<p class="ql-block">有人登山是为了享受过程的感觉，有人登山是为了接受登顶的挑战。前者会说过程重于结果，后者会说结果大于过程。我大概属于后者。所以当亨利告诉我，“你只不过在那个山上，其实你并没登顶”的时候，我不得不探索当时的所有细节以得出结论: 我到底有没有登顶。在多次审阅我拍的照片和GPS轨迹，并向他人求证之后，我还原了当时的事情。</p> <p class="ql-block">这座山的名字叫红顶山(Red Top)，它位于Anza Borrego加利福尼亚州立公园，它的海拔高度只有3240英尺（988米）。登山组织summitpost有这样的描述：“它也许是圣地亚哥郡最难的登山一日行。” 一位登山者Evan对它的难度总结出两点：“它位于沙漠中的群山之中，任何方向的一日行来回都需要15英里以上；它的上方由巨大的花岗岩组成，没有清晰路线，人们必须攀爬陡峭的大石头，一些石头像房子那么大。有的人在最后几百英尺处望而却步，无功而返。” </p> <p class="ql-block">亨利建议我们一起去登红顶山，我欣然同意了，因为我正在准备一个越野赛，红顶山之行可以是一个耐力训练。行装基本是100公里越野赛的装备，除了对水的要求：由于沙漠无水源，路上我要带上八升水。</p> <p class="ql-block">我们三月十九日周日凌晨一点由尔湾出发，三个小时开到停车处。4:05我们进入沙漠，繁星闪烁；除了风，没有别的声音；那一天，我们在沙漠和山上看到的唯一生物是一只兔子和一条蛇。</p> <p class="ql-block">去红顶山有三条路线，我们选择的是最长的，从路口到山顶有10英里。开始的三英里是在一个略为狭窄的谷底。在黑暗中我们戴着头灯走完弯曲的三英里，然后来到“内地牧场”。我们沿着峡谷的方向直行，几分钟后，亨利说我们走错了，然后开始右拐。这将是我们第一次尝受到失误的结果。</p> <p class="ql-block">晨曦侵蚀了黑暗，然后朝阳把山染成红色，仙人掌在阳光下显得格外温馨，尽管几分钟后我必须修正这个有关仙人掌的看法。</p> <p class="ql-block">内地牧场是一个被山包围的开阔地。“牧场”也许是人们的幻想。这里除了仙人掌，还有丝竹、龙舌兰、蜡烛木，但没有牧场所应该有的水源。</p> <p class="ql-block">由于出狭谷后我们曾走错了一小段路，我们失去了沙漠中的小道（表面是沙子，脚下没有植物），所以在沙漠中遇到第一个挑战：仙人球。只要稍微碰到它们，你的身体就像一个吸铁石一样把刺吸入肉里。</p> <p class="ql-block">在内地牧场走了大约两英里后遇到一个小山包，这里我们左转，前方一英里左右就是沙漠的边缘，也是山的开始。蜡烛木是沙漠植物中的“长颈鹿”。前方是我们转弯后迎来的锯齿山。</p> <p class="ql-block">沙漠的结束，野路的开始，至此，我们走了7英里。由于这条路线较其它两条长，很少人走这条路线，来这人会在沙漠边缘扎营一晚，第二天再登顶红顶山。我们在这个岩石底下各留3瓶水。负荷也因此减轻了1.5升水的份量。</p> <p class="ql-block">下一段有两英里远，要到前面的山腰。 一路上荆棘刺腿，巨石挡路。</p> <p class="ql-block">山腰就在前方。我基本上沿着左侧的山坡，设法避开扎人的灌木丛。我告诉亨利，“我们不能走绿色路线，必须找黄色路线”。</p> <p class="ql-block">在山腰附近我拍下照片，我一路上问亨利什么时候可以看到红顶山。 在这张照片，其实应该可以找到它。放大照片，在右侧上方的高点是我后来起名为“大拇指”石的那块岩石。大拇指石的左侧的第三个石群应该就是红顶峰。</p> <p class="ql-block">山腰处的小平地。从我们上来的方向，左手上红顶峰，右手上锯齿峰。</p> <p class="ql-block">山腰离红顶山峰距离只有一英里。我提议在山腰留下背包和手杖，只带上水，轻装登顶。在山腰我们左转，爬上第一个山岗。</p> <p class="ql-block">然后第二个山岗。</p> <p class="ql-block">在第二个山冈中间，亨利建议从左侧上，从距离上来看，这个方向离红顶山距离更近，但后来才知道路线更难。</p> <p class="ql-block">亨利拍下这张照片后不久，我们在红顶山上就没有再相会。</p> <p class="ql-block">过了上面的那条窄缝后，前方的巨石需要勇气和技巧。这时亨利落在后面，我多次喊他，有时会听到他的回应，但更多时候，是沉默。</p> <p class="ql-block">过了这个满布巨石的山峰后，后面是个小山包。爬过房子般大小的巨石后，走这个山头宛如漫步街头。因为形状，我叫这个山岗为“馒头山”。</p> <p class="ql-block">过了馒头山，见到一个大拇指形状的巨石。它后来成为我是否登顶红顶峰的一个参照物。</p> <p class="ql-block">过了大拇指后，我走在山脊上，寻找红顶山的顶峰，在山脊上，我看到最高点是这个山包。</p> <p class="ql-block">过了这个山包，沿着山脊继续走了100米左右，一个悬崖阻挡了我前进的脚步。峭壁的对方是三块竖立的巨石。我给它们取名“三侠客”。</p> <p class="ql-block">回头路上，我把注意力放在山脊上的山包，认为这是红顶山的主峰，因为它处于大拇指和三侠客之间山脊上的最高点。</p> <p class="ql-block">同时，我尽快地把周围的景色纳入镜头。