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2018-11-04 | A frog goes hiking: 桃山 (Tao shan) and 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan)
After weeks of trying we were finally lucky enough to be able to reserve sleeping space in the 桃山山屋 (Tao shan mountain hut) right near the top of 桃山 (Tao shan). I had previously been to 桃山 (Tao shan) but this meant a two-day hiking trip with the chance for a quick visit to 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan), which was the only peak of the 武陵四秀 (Wu ling's four great mountains) I hadn't been yet.
桃山 (Tao shan) is impressive because it has a 360° view and you can see so many famous mountains of the 雪山山脈 (Xue shan mountain range). The fact that the mountain hut is only five minutes from the top also means that there's no better place to take night pictures with less effort.
The first day pretty much consisted of lugging the heavy overnight pack to the top and then enjoying the view until it got dark. On the second day we got up before sunrise to try and catch the sunrise at the peak (it was covered by the sea of clouds) and then separated. Two of us headed to 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan) with daypacks while the rest started their descent. After returning from 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan) we grabbed our overnight packs and headed down as well.
The weather was great almost the whole time and without a single drop of rain. There was a short period where fog and clouds were pulling up but they got blown away by wind and by the time we got to the peak there was a beautiful sea of clouds left, making for amazing views.
Overview
The red track is day 1 from the trail head to 桃山 (Tao shan). The green track is the first half of day 2 from 桃山山屋 (Tao shan mountain hut) to 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan) and back.
(Click the image for a larger version.)
(Click the image for a larger version.)
Elevation chart
Day 1: 武陵農場 (Wuling villa) to 桃山 (Tao shan):
Day 2 (first half): 桃山山屋 (Tao shan mountain hut) to 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan):
GPS track
Day 1: 武陵農場 (Wuling villa) to 桃山 (Tao shan):
Day 2 (first half): 桃山山屋 (Tao shan mountain hut) to 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan):
Hiking log
As always, the altitudes are approximate.
Day 1: 武陵農場 (Wuling villa) to 桃山 (Tao shan):
0850: Departure from 武陵農場 (Wuling villa), 1840 m
0910: 桃山 (Tao shan) trail head, 1945 m
1135: 黑水塘 (Hei shui tang), 2690 m
1200: Lunch break, 2870 m
1230: Continue
1345: 桃山山頂 (Tao shan peak), 3325 m
Day 2 (first half): 桃山山屋 (Tao shan mountain hut) to 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan) and back:
0555: Departure from 桃山山屋 (Tao shan mountain hut), 3280 m
0600: 桃山山頂 (Tao shan peak), 3325 m
0605: Departure
0705: 詩崙山 (Shi lun shan), 3149 m
0755: 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan), 3133 m
0815: Departure
0900: 詩崙山 (Shi lun shan), 3149 m
1015: 桃山山頂 (Tao shan peak), 3325 m
1020: 桃山山屋 (Tao shan mountain hut), 3280 m
Day 2 (second half): 桃山山屋 (Tao shan mountain hut) to 武陵農場 (Wuling villa):
1055: Departure from 桃山山屋 (Tao shan mountain hut)
1105: 桃山山頂 (Tao shan peak), 3325 m
1205: Short lunch break, 2685 m
1225: Continue
1325: 桃山 (Tao shan) trail head
1355: Back at 武陵農場 (Wuling villa)
Photos
Day 1
武陵橋 (Wu ling bridge), the entrance to 桃山瀑布 (Taoshan waterfall) and 武陵四秀, the four great mountains of Wu ling.
The crossroad to the various trail heads. We went straight because it's the fastest, though not the only, way to 桃山 (Tao shan).
At 2.2 km the forest clearing makes for a nice hike but sadly the blue sky ahead was already turning gray.
The peak has a number of stones and panels. Ironically the tall triangulation stone on the left is mobile and doubles as a make-shift tripod at night. :-)
桃山山屋 (Tao shan mountain hut) is towards the left, just a few minutes down the mountain. Towards the right is the trail to ...
喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan) where we would head the next morning. Note the Brocken spectre (觀音圈) on the lower right, the halo-like appearance surrounding my shadow. This phenomenon can sometimes be observed if the sun is directly behind one's back shining at the fog.
The view towards 雪山 (Xue shan), Taiwan's second tallest peak, on the far left. The remarkable peak on the right is 品田山 (Pin tian shan), which is also one of Wu ling's great four mountains.
Because we were staying at the mountain hut there was plenty of time to pass on the peak as the sky opened up and revealed the sun.
桃山山屋 (Tao shan mountain hut) at last with 小霸尖山 (Xiao ba jian shan) and 大霸尖山 (Da ba jian shan) in the background peeking out of the clouds.
After dinner we headed back to the peak to take some night shots like this one towards Taiwan's east coast.
Night view of 南湖大山 (Nan hu da shan) slightly left of center and 中央尖山 (Zhong yang jian shan). At 3742 and 3705 meters above sea level they are both among Taiwan's ten tallest peaks.
Starry sky above 雪山 (Xue shan) and 北稜角 (Bei leng jiao), the twin peaks on the left, 雪山北峰 (Xue shan north peak), slightly right of center, and 品田山 (Pin tian shan) further on the right.
Night view towards 大霸尖山 (Da ba jian shan). On the left you can still recognize the trail leading past the weather station down to the mountain hut.
Day 2
The first rays of sunlight illuminating 小霸尖山 (Xiao ba jian shan) and 大霸尖山 (Da ba jian shan), shortly before we headed down towards 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan).
Parts of the trail lead through thick bamboo, so waterproof clothing is a must unless you want to get soaked by the morning dew.
詩崙山 (Shi lun shan) is a small peak a little less than half-way to 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan). It doesn't have a special status, though, probably because its lack of a clear view makes it unsuitable for triangulation.
The view back towards 桃山 (Tao shan) and 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan) which looks much further away than the 2.3 km of distance would make it seem.
At the top of 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan) there's no view, so there isn't much to do but taking a quick photo, eating something, and heading back.
品田山 (Pin tian shan), my favorite mountain in the area. If you look closely you can see the trail leading up to it through the grassy patch in the center.
... with the occasional obstacle to climb over. 喀拉業山 (Kelaye shan) isn't a very popular mountain, so trail maintenance is rudimentary.
2018-05-25 | A frog goes hiking: 玉山前峰 (Yu shan front peak)
The front peak of 玉山 (Yu shan), Taiwan's tallest mountain, is not a popular destination among hikers here. For one thing it's about 700 meters shorter than its big brother. For another it's very steep and with a somewhat limited view on the way up. Our main goal, however, was to get a bit of exercise in aspiration of more challenging peaks, so it would do just fine.
Just like for our last hike in the area to 郡大山 (Jun da shan) last October we stayed overnight in 望鄉 (Wang xiang), about 1.5h away by car. Because this was going to be a relatively short hike it was okay to leave a little later than usual in the morning. Still, if I were to hike this peak again I'd try to stay somewhere closer, just to reduce the risk of being beaten to the top by fog and getting caught in afternoon showers on the way down.
Apparently the two of us leading the way walked a little too fast and missed the turnoff towards the peak. It took about half an hour for us to get suspicious and actually checking the map. But after all we were there for the exercise, so why not get a bit extra!
Overview
The blue path is 台21線, the road we drove in the morning from 望鄉 (Wang xiang) to 塔塔加 (Ta ta jia). The purple path is the shuttle from 塔塔加 (Ta ta jia) to the 塔塔加鞍部登山口 (Ta ta jia sattle trail head) and the green path the hike itself.
(Click the image for a larger version.)
Elevation chart
塔塔加鞍部登山口 (Ta ta jia sattle trail head) to 玉山前峰 (Yu shan front peak) and back to 塔塔加 (Ta ta jia)
GPS track
Hiking log
(As always, the altitudes are approximate.)
