A species of Cymbidium on Pa Thien peak blooms in spring - Photo: TL
Even though we were walking under the forest canopy without sunlight, everyone was breathing heavily and patiently counting each step because the path was getting steeper and steeper. On the winding mountain path, the guide, Mr. Ho Ma, a Van Kieu, said: “First we need to overcome the four-legged slope.” There was no path, so each step had to be held onto a tree root or a rock. When we were tired, we leaned against the cliff. If we were too exhausted, we were only allowed to stop for a few minutes. If we rested for too long, our legs would not want to continue…
Pathway among green moss
Along the path, hundreds of species of green moss covered each stone slab. Lighter mosses clung to tree trunks, layer upon layer. Mushrooms grew on fallen and rotten trees. There were forest trees that had long since died but still stood tall, as if defying time, wind and rain. At an altitude of over 1,200m, the air began to thin out. The mountains and forests became more silent and majestic, a beauty that needed no embellishment. Ho Gioi, the guide, reminded us: If you go quickly, you will reach Pa Thien stream around 3pm. This is the only road leading to Pa Thien peak, from there passing Voi Mep peak.
The closer we got to Pa Thien stream, the more diverse the vegetation became. On the rocks, the moss was also lighter, mixed with unnamed orchids. Upstream of Pa Thien stream, the wind blew strongly, the mountains and forests changed, and it suddenly rained. The rain fell on the leaves with a myriad of sounds, insects chirped in greeting, birds hurriedly called to each other to find shelter. We also quickly stopped at a "lonely" rock, waiting for the rain to stop to camp. In the middle of the misty, cloudy forest, the night fell quickly, the rustling of leaves, the chirping of insects harmonized with the Pa Thien stream, creeping into sleep.
The sleeping stones
Pa Thien Stream has probably welcomed human footsteps for the first time in a long time. The stream bed with stone slabs stacked on top of each other looks like a green ladder rising up to the sky. If at an altitude of less than 500m, people often avoid stepping on moss-covered stone slabs because they are very easy to slip and fall, on the contrary, at an altitude of over 1,400m, people must avoid stepping on moss-free stone slabs. Those stone slabs are so slippery that even moss cannot cling to them.
Right at the foot of Pa Thien is a magical forest like a painting, the most famous of which are the species of false huangdan, short-leafed and long-leafed bamboo pine, and La han pine belonging to the genus Podocarpus gymnosperm. Every tree trunk, big or small, is covered with moss; the moss changes color according to the weather, rain or shine. Therefore, the color of moss is also the “color of time”. This coniferous tree has taken root deep into the mountain rocks, and over thousands of years has adapted to the cold to weave the deep green forest.
With an altitude of about 1,600m above sea level, Pa Thien is almost exclusively reserved for forest rangers, some scientists who are attached to the forest and those who have a passionate love for nature. The rocks on the top of Pa Thien have a variety of shapes, which perhaps the master artist Thoi Gian has painstakingly carved. Since when, they have remained silent next to each other as if dreaming of a thousand-year sleep! People who pass by here try to carve their names on the rocks as if they want to entrust to the mountain rocks the memories of a rare trip in their lives, but after a short time, the lines are erased by wind and rain.
The vegetation on the top of Pa Thien is mainly dwarf forest, plants of the Tea and Rhododendron families. Among them are tea trees of unknown ages often nestled next to rocks. Legend has it that this is the tea garden planted by King Ham Nghi's soldiers when the king set out from Cam Lo to the northern mountains of Quang Tri .
Tea in Pa Thien grows among bamboo clumps and rocks. The tea leaves are quite hard, thick and light green; when cooked, they do not have a strong astringent taste like tea in the midlands. Some people say that thanks to exposure to the rain and wind of the mountains, absorbing the purity of the earth and sky, tea in Pa Thien has the ability to help people recover their health very quickly. Is that why Van Kieu people, whenever they have the opportunity to pass through Pa Thien, do not forget to pick some tea to bring back as gifts for friends?
Pa Thien is an ideal stop to see Voi Mep peak hidden in the mist. A beauty that even forest rangers always feel moved by. Pa Thien still has many undulating rock formations, hidden among thousands of trees, flowers and leaves, and sometimes suddenly sinking into a magical mist. Here, every tree, rock, and drop of water has been there for thousands of years, and thousands of years from now, will still tell its own story about time, about the endless changes of nature.
Elephant Meep...
Voi Mep Peak is over 1,700m above sea level, clouds and wind swirl around people's feet. On the western side of the mountain range, the clouds seem to be rushing towards a distant place, while on the eastern side, clusters of white clouds are sucked down into a seemingly bottomless ravine.
Standing on the top of Voi Mep, you will hear the roaring sound of the waterfall clearly and can't help but wonder: Where do the wind, clouds and water come from and where will they go? The man named Ho Gioi, who is usually very reserved, suddenly whispered: "I haven't been to the sea yet, but on beautiful days, standing on the top of Voi Mep, I can see the sea. I dream that one day I will stand by the sea and look towards Voi Mep peak...".
Van Kieu boy Ho Gioi next to the La Han pine tree on the way to Voi Mep peak - Photo: TL
The road to Voi Mep peak is like a winding green silk strip, made up of millions of bamboo trees that play with the clouds and the wind all year round. After a long journey, we began to go deep into the bamboo forest. The small bamboo trees were densely packed into clumps, blocking the path. In addition to the bamboo family, there were also some woody trees with small leaf tips, at first glance it seemed like the trees had long since died.
The higher you go, the stronger the wind blows. Sometimes the sky is clear and blue, but just a moment of fog obscures it, creating a hazy space that makes it difficult to determine the direction. At times like this, the guide has to climb a tree to reorient the mountain top, or everyone has to sit and wait for the fog to clear.
On the way to the west side of Voi Mep, we came across the wreckage of two planes that had crashed during the war. There were still a few rusty guns and some pieces of armor lying on the ground.
Standing halfway up Voi Mep peak, looking down at the foot of the mountain, there is a sea of white mist floating, the clouds hastily passing each other, passing through the forests but just enough to create drizzle that leaves thousands of tiny drops of water on the leaves.
Pa Thien and Voi Mep are covered with mist and clouds all year round, forever echoing the call from the great forest to those who love nature and long to experience and immerse themselves in the majestic mountains.
Going up Pa Thien and Voi Mep peaks is not only to explore and find the source of rivers like Hieu Giang and Thach Han in the southern region of Quang Tri, to understand and love our homeland more, but also an opportunity to contemplate life as high and low as mountains and ups and downs like rivers.
Phan Tan Lam
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kham-pha-ve-dep-pa-thien-va-voi-mep-196377.htm
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