The steep trail to the top after the forest slowly clears.

The view back onto a beautiful sea of clouds and 桃山 (Tao shan) on the far left.

The continuation of the previous picture if you will. 桃山 (Tao shan) is the treeless peak far away in the center and on its left are 池有山 (Chi you shan) and 品田山 (Pin tian shan), the rocky one on the far left.

Looking back you can see 中央尖山 (Zhong yang jian shan). On the left is 南湖大山 (Nan hu da shan) and on the right are 甘薯峰 (Gan shu feng), a.k.a. 中央南山 (Zhong yang south peak) and 無明山 (Wu ming shan).

At the center is the village of 環山 (Huan shan) where we had started our hike a bit more than five hours earlier.

Finally at the top (sort of) with some Swiss snacks ...

... and a butterfly that was very fond of my frog-blue jacket.

From the triangulation point you also get a nice view towards 大劍山 (Da jian shan), the peak of which is just blocked from view on the right.

The triangulation point is where everybody likes to take pictures because of the little pillar.

However, if you continue a few hundred meters you get to the real peak. Unfortunately, the trees there block the view of the surrounding peaks, which explains why the triangulation point is further down.

Reading this sign makes you think what else you could possibly make faint using this plant. ;-)

On the way down you spot all the things you walked past a few hours earlier in the darkness like fungi ...

... or fields of cabbage.

The last meters of the hike. On the other side of the bridge is the trail head and the conveniently located hostel where we could take a shower before heading back.

The view from the suspension bridge is a good sample of the area: Rock slides ...

... and orchards.

The view from 武嶺, at 3275 meters above sea level.

合歡山東峰 (He huan east peak) just before sunset.

The view towards 中央尖山 (Zhong yang jian shan), the pointy one in the far center. The sunlit area much closer is 畢祿山 (Bi lu shan) which we climbed the next day.

The sunlit peak on the left is 奇萊主峰 (Qi lai main peak) and the round one just right of center is 奇萊南峰 (Qi lai south peak).

合歡山隧道 (He huan shan tunnel) near 大禹嶺 (Da yu ling) the next morning. The trailhead is just on the other side.

820林道 (Forest road 820), which can hardly be called a road anymore. Over the years it has been hit by countless landslides.

One of the several waterfalls on the way.

From some parts of the trail you can see 佳陽山 (Jia yang shan) near the middle with the rock slide as well as 大劍山 (Da jian shan) just right of the grasslands.

A tree looming dangerously over the trail.

Point 8.4 km of the forest road, very close to where the real ascent begins.

While 1.6 kilometres literally is a walk in the (national) park there are 800 meters of elevation to climb on just 1.4 kilometers, which makes it everything else but a metaphorical walk in the park.

A great view of the 合歡山 (He huan shan) and 奇萊山 (Qi lai shan) area. The grassy mountain on the right is 合歡山北峰 (He huan shan north peak) and the rocky one on the left is 奇萊北峰 (Qi lai north peak).

A short but near-vertical climb along the way.

Another peek at 奇萊北峰 (Qi lai north peak).

View down along the trail. If you look carefully you can see a few colorful dots hiking. :-)

And the view upwards near the ridge.

Finally, the crossroads on the ridge, very close to the top of 畢祿山 (Bi lu shan).

The last 200 meters before the top.

The view back from near the top.

Finally at the top, posing with 無明山 (Wu ming shan) in the background. 中央尖山 (Zhong yang jian shan) is already covered in clouds.

The night before: Dinner at the 武陵國民賓館 (Wuling hostel).

All-you-can-eat buffet, just what you need to load up for a day of hiking.

Rhododendron along the way.

Notice the forest in the background. The right side has apparently been reforested.

The view back down towards 武陵農場 (Wuling farm).

黑水塘 (Hei shui tang), a small pond along the hiking trail.

The trail has a great view of the surrounding mountains. The tallest peak in the left half of the photo is 南湖大山 (Nan hu da shan), the pointy one in the right half is 中央尖山 (Zhong yang jian shan).

A little further up you can actually see the whole length of 武陵農場 (Wuling farm).

Close to the top the always easy-to-recognize 大霸尖山 (Da ba jian shan) pops out above the forest.

And a little to the West you can see 池有山 (Chi you shan) in the front and 品田山 (Pin tian shan) in the back.

Looking back towards 雪山 (Xue shan). If you look closely you can see a little white blot; that's 三六九山莊 (369 mountain hut).

The steeper parts of the mountains are riddled with rhododendron.

The last few hundred meters.

And finally at the top! That was about five minutes before it started raining.

Time to dress up in rain gear ...

... and snap a few last photos.

In this direction another peak would have been waiting to be conquered: 喀拉業山 (Ke la ye shan). But it's another 5-6 kilometers to go and come back and I hear the view is rather disappointing. Maybe next time!

The road up from 滑雪山莊 (Hua xue mountain lodge) where we started our day.

Can you spot the trailhead? It's right next to the entrance of the tunnel ...

... where you have to climb the roadside fence to actually start hiking. By the way, here is where I lifted my legs high enough to see my shoes and noticed I was still wearing my sandals.

The view back towards the road.

The sign at the trailhead says 羊頭山 (Yang tou shan) is the lowest of the 百岳 (Taiwan's 100 Highest Peaks) with its 3035 meters elevation but, depending on the age of the list you consult, the ranking looks a little different. On Wikipedia it ranks 96th.

