Condes Mountains
"There are actually almost no people illegally cutting down trees nowadays. What's happening more is the killing and harming of wild animals."
Mellen, along with Dasong and Ding Can, all three of them wearing red armbands reserved for forest rangers, were walking through a pine forest in the mountains.
The entire mountain range is very large. Even if you only take two people to patrol the entire circle, it will take more than half a month to take a rough look, not to mention the need for a detailed introduction.
In order to promote environmental protection, the country has formulated regulations prohibiting logging decades ago.
The profits that can be made from illegally cutting down timber are very small, and it is easy to be caught in the act. In addition, the penalties are very severe, so no one is willing to take the risk.
In comparison, hunting wild animals is easier to transport and trade.
Several squirrels passed through the tree trunks above their heads, leaping into the air in very smooth curves. Some of the braver ones even jumped to the ground, raised their two short legs and looked straight at them.
Dasong squatted down slightly to observe from a lower level: "It's so fat~"
The squirrel's fur is brown, and under the sunlight, it has a dark green sheen. The fat and strong ones are almost as big as an ordinary puppy.
The muscles on its strong forelimbs are so tense that it feels like if it could punch, it could directly punch a hole in the tree trunk.
He took out a small notebook he had prepared in advance, intending to use it as his mountain patrol log.
At the very beginning of the first page, write a few big words:
The squirrel is so fat.
"There are a lot of nuts here, so they don't have to worry about food shortages." Myron walked straight past the squirrels. He would occasionally bring some biscuits and hard bread. Only those who dared to approach him had been fed before.
Ding Can looked at the pine cones scattered on the ground and the fungi growing low along the tree trunks. "The agricultural product industry along the edge of the forest must be quite developed. Isn't there anyone making a living from it?"
"It's true that many mountain products have a market outside, but the labor costs of picking and transporting them are relatively high. As a result, you can't make any money and can only make a living. Now, fewer and fewer people are willing to do this."
When entering the town of Condas, Ding Can noticed that there were not many young people still active in the town.
Young people are more progressive in their thinking and don’t want to be trapped here like the older generation, who can only go up and down the mountain every day and be attacked by the cold wind.
Either they go to other places to study when they grow up, or they go directly to more developed cities to work when they reach the right age.
For them, agriculture and animal husbandry have become an industry that they are unwilling to take over.
Even though the agricultural resources here are abundant, as the number of people producing agricultural and sideline products gradually decreases, they can only be stored in the mountains, year after year.
Myron warned, "You might encounter some unfamiliar faces on the mountain. Some of them might be poachers posing as mountaineering expedition members. Be sure to check them carefully and don't trust them completely."
Dasong nodded: "I understand. Where should we go next?"
"Let's go catch some fish in the river and make fish soup at noon when we get back." As he walked, Myron picked up a few plump pine cones from the ground, pried them open with the pliers in his pocket, revealing the flesh inside, and threw them on the ground.
Dasong volunteered, "Before, I always followed Grandpa to the river to fish. Leave it to me. But you don't have a harpoon?"
He saw that after getting up in the morning, Myron only took a hunting rifle with him. Apart from a large bag hanging around his waist, he seemed to have nothing else with him.
"No, the fish in the river are easy to catch."
Myron took them to the small river that flowed slowly through the icebergs.
Thanks to the frozen river surface, few birds come here to hunt, and there are many fish living under the water. Just roll up your sleeves, put your arms under the water and open your palms, and after a while, the fish will hit you by themselves, and you don't even need bait.
This is where most of Myron's food comes from.
Dasong's eyes widened. "Really? Why does it feel so stupid? The fish I've seen before were all so smart. They would scatter instantly when they saw people coming from a distance across the water."
"You'll know it's true when you see it."
Ding Can followed Mellen closely. Among all the creatures in the forest, the one she cared about most was the "cheetah".
According to Mellen, there is no danger in the forest itself. The only ones who can really threaten them are poachers who intend to harm animals.
Trying to stop poachers inevitably leads to conflict.
But is that "Cheetah" really as unpredictable as Myron said, or is it even more difficult to deal with?
The three of them walked for about half an hour and finally arrived at the river.
"It's really beautiful." Dasong gave a heartfelt exclamation.
This river was completely different from the freezing cold he had imagined. Instead of feeling only cold chill all around, it gave people a warm feeling like spring.
They set out very early, leaving home before seven o'clock, and arrived here at only nine o'clock.
The sunlight poured down and fell on the river surface mixed with ice and water, creating a shimmering effect, the color of which was very similar to the bubbles blown out of children's toys.
The Tyndall effect occurs in mid-air, where even tiny floating dust particles can be seen clearly.
In the low bushes on both sides of the river, a few narrow and thin branches of flowers protruded from the bottom, swaying gradually in the breeze.
The one that opens at the top is a small light purple flower with a few white spots in the middle of the stamens.
