, I slowly and absentmindedly gazed at the scenery. Nhiu Co San is a mountain ranked 4th (challenging) out of 5 difficulty levels (beginner, basic, advanced, challenging, and extremely difficult), with breathtaking and magnificent scenery both along the way and at the summit. Anyone who reaches the top feels radiant and happy.
If, in front, where the sun is rising, the scene is magnificent and splendid, then behind it, the moon of the sixteenth night (now the dawn of the seventeenth day of the lunar month) is slowly setting, casting brilliant streaks of light the color of phoenix feathers. Around it, the undulating mountain ranges stretch out, hazy and peaceful, with a hint of mystique, like a vivid and exquisite ink painting. This beautiful land is mine…
