Uozu and Kosaka departed from Shinjuku Station on the night train at 22:45 on the 28th as planned.Arrived at Matsumoto Station at 4:57.It was still dark, and I felt cold when I stepped off the platform.Uozu asked Kosaka on the way to the early bridge:
"Are you asleep?"
"At least five hours of sleep."
"That's fine, I probably slept that much too."
The two said nothing else.Being cold and sleepy certainly played a role, but basically, once they got to the mountains, they became silent.Just arrived in Matsumoto today, this old habit came again.
After waiting there for about an hour, I took the tram bound for Dao Dao and arrived in forty minutes.When they sat in the waiting room and waited for the bus bound for Sawatari, the sky gradually became brighter.
When they left Tokyo, they all wore lapel-collared sweatshirts, pullovers, and ski pants.When I arrived at Matsumoto Station, I felt cold.Uozu took out his climbing jacket and put it on, and Kosaka put on a high-necked sweater.
They only brought small rucksacks and skis.The two made an appointment to pack as lightly as possible in the rucksack, and not to put any extra things. Except for the lunch box and underwear on the road, I only brought a hot water bottle, a flashlight, a mountaineering diary, a snow cap, ski glasses, gloves, waterproof gloves, and socks something like that.
Climbing equipment such as camping canopies, bag-shaped tents, climbing ropes, climbing stirrups, and rope loops have been moved to the Deze Inn by Kamijou in advance.This time even the climbing picks were boxed, and cooking utensils such as food, travel pots, and kerosene stoves were of course boxed and transported away in advance.
According to Kamijou's letter, they thought that the bus only went to Inaohe, but when they came to Torishima to inquire, they found that they could go to Sawatari.
"It's a day cheaper." Kosaka said.
In fact, it takes one day to walk from Inaohe to Zedu, and you have to stay overnight when you arrive at Zedu.
"Let's go straight to Kamikochi today." Uozu said.
Kosaka immediately said: "Okay! When it goes well, everything goes well." Listening to his tone, it seems that success is within grasp.
The bus was only carrying a few passengers to Sawatari. Not far from the station, when it was about to pass through Dashima Village, it began to snow.
From time to time the bus ran into oncoming trucks laden with lumber.After about 20 minutes, I crossed the Daohe Bridge and went around to the right bank of the Azusa River.The roofs of rice seedlings are covered with stones, as if they were frozen, and there is no sound, no one can be seen, and rice seedlings and dried persimmons are hung on the sloping board walls of every house.
"It's snowing heavily over the mountain!" the driver of the car was chatting with a passenger who looked like a local.
It was ten o'clock when the car arrived at the terminal station, Zedu Village.There was a foot of snow there.As soon as they got out of the car, they ran to a nearby shop called "Xigang Store".
They wanted to leave their rucksacks and skis there, and then go to Kamijou's family not far away, but the proprietress came out of the house and relayed Kamijou's message.
The message said that Kamijou had to go to Daohe Village today because he was not at home, and asked them to come and sit when they came back from the mountain.Then the proprietress took out a package wrapped in newspaper, put it on the table by the charcoal stove, and said Kamijou asked her to hand it over.It was the rice cake that Yujin had ordered with him in the letter.
So the two of them took out the boxed lunch in their rucksacks in this shop, and had a casual meal, not knowing whether it should be breakfast or lunch.There are some dried vegetables, fruits, rough snacks and daily sundries scattered about in this store. This is a common grocery store in the countryside.There are crude tables and chairs next to the charcoal stove, and it looks like a restaurant. In fact, if you want to eat a bowl of noodle soup or noodle soup, they will make it for you right away.
Besides, this is still a hotel, and at the end of the shop there is a room with six mats and a hearth.There was an old man who looked like a local sitting by the stove to keep warm.All mountaineers who go up the mountain in winter have lived here once or twice.Since Uozu and the others met Kamijo Shinichi, almost all of them lived in Kamijou's house, but before that, they also stayed here.
There are also some New Year’s goods in the store: on the right side are dried herring roe and boxed oranges, with kelp and squid piled up next to them; on the left side are boots, rubber-soled shoes, cotton gloves, and three children’s clothes. Wearing a red sweater.In a few days, I will definitely see girls from a certain family in the village wearing these sweaters for the New Year.
A villager from fifty years away came in in work clothes, with snowflakes on his shoulders.
"It's so cold!" He greeted Uozu first, and then said to those who were warming up by the hearth: "Jingu, are you relaxing?"
"Yes! Even the gods are frozen," replied the old man.
