Bewitched by Waterfalls 泉音瀑影, 總教我著迷

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BY WATERFALLS

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Browsing through some of the old files recently, I accidentally re-covered a scribbled note, which reminds me of a stream trekking trip years ago. It was a rainy summer…

“On a mid-summer day, I set out for a visit to the Ng Tung Stream in the Lam Tsuen Valley. Starting at the Man Tak Villa in the Ng Tung Chai village, I scrambled up-stream along the ravine. After the rain in previous night, the green valley was still filled by mist, with peaks poking out like fairy islands floating on a sea of cloud. Waterfalls plunged down from clifftops like snow-white silk cloths hanging on jade screens. I had visited all the waterfalls in the ravine : the Well-bottom Falls, hidden within a huge cave, so gloomy as it was at the River Styx; the Horse-tail Falls, bright and cheerful, sending sprays high around the waterfall, creating a misty ethereal atmosphere. It took me almost half a day to reach the Long Falls, since I had made numerous stops on the way, just to enjoy the beauty of the waterfalls as well as to take dips into the crystal clear pools.

Sitting on a rock right in front of the Long Falls, I took my lunch while watching the 120-foot-long waterfall plunging down from the cliff top like the Milkyway pouring down from heaven. I continued to trek up-stream to the secluded ravine near the source of the stream, searching for the legendary Maiden Falls which had been described as ‘gentle and beautiful like a lotus flower emerging from the pool’. Finally when I reached the source of the stream and near the top of Tai Mo Shan, I was greeted by the sunset. Looking down from the mountain, the sparkling city light reminded me that I was back to earth again.

Behold the silver dragon that transforms into raindrops and showers down from the sky.
I search for the source of the stream through the mountain mist,
A journey with ever-changing scenery, like travelling between heaven and the nether world.
Deep in the dewdrops-covered recess of the secluded Ng Tung ravine,
the lonely waterfall by the overhanging cliff, like a lotus flower in solitude.”

I still recalled the early days when I was a beginner to hiking and mountaineering. I was already attracted to the sparkling mountain streams and waterfalls at the valley bottom during the hiking trips, wishing that one day I would be able to get close to these beautiful falls and cool waters. Stream trekking required experience as well as technique, and as a layman to stream trekking, I did not want to get hurt by any reckless attempt. Until one day, when my aunt, who was also a hiking enthusiast, said to me, “Why not try the Ng Tung Stream?”

Located deep in the valley of Lam Tsuen, the rugged and steep ravine of Ng Tung Stream consisted of overhanging cliffs and scree, and certainly not an easy route to tackle. However, since a hiking trail had been built along the ravine and all the dangerous spots were bypassed, the waterfall trip was in fact a safe and pleasant trail-walking journey. The hiking trail ended at the top of the Long Falls, therefore I had no luck to see the legendary Maiden Falls. That was my first serious stream-visiting trip, and Ng Tung had remained at the top of my list of favourite streams ever since.

After gaining enough experience and confidence by joining several group stream-trekking training, I came back to the valley of Lam Tsuen, this time ready for a trek of the Ng Tung Stream to its source. It was an unforgettable trip, not only because I had for the first time completed a stream trekking trip all the way to the source, but also the indissoluble bond with streams and waterfalls with which I had since then built.

It is raining outside. Looking out from the window, the Tai Mo Shan nearly disappears completely in the mist. The waterfalls over there must be spectcular by now.

泉。音。瀑。影

總

教

我

著

迷

偶然地翻閱一些舊檔案，發現了一篇自己多年前的塗鴉之作，又想起早年的一次溯溪之旅。那是一個多雨的夏天…

“盛夏到訪林村谷梧桐石澗，清晨由梧桐寨村萬德苑出發，溯溪而上。昨夜雨後，翠谷中仍雲霧縈繞，山峰在霧中若隱若現，如蓬萊仙山；谷中崖上群瀑如翠屏掛緞。遍訪梧桐中下諸瀑，「井底瀑」深藏巨洞，如地府寒泉；「馬尾瀑」明快亮麗，水汽氳氤，如夢中仙境。一路上泉畔聽瀑，潭中暢泳，走走停停，到達主瀑時已是正午。

坐在瀑前石台，仰望百呎飛瀑如銀河落九天，一面野餐，一面賞瀑，實在令人心懭神怡。意猶未盡，再涉澗而上，一探上源幽谷中如出水芙蓉之玉女群瀑，至源未登上大帽山時，已近黃昏，望山下華燈初上，又回到了人間。

銀龍化雨灑天階，撥霧尋源穿三界，　

　梧桐幽深沾寒露，寂寞芙蓉伴斷崖。”

還記得早在開始參與登山遠足活動的初期，每次看到遠處山谷中的飛流秀瀑，總是十分嚮往，盼望有天能親臨其下，近距離細賞其流態，感受其清涼。溯溪是一項要求有一定技巧和經驗的活動，所以也不敢貿然嘗試，直至有一天，得到同是熱愛遠足的姑母的提點：「何不嘗試一探梧桐群瀑？」

林村谷中的梧桐石澗，澗道崎嶇，斷崖連連，溯溪探瀑，本是難度頗大，但因為澗道旁闢有山徑，山徑沿溪而上，繞過所有險峻位置。遊梧桐石澗，其實就是沿山徑登山賞瀑，以安全的方式近距離賞遊險峻的澗內風光。因為山徑只通到中游長瀑頂上，傳說中的玉女飛瀑，始終無緣一見。那是我第一條細心賞遊的溪澗，也一直是我最喜愛的溪澗。

之後一段時間，參與過多次團體組織的溯溪活動，有了足夠的經驗和信心，又重回到林村谷中，準備好全溯梧桐石澗。那是一次難忘的經歷，不單只是第一次真正沿溪全溯至源頭，而且自此之後，我更與溪流飛瀑，結下了不解之緣。

外面又下起大雨，望出窗外維港對岸迷濛中的大帽山，心想，帽山諸澗的飛瀑，一定又很壯觀了吧。