</p> <p class="ql-block">我在山脊上补拍一张馒头山照片，然后放弃了寻找登峰纪念簿的念头，因为亨利还没有上来，我需要下去迎他，然后再回到山脊。</p> <p class="ql-block">我呼唤亨利的名字，却没有任何答复。我不得不得出一个结论，亨利撤退了，因为之前有两次他在我后面，在我不知道到情况下撤退。由于没有注意到方向，我大大偏离了上山时走的路线，直到GPS表告诉我走偏了。图中右手是我上山的路线，左手上我下山的路线。我在下山时，走到了山腰的另一侧。靠着GPS表，我右转重新爬上连接山腰的山脊，找回上山的路线。一路上，我在假设，如果我真的迷路，我将没有头灯，没有水，没有足够的衣服。</p> <p class="ql-block">回去路显得格外长久。亨利在巨石阵前决定返回，据他说，一是因为困难，二是因为水不够。他回到山腰等我，我也告诉他，在接近山腰的地方，听到他喊我，我是多么宽慰。路上，我继续选择“黄色”路线，躲避带刺的荆棘。</p> <p class="ql-block">第二天我把我的松拓表GPS轨迹和Garmin卫星轨迹发给了亨利，也送去山脊上我拍的照片。亨利让他的朋友iron hiker 考证这些照片是否来是红顶山。Iron Hiker是南加州登山的佼佼者，曾登过红顶山。</p> <p class="ql-block">这两个不同装置都报告我已经登顶红顶山。</p> <p class="ql-block">根据iron hiker的答复，亨利说：没有到红顶山的主峰石（summit block）就不算登顶。我不知道哪一个是红顶山的主峰石，但确信我走在山脊上，经历了山脊的最高点。我对亨利的判断有些不悦，因为他没有到山脊，对那里的情况不清楚。我们之间的不愉快的交流第二天仍然持续着。为了搞清楚我是否登顶， 我需要求证于到过红顶山峰的人。</p> <p class="ql-block">我有两个人可以求证，iron hiker本人和一开始说到的Evan。Evan有自己的网站和联络信息。iron hiker的联络方式只有summitpost 登山团体的电邮地址。 我先联系到Evan，将我的照片和轨迹送给他后马上收到他的答复。“对！那就是红顶山”。</p> <p class="ql-block">但亨利坚持说就连Evan本人也没有发现登顶纪念簿，他可能也么没到过红顶山主峰石。亨利把主峰石和峰顶等同，但我的角度是红顶山的最高地为峰顶，不一定就是主峰石。他说每个登顶红顶山的人不一定在登顶纪念簿上签名，但一定会为纪念簿拍照。我既没有在纪念簿签名，也没有照片，其含义很明显：我没有登顶红顶山。他的说法让我感到牵强。我甚至在想有两个可能性，他把自己没有登顶和我“没有登顶”等同，另一个更大的可能性是激励我和他重新再来一次。</p> <p class="ql-block">为了彻底求证，我必须直接向iron hiker请教，在summitpost上我试着给Keith（iron hiker）发一个邮件，索求他的日常电邮地址，以便向他确认。得到他的答复后，我先把经过同他大致讲了一下。</p><p class="ql-block">Hi, Keith, </p><p class="ql-block">Thank you very much for your help to solve a mystery for me. Here is a brief account of what happened.</p><p class="ql-block">Henry and I started around 4:05 am on Sunday morning from the agua caliente direction. After traversing the low vegetation terrain for seven miles, we got to the narrow valley going up the saddle between Red Top and Sawtooth. After two more miles, we got to the saddle. We made a left turn going up the slope with boulders. We scaled the first one. Then the next one. Then Henry suggested that we turn leftward going up the next hill (there were two more bumps as Henry showed me on his map). This hill was towering with very large boulders and was very steep near the top. I was leading the way, but Henry eventually turned left as he thought the direct ascent was difficult. At that time, I did not know he had changed the direction. I was calling his name from time to time, but the responses were on and off. After I scaled this peak, immediately I saw the next bump: it was relatively small and had