It seems that the old man is the priest of the nearby shrine.A wine jug stood on the hearth in front of him.
Uozu and Kosaka settled their bills, walked out of the store, and put on their skis.The snowflakes are still flying.
"Let's go." Kosaka stepped onto the snow first.
Depart from Zedu "Yougang Store" at 11 o'clock.Arrive at Sakamaki at 1:00 p.m., and at Zhongtang at 2:00 p.m.On the way to the Kama Tunnel, the snow was blown into hills by the wind.Arrive at Fu Tunnel at 2:30, and it takes 15 minutes to pass through the tunnel.There are surprisingly few icicles.The tunnel entrance was, as usual, covered with snow.After exiting the tunnel, the snow stopped and there was a faint sunshine.White smoke rose straight from the top of Mount Yakedake.Arrived at the shore of Dagong Lake at 3:45.I can see the corner of Mt. Hotaka.Arrive at the small shop by the lakeside of Taisho Lake at 4:50.From here, I walked into the forest trail and felt a little tired.Arrived at the caretaker's house of the hotel at five o'clock.As always, I was relieved to see the light in the caretaker's house in the dark.In the evening, chat with brother T of the hotel around the fire.Went upstairs to bed at ten o'clock.
On the 30th, set off from the guard house of the hotel at 8 o'clock.A foot of snow.Thirty minutes later, we arrived at Kappa Bridge.At the fork leading to Debenling, the Zihe River still flows, but further up, the river freezes and does not flow.Due to the strong wind on the river beach, there has always been little snow in this area.The riverbed remained virtually unchanged.It takes an hour to walk from Kappa Bridge to Myojin.It will take another hour and a half to go to Deze Inn, and arrive at Deze Inn at 11:00.
The owner of the Deze Inn went down the mountain, and Brother K stayed behind.Take a short break and pack your bags immediately after lunch.It was decided to move some of the luggage sent earlier (canopy, climbing equipment, etc.) to the mouth of Matsugao Mountain for reconnaissance.Estimated to take three hours one way.At that moment, they were setting off from Deze Inn, each with a suitcase on his rucksack, and some other luggage.Enter the river beach through the forest trail and pass under the Xincun bridge.From this area, the snow gradually deepens to the lava slope, looking up at the north slope.It took an hour so far.Enter the Houbaifeng Valley.The snow is getting deeper.Walk for an hour along the snow-covered riverbed.There are no trees on both sides, and the vision is wide. The entire north slope is majestic and magnificent, dotted with dead trees in a vast expanse of whiteness.In a short time, climbed to the right bank, crossed the birch forest, and arrived at the mouth of Songgao Mountain, and chose a place without avalanches to store luggage.One suitcase was opened, the other was left untouched.Raise a red flag as a target.After smoking a cigarette, set foot on the way home.Return to Deze Inn at 7:00.
Departure at seven o'clock in the morning on the 31st.Follow the footprints in yesterday's snow.Much easier than yesterday.At 10 o'clock, we arrived at the luggage storage place at the mouth of Songgao Mountain.Take off the skis.Separate the luggage, get dressed and set off.To avoid the danger of avalanches, take the Nakajima Shindo on the ridge on the left bank of Songdao Valley.The ramp is very steep.Wear non-slip shoes when walking to the summit.It is already twelve o'clock.Use lunch.There are steep slopes at the end of the ridge, and the snow is chest deep.You can look up and see the whole picture from the peak.The "treasure tree" on the left slope is close to the back foot, but it takes one hour to walk there.After arriving at three o'clock, the lakeside was white again.Set up a tent at the root of the "treasure tree".It started to snow.It's windy at night.
After writing his diary, Uozu put down his pen, blew out the candle on the empty whiskey bottle, and said in the dark, "It's windy."
The lower half of the double canopy was rattled by the wind.
"It will stop tomorrow." Kosaka replied.
On New Year's Eve in the 30th year of Showa, the two were under a big birch tree called "treasure tree" on the halfway up the snow-covered Houyoubai Mountain.Spent the New Year's Eve.
At this moment, the place where they pitched their tent was the only safe place around Houyoubai Lake.Except under the "treasure tree", there is a danger of encountering an avalanche anywhere.
At three o'clock this afternoon, as soon as the two arrived here, they immediately cleared the snow, stepped on the ground with their feet, and set up a double tent that was two meters wide and one meter high.Part of the luggage was brought into the canopy, the rest was left outside.Because of the snow, dinner was cooked in a tent.Put the snow into a travel pot, turn it into water with a kerosene stove, then put in the rice balls and pork brought from the Deze Inn, and cook it into porridge.