The flowers of this orchid, which grows on the snow-capped mountains, are almost transparent under the sunlight and look fragile, but they can bloom continuously in such extremely cold conditions.
The flowering period can reach six to eight months throughout the year.
Upon closer inspection, some flowers were even frozen in a thin layer of ice, looking like plant specimens.
There was a faint mist rising from the river near the mountains. Two deer lowered their necks and huddled together to drink water affectionately.
From afar, there are endless snow-capped mountains as the background behind, which are majestic and merge into the sky, like a dreamlike scene in a fairy tale.
Ding Can couldn't help but stop and take a few deep breaths of the cold air, and his mood became clear and transparent.
Living here probably has a cleansing effect on one's heart. No wonder Myron looks so energetic even at such an old age.
"If tourism can be developed here, it will definitely be a great place for everyone to visit."
Myron looked down the mountain and said, "Sometimes I think more and more people will discover this place, but I always hope that it won't be disturbed until later."
His concerns were not groundless. Given the current situation of the town of Condas, it was necessary to change its development direction in order to survive in the long run.
Promoting tourism is the general trend, but in that case, even if the government controls and restricts tourist areas in order to protect wild animals in the mountains and forests, the living environment of animals will always be affected.
Mellen has a good relationship with the residents living at the foot of the mountain. He hopes that they can escape poverty, but he does not want the mountains and forests to be disturbed.
This tangled thought often lingers in his mind. Even the knowledgeable Myron has been unable to make an accurate decision after so many years of trouble.
"In fact, it would be a good idea to build it into a forest park. Otherwise, it would be a pity if no one saw such a beautiful scenery." Dasong had other ideas.
He believes that beautiful scenery should be seen by humans, only then does it have meaning.
If you just hide in the mountains and forests, no matter how exquisite and charming it is, it will be in vain.
Ding Can sighed, "Don't think like that. Nature is actually very complex and amazing. Even what you see right before your eyes took a very long time to form, over many years that you haven't seen before, with various tiny tribes of organisms interacting and growing together to form only a small part of it."
"Could it be so complicated?" Dasong didn't understand the details. He thought that flowers and plants just had seeds, and when the wind blew them into the soil, they would take root and sprout, year after year. It was a simple thing.
He grew up in the mountains and forests since he was a child. He had seen plants and trees growing all year round. He thought it was just a normal replacement and didn't think about it, nor did he need to think about the tiny details.
Ding Can was amused by his naiveté. "Of course, the majestic snow-capped mountains couldn't have been formed overnight. But you're right, someone had to record it."
"Look, isn't that what I'm doing?" Dasong shook the notebook in his hand.
Myron listened to the two of them quietly and didn't speak for a long time.
According to what he had just heard, Dasong took off his outer robe and half-draped it over his body, then pulled the sleeve of his right arm to the top, half-knelt by the river, and put his arm in.
When I first entered the water, I felt it was icy cold, and the part of my skin that was in contact with the water became stiff.
I tried shaking my hands. I just saw the water flowing slowly by the river, but I didn't expect that there was a turbulent river inside.
Just a moment later, something hit him directly and then disappeared slid away. Dasong knew it was a fish, so he watched it carefully and did not relax.
When he felt the slippery scales touching the back of his hand, he quickly turned his wrist and barely grabbed the fish's tail.
When it was lifted to the surface of the water, I could clearly see that it was a big fish weighing about three or four pounds. It was swinging its tail in the air, raising small droplets of water.
Ding Can took it in a cloth bag. The struggling fish almost made it difficult for her to hold the bag. With this size, if she caught one more, it would be enough for their dinner tonight.
Dasong's confidence grew, and he happily went to the river again.
"Why did you want to be a forest ranger in this miserable place?" Myron sat on a big rock nearby and squinted his eyes to look at the scorching sun.
Ding Can lowered his head and slowly went back to sorting the fish. "The salary for forest rangers is quite high, and there's no gender restriction."
"Do you think what I said yesterday was discriminatory?" Myron did say that women are not suitable to be forest rangers.
"Didn't I say anything then?" Ye Shan stood up to speak for him, and Ding Can indeed did not express any opinion.
Myron brushed off the snow from the toes of his shoes. "If you don't say it, who knows what you're thinking? I just think that things are complicated in the mountains, and there are many things that a girl might not be able to do."
He meant well. The job of a forest ranger is inherently more lonely than any other profession.
They have a vast world, but are gradually drifting away from human society. Men are mentally strong enough to adapt to it, but for girls, it is a bit too cruel.
Ding Can lowered his head and smiled. "Mr. Myron, I can't guarantee that I can meet your expectations, but as long as I'm on this snowy mountain for one day, I will perform the duties of a forest ranger."
"Then I'll wait and see."
On the other side, Dasong had caught another fish and put it in his pocket.
After wiping his arms with a dry cloth and putting on his clothes, he continued to write in his notebook:
The fish looks delicious.
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