|
 和美国一样，中国是一个拥有着巨大的、丰富的自然资源、人文资源、美丽风景的伟大国家。
而山东省同样也拥有很多的丘陵、平原、山脉、海滩、村庄和著名的城市。其中一处著名的风景区，就是离我现在的“家”——临沂市罗庄区双月园学校只有一个多小时路程的美丽蒙山。（图：博览群山。）
蒙山除了离我们很近外，我们还不需要为爬山准备路上用的沉重的行囊和其它用品，一双好的登山鞋，一副太阳镜，一瓶水。这一切都是你在夏天所必需的。防风防雨的茄克衫，还有隔热防晒的东西在这个季节也是应该带的。另外随身带一个包，包里装上水、水果和路上吃的零食、手电筒、急救用品，还要准备一些 在紧急状况下有用的东西。
我们双月园学校外办的朋友们于中秋节期间，邀请外籍教师到蒙山旅游。这天的天气对爬山、摄影来讲真是太棒了，因为空气是那样的清新，阳光是那么的灿烂，再加上蒙山美丽的景色，我的相机可以把秋天成熟的色彩和收获的情景拍摄下来。
最美妙的事情是关于蒙山地区。这是我第一次在这么艰难的路上探险，后来到了大洼。如果是徒步旅行，用一天的时间登上山峰并且下来是一件比较容易的事情。我和我的登山伙伴、还有我的同事米歇尔·苏顿带着他8岁的儿子布莱德雷比较轻松地爬到了山顶。
另外，如果有人想边走边停慢慢欣赏风景，山上有很多休息的地方和景点，宝塔、饭店，更不用说马车了。山中小溪、岩石、瀑布，不论你到哪里，这一切情景都会使你感到非常快乐、轻松。 （图：多国友人组成的旅游团。）
山下有很多饭店，沿途有很多店家可以提供饮品（咖啡、茶、水、啤酒）和吃的（黄瓜、西红柿、桔子、面条、饼）。我们听说在半山腰有一家非常好的饭店，我们用了很长时间才找到它，但这的确很值，因为这家饭店有很多山上的野味，是在城市里所吃不到的，如蘑菇、兔子、绿色的野菜，并且还可以在这家饭店里住宿。（右图：山中飞瀑）
没有什么能够比得上有好的伙伴、好的食物和在美好的一天与美丽的大自然亲切地交谈的事情了。我们享受美食，放松自己，无所畏惧地挑战山峰。对于年轻、年老或体弱的人来讲，有很多不同的道路可供选择。蒙山很多路有 石阶，它并不像泰山那样高大，所以对步行来说确实是一种挑战，但在好的天气情况下，一天完成整个行程是很容易的。不管怎么说，我们这一次的出行是非常愉快的，并且希望在不久的未来再一次故地重游，再次领略蒙山的美丽。（左图：如诗如画的美景。）
Like the United States,China is huge country with a tremendous variety of natural,scenic, and human resources. Shandong Province, where Inow make my home at the Shuang Yue Yuan (Double Moon Park) School in the Luozhuang District of Linyi villages and notable cities. One of the most accessible of these, only an hour or so from my adopted "hometown" of Luozhuang, is the beautiful mountain complex centering on Mung Shan.
In addition to being close by, Mung Mountain is not so formidable as to trquire much in the way of planning or backpacking gear. A good pair of hiking shoes, sunglasses, and a water bottle are all you really need duriing the summer months, though a wind breaker or waterproof jacket and some additional layers of insulation would be recommnded during other seasons, and it is always useful to carry a small day pack to hold your water reserves, some fruit or other edibles to nibble along the way, a flashlight, and any emergency or first aid materials you may choose to have readily available.
Our friends from the Foreign Affairs Office at Double Moon Park invited the international teachers for an all day trip to Mung Shan on October 4, during the Mid-Autumn Festival holidays. It was an absolutely perfect day for hiking and for photography, since the air was clear and fresh, the sunshine brilliant, and the warm autumnal colors ripe for harvestiong with a camera!
One of the great things about the Mung Shan area, which Ihave only begun to explore with this first trek and a later trip to Dahwah, is that experienced hikers can easily get to the peaks and back in a day. In fact, Michael Sutton, my climbing companion and fellow teacher, brought along his eight year old son, Bradley, and we all made it to the top without undre stress or strain.
On the other hand, for those who do not want to go "all the way "on foot, there are plenty of resting places, scenic views, pagodas, and restaurants, not to mention a cable car. In other words, you can get as much or as little exercise as you like, and the boulders, mountain streams, and waterfalls are a constant delight no matter what you decide to do. There's even a man with a camel you can mount for a photo, if such is your pleasure!
Though there are many restaurants at the base of the mountain and many small enterprises along the way to provide drinks (coffee, tea, water, or beer) and eats (cucumbers, tomatoes, oranges, noodles, pancakes), we had heard rumors of a very fine restaurant about half way up the mountain; and though it took us quite a while to find it, perhaps more like two thirds of the way, it was well worth the wait, for it specialized in wild mountain delicacies such as mushrooms, rabbits, and greens you would never see in the city. Accommodations are also available for those who may want to stay overnight.
There's nothing quite like good company, good food, and good conversation on a perfect day outdoors in the glories of Nature! We ate our fill, relaxed a bit, and then the more intrepid among us headed for the peaks. Though there are a few side trails which can be a bit much for the very young, the old, or the infirm, most pathways alternate with stone steps at Mung Shan, and it is not as high as Tai Shan, so the hike is challenging, but not demanding, and the round trip (the British say "return" trip) is easily accomplished on any good day. All in all, we were all very happy with this outing and look forward to our return on another day in another season. |