At five o'clock, night fell on the snow-capped mountains.Uozu spent an hour or so writing his diary by candlelight.No matter how tired he is, he will briefly write down the activities of the day in his diary.
After blowing out the candles, suddenly the wind was loud, roaring like a tsunami.
"If it doesn't snow tomorrow, get up at 3:30 and set off at 5. Oh! It would be great if the wind doesn't blow!" Xiaoban said.
"Enough shaving tonight, it will stop tomorrow... go to sleep."
After that, the two stopped talking.
Uojin got into the sleeping bag, straightened his body, and closed his eyes.The wind was still howling.He doesn't think about anything.If you want to, there are many things to do!Tomorrow is New Year's Day, and there are many things to think about around New Year's Day: In order to welcome the New Year, my mother in my hometown is busy at this time; my father must be drinking; the two siblings have not seen each other for a whole year; and the company's work ;Private affairs of the apartment...
Yujin climbs mountains in winter, every time he does this, he tries not to think about anything.He didn't come to climb the mountain just to think about these things, but he came here because he wanted to concentrate on climbing the mountain.
Uozu and Kosaka's plan this time is to conquer the east slope of the former spike peak.Dongpo is composed of three large cliffs, A, B, and C, and the north wall on its side, collectively called Dongpo.
There are several routes to climb the east slope.This time they planned to climb the Qiansui peak from the north wall through the A wall.So far, no one has been seen to reach the summit by this route in winter.As far as the north wall alone is concerned, according to records, there were three teams in the past who climbed up in about twelve hours, but they both climbed the north wall and the A wall in one day.
Both Uozu and Kosaka are confident that they can reach the summit in one day. They have made many trial climbs in summer, and they have also studied all the records on the east slope of Maeho Peak, only the photos taken in autumn when there was fresh snow. There are astonishingly many.
For the two of them, if there was one question that remained unresolved, it was why it took twelve hours for the previous climbing teams to climb the North Face?This is incomprehensible with the knowledge of summer climbing alone.
Yuzu woke up.He crawled out of his sleeping bag to strike a match. It was three o'clock and the wind had died down.He stuck his head out of the tent, only to see a few stars in the sky, and the cold air was to the bone.Uozu retracted his head into the tent and shook Kosaka's sleeping bag: "Get up! The stars are out."
"Hmm..." Kosaka turned over and poked his head out of the tent to check, as if to confirm Uozu's words. "Excellent!" Kosaka said, retracted the tent, and immediately squatted in front of the kerosene stove to light the fire.The melted water in the travel pot last night is now thick with ice again.Uozu put it on the stove, and took out the rice cake Kamijou had given him from the rucksack.
"I do all the errands every year," Yujin said.
"I don't know why, but I've been eating your chowder for five years." Kosaka said while preparing Tusu wine.
The kerosene stove burned a little bit of heat in the tent.Each drank a glass of whiskey, and each ate three rice cakes, which was chowder.Then I chewed two more chocolates.The New Year's Day breakfast in the 31st year of the Showa era started at half past four and ended at five o'clock.
Ready to go——Put black tea into a thermos, put salty biscuits, cheese, chocolate, raisins, yokan and other food into the backpack, and check the climbing ropes, nail hooks, steel rings, iron hammers, stirrups, small bag tents, etc. After looking it over, put it in the rucksack.
Put on mountaineering clothes and overalls.Overboots were added to the shoes, of course, and cleats were added.Wear woolen gloves on your hands, and then put on waterproof gloves.
At half past five, I put on my rucksack and walked out of the tent with a climbing pick in hand.Before dawn.
The two first went down to the valley of the white peak, and crossed from there to shallow valley B.Shallow Valley B is a steep slope. Fortunately, the snow is not very soft, but with each step, the snow still reaches the knees.
"It's been an hour," Kosaka said from behind.
"In another hour, we will arrive." Yujin replied.
Their goal was the bottom of the north wall.It's best to arrive before 7:30.
It happened to be exactly seven o'clock when we climbed to the end of shallow valley B.At this time, the sun of New Year's Day rose from behind, and the surroundings suddenly brightened and became warm.Rocks were exposed on the two walls of the valley, and beyond that was a vast expanse of whiteness without a single tree.
At the end of shallow valley B stands a 150-meter-high cliff, which is the North Wall.Climbing up the snow-covered slope, we reached the bottom of the wall at half past seven on schedule.
