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Moon Hill: Climbing up Mother Nature’s sculpture
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My body is soaked with sweat, as if I had decided to go for a swim shortly before starting the hike up Moon Hill, just outside the center of Yangshuo, China. I guess I don’t really mind. What I’m more focused on is the blunt pain in my legs caused by all those stairs.
One hour already and I’m dizzy. I want to stop, sort of, and snap a pic, but I’m too uncomfortable.
I’m beginning to catch up. Fatigue has hit many, and I pass by a few on my painful trek upward.
I’m just about to ... Hey! Is that Jonathan?
Speeding up momentarily, I confirm that the person I’m seeing is indeed Jonathan. He’s panting heavily. Walking up to him, I pat his back in a friendly way. I would ask him what’s up, but talking is a strict no-no right now. Plus, it’s kind of obvious what’s up.
“I wanna vomit,” he whispers.
Luckily for him, we’re not too far from the top. We’re able to get there in a few minutes, where many people have stopped already.
When I see the sight, I finally realize what Mike meant when he told us there was “Nothing quite like it.”
It’s a giant arch of stone. The cool breeze blows gently under the arch, and on the rocky walls a few lizards dare to crawl. Trees cover the top of the arch, their leaves a dark shade of green. It literally looks like something straight out of Minecraft.
Here, we rest our tired bodies and begin to write in our journals.
After a few minutes, a group of kids emerges from the stairs. Jonathan Ko? Harrison Jin? Samuel Yang? The train group is back in all their glory!
After a photo-op and a little relaxation, we begin the hike back down the mountain.
At about the time we begin to leave, dusk arrives; it’s not like we had to use our flashlights. By the time the clearing under Moon Hill is empty, the trees are black against the blue sky, signaling twilight’s arrival. Ten minutes into the hike down the mountain, the sparkles appear — stars.
The night does not scare me. I welcome it’s coming. In fact, I embrace it as it pulls its immense shroud over the forest.
(Eric Zhang is a Grade 8 student at Concordia Shanghai.)
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