National Day Holiday on October 1st · Climbing Mount Tai

When packing, I deliberately stuffed in a thick coat—I had long heard that the wind at the top of Mount Tai carries a different temperature from the foot of the mountain. By the time I arrived in Tai’an city, it was already evening. The aroma of pancakes wafted along the street, and the shop owner smiled and said, “Only after reaching the summit tomorrow will you truly have seen Mount Tai.” That sentence filled me with eager anticipation. Early the next morning, before dawn, we set off from the Red Gate. The initial stone steps were gentle, accompanied by birdsong and the sound of streams, making the walk especially easy. Passing by Doumu Palace, the morning mist had not yet lifted, and the shadows of ancient cypresses swayed on the stone steps, as if stepping into an ink painting. But the higher we went, the steeper the path became, especially at the Eighteen Bends, where the stone steps were almost vertical. I gripped the handrail tightly, and every step made my legs ache. A little child beside me held her mother’s hand, panting and saying, “I can do it.” That resilience actually gave me strength, and I gritted my teeth, moving up step by step—turns out, perseverance on a journey is never a solo matter. By noon, we finally reached the Jade Emperor Peak. Just as I steadied myself, a gust of wind brought a chill, so I quickly put on my thick coat. Looking up, the sea of clouds surged beneath my feet, and distant mountain peaks poked out like small islands floating in the clouds. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, gilding the sea of clouds with golden edges. Every photo I took was a beautiful scene that needed no editing. Sitting on a rock, munching on bread, I listened to an elderly man nearby recount legends of Mount Tai—Confucius climbing Mount Tai to see the world, Emperor Qin Shi Huang performing sacrifices to heaven. Those stories mingled with the mountain breeze, instantly giving the mountain warmth. On the way down, we chose the cable car. From above, I finally saw the full view of Mount Tai: the bluish-gray stone steps winding around the green mountains like a ribbon; the red walls of temples standing out vividly among the trees. After landing, we visited Jingshiyu, where the Diamond Sutra is carved on a huge stone slab. Though the characters were somewhat blurred, they exuded a solemnity of a thousand years. Some people squatted in front of the stone, gently touching it, as if conversing with the ancients. On the return trip, my bag held a Mount Tai Shigandang stone. It’s nothing special, but it contains the sweat from the climb, the sea of clouds at the summit, and the lively atmosphere of Tai’an city. It turns out that a trip to Mount Tai is not just about climbing a mountain, but about encountering scenery and discovering the courage to “rise up” step by step in your heart.