Pick up the snow on the slope, level the ground, and put down the rucksack.Then the two smoked with that extraordinarily calm mood that often precedes great things.Uozu looked up at the 150-meter-high snow-covered rock wall that he was about to climb, and thought: It challenges us over there.The sky is snowing again.
At eight o'clock, everyone took a sip of tea from the thermos.A 30-meter-long climbing rope is tied. This is the first time that nylon climbing rope has been used.Uozu took the lead and began to climb up from the wall shop.This is a very steep snow slope, and as soon as the snow is cleared, the body also slides down.Plug in the climbing pick and use it to move your body up with all your strength.Climbing up the first snow ledge is difficult.Then pull away and climb up the rock slope.From here we began to climb, and soon encountered a crack as long as a chimney; the rock was slightly crowned.Drive into the nail hook, hang the steel ring, step on the stirrups and turn up.Above are rocky cliffs covered with snow.
Further up is a series of snow-packed rock ridges.
The last section is Shiya.very steep.From here, there are two climbs left and right.The one on the right seems easier, but it takes time, so we have to make up our minds and rush straight up.It took an hour and a half to climb two intervals to reach the roof.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, climb up the north wall and finally reach the second rock platform.It took a total of seven hours so far.Have lunch here.
At half past three, we started to climb Wall A.At this time, the weather began to turn cloudy and windy, with mixed snow and wind, making climbing difficult.
At 5:30, it was pitch black, and it was impossible to board again.Both camped on the A wall.The discovery of the campsite was also thanks to God's blessings. When Uozu was clearing the snow from the rock recess in order to find a fulcrum for tying the climbing rope, he found a gap between the two rocks that was quite wide, just enough for two people to sit side by side. And sit.Lay a tether stake, and connect the two with a rope.The head is covered with a small bag-shaped tent.
The wind and snow hit my face, and I wanted to light a fire to keep warm, but the candle wick was covered with snow, so I couldn't light it. I regretted not bringing a lighter.Extremely tired.
This is Uozu writing his diary with a pen in the dark, and he himself does not know whether the words on the paper are real words.
After that, Yujin fell asleep and woke up several times in a daze.Every time I wake up, the first thing I think of is; the two of them are now on the top of Wall A, and there are about 30 meters to reach the peak. As long as they can overcome the severe cold, they can reach it without spending a lot of time.
"Damn it!" Kosaka said.No expression could be seen, but a wry smile could be heard in his tone.
"Are you asleep?" Yujin asked.
"Oh, I didn't sleep at all. Anyway, we will go up when the snow stops! This time I will take the lead."
Uozu felt that Kosaka was more energetic than himself, and thought to himself, it might be better to just do what he said and let him go first.
"Beware of frostbite!" Uozu said.Kosaka responded, and he fell asleep.Uozu brushed off the snow from the top of the small tent, while Kosaka was still sleeping soundly.
After a while, Yujin himself fell asleep.After an unknown amount of time, Uozu heard Kosaka talking to him, and the voice seemed to come from far away.
"No problem? Hey! No problem?"
Kosaka's voice suddenly became louder, so Uozu opened his eyes.
"No problem!" Yujin replied.
"Don't sleep! It's better if you don't sleep." Kosaka said again.
Kosaka, who was close to Uozu's right, was shaking so much that it was ridiculous.
"Don't fall down the mountain, this is not a bedroom!"
Yujin pulled himself together and made a joke.Kosaka also refused to admit defeat:
"Who said I was shaking! You were shaking yourself, so you brought me with you!"
It's hard to tell who's causing the trembling, but it's a fact that both of them are trembling badly.
The wind is less, it is estimated that the snow is still floating.The frozen little tent was weighed down by the snow.
"what time is it?"
"It's almost four o'clock."
Kosaka struck a match, and the tent suddenly lit up.
"Four o'clock."
"That is to say, I still have to wait patiently for three hours, and I can leave here at seven o'clock."
The two drank some more whiskey.They had drank many times before taking biscuits and cheese from their rucksacks and putting them in their mouths.The cold was getting worse, and the pre-dawn cold hit them so hard that it seemed to freeze them.
Yujin hugged his chest with both arms, trying to tighten his body as tight as possible.Hearing Kosaka's words, he kept his eyes wide open in order not to fall asleep.The snow water has not penetrated into the gloves and clothes.Right now, the fatigue is not very severe.Food is also plentiful.Aside from being trapped in a crevice on a cliff three thousand meters high, the situation couldn't be said to be very bad - Uozu thought so.Even so, he still felt that death was waiting in the sky outside the thin tent, and that if they gave up, they would be caught.
