They "circled" the earth 3.5 times in four years, just to...
Author: Wang Peng Lu Yang Liu Zhongjun
Gongga Mountain, located on the plateau of western Sichuan, is the highest mountain in Sichuan.
There is a "horseback patrol team" in Yulongxi Village at the foot of Gongga Mountain.
In the past four years, villagers have spontaneously formed teams to patrol mountains, grasslands, forests and even "no man's land" on horseback. The accumulated mileage is equivalent to "rounding" the earth 3.5 times.
The patrol team rode through the snow.
Photo by Liu Zhongjun
In late March, reporters from Chinanews.com followed the patrol team on the road and felt the hardships of the villagers guarding the "king of Shushan" from close range-picking up trash in the mountains over 4000 meters above sea level, protecting forests and preventing fires, and camping and picnics when they were tired. I often encounter wolves, the mountains are high and snowy, and I will fall and be injured if I don't pay attention.
But the villagers regard these as ordinary.
"Gongga Mountain is our home. To protect the environment is to leave a fortune for future generations."
Patrolling the road, suffering but no regrets
In Yulong West Village in March, the sun is fierce and the snow-capped mountains are dazzling.
Riding on the mountain road, the wind blows so people can't open their eyes.
As the altitude gets higher and higher, the horse's gasping sound becomes heavier.
After reaching a lookout point on the ridge with an altitude of nearly 4,500 meters, the team member Buya took out the binoculars.
The members of the patrol team walked on the ridge.
Photo by Liu Zhongjun
"We have to make sure that there is no fire in this mountain, and no tourists sneak in." At a time when forest fires are high, forest protection and fire prevention are the top priority.
45-year-old Bu Xia carefully inspected every mountain in the distance through binoculars.
He is dark-skinned, is the party branch secretary of Yulongxi Village and the first member of the patrol team.
Twenty minutes later, the patrol team turned the horse's head and walked towards Lenggacuo, a higher altitude.
The horseshoe lifted up the dust, the bells jingled, and quickly disappeared in the wind.
Lenggacuo in March is still freezing.
This Gaoshan Haizi is an excellent place to watch Gongga Mountain. There are many tourists. The snow on the wetlands on the shore has melted, and the covered garbage is exposed.
The team tied the horses, fed a bag of barley, and began to bend over to search.
The patrol team picked up rubbish on the mountain.
Photo by Liu Zhongjun
"We have been grazing in the mountains for generations, and it feels uncomfortable to see trash." With both hands, the soil was scraped away, and the team member Sorb picked up the covered mineral water bottles and food packaging bags one by one.
He said that rubbish is sometimes eaten into the stomach by the yak, with disastrous consequences.
At lunch, the team members sat on the ground and shared their beef jerky, butter buns, and bacon...During the field patrol, they were not allowed to cook.
Due to long-term cold meals in high-altitude areas, some team members often have gastrointestinal discomfort and can only gulp with Huoxiang Zhengqi water.
The patrol team walked past Lenggacuo.
Photo by Liu Zhongjun
After eating, the leader Zhongbu took the lead to sing a song, and the thin air was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
At this time, the ridge of the snow-capped mountains in the distance was shining with cold light, and the peak of Gongga Mountain was hidden into the clouds, which was very magnificent.
Tie the woven bag of garbage on the horse's back, turn on the horse, and the team members walked deeper into the mountain.
They must arrive at a camp before dark, stay there, go deeper tomorrow, and repeat today's work.
Members of the patrol team are picking up rubbish in Lenggacuo.
Photo by Liu Zhongjun
Patrol work is monotonous and boring, and it is naturally dangerous.
It is difficult for people to get out when the mountain is covered by heavy snow, and horses have to go hungry; after staying in the snow field for a long time, people will suffer from snow blindness; in the "no man's land", people will encounter wolves, often accompanied by wolf howling when they fall asleep; frostbite, Falling horses is even more common.
After a heavy snowfall in 2018, Bu Xia slipped on the ice on a horse. Not only did the horse break his front leg, but his head was also bloody.
He didn't want to mention more about his injury, but he felt very sorry for the horse. "I'm used to it, but the horse is our best friend."
Spontaneously build a team, 4 years of patrol mileage "round" the earth 3.5 times
The patrol team's awe of nature is moving. Where does their "guard" come from?
How long will it last?
Members of the patrol team patrolled the forest.
Photo by Liu Zhongjun
"Gongga Mountain is our sacred mountain." Bu Xia repeated during the conversation.
The clock dials back to 2016.
