#1: [06-Oct-03]

English Narrative

02-Oct-2003 -- 二OO三年十月二日 国庆节前不久我偶然得知了寻找汇交点这个项目，发现在国内的９70多个汇交点中完成初访的不到十分之一，特别是北方的大部分汇交点更是无人问津。它对于爱好户外运动的我十分有吸引力。国庆节长假使我能有机会去寻找北纬４１度，东经１１６度交汇点，这点应位于１１２国道赤城到丰宁的路上，距公路应为六公里左右。

7:00 a.m.-- 十月二日早霞染红了天，七点骑摩托上路。好事多磨，刚出门骑过蓟门桥后胎就滞气了，好不容易花了一个多小时在路边的自行车摊补好了。走八达岭高速辅路经昌平环岛，在通向长陵的公路上汽车排起了长队，我的摩托车只能与自行车一起在车缝中穿行，一直到了长陵拐入１０２国道。

10:20 a.m.--从长陵到永宁的３０多公里几乎全是在崎岖的弯道中翻山越岭，很多迎面而来的重载的超长卡车在转急弯时不得不驶入逆行，令人提心吊胆。从永宁到白河堡又有一段盘山路。到了白河堡大坝时已是中午，坐在大坝吃了几块点心充作午饭。ＧＰＳ指示离该点直线距离还有１１０多公里。

12:30 p.m.--从白河堡继续北上，在蒋家堡转入１１２国道，此时ＧＰＳ指示直线距离还有３７.７公里。行至龙门所时ＧＰＳ指示几乎在正北９公里多。当我拐过龙门所向正东行驶时，ＧＰＳ指示离该点的最近距离为６公里多，当我再向东行驶时，ＧＰＳ就指示离该点越来越远了。我在家查地图标识的此段路应在前方巴图营转向正北，但我问路边的当地人，他们的回答说此路是一直向东的，令我不置可否。

2:40 p.m.--于是我决定从路上指示的最近点直接下道，并记录下该到交汇点的直线距离为6.3公里。通向沙沟的坑洼的碎石路很难走，好在我和我的车见识过这样的恶劣路，路上遇到一当地７４岁的老汉，象众多北方的山里人一样有着一副硬朗的身板，满面红光，十分诧异地问我到这儿找谁？我只能吞枣地解释说来作地理勘察。从老汉那里打听到从下道处向北到沙沟村（这在河北省地图上是可以找到的），大约有３公里，再向里就是大山没路了。沙沟是一个很小的小村子，象中国很多山里的村子一样，很多家都已迁出。当时我想走一步算一步，先到沙沟。

3:00 p.m.--到达沙沟，我把摩托车停到了不能再向前一步的一片向日葵地里。只带了一小并水就匆匆直奔正北的山上。这里ＧＰＳ指示离该点还有３.8公里，海拔是1100米。

3:15 p.m.--向日葵地走到头就是山脚下，山显得并不高，相对高度也就是150多米，山坡上又遇到了一个牧羊人，他对我的到来同样很诧异，一番解释似乎他还能理解，于是他随我一同爬上了山脊，向北一眼望去，山连着山几乎看不到村落，能见到蜿蜒起伏的的长城的烽火台伫立在一个个山头,而那伟岸的城墙被当地村民称为边墙，现在早已瘫塌成一堆堆石片，复盖在山脊上，象一条沉睡的巨龙身上的鳞片，一片片一直沿伸到我的脚下。牧羊人为我指出了两条到达汇交点方向的路，一条是沿着山脊，即沿着边墙――倒塌的长城走；另一条是下到山谷里，沿着沟底的小路走。我选择了沿着长城走，这个选择虽然远一些，起伏也更大，但我感觉沿长城走更有意义些，我多么希望汇交点正好在长城上，再次展示一下长城的魅力。