0950: Departure from 塔塔加 (Ta ta jia) by shuttle
0957: Arrival at the 塔塔加鞍部登山口 (Ta ta jia sattle trail head)
1000: Departure from 塔塔加鞍部登山口 (Ta ta jia sattle trail head), 2620 m
1040: 孟祿亭 (Monroe Pavilion), 2800 m
1110: Passed 玉山前峰登山口 (Yu shan front peak trail head) without noticing, 2855 m
1145: Turned around at ca. 4.5 km, 2960 m
1210: Back at 玉山前峰登山口 (Yu shan front peak trail head), 2855 m
1255: 玉山前峰 (Yu shan front peak), 3239 m
1340: Descent
1420: 玉山前峰登山口 (Yu shan front peak trail head), 2855 m
1450: Back at 塔塔加鞍部登山口 (Ta ta jia sattle trail head), 2620 m
1525: Back at 塔塔加停車場 (Ta ta jia parking lot), 2570 m
Photos
It's a nice place with a good view but it's about 1-2 hours away from 塔塔加 (Ta ta jia), depending on how lucky you are with traffic and getting through construction sites.
The 塔塔加鞍部登山口 (Ta ta jia sattle trail head) where most ascents to the various peaks of 玉山 (Yu shan) start. There's a convenient shuttle from the parking lot to here. It's around 35-40 minutes on foot but less than 10 minutes by shuttle. So to shave off some time (afternoon showers!) we decided to spend the 100 TWD per person.
The trail to 排雲山莊 (Pai yuan mountain lodge) is about 8.5 km long but the trail towards 玉山前峰 (Yu shan front peak) branches off at around 2.6 km.
Most of the path is quite easy to walk, which partly explains the scores of people you'll encounter here on a typical weekend day.
Looking south-east we see 玉山南峰 (Yu shan south peak, 3844 m) near the center right below the cloud and 玉山小南峰 (Yu shan small south peak) in the right third.
The view of 玉山前峰 (Yu shan front peak), which we would climb later. You can clearly see the main trail along the mountain. The trail up to the peak cuts straight up through that little patch of forest.
We walked an extra hour just to snap this picture! (Okay, I made that up. We really just missed the turnoff.)
2018-05-24 | A frog goes hiking: 郡大山 (Jun da shan)
Not too far away from 玉山 (Yu shan), Taiwan's highest mountain, is 郡大山 (Jun da shan), the 61th-highest mountain. While that isn't spectacular I like this mountain because most of the trail isn't buried under a dense forest with no view, but along the ridge, so you can enjoy the view for almost the entire time.
It's also not a difficult mountain to hike. The tiring part is getting to the trail head: 32 kilometers of windy concrete and gravel road with potholes that send your head bumping against the ceiling! And when you're exhausted it's the same ordeal in reverse.
Regardless, it's well worth the trouble and when I go back there I'll try to make sure it's not after a weeklong flu that left me with enough energy to hike to the top but not enough to hike comfortably down. :-)
Overview
(Click the image for a larger version.)
Elevation chart
32k工寮 trail head to 郡大山 (Jun da shan) and back
GPS track
Hiking log
(As always, the altitudes are approximate.)
0800: Departure from the 郡大林道 (Jun da forest trail) 0 km mark.
0955: Arrival at the 32k工寮 trail head, 2860 m
1005: Departure from the trail head, 2860 m
1025: 望鄉山 (Wang xiang shan), 3007 m
1150: 郡大山北峰 (Jun da shan North peak), 3241 m
1230: 郡大山 (Jun da shan), 3265 m
1410: Departure
1455: 郡大山北峰 (Jun da shan North peak)
1600: 望鄉山 (Wang xiang shan)
1615: Back at the trail head
Photos
The entrance to 郡大林道 (Jun Da Forest Road) where everyone gets stuck until the official in charge peels himself out of bed and presses a button.
Apparently I was too shaken to take a picture of the trail head but about an hour later we got off the bus and started hiking. The first landmark on the way is this little weather station.
