This story started out two years ago when we learned that there was a lake in the central mountains that was formed by a meteor strike some few thousand years ago. A blue gem tucked within the emerald green folded mountains of Taiwan. Two loves - astronomy and hiking - combined into one adventure.
Dreams were created...plans were made....someday. Time passed, weekends flew by, other priorities took their toll. The hike was never done. Part of the problem in reaching this sumptuous lake was the time - a five hour drive to the trailhead, a three day hike and a five hour drive home. It could be done in three days, but they would be three tight days, and it took the arrival of a "real" long weekend (Taiwanese still think that having Saturday off every weekend is a 'long' weekend as the 6 day work-week ended only recently) to actually make these plans. We looked ahead in the calendar, saw that the Dragon Boat Festival was a quaint little three day break that would work perfectly for us. So, plans in mind and all the paper work filled out we went to the police station to get our mountain permit and that was that.
We were legally going to hike in Taiwan.
I know. I know. It was a shock to us too. It felt weird...but what was even weirder was to learn in the days preceding our hike that this was not in fact a meteor impact crater. That was but some heresay that turned into established fact....only, it lacked facts. Religion-esque, in that regard; everybody "knew" it was a meteor impact and nobody questioned it. After researchers actually did take time to question it, it was actually shown to be a cirque, a testament to an ice age past. This did not deter us in the least...imagine the equal amazement of standing on a chunk of island that heats us to the boiling point and to be able to look out over a vista of landforms carved out by glaciers. Equally moving, and the beauty undeterred.
Day 1:
This was actually a night only...a rapid exit from Hualien Friday night after work. We packed the rental car and zoomed southward to ChiShang and then across Highway 20 (Southern Cross-Island Highway). Dinner on the run, coffee...tea...coffee....and up and up along the winding mountain hugging road. Somewhere around 10:30pm we got to Xiang Yang Park, where the trail starts. Tent up by a helicopter landing platform....warm stuff layered on (it was fracking freezing up there in the mountains) and got to spend an hour gazing at possibly the greatest star-filled sky I have ever seen. Without a doubt the best viewing in all my experiences in Taiwan.
Oh yeah, we saw a Formosan Gem Faced Civet along the way! No pictures, we were driving no less, but we got to see another rare Taiwanese wildlife treat in the mountains.
Setting up the tent Friday night in the bleak darkness of the mountain road, and waking up Saturday morning to a gorgeous view.
Day 2:
Awake at sunrise...packed....go! Police permit handed in, names checked, gates opened....the hike begins!
This was a full 13 km day up to the alpine, then across a ridge line to the lake. There are two cabins along the way, but many people tend to use these are the crowded atmosphere is somewhat debilitating to the vibe of the mountains. So, we pounded on past the first cabin (XiangYang Cabin) and past the second cabin (Jiaming Lake Cabin) and all the way to the lake itself. We started at the trailhead around 9 and got to the lake around 6:30om, and with the elevation, hills, weight on our backs and the fact that the last 4 km were spent within a cloud that was as windy as a wind storm factory (whatever that would be like...windy, I am sure), we were spent. We plodded on at a good pace the whole time, got some epic views of Taiwanese alpine and got to be alone in the mountains for a significant chunk of the day. It was a hard, but lovely, hike.
After setting up the tent and pounding back some noodles, we were ready for sleep. We were embarrassingly too tired to care about the Samba Deer that were walking about around the hills surrounding the lake. We stayed up as long as we could, looking now and then, but the reality was that we both needed to put heads to pillows....fast!
Alpine flowers and ...um...somebody should fix that sign.
Start of the trail, wide and steep, that quickly took us to a lovely look out over the mountains. Landslides and glistening shale.
Taking a moment at the lookout, naming the peaks as we go. Then moving upwards again...
Here the trail had already turned into a 'real' hiking trail, and meandered its way through a mixed hemlock forest. Monsters of the ice age that still remain...
Hiking, views, trails cut into cliffs, fixed with ropes and hope. The trail took us through some amazing scenery and some amazing feats of engineering to defend against the ever present landslides. Or, perhaps not defend...try to keep up with...the landslides.
First cabin lunch stop....cool clouds and a blue sky.
Trail breaks into the alpine and gives us a whole new hiking experience.
Saturday was mostly up, in the blazing alpine sun. Hot, hard, hot and hard. And hot. Unlike the Taiwanese hikers we were without umbrellas (and knee pads, and hiking poles, and hiking gloves, and ... and ... ) which they take everywhere. I think we were better off for our lack of gadgetry.
Taiwanese fellow hikers along the way, and a stranger helping me pose for a picture that is apparently famous and funny....but I cant seem to get it. He said it was perfect...I'm still trying to figure it out.
Late afternoon brought clouds - or, rather, we got high enough that we were in the clouds - and strong wind. We opted not to camp at the second cabin as tents were already being set up in the most curious of places due to lack of room. In blustering winds these people set up their tents and then left them there to save a space....but the wind decided that the tents should blow away. So, while we walked by we were also tasked with catching other peoples (not weighted down or pegged in some cases) tents and pile rocks on them to protect them from being blown down the cliff side!
Finally at the lake, we found a secluded spot and set up our tent and brewed some coffee and tea. The last hour or so of the hike was windy, cloudy and cold, and when we arrived here the slight reprieve from the wind was delightful but the evening chill was still there. We tucked in for a chilly night.
Even instant noodles taste amazing after a full day of hiking...
Day 3:
Windy night, but no matter. The tent survived and we were able to get most of a nights sleep. We spent this day hiking around the lake, along a river valley and to the next ridge. Making our own trail (like that is a challenge in the alpine, I know!) across parts of Taiwan utterly unknown to us was an delight. We had waited so long for this...
We got to see some new bird species, hang out with massive alpine hemlocks (think lowland boreal rain forest but in the alpine...weird) and found four Samba Deer in the meadows. Us, alone in the middle of Taiwan's alpine wonderland, watching brand new birds flutter around and Samba Deer cheekily wander around the hillsides in front of us, eating peanuts and warm carrot sticks while the blue sky poured stinging sunlight down on us. What else is there....
We got back and ended an almost cloudless day with another noodle dinner by the lake as the evening wisps of clouds parked themselves over top....momentarily...then left. This night we had ample energy left to stay up and stargaze and search for more night wandering deer.
Jiaming Lake in the morning, and a yet unidentified bird.
Hiking, birdwatching, searching for deer...
Crystal along the trail on Sunday, while a lone early blooming rhododendron poses nicely in front of a mountain vista.
Sambar Deer! We got to see about 8 by the lake, and 4 in the forest.
Day 4:
Our last day on the mountain. We woke up at 4:30 to catch the 5-ish a.m. sunrise and had a slow breakfast to wash down the memories of the last few days and prepare for the return journey.
Once packed and ready, we walked. The day was a long and wonderful hike back along the trail through the best scenery that Taiwan has to offer. I wont go into details, but the hiking strategy of Canadians versus Taiwanese is remarkable. Ill leave it at that, and only mention that we passed a lot of friendly, yet oddly dressed and "technically inclined" hikers. Still, ultimately kind and generous people all around. The mountains brings out the best of people...
A 5 hour hike brought us back to the trailhead, where we made some lunch, tea and hit the road for home. 5 hours later we pulled up in front of our apartment...the weekend was over. An utterly wonderful weekend. Jiaming did not let us down, and the weather was the icing on the cake....a long awaited cake.
Monday morning sunrise...then our battery died!