The trail leads you past beautiful trees ...

... several metal stairs ...

... and a few flat areas that allow your legs to take a break.

Thanks to our good weather we saw quite far towards 花蓮 (Hua lian), which was covered by a sea of clouds.

In the right third of this photo you spot can a pointy peak, which is 奇萊北峰 (Qi lai north peak), as well as the forest-covered 屏風山 (Ping feng shan).

The last section of the trail is very nice to walk. If you look back you see the beautiful view ...

... and if you look left and right you see 杜鵑花 (Rhododendron).

Close to the ridge line is the crossroad towards 羊頭山 (Yang tou shan), today's destination, and 畢祿山 (Bi lu shan), which with its 3371 meters elevation, didn't fit into today's schedule (or mindset).

Here you can see 奇萊北峰 (Qi lai north peak) again, just left of the tree, as well as the grassy hill on its right, which is where 滑雪山莊 (Hua xue mountain lodge) lies.

Once again the beautiful view back towards 花蓮 (Hua lian).

On the left is 無明山 (Wu ming shan) and the pointy one in the back is 中央尖山 (Zhong yang jian shan).

The round peak on the right is 畢祿山 (Bi lu shan). Further in the background you can see – from right to left – 合歡山北峰 (He huan shan north peak), the wide grassy one, 合歡山主峰 (He huan shan main peak), the one with the cloud above it, and 合歡山東峰 (He huan shan east peak), the grassy one left of the cloud. The rocky one on the far left is, once again, 奇萊北峰 (Qi lai north peak).

The triangulation point at the top of 羊頭山, 3035 meters above sea level. In the background you can see 中央尖山 (Zhong yang jian shan), the impressive pointy one, and 無明山 (Wu ming shan), covered by a branch.

The view from the top towards South East.

And finally the mandatory group photo, as always with my flags. :-)

Getting ready at the 雪山登山口 (Xue shan trail head).

Don't forget to look back, otherwise you might miss this great view. Of course from behind the water tank it's even better.

七卡山莊 (Qi ka mountain hut), about an hour from the trail head. It is mostly used by people who arrive in the afternoon or at night and prepare for a single-day ascent to one of the peaks.

The first three kilometers are mostly in the forest but relatively easy to walk.

The higher you get the less forest and the better the view.

The 哭坡 (Ku po), the "Slope of pain", isn't as bad as the name suggests. In fact, the part right after 七卡山莊 (Qi ka mountain hut) is probably more difficult and much longer.

The view to the opposite side where you can see 中央尖山 (Zhong yang jian shan) on the very left and 無明山 (Wu ming shan) near the center.

Mountain birds aren't scared of people much. This one hopped around me for minutes while I was eating my lunch. Apparently they have learned the convenience of befriending people.

Onwards after lunch break. Note the family with two kids who went all the way to 雪山東峰 (Xue shan east peak) and back in one day. That's the spirit!

A remarkable tree on the way that looks like a drill.

After the 哭坡 (Ku po) the trail follows the ridge for a while.

雪山東峰 (Xue shan east peak), which we skipped this time. It's only a twenty meter walk from the trail but everyone had already been there several times.

At last, 三六九山莊 (369 mountain hut) in sight with the characteristic zig-zag trail towards the top.

The next day on the way to 雪山北峰 (Xue shan north peak) inside the 黑森林 (Black forest).

This is where the view starts to get impressive: The side of 凱蘭特崑山 (Kai lan te kun shan).

The hiking trail goes right along this rock slope, so it's two steps forward, one step back.

Here you can see how steep the slope is. Still, if you pick the right stones to step on you can make good progress.

The view upwards to what lies ahead.

This is the trail, right at the edge of the slope. Ironically, it is also the path that's most tiresome to walk.

Once on the ridge you get a beautiful view of 北稜角 (Bei leng jiao).

Only a few minutes of walking and you're at the top of 凱蘭特崑山 (Kai lan te kun shan).

凱蘭特崑山 (Kai lan te kun shan) is not part of the list of Taiwan's 100 peaks but the one in the background is: 雪山北峰 (Xue shan north peak), our destination of the day.

The trail on the ridge makes sure you have excellent views in all directions as well as the occasional climbing challenge.

Again, 雪山北峰 (Xue shan north peak) on the left.

After walking a around four kilometers we were able to see where we had left in the morning: 三六九山莊 (369 mountain hut)

Looking back you can see 北稜角 (Bei leng jiao) near the center and 雪山主峰 (Xue shan main peak) to its left.

And looking forward you can see a whole range of mountain starting with 穆特勒布山 (Mu te le bu shan) on the left, 品田山 (Pin tian shan) in the middle and 桃山 (Tao shan) on the right.

A close-up of 品田山 (Pin tian shan) my favorite mountain so far!

And a close-up of 穆特勒布山 (Mu te le bu shan) with 大霸尖山 (Da ba jian shan) in the background.

雪北山屋 (Xue bei mountain hut) where we had lunch before the last short ascent to the top.

Of course, right before we got to the top the fog started coming up.

Finally at the top! If you look carefully you can see 雪山東峰 (Xue shan east peak) on the left.

After the fog got thicker and thicker I put my camera away which, incidentally, also makes for a much faster descent.

The inside of 三六九山莊 (369 mountain hut) ...

Not exactly a hotel but still pretty comfy for a mountain hut at over 3000 meters above sea level!