Finally at the top, about an hour before the flu from the previous few days caught up with me and made me feel rather miserable.
2017-09-12 | A frog goes hiking: 志佳陽大山 (Zhi jia yang da shan)
志佳陽大山 (Zhi jia yang da shan) has a reputation of being one of the more difficult day-trip mountains to hike in Taiwan and it certainly didn't let us down. After the first three kilometers of forest trail awaits an uninterrupted steep ascent of almost 1600 meters over about 4.6 kilometers (average slope of ca. 35%).
While the way up is quite bearable given the light backpack the long hike back down takes its toll on thighs, knee, and toes.
The weather forecast had been pretty awful, so I left my camera at home and took pictures with the phone. Apologies for the bad quality. In my naïveté I also forwent sunscreen and a hat, which garnered me a bit of a sunburn. It just goes to show that mountain weather is hard to predict and you should always prepare for all eventualities.
Overview
(Click the image for a larger version.)
Elevation chart
環山 (Huan shan) to 志佳陽大山 (Zhi jia yang da shan) and back
GPS track
Hiking log
(As always, the altitudes are approximate.)
0300: Wake up
0410: Departure from the 四季朗溪吊橋 (Si ji lang river suspension bridge), 1550 m
0425: Spent about 25 minutes looking for the way along the river
0535: Break at 3.2 km, the end of the flat forest trail, 1700 m
0545: Continue
0825: 賽良久營地 (Sai lang jiu campsite), 2710 m
0935: 瓢簞山屋 (Piao dan mountain hut), 3140 m
0955: 志佳陽大山三角點 (Zhi jia yang da shan triangulation point) at 7.8 km, 3289 m
1100: Short trip to 志佳陽大山最高點 (Zhi jia yang da shan peak) at 8.2 km, 3350 m
1120: Back at 志佳陽大山三角點 (Zhi jia yang da shan triangulation point)
1145: Departure
1405: Break at 3.2 km
1455: Continue
1605: Back at the 四季朗溪吊橋 (Si ji lang river suspension bridge)
Photos
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.
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.
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.
On the way down you spot all the things you walked past a few hours earlier in the darkness like fungi ...
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.
2016-07-23 | A frog goes hiking: 畢祿山 (Bi lu shan)
After 羊頭山 (Yang tou shan) just over a month ago I now had the chance to climb 畢祿山 (Bi lu shan), the neighboring peak for which we didn't have time or energy at the time.
Instead of going in from 慈恩登山口 (Ci en trail head) we picked 820林道 (Forest road 820) this time, which starts just on the other side of the tunnel at 大禹嶺 (Da yu ling). The forest "road" is better described as the 8.5 kilometer long remains of an old logging road. It has been hit by so many landslides that it's hard to imagine vehicles passing through there many years ago. From the end of the road, at around 2500 meters above sea level, it's a 1.2 km short but steep ascent to over 3300 meters. It all adds up to a hike of about 20 kilometers that took us almost 12 hours including breaks.
The weather was flawless and the view was amazing. In hindsight it may have been easier to start from the other trailhead, but that's for another trip to confirm.
Below is all the technical information about the trip as well as the photos from the night before and of course from the hiking trip itself.
Overview
(Click the image for a larger version.)
Elevation chart
大禹嶺 (Da yu ling) to 畢祿山 (Bi lu shan) and back
GPS track
Hiking log
(As always, the altitudes are approximate.)
0645: Departure from 大禹嶺 (Da yu ling), 2550 m
0945: Break at around 8 km, 2580 m
1010: Continue
1030: Begin ascent at 8.4 km (waterfall), 2590 m
1230: Arrival at the ridge crossroads, 3340 m, break
1245: Arrival at 畢祿山 (Bi lu shan), 3371 m
1350: Departure from ridge crossroads
1505: Arrival at 8.4 km (waterfall), break
1520: Break at around 8 km
1615: Departure
1840: Back at 大禹嶺 (Da yu ling)
Photos
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.
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.
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).
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.