"Kosaka! What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking, just as soon as the daylight comes. Start climbing as soon as it's daylight."
"Will it be windy or snowy?"
"Probably not any bigger."
Kosaka wanted to open the bottom of the tent to see the situation, but as soon as he moved, snowflakes and biting cold wind rushed in.
"It doesn't matter, it will stop in the morning." Kosaka neither seemed to be talking to himself, nor did he seem to be talking to Uozu.
It was light at half past six.The wind and snow continued, obscuring his vision.They waited for the wind and snow to subside, and planned to start climbing after the wind eased. They couldn't wait here for a long time, and they didn't think about going back. They could reach the top by climbing another 30 meters. Up is easier than down.
By seven o'clock the snow had not stopped, but had abated and was ready for snow.
"How about it?" Kosaka said.
"Do it!" Yujin replied.
The two were snowbound in the cracks of the rocks, unable to move for a whole night, and now they were eager to get out of this situation. There is no worse situation than this.There are at most 30 meters left on the rock formation, and at best, after fighting with rocks, wind and snow for about three hours, I can stand on the top of Mt. Hotaka.Then go down from shallow valley A, and return to the untouched tent that was set up there yesterday morning under the treasure tree.Compared with the distance traveled so far, this return trip is unbelievably easy.
Of course, there may be an avalanche on the way home, or you may be unable to move an inch due to wind and snow.But for the two of them who had gone through the bitter battle last night, these were nothing. For avalanches, they could be carefully avoided; for wind and snow, just dig a snow hole and get in.Compared with last night's camping, Snow Nest is better than Qionglou Yuyu.
It took the two of them 20 minutes to fold up the small bag tent and prepare for the climb in the snowstorm.
"Going to the last interval!"
After checking the climbing ropes, Kosaka covered his entire face in a snow cap, only showing his eyes, and smiled and signaled: "Okay! Let's go!" This morning, Kosaka was the leader.Uojin was ready to climb and felt that his vitality had recovered.He thought: If he had known this earlier, there would be no need for Xiaosaka to take the lead.
The tall Kosaka leaned forward, established his footing step by step, and began to climb up the snow-covered rocky slope.
It took an hour and a half to climb about 20 meters.It takes about ten meters to reach the finish line.
When Kosaka settled his footing and Yujin climbed up to him, Kosaka said, "Smoke a cigarette!" He rolled in the snow like a snowman, took out the cigarette case, took one in his mouth first, and then put the cigarette away The box was passed to Uozu.Uozu took out one and each lit a cigarette with a match.
The wind blows from bottom to top, and snow and fog sometimes rush towards them.However, the falling snow is much less than before.If this continues, the snow may stop in a short while.
"It was a big mistake not to bring a lighter this time," said Uozu.
"I put it in the rucksack, and then took it out."
Hearing what Kosaka said, Uozu was stunned for a moment, and the red female lighter in Kosaka's hand appeared in his mind last time.
Kosaka stopped talking about the lighter, and threw away the half of the cigarette in his hand, "Go!" He said, looked into Yulu's eyes, and then turned around.
Uozu inserted the climbing pick into a crack in the rock as a fulcrum.This is the last hurdle.In front of it was a large rock that stood up like a screen with snow stuck on it.Xiao Jun searched for a foothold seven or eight meters ahead, and searched for a long time.
The snow mist formed by falling snow covered Uozu's sight twice, and Kosaka could not be seen.When the snow and fog cleared, Kosaka was still clinging to the rock wall.Kosaka slowly climbed up.After a while, Kosaka's voice was heard:
"Okay, come on!"
Following Kosaka's cry, Uozu pulled out the climbing pick from the crack in the rock, and climbed up towards the corner of the rock where Kosaka was standing.
In some places there is snow, in others there is no snow at all, and gray-brown rocks are exposed.Following the example of the small board, Yujin stood firm step by step and climbed up through these places.
Uozu managed to climb a meter away from Kosaka, and Kosaka started to climb again.The two were not in the mood to talk, and the arduous and dangerous homework did not allow them to talk.
Uozu inserted the climbing pick into the crevice of the rock, staring at his friend.The wind blows from the left side of the slope, constantly blowing snow and mist to fill the space under the feet, and the falling snow balls sometimes make a scary sound and scatter to Yujin's feet.
