2014-10-13

【Aiden in English】

        Leaves on trees go through a cycle. In spring, buds sprout as birds sing. In summer, the leaves flourish making the world green as a lime. And winter strips the trees of leaves, leaving them bare. During the transition between summer and winter, the leaves turn into a variety of colors like red, yellow, orange, green, sometimes violet and brown. At this time of year, the Pocono Mountains in PA have a crazy splash of color. But today, I wasn't just going for the foliages. Dad and I were gonna to Bushkill Falls nicknamed Niagara Falls of Pennsylvania where we're taking the hardest trail about 2 miles/3.2 km long. Yep, it was 2 miles/3.2 km of pure nature. So, we left without any hesitation.

        You remember what I said about the leaves, right? Well, it turns out that Dad and I came here still a little too early and leaves hadn't exactly changed all the way yet. Nevertheless, panoramic views of the whole Pocono looked spectacular. The air was nice, cool, and fresh. 8 awesome waterfalls nestled deep inside the Pocono Mountains in front of our own eyes.

        The main falls or Bushkill Falls basically comprised a big shower of water cascading over 100 feet/30 meters. The water gushed out of a ledge, which sounded like thunder from a storm. The waterfall that really blew me away was the Bridesmaid Falls above the Bushkill Falls. It derived from the headwaters of the Bushkill Creek and descended the Pocono along with down to the Delaware River.

        Once the main falls were over, the water slow down and a fissure opened in the ground. The Lower Gorge Falls were created. There was a crack between waterfalls and the water was sucked into it like a vortex, consuming every object in its way. I was blown away as a kid who had seen the world. This was an amazing compliment.

        The Laurel Glen Falls caught my attention. A stream trickled down into flowing water current. Though the waterfalls were small, it had a beautiful scene with a primeval rock wall. The Bridal Veil Falls just looked as if the water was able to dig a hole in the ground, and then formed Pond Run Creek by itself.

        Nature is complicated with no artificial paths. So don't think the waterfalls would just walk away. Well, it kind of was, just that it was a long walk, and in the trail's case, a hike through rough terrain. The path was winding like a snake, and stopped in random places. Dad and I went up and down. Over logs and around trees, my brain compass was all messed up. If it weren't for the map, red markers on the trees, and sign once in a while, I would probably be stuck in that same forest for the rest of my years. That's the bad part of having no artificial paths. The flip side was that everything was the way it’s supposed to be. It seemed like a part of the modern world back 100 years ago when humans didn't start destroying nature. Sometimes, the wildness is the best and I want to keep it that way.

【紅霞譯文】

        樹葉一年四季枯榮交替。春季鶯歌燕舞，“野芳發而幽香”；盛夏翠葉滿枝，“佳木秀而繁陰”；冬日歲暮天寒，到處枯樹朽株；夏冬之交，節氣更變，重見百花笑春風，世間萬物紛紛競相爭艷，青山綠水白草紅葉黃花，間或伴有富麗的紫色以及優雅的棕色，大自然渾然天成。每年秋高氣爽時節，賓州波科諾山脈秋妝濃抹，把自己裝點得份外嬌嬈。不過今天，我並非專程跑來觀賞秋葉，而是與爸爸共同前往素有“賓州尼亞加拉瀑布”美譽之稱的布什基爾瀑布，徒步跋涉兩英里／三千二百米山路。哇塞，兩英里／三千二百米世外桃源，我們二話不說，朝目的地方向直奔而去。

        你還記得我提及的樹葉嗎？我們來得為時過早，葉子尚未完全蛻變，但儘管如此，波科諾山景致依然蔚為壯觀，這裡的空氣既舒適又涼爽還清新。放眼遠眺，八個秀美的瀑布交相掩映在波科諾深山老林之中。

        主瀑布即布什基爾瀑布從天而降，上下落差超過一百英尺／三十米，水流湍急，徑直從出口狂飆跌落，不時傳出雷鳴般的轟隆聲。令我驚嘆不已的要算布什基爾瀑布上方的伴娘瀑布，它地處林溪源頭，沿波科諾順勢而下，最後再與特拉華河匯聚。

        主瀑布之後，水速減慢，石崩地裂，低峽谷瀑布應運而生。瀑布之間有一道大口子，水被強力吸入形成旋渦，捲走所有殘留之物，可謂氣勢磅礴，能得到像我這樣一位走南闖北見過世面的孩童讚許，實在了不起。

        我的視線停落在桂冠峽谷瀑布上，溪流潺潺流淌，其瀑布雖然不大，但卻以原始岩壁為背景，好看別致。新娘面紗瀑布擲地有聲，好端端把地面砸個大坑，並獨自拓展出一條塘溪小河。

        大自然鬼斧神工，簡直太神奇了，所以千萬不要誤以為瀑布一走了之。沒錯，它看似來去匆匆，可要沿着瀑布周圍高低不平的山路走上一圈，並非容易的事。石徑九曲十八彎，經常無路可走，我們爬上爬下，越過攀枝錯節的障礙，繞出一眼望不着邊的森林，我的腦袋越來越懵，搞不清東南西北，要不是地圖在身，沿途每隔一段距離樹上有紅色路標當道，恐怕我這輩子肯定得呆在這片林子裡了結餘生，這即是所謂毫無人工印跡的缺陷。話又說了回來，世外桃源本該如此，當今社會如果回到一百年前人類尚未開始破壞自然界時也會一樣。有時候還是原始生態最好，我挺喜歡保持這種方式。