Mist Clears and Cloud Sea at Taizijian Post Station

Photos

The story

At Taizijian Station, on Taizijian, a mountain in Zhejiang, the pine needles met my eyes first, deep green and upright, glowing with vitality in the bright sunlight. Past the treetops, the mountains layered one behind another; the valleys dropped deep, milky white clouds and mist wrapped around the mountainsides like ribbons hung on the ridges, and at the valley floor, winding roads and traces of settlements were faintly visible. The deep blue sky made it all seem especially high, distant, and open. Near the station, cars nearly filled the road, and Taizijian Station seemed surrounded by bustle.

The winding mountain road curved ahead. The distant mountains were wrapped in thick white clouds and mist; the mist surged, quiet and mysterious.

Near the Taizijian trailhead, the mist was slowly clearing, and a sea of clouds emerged from between the ridges. I slept well at Taizijian, and seeing the sea of clouds made me feel good too. The clouds and mist drew back strand by strand, and the mountain colors grew clearer bit by bit. Standing in such openness, my heart quieted along with it.

When the mist cleared, the mountains grew even quieter.