At this time, Kosaka was hanging on a slope five meters away from Uozu, leaning against the rock wall, and hanging the climbing rope to a stalagmite protruding above his head.Strangely, Uozu felt that Osaka Otohiko's figure was so clear at this time, as if it was a picture.A small space around Kosaka seemed to have been purified and washed clean. The bodies of rocks, snow and small garbage seemed to be reflected in Uozu's eyes through the glass plate, shining with a faint cold light.
That's when the accident happened.Uozu saw Kosaka's body slide down the rocky slope suddenly and rapidly, at this moment, Uozu heard the short and sharp calls coming in and out of Kosaka's mouth.
Uozu tightly held the climbing pick with both hands, watching Kosaka slide down.At this time, Kosaka's body seemed to be propelled by some kind of huge force, and it broke away from the vertical surface of the cliff, and became a falling body, falling into the ocean of snow and hail.
Uozu hugged the climbing pick tightly.When he realized that Osaka Otohiko's body had disappeared from his vision, he began to understand the true meaning of the accident - Kosaka fell!
Uozu called desperately: "Xiao———"
He lengthened the footsteps of the word "Saka".Call out with all your might.He wanted to call out the name as hard as possible again, but he didn't, because he realized that no matter how loudly he called Kosaka, there would be no result.
Uojin shifted his gaze to his feet, and the mountain wind kept blowing up the snow on the rock wall, and lifted it up to the sky, completely obscuring his vision.Of course, even if there is no snow and fog to cover your eyes, you can't see the bottom, because there is a steep cliff below the mountaineering pick inserted when you came up.They came up from the side around this cliff.
Uozu pulled back the climbing rope.The rope has no load other than its own weight, and slides along the rock face until it reaches the hand.Uozu wondered, why didn't he feel any momentum?But he didn't have time to think about it.It seems that when Xiaoji slipped for some reason, the rope could not withstand his weight and broke.
The rope is all retracted into the hand.When Yujin saw the crack that seemed to be worn off, an indescribable terror struck him again.Kosaka Otohiko fell down.I don't know where it fell, but anyway, it fell from the top of wall A into the depths of the canyon.
"Small—Saka—"
Uozu desperately called out his friend's name again, and the voice came back to him with redoubled terror.Anyway, gotta go downhill.He now prayed to God that Osaka Otohiko's body lay somewhere on the second ledge.According to the general situation, Kosaka's body could not stop on the second rock platform, but would only slide down the steep slope covered with ice and snow, and sink into the bottomless abyss of the canyon.But maybe due to some accidental force, Kosaka's body was buried in the snow on the second ledge.
Although Uozu had this lucky idea, there is a vertical distance of 100 meters from here to the second rock platform.Thinking of this, he fell into despair again.
what should i do nowUojin thought about what action he should take next.A minute later, Yujin realized that he had no choice but to go down the mountain.You must go down to the second rock platform!
But going down is not an easy task.Now he is alone, and he must walk down the wall by himself.Snowballs falling from above hit Uozu who was standing silently one after another.Uozu bent down in order to go down to the second ledge.Maybe Kosaka's body was lying there.
Snow started hitting Uozu across the face again.
Yujin didn't think about anything at the moment.He devoted all his energy to achieve the only goal - to race against time and get down to the second ledge as quickly as possible.
The snow stopped from time to time, and Yujin was sometimes covered by the falling snow balls, and sometimes was hit by the sweeping snow blocks, so he squatted down.In this case, he didn't think about anything, and concentrated on descending—driving the nail hook into the rock, hanging the rope loop, passing the broken climbing rope through it, and climbing the rope to slowly descend.When the end of the rope is reached, the rope is pulled out again, and then the same action is repeated-hitting the nail hook, hanging the rope loop, threading the rope, and climbing the rope to descend.
Uozu completely lost the sense of time, and after an unknown amount of time, he passed Wall A and reached the snow-covered second rock platform.The rock wall has reached the bottom. From here, there is a rather steep snow slope downward, which is about forty meters long.
As soon as Uozu arrived at the second rock platform, he called out his friend's name:
"Small—Saka—"
He yelled two or three times.The snow surface here has changed, and the footprints left by Uozu and Kosaka yesterday have long since disappeared.There was no sign of Kosaka Otohiko anywhere, nor any trace of him slipping down from here.It's just a flat, smooth snowboard.
With a glimmer of hope, Uojin searched everywhere on the snowboard with a climbing pick.
After searching for a while, Yujin was exhausted, finished the sad homework, and stood still.When he realized that the place he was standing now was the place where he had stood and had lunch with Kosaka at three o'clock yesterday, a sudden impulse came to his mind—he really wanted to sit down on the spot and never move.
