Dongling Mountain Night Climb: Stars and Sea Within Reach

Dongling Mountain Night Climb⛰️: Stars and Sea Within Reach🌌 🌙Departure Under the Night Sky🌙 ⛰️Dongling Mountain, the peak of Beijing. Having experienced several night climbs, I never encountered the ideal starry sky, sunrise, and sea of clouds. After several days of heavy rain, it was still raining during the day on Friday. I was hesitant to go, but after checking several weather apps with different forecasts, I decided to take a chance and followed X on the journey to Dongling. 🌟Accompanied by a Sky Full of Stars🌟 🌌 Fortunately, the rain stopped when I left. There were only two groups due to the rain, and there were many empty seats on the bus, so each person could occupy a row. When the bus departed, it started raining again. I rested immediately after taking my seat, and when we arrived at the starting point, the rain had stopped, the sky was clear, and the stars were visible to the naked eye. It was the first time I saw such a clear starry sky. 🥾Leisurely Night Climb🥾 🌟The most enjoyable part was hiking under the starry sky. When tired, I looked up at the stars, and there was lightning in the distant valleys. The night climb was a round-trip route, mainly consisting of steps and boardwalks. To avoid reaching the cold summit too early, I stayed in a small house at the mid-station of the cable car for a long time to shelter from the wind. About 1.5 hours before sunrise, I set off. Near the small house, I tried various angles to photograph the starry sky, using laser pointers, headlamps, and flashlights when taking pictures of people. 🌅Imperfect Sunrise🌅 ⚠️Before reaching the summit, yaks🦬 and cows🐮 may appear. Be sure to pay attention to the black yaks and walk in groups to avoid disturbing them. While waiting for the sunrise at the summit, I kept taking silhouette photos and observing the sea of clouds. Unfortunately, near sunrise, there was always a layer of fog on the horizon, and the sun emerged from the fog, lacking some brilliance. ☁Foggy Sea of Clouds☁ ☄️Although I didn't see the desired sunrise, the sea of clouds was also not ideal, with only a little in the valleys. It seems that weather forecasts cannot be fully trusted. However, a few uniquely shaped clouds drifted in from the west, and their colors were brilliant under the morning sun. I continued taking photos at the summit for a while before reluctantly descending in the morning sun. ⏰Night Climb Reference Time⏰ 🔸00:03 Start hiking 🔸01:30 Arrive at the small house at the cable car station 🔸03:25 Depart from the small house 🔸04:25 Reach the summit 🔸05:23 Sunrise (sunrise time varies, check the forecast in advance) 🔸05:44 Start descending (descend early due to lack of sea of clouds, can descend at 6) 🔸07:40 Reach the endpoint 🔸08:10 Depart for Beijing 📝Notes📝 1️⃣The wind is strong and the temperature is low🥶 at night on Dongling Mountain. A windbreaker, fleece, thermal blanket, and lightweight down jacket are essential; 2️⃣Load the track in advance, as the signal📶 is poor on the mountain. Charge headlamps and flashlights in advance, and hang a small bell for night climbing; 3️⃣Respect cows🐮 and yaks🦬, do not approach them when encountered, as they may be grumpy and chew on stones when angry; 4️⃣For photographing the starry sky with a phone📱, set white balance to 4800, exposure to 30s, maximum aperture, and ISO3200. If you don't have a tripod, use stones or railings as a support; 5️⃣The road surface is covered with dew in the morning, making it slippery. Some people have slipped and injured their hands; 6️⃣There are farmhouses🏠 at the endpoint in Shanhe Village, with a good restaurant called Haolai Farmhouse. Breakfast🍜 costs 15💰 per person.