Lenggacuo, Quanhuatan, Zimeiyakou, Lisuohai... When the unparalleled beauty spread widely on the Internet, Yulongxi Village in Gonggashan Town, Kangding City, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province, flooded with more backpackers and photographers. Home, self-driving.
The old village became lively, and hidden dangers followed.
The patrol team walked on the mountain.
Photo by Liu Zhongjun
"There are more and more tourists, and more and more domestic garbage is generated, which urgently needs to be cleaned up; there are more explorers who have violated the regulations to climb Gongga Mountain and traverse the virgin forest without permission, and accidents may occur; Fire is even more dangerous.” Recalling the situation at that time, Liu Tao, Secretary of the Party Committee of Gonggashan Town, had lingering fears.
The villagers who have lived at the foot of Gongga Mountain for generations are even more unable to sit still.
“We rode yaks in the mountains and we used to patrol frequently.” In March 2017, Bu Xia proposed that the village can organize a voluntary patrol team to take charge of forest and grassland fire prevention and anti-poaching, as well as pick up trash and help tourists. .
If you walk on the snow, you will fall down if you are not careful.
Photo by Liu Zhongjun
Two months later, this "horseback patrol team" was established.
The Kangba guys rode high-headed horses and shuttled through the vast forest, sea and snowy plains, like the "knights" in martial arts novels.
The "First Secretary" of Yulong West Village, Zhongbu was the first captain of the patrol team.
He said that the patrol team had only 7 members at the beginning and the patrol range was also limited.
Later, more and more villagers took the initiative to participate, and the scope of patrols became wider and wider. “Now at least one person from each of the 82 households in our village participates. Every time we patrol 7 people and 7 horses, it takes six or seven days to walk.”
The team members sat on the ground and shared lunch.
Photo by Liu Zhongjun
Yulongxi Village-Yaha Pass-Panpan Mountain Pass-Riwuqi Pass-Zimei Pass-Yulong West Village, this mountain trail stretches for nearly 70 kilometers, and the sound of horseshoes has never stopped for several years.
According to incomplete statistics, since the formation of the patrol team, 125 people have taken turns to carry out large-scale forest protection patrols 292 times, cleaned up 6.2 tons of garbage, and traveled more than 140,000 kilometers, which is equivalent to "circling" the earth 3.5 times.
Hearing this number, the players were very surprised.
Some of them have only been to Kangding, which is only 4 hours away by car, and said, "Round the earth 3.5 times? Is this a joke?"
"For myself, more for future generations"
Gongga Mountain Town is very vast, with an area of 2106.93 square kilometers.
Nine administrative villages scattered at the foot of Gongga Mountain constitute the largest township (town) in Kangding City.
However, there are only 624 households with 3054 people in Gonggashan Town.
In fact, not only Yulongxi Village, but every village in Gonggashan Town is guarding the "King of Shu Mountain" in its own way. Some people walk on foot and others ride motorcycles.
Members of the patrol team observe at the lookout point.
Photo by Liu Zhongjun
"Guardian Gongga", the simple belief of the villagers, coincides with the ecological civilization thought of "green water and green mountains are golden and silver mountains".
In the town of Gongga Mountain, the slogan "If there is no green forest, there is no Matsutake mountain" everywhere.
Villagers used to dig cordyceps, pick up matsutake, and release yaks for hygiene.
Now tourism has brought new possibilities.
There was an inn in Yulong West Village, and a caravan was also established.
In the days when they did not participate in the patrol team, the villagers led the horses to take tourists up the mountain. By the end of the year, each household would receive at least seven to eighty yuan in dividends.
In 2020, the per capita income of villagers will exceed 22,000 yuan.
The picture shows the portraits of some patrol team members.
Photo by Liu Zhongjun
"We have to thank Gongga Mountain even more. This is the money from Gongga Mountain." Bu Gai said, guarding the mountain is to save a fortune for himself and future generations. "This road, we will keep going. ."
While talking, a group of argali suddenly appeared on the ridge in the distance, and the team members excitedly took out their phones to take pictures.
This is evidence that the ecological environment has improved, and they have their credit. Since 2017, the patrol team has driven away poachers more than 40 times and stopped 16 wild fires. There has never been a forest fire.
The patrol team arrived at the overnight camp.
Photo by Liu Zhongjun
In the evening, the setting sun shines on the top of Gongga Mountain, a golden color.
The patrol team finally arrived at an earth-rock shack, which is the camp tonight.
After feeding the horses and arranging the bed hastily, it was already dark.
The team members lit the fire, sat together, drinking and talking and laughing, enjoying the warmest and relaxing moments of the day.