"Small—Saka—"
This time he shouted softly and looked around.It's unbelievable that Kosaka Otohiko is no longer by his side; it's unbelievable that Kosaka has disappeared and he is the only one standing here.
Uozu looked at his watch, it was twelve o'clock.Two hours have passed.In his mind, he roughly sketched the subsequent actions-traversing the V-shaped snow-covered canyon, crossing the second ridge of Songgao, entering the shallow valley A, and returning to the back and white tent through the turning point.In normal times, two hours is enough, but now that the body is extremely tired, it should be estimated that it will take double the time.According to this calculation, it would be about four o'clock or four-thirty to reach the tent.Then have to go back to Deze right away.From the tent to Deze, it is estimated to take five or six hours.
Since Kosaka was not found on the second rock platform, Uozu must return to Tokuzawa as soon as possible to organize a rescue team.
He began to move his body, as if crawling forward.Extreme exhaustion was certainly a reason, but what was more important was that Kosaka was not found on the second rock platform, which took away what little energy he had left.
From the second rock platform down to the V-shaped snow-covered canyon, the slope is very steep.Uozu inserted the climbing pick into the waist-deep snow, and supported it to move his legs step by step.He felt that his pace was too slow now.
How did the climbing rope break?It is certain that the rope snapped without taking any momentum.When Kosaka stumbled and his body left the rock wall, he was hugging the climbing pick, but he didn't feel any momentum, and the climbing rope did not bear Kosaka's weight.
Why is there no momentum?This means that the moment Kosaka's weight is added to the climbing rope.The rope snapped.Is it possible that the climbing rope will break?
While moving his feet, Yujin pondered over this question over and over again.When thinking about climbing ropes suddenly stopped for some reason, Kosaka's figure appeared in front of his eyes—he must be lying somewhere now.
For some reason, Kosaka, who came to Uojin's mind, always lay on his back on the snow.It stands to reason that lying on his back is rare, and a figure of Kosaka lying prone is more likely.But for some reason, Kosaka, who appeared in Yujin's mind, was lying upright on his back.
Uozu felt that Kosaka's figure meant that Kosaka was still alive somewhere.The method of labor connects Kosaka with death.
Kosaka, you wait!You wait for me: Kosaka, you want to live!Please live!Yujin wanted to go down to the Deze Inn as soon as possible.
In fact, he really didn't want to go down to the Deze Inn, but really wanted to find the place where Kosaka might have fallen.But with the weather in front of him and his physical condition being so bad, it was extremely difficult to do.
As soon as Kosaka's figure lying on his back disappeared from Uozu's eyes, the question of the climbing rope immediately replaced it in his mind—why did the rope break?
The wind and snow start and stop from time to time, but Uozu's sensitivity to this change in nature has become dull.He was already absent-minded about whether the wind and snow would blow or not, only the question mark on the climbing rope and the figure of Kosaka lying on his back occupied his mind alternately.
When he reached the treasure tree, Yujin could barely move his legs, he was really exhausted.Tents with heavy snow caps in snow light.I don't know when it started, it was already dark.
Yujin got into the tent, replenished food in his rucksack, and got out again without sitting still in order to rush to Deze as soon as possible.As he stepped out of the tent, he felt the deathly silence of that long-forgotten snowy night in the mountains enveloped him.
After breakfast and tidying up, Minako poured coffee from the pot into a small grape-colored hard ceramic coffee cup, and waited for Konnosuke who was sitting on a wicker chair in the corridor reading the newspaper.
Konosuke likes to drink coffee, like this every day, and he is not satisfied if he does not drink two cups of strong coffee after breakfast.After drinking the first glass, he will definitely clap his hands, indicating that he wants a second glass.Not only do you drink it at home, but you also have to pour a few cups of this irritating brown liquid into your stomach when you are in a company, when you are in a meeting or receiving guests.
Minako has long wanted to reduce the amount of coffee she drinks.Drinking strong tea is fine, but coffee, I have to find a way.In the past two or three years, Gyonosuke's health has become much weaker, and he can't tell what's wrong, but his appetite is too poor.Take breakfast for example, a half-boiled egg, half a piece of bread, plus half a small cup of tomato juice and a small amount of raw vegetables.Cooking breakfast for him every day is like a child playing a game.She was very upset.
Minako believes that the main reason for the loss of appetite is probably the lack of coffee.So she hoped that even if she could reduce her morning coffee to one cup, she couldn't.