symmetrical round top. After I went over this hill, I saw a finger like giant solo column of rock. I passed it on the right side, while debating if this could be Red Top, because of its stature. As the area it commandsed was small, I gave up the idea that this was the summit. I continued and the next I saw was a cluster of rocks forming a mount. I told myself this could be the summit, as it was the highest point on the ridge along which I was traveling. To verify if there were other high points along the ridge, I proceeded further until a precipice stopped me: ahead of me and on the other side were three giant monoliths. I had to return and accepted the idea that the mount which formed the highest point on the ridge between the finger-like column and the three monoliths was the summit of Red Top, as there were no other higher locations on the ridge. I took the pictures in the surrounding areas. Because Henry did not show up, I decided not to spend too much time looking for the register box. I was thinking that after I met Henry, I would come up again with him and we could look for the register box together. I called his name on my way down numerous times, without hearing a response. When I manuvered down that most difficult false summit, I made a mistake in my route. I had come up turning left from the direction of the saddle, but when I went down, I kept straight instead of making a right turn into the direction of the saddle. Eventually, my Suunto watch alerted me that I had deviated from the route coming up. I was actually on the other side of the saddle. I moved rightward and climbed up the mountain side that connected with the saddle and found my way. When I was near the saddle, finally I heard Henry calling my name. He aborted his climb before that large false summit.</p><p class="ql-block">After we became back, I sent some pictores to Henry. They were of the mount sitting on the ridge and the finger like upright rock between the round mount and the high-point mount. They (the finger like monolith, the mount of rocks and the cluster of three monoliths) were all along the ridge. Henry sent these pictures to you and told me that you said this was not the Red Top summit block. Then I looked at my GPS image and found an appearance of a large cluster of boulders that was located lower than the ridge/ They were on the side facing Sawtooth mountain. I checked all