The best season to trek Lung Cung is from late October to the end of December. I chose a dry and cool day, mid-November is also the time when the ancient maple trees on the top of Lung Cung change leaves, putting on a colorful coat on the mountains and forests.
The bus took me to Tu Le town, where I met a local porter who was in charge of guiding the way and bringing food for the whole climbing team. From here, we took a motorbike taxi to Tu San village, about 15km from Tu Le center. The road was very bad and rocky, taking about 1 hour and 30 minutes to get there.
This was just the first leg of an emotional journey of steep, precarious slopes that bordered the edge of a cliff. I had to hold on tight and brace myself to hold on to the driver in front of me every time I went up and down the slope.
The motorbike taxi took us to the edge of the forest, where we began our climb through the gently sloping hills planted with crab apples. Once we crossed this low range of hills, we entered a completely different space. The forest suddenly became cool under the shade of ancient chestnut and oak trees.
Following the trails opened by the Mong people, we arrived at Hau Chua La waterfall, which is also a lunch stop for mountain climbing groups. In the Mong language: Hau Chua means cliff, La means monkey – this place used to be the habitat of wild monkeys.
They are not seen here very often now but there is still some wildlife, especially birds.
At a climbing speed equivalent to a slow walk, I arrived at Lung Cung overnight shelter at around 5pm. For me, walking in the forest is a sacred and special experience. The forest is filled with sunlight, the carpet of fallen leaves is thick and velvety, looking up you can see the forest canopy creating special shapes, with many sparkling colors.
Entering the forest with an open mind, I truly disconnected from the outside world, feeling the sunlight dancing on the leaves, listening to the sound of the stream babbling in the valley, watching the maple leaves flying in the sunset, and some small, pretty flowers on the deserted slope. These are all unforgettable moments in the heart of the hiker.
The overnight shelter in Lung Cung is located at an altitude of 2,400m, built on flat land. The sunlight shining through the smoke from the kitchen stove creates a cozy atmosphere in the gradually colder weather of the Northwest afternoon. The desolate sunset has taken over this place.
After a simple dinner of grilled pork and boiled vegetables, I listened to the sounds of the mountains and forests, and the raindrops falling on the roof of the hut. The next day, I started climbing the mountain at 4am.
There was quite a lot of fog so visibility was limited, but when I got higher, I saw a beautiful sea of clouds. Passing through the bamboo and ancient maple forests, I reached the open mountainside with many dwarf rhododendrons and wild daisies. The wide view allowed me to see the entire Nam Co commune below and the surrounding high mountain peaks. Absorbed in recording the nature and the sea of clouds, I reached the top of Lung Cung at 9am.
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