Picking up "Gobi Treasures" on a Yadan Hiking Trail, Yun Jing Hotel Became a Temporary Treasure Vault!

When hiking the Yadan trail with my child, the most unexpected gain was the heavy "treasures" in our pockets—several palm-sized ventifacts and a piece of Gobi jade with a faint bluish sheen. Originally, I just wanted my child to get more in touch with nature, but as soon as we stepped onto the hiking boardwalk, he was captivated by the stones at his feet. The ventifacts are especially interesting, with pitted surfaces yet a tough texture, shaped by millions of years of wind erosion. Holding a stone that looked like a little hedgehog, my child insisted on calling it the "Yadan Little Guardian." Later, under a sheltered earthen slope, we found the piece of Gobi jade. In the sunlight, faint patterns appeared, and it felt smooth to the touch. My child carefully tucked it into his pocket, saying he wanted to bring it home as a "travel medal." I specifically looked it up: Yadan’s ventifacts are unique "works of the wind" in the Gobi, while Gobi jade is hidden among gravel and requires patience to find. When picking them up, we were careful to only take small scattered pieces from the surface and didn’t dare to dig into the soil layer, wanting to leave some memories for this land. My child even imitated me by gently wiping the stones clean and carefully placing them into a small cloth bag we had prepared, touching them along the way and forgetting to complain about being tired. That night, while stargazing, he took the stones out and placed them on his lap, saying, "Let the stars shine on my stones too." The Milky Way spread overhead, the shadows of Yadan stood quietly, and the stones in his arms still carried the warmth of the Gobi daylight. It made this hike feel like a special keepsake. Returning late to Yun Jing Hotel, the first thing my child did was place the stones on the windowsill, turning them over and over in the warm room light. The humidifier in the hotel hummed softly, easing the dryness brought by the Gobi. Seeing his satisfied little face, I suddenly realized: the joy of traveling with children is never about how many sights you check off, but about these unexpected "treasures" you find, the warmth of holding stones under the starry sky, and the comfort of being able to rest in a cozy hotel when tired!