3:40 p.m.--沿着长城走并不轻松，要踩着碎石艰难地翻越一座座山头。有些烽火台已经瘫塌很难攀登，只能从长满灌木的山坡上横切过去。因我当时还穿着骑摩托车时穿的冲锋衣，马不停蹄的攀爬，使我大汗不止，我错误地把冲锋衣扔在了路上，这里距汇交点只剩1.4公里了。这一错误的代价是让我孤独地滞留在山上度过了一个漫漫长夜。

5:10 p.m.-- 当我绕过最后一个距汇交点最近的烽火台时，ＧＰＳ显示汇交点就在距此偏西北７００多米的距离了。我兴奋地冲下山直奔它，山坡上农民正在收获土豆，我已顾不上和他们打招呼，手持ＧＰＳ直奔那点，ＧＰＳ也迅速显示距该点从２００，１００，７０，２０，到最后竟然闪过精度不到１米，我成功了。

5:20 p.m.--抓紧时间拍照，此时太阳已下山，向北拍照时仍能见到远处的烽火台。最令我惊异的是从那点向西不足300米就有一个小村子，更令我吃惊的是眼见着一个村民赶着马车到他的地里去拉收获的土豆，我连忙上前问这里有大路通到公路上吗？当得到肯定的回答时，我千辛万苦翻山越岭找到的这个点，居然可以从公路上一直开车直达这点，当时我的心情是可想而知的。

而我现在的处境是进退两难，如果不是把装有摩托车和办公室钥匙的冲锋衣扔在山脊上，当晚我肯定就在小村里借宿了。而现在只能再回去找到衣服，当时我并没有过多地想找到衣服后应如何，我只是意识到时间的确不多了。我喝完了仅有的半瓶水。

5:30 p.m.--我记不清我的衣服具体是在那个山头下边，我只记得我是把它放在沿着山脊的长城上了。要完全沿着原路返回并不容易，需要重新辨认横切的道路，而从山下向山上观察很困难，我又怕横切多了错过的放衣服的地方，我只好选择了最安全也是最笨的方法，完全沿着山脊走，爬过每个顶峰的烽火台，这样耗费了我的大量体力和时间。当我找到冲锋衣后,我当时没有意识到天黑在山上行进的危险,还是继续向前。

7:00 p.m.--但当快接近七点时,我感到没有希望在天黑前下山了,如果能迅速下到山谷里的小路上,即使天黑也比较好辨认道路,可以走夜路,于是我连忙寻路想直插沟底,但没等我下多少,天就基本基本全黑了,脚下几乎变成了一个黑洞,在没膝的杂草覆盖下什么也看不到,几次滑倒后我意识到这样太危险,四下里已一片漆黑,甚至连山脊在哪里都辨不清了,我也又饥又渴,脚脖子累得直抽筋，只有在山上过夜了。山上甚至找不到一块可以平躺的地方,那一晚我真切体会到了什么是漫漫长夜。

6:00 a.m--第二天清晨我拖着疲惫的身子用了近两个小时才回到放摩托车处。就是我第一次寻找汇交点的猎奇经历。它让我体会到寻找汇交点带来欣喜和意想不到的危险，从中也得到无数的乐趣。

English Narrative

2-Oct-2003-- I learned incidentally about the Confluence Project not long ago before the National Day, China has approximately 977 confluences, only 1/10 had been visited, most confluences in north of China are unvisited. This project attracts me fully.

The National Day holidays provided an opportunity to make my first hunt for the confluence N 41 E 116 possible. The confluence was 6 km away from the national highway G112 between ChiCheng and FengNing counter.

7:00 a.m.--Unfortunately, I left home at 7:00 AM and wasn’t able to get out of town one hour, mending my motorcycle tyre had cost me one and half hour. There was much traffic during the National Day holidays. At the Ming Tombs hilly area, I turned to the scenic main Highway G102 to YongNing town. I got at BaiHeBao reservoir dam 110 km SE of the confluence at noon and had some refreshment for hungriness.

12:30 p.m.--Leaving BaiHeBao Reservoir I turned on to highway G112 at JiangJiaBao, at the LongMenSuo, where is about North of 41N116E 9 km directly, turn on right East directly. I asked locals and didn’t get satisfying answers. So I turned on to a bumpy macadam village path on the spot, which is nearest spot to the confluence by GPS.

2:40 p.m.--The rough path was very difficulty to drive on. On the way, I met an 74 years old man, like all of Northern Chinese countryside people, he had good health. He asked me who I was looking for, I said I was just look around. I was told at the end of this 3 km long path even no more path leading to the confluence but a small village, named ShaGou, like in some of mountainous area of Northern China many family had changed their dwelling house. I thought I should try my best to get to the confluence as near as possible.

3:00 p.m.-- At the ShaGou, I ride my motorcycle to a sunflower field till unable to continue. I just took a bottle of water with me and hasty rushed toward hill in the north. Here is 3.8 km away from the confluence and altitude 1100 m .

3:15 p.m.-- The sunflower field is stretch to the foot of the hill, the height of hill is about 150 m relative. On the hillside I met a sheepherder, He was also surprise to see me and seemed understand my goal after explanation, he come with me up to the hilltop, I look forward to the North, there were no village but mountains and the Great Wall. This section of Great Wall was built in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), with watchtowers snaking along the mountain ridges, looks spectacular, the collapsed wall along the ridge of mountains, locals call it: BianQiang (border wall). The sheepherder showed me two ways: one is along the Great Wall on the ridges, another is down the hill along the gully path. I opted the first one, although it had to up and down hill more, but I thought it had more significance, I hope the confluence just at the Great Wall so that it can show the Great Wall’s fascination again.

3:40 p.m.-- scramble up and down at macadam along the Great Wall on the ridge was very difficult. Too hard to climbing up some of collapsed watchtowers, so I only went on hillside where overgrow fruticose transervesly. Hard climbing made me streaming with sweat, I put off weatherproof jacket and left it at the Great Wall, the spot is 1.4 km from the confluence, this was a mistake that made me stay at hill whole long night lonely.

5:10 p.m.-- When I bypass the last watchtower which is 700m from the confluence, I excitement rush down the hill, holding the GPS, and headed out to the spot, I was too busy to say hello to the local rustics who were ingathering potatoes on the hillside, following the GPS pointer from 200, 100, 70,20, at the spot even showed within 1 m, I succeed hunting my first confluence.

I took the photo in hurry, sun has set down, and looking North from the confluence there is a watchtower in view. I was amazed there is a small village West from the confluence within 300m and a villager driven a carriage pass the confluence to loading potatoes, I asked the villager whether I could reach to the main highway along this route, he said: yes. At that time, I felt I were a fool spent 3 hours scrambling on ridge to the confluence where you can drive off the highway within half hour directly. Now I was in a dilemma, if I didn’t leave my motorcycle key and my jacket on the ridge, that night I would stay in that small village instead of staying in the hill. I had only to find my jacket, I didn’t think over how to do after find my jacket and was just aware I had no more time, and drank scanty a half bottle of water off.

5:30 p.m.--I hardly remembered where my cloth was, I just put my cloth on Great Wall. It was not easy for me to retrace back, my only safe choice was along the Great Wall, scramble each watchtowers on the hill, this route spent me more time and physical power, when I found my jacket, at that time I was not considered climbing in dark night would take too many risks, I continue went on.

7:00 p.m.-- Ｗhen it is near 7:00 pm, I thought no hope down the hill before dark and if I were down to the valley I could discerned the path even if in the dark. So I searched the route down to the hill, but it was getting dark too quickly than I expected. I could see nothing but profile of mountain, after I fell down several times, I decided it was too risky to continue. Everywhere was darkness, even the ridge was hard to be recognize. I was simply thirsty and starving.

6:00 a.m--The next morning, I exhausted spent nearly 2 hours to climb back to the place I parked my motorcycle. I arrived back in Beijing about 3 PM. This was my first hunting for the confluence experience, it make me feeling surprise and exciting, and bring me a lot of enjoy.

Details:
Time: 5:10 PM
Elevation: 1209 m
Accuracy: 2 m