Before New Year's Day, Minako specially bought small coffee cups, the kind used after meals in Western food.Such a cup, even if he is allowed to drink double, is only equal to the previous cup.She originally planned to use it as soon as the Chinese New Year was over, but she was so busy during the Chinese New Year that she didn't have time to use it. She didn't start using this small coffee cup until today, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.
Minako put her own and her husband's two cups of coffee on a tray and carried them to the corridor.Kyonosuke was bathed in the faint sunlight coming in through the glass window, leaning against the back of the chair with a dull expression.
Minako put the tray on the table and sat down opposite her husband.
Kinnosuke picked up the coffee cup and stared at it for a while, as if studying its shape and color.
"Isn't this beautiful?"
The dark grape-coloured ceramics look beautiful in the sun.
"Why is it so small!"
"Then I can give you two cups."
Minako expected her husband to immediately move the cup to his mouth.But the husband didn't do that.He put down the cup, picked up the silver teaspoon, which he had only started using today, turned it over, and looked at it as he had just done.After a while, he suddenly said, "What's the relationship between Kosaka and you?"
Minako raised her head and looked at her husband.She didn't know what her husband's intention was when he suddenly mentioned Kosaka.
Konosuke didn't look up, and continued to fiddle with the silver teaspoon. After a while, he put it back on the plate and said, "It's very pretty." At this moment, he turned his face to Minako.
"What relationship are you asking about..." Minazi had done something wrong, so she felt uneasy.
"Is it a simple friend, or more or less..."
"Of course they are friends."
"No, friends are friends, of course, do you like it a little bit, or something..." Konnosuke said vaguely, and then added: "I mean emotional things."
Minako was worried that her face had turned pale.
It was difficult for Minako to figure out why her husband asked such a question.What is he planning in his mind?Why do you want to mention this kind of thing?在这种情况下，她刹那间想到的是：说不定小坂来了信，而且被丈夫看到了。这是有可能的。
美那子的手拿着茶匙在小咖啡杯里搅动。茶匙似乎太大了点，得轻轻地动，要不咖啡会从杯里溢出来。
美那子先不回答，为了使心情平静下来，她拿起杯子喝咖啡。当她把杯子放回碟子里的时候，已经拿定主意——应该在这时候把自己对小坂的感情对丈夫说清楚。
美那子抬起头看着丈夫。这时是他拿着茶匙在杯子里搅动了。
“说真的，小坂这个人真有点伤脑筋。是个好人，但有些地方不注意分寸。纯洁倒是纯洁的——嗯，所以我对他说过，要他断绝往来。”
“唔？不注意分寸？难道说他爱你？”
“唉，是……”
“那你呢？”
“我讨厌这种……”
“不，我是在问你！他嘛，我知道大概就是那么回事。”
“问我？我会有什么感情：你怎么啦，是在怀疑我？”
“并不怀疑。”
“那你为什么这么问？好，那我就说清楚！我不喜欢他，讨厌！所以我要他别来往了。”
“明白了。听你这么说就够了。”
“这又是为什么？”
“没什么，行了。”教之助看美那子有点生气，便劝止地说：“再来一杯咖啡吧，饭厅里有晨报，一起拿来。如果你对小坂没有什么特别的感情，那就好。你看看报吧。”
美那子听说丈夫要她看报，心里感到一阵不安。可以预料报上登着有关小坂的事，但是猜不透是什么事。
“出了什么事？”
“你看好啦。”
美那子去给教之助例第二杯咖啡，拿起空杯子，走进饭厅。她没倒咖啡而先拿起了报纸。
她翻开社会版，拣主要消息的标题看下去，看到“德高山初次发生遇难事件”。心里立刻明白了，因为小坂和鱼津曾经说过年底要上德高山。
……不少人熟悉的登山新秀生津恭太与小坂乙彦，为登前穗高峰的东坡，于上月三十日从上高地出发，进入后又白峰。元月二日在A岩台上因登山绳断裂，小坂从岩壁上坠落。鱼津下至德泽客栈告急，正在德泽客钱的M大学山岳部的六名成员立即前往现场抢救。现场一带因积雪深厚，搜索极为困难，估计小坂得救的希望很小。
美那子读完后，差点儿“啊”地叫出声来，好容易才克制住。她脑海里浮现出倒在岩石间的小坂乙彦的身影——昂着头，仰起精悍的脸，挣扎着想从岩石间爬出来。美那子不知道冬季的山是什么样子，以及攀登岩壁是怎么回事。她根本没有这方面的知识，所以自然把小坂的遇难想象成那个样子了。
Notes:
Notes: