Ya-Kou Pass, Attempt #1 (Or, How We Learned to Drive Blindfolded Through the Fog on an Epic Cliff Face at Night and Survive)

This weekend we decided to make another sojourn into the mountains - this time on our scooter - with the aim of making it to the highest point in the mountains that a road can take you. The tallest mountain in Taiwan is YuShan at 3 975 m.a.s.l., there are I think 30 others that are above 3000 m.a.s.l. , and the road that grants you access to this jagged rocky peak tops out at 2750 m.a.s.l.. This is the road, and the point, we hoped to reach.

There are multiple Cross-Island Highways in Taiwan, some defunct due to damage from earthquakes (Sept 21, 1999 specifically...look it up....it is known as 9/21 here and can be stated as an equal to the western 9/11), and a few that still operate. All were built by the Japanese during their occupation of Taiwan during the WW2 era to find, attack and displace the aboriginal inhabitants of the mountains (for the most part, it didn't work. Some tribes were killed, moved and/or dispersed, but overall the mountain tribes had too much "mountain-warfare" knowledge to be taken easily. But, the Japanese built remarkable roads inland to try to achieve their goals). the main ones are the Northern, the Central and the Southern. the Central is the amazingly beautiful road that takes you through Taroko gorge, and to another mountain range (max here is 3490 masl I believe) called He-Huan. The southern, much less travelled, takes you to many beautiful villages and to the access to the highest peaks in Taiwan. This is the road, the Southern Cross Island Highway, that we biked earlier to get to WuLu, and it was this same one that we again tackled by scooter to try and get further...higher.

WuLu is a tiny speck on the map - most Taiwanese don't know where it is even - but it boasts gorgeous scenery and splendid hot springs. We have been there twice, and wanted to explore deeper. So, on to our scooter and up, up , up. From Song-Pu to Chi-Shang (a cozy little town....), Chi-Shang to WuLu, WuLu to LiDao, LiDao to ... the endless road that climbs higher, gets narrower, becomes obliterated at points from landslides and typhoon erosion, climbs, climbs and climbs....then YaKou.

what should have been a long gorgeous drive ended up being a long, cold, wet, windy, freezing, cold, drenched, wet, cold and frigid drive to the peak of Taiwan. We were driving in the clouds, as they were raining....this is a weird phenomenon. The wind was pulsing, the fog/clouds so thick that we could not see very far in front of us at all, and the temperature was dropping as fast as we were climbing. Keeping up with what the textbooks inform us it should do; you go up, temp goes down.

The roads were horrid, adventurous, exciting, but conditions were irresponsibly horrible. Multiple occasions Crystal and to get off so I could navigate the terrain, and at one point I had to get off so that I could run, at 2400 masl, beside the scooter uphill because the engine just couldn't manage enough mustard to get me and itself up the steep, muddy incline. So, I reved the engine, and ran. Crystal running beside me with our stuff. We...going up.....three individuals each doing our part. The fog got thicker, the road narrower, the temperature colder. Multiple stops to warm my hands on the muffler did little to abate the pain of the frigid air. Keep going...getting closer.



"Up, Ms. Tessmocker ... up"

Then....we got to YaKou. The hostel. The yellow building that was to be our end point. That is, it would have been if it had been open. It seems that due to a terrible typhoon of this past summer, all electricity connections had been demolished, road access limited or completely closed, and people just generally had better things to do with their energy, such as help others, than to keep the hostel open. So, there we stood, after 4-5 hours of a arduous drive in the cold and clouds, with nowhere to stay. No tent, no warmer clothes, nothing.




"Down, Ms. Tessmocker...down"

Down we went, in the approaching dark. Sunset...5:07pm. Time of us leaving YaKou in hopes of making WuLu....5:00pm.

Down, with vigor. We ended up driving the 1.5 hours to WuLu in the total blackness of night, the complete blanket of fog and spitting rain. On the side of a cliff that had most of its barricades and reflective tabs washed away ages ago by landslides. We were running blind. Down, down, down....alone, the silence of the mountainside, the eeriness of the weather and the fear in our minds of either not making it, going over the edge or simply getting stuck in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Keep going....

On the way down, we did encounter something quite dramatic. Worried minds and frozen bodies negated us taking time to take pictures, but we saw a huge, 60cm tall perhaps, owl in the woods. Two, actually.

Down...


Then we got to the safety zone. the cold air started to feel less so, the fog started to thin and we realized that we were in a place that was very close to WuLu. Close to a warm, safe place to rest our heads. Then, as we were beginning to feel relieved about our situation...roadblock. Boulders, concrete barricades and a closed gate that blocked the only road through the mountain and across the river. Seems that the construction shuts down at 6pm and they close off the road as it is too dangerous to cross at night...it was past 7pm...long past closing time, and the gate was up. In pitch blackness, we paused. Stopped. Considered. Leave the scooter and walk? Go back up....find a place to stay? Nope. Lift the scooter.

Lift, push, drag, dodge, lift again, push, slip, slide...squeeze through that one minor opening between the concrete barrier and the boulder, and we were through. Muscle won this one. The scooter was a little upset with us, a few scratches and uncomfortable moments, but we saddled up again, purged all fear from our minds and hit it towards WuLu. The fog dissipated almost completely, and soon enough we were there. Filthy, tired, cold, wet, pulsing with adrenaline...we were there.

Rooms?

Yes.

Key please.

Beer please.

goodnight.

...Then the next day. Beautiful morning, coffee and breakfast with the amazing scenery of WuLu

Went for a hike across the bridge, up the hill and along the ridge...and saw cool birds, spiders spinning webs and an owl!

Took the scooter back down to the lower villages, to GuanShan for lunch...

Stopped along the way home at LoShan waterfall and took an off-trail extension to the 'real' waterfall area....it just took us an extra 15 minutes of bushwacking and scrambling about, but we endeed up in a secluded spot, with perfect swimming pockets and a glorious view of a massive waterfall.

Then got back on the trail, then to the boardwalk and to the mud volcano ....

...then home.

YaKou....we will be back!