the pictures I took there and found a couple that might be of the so called summit block. Because the base of the rocks was much lower than where I stood near the ridge, at that time, it did not occur to me that the cluster of huge rocks below and near could be the summit block, as I was looking for something that made the highest location on the ridge. When I enlarged a picture, I found one rock surface looking like the picture you took of the summit block. Yours had the blue sky in the background, but mine had Sawtooth in the background, as I took the picture from a higher position. But I am not 100 percent certain that was the summit block.</p><p class="ql-block">I will send you these picture to you along with the enlarged image of my GPS route showing the likeligood of the summit block as well as the my actual GPS travel.</p><p class="ql-block">Thank you for your help and for your inspiration: your record of hiking and climbing is lengendary. Hope that one day I can have the privildge of meetin you.</p><p class="ql-block">Yi </p><p class="ql-block"> </p> <p class="ql-block">在看过我的GPS后，Keith把他自己的轨迹与我的重合以便比较。黄色是他的轨迹，红色是我的。在比较之后，他的结论是：</p> <p class="ql-block">“毫无疑问，你在峰顶上走过。我用一个绿色园圈精确标出峰顶所在。”</p> <p class="ql-block">我也给Keith发了我在山脊拍的一些照片；一个照片很像Keith拍的红顶山主峰石。</p> <p class="ql-block">看过我送过去的照片后， Keith说 “Nice photos. The terrain is very jumbled. I think #3 is the summit block.” 这张照片是上面第一张的局部扩大。他认为那就是主峰石。</p> <p class="ql-block">Keith所拍的主峰石。他的照片背景是蓝天，而我的背景是对面的锯齿山。如果我的照片确实是Keith所相信的主峰石，那就验证了我站在山脊的高地，而主峰石在稍微低一点的地方。</p> <p class="ql-block">至此，有关我是否登顶红顶山已经没有那么重要了。当时，背八升水走进沙漠，忍着仙人球的刺痛，在荆棘乱石中开路，最后几百英尺陡峭巨石上的攀爬，站到一个高于“红顶山峰石标记”的地方，我已经感到完成任务了。至于是否找到登顶纪念簿签字，更不重要了。回程路上，月亮升起，太阳隐去，周围更显得安静。</p> <p class="ql-block">内地牧场就要到了，然后，就不用躲避刺人的荆棘了。那时我仍担心仙人球，但当时还不知道我们最终会找到由沙子组成的沙漠小路，避免了仙人球的袭击。</p> <p class="ql-block">重新回到内地牧场，回首再望一次下来后的山谷，在这里用卫星通讯给家里报一个平安信。</p> <p class="ql-block">最终我们晚10:17回到停车处。18多个小时，20英里的路程，近4000英尺的爬升，完成了圣地亚哥郡最难的一日爬山行。</p> <p class="ql-block">尽管我是一个追求目标的人，但也可以捕捉到过程的美好。再荒凉的沙漠，也有顽强的生命。 </p> <p class="ql-block">后记：如果你想登红顶山，下面一些事项可以参考。1: 带够水，在登山腰谷之前（七英里处），可以留下一些水以便回程用。在两英里后山腰处，可以留下背包，轻装登顶（带上水和其它必要品)。2: 出狭隘山谷右转进入内地牧场时，要跟着沙漠小路走，以避免仙人球。3: 穿长裤，裤子大概率会被荆棘割破。4: 进入山腰山谷后，走一小段沙子路，然后左面上到山坡前行，这里荆棘相对少，路上会看到一些登山者留下的石头标记。这次我也留下了十几块标记。5: 在山腰登顶时，可以朝右向上过渡到山腰另一边，上到山脊后左转，一直到红顶山的山脊。在这条路线上，攀岩相对容易一些（我的下山路线），路上你会经过馒头山和大拇指石。6: 过了大拇指，前方山脊最高点是一个山包，到了山包后，在左前方处寻找主峰石，登顶纪念簿应该在主峰石脚下。7: 如果需要GPS轨迹，请与我联系。</p>