Yushan Part 2

I woke up a few minutes before 1:30 am. Everyone was still asleep and I could here the breathing and snoring of everyone else in the room. A few minutes later alarms started going off and people shuffled out of their beds.

While breakfast was being prepared I packed my backpack and got ready for the hike. I went outside to use the w/c and admired the stars. The air was much clearer and there were thousands of stars. The milky way made its way across the sky like a faint cloud. I looked for the southern cross but I couldn't find it. Eventually breakfast came and we quietly ate it and drank coffee while mentally preparing for the hike.

From Paiyun lodge it was only about 3.5 kilometers to the summit. This seemed easy but in effect it was a twisting and steep trail through boulders and up the slope of the mountain. It took us two hours with an occasional rest to make it up. The trail was dark and we only had our flashlights to lead the way. Some of the trail went underneath fragile rocky cliffs. We didn't stay in these places very long for fear that a rock might slip up above and come bouncing down the slope. In many places there were chains attached to the cliff so that we could hold onto it while we walked the trail. Slipping in one of these places could've meant a fatal fall.

In one spot there was a kind of tunnel built along the trail. This was made of wire mesh above to catch the rocks that would slide down. In addition this helped keep the climbers safe during high winds. However during our ascent the winds kept calm and we didn't have to worry. Near the top the steps became steeper and steeper.

By this point I was getting exhausted. It was hard to tell how far away the summit was, and we just kept pushing on. Eventually we reached it and we could see the other side of the mountain. Below the mountain sloped steeply into a wide and deep valley. More mountains were visible on the other side. Fast approaching dawn glowed behind them. We settled into a comfortable seat to watch the sunrise while our guides started boiling water to make tea and coffee.

It was a nice sunrise, the first I have seen in some time. We lounged around the summit drinking coffee and taking pictures. There were other groups up there too. In all there were probably about 50 people on the summit.

It was cold, but I had enough layers on to keep me comfortable.  The strenuous hike to the summit was all but forgotten as we took in the vista. I looked around thinking about which places are in which direction. They call this the roof of Taiwan because its the highest mountain here. It has certainly given me a new perspective on this country. Most of my experience in Taiwan has been in extremely urban environments. In Taipei it seems like everywhere there are people, scooters, trucks, buildings and pavement. It is easy to get molded into that same landscape everyday.

After awhile we decided it was time to head back down the mountain Ahead of us was a long descent back to the shuttle van. We left the Summit at about 6 am. Back and forth lower and lower to Paiyun lodge. Hiking downhill is in some ways just as difficult as going up. It requires much more precision and control on where you place your foot. Step after step this exertion takes its toll. In addition the weight falls on your knees and joints. I was glad that before the hike I cut my toe nails.

By about 8 am we made it back to the lodge. We had another quick breakfast and packed the gear that we left at the lodge. Then with full packs we started going back the 8.5 km trail to the trailhead. This was very slow and grueling. The occasional signpost with a report of our progress came slowly and the kilometers seemed to trickle by. There was one section where we had to climb up about 4 or 5 flights of stairs and I was left winded and exhausted at the top. We took occasional brief rests, but everyone was anxious to get back so we kept a good pace.

I made it to the shuttle at about 11:30 am. Already a few from our group were there. The rest of the group was behind me and we waited for them. After everyone got back we had a snack and got into the shuttle bus for the long drive back to Taipei.

Again we had to take those snaking mountain roads back down the mountain. It took us about 2-3 hours just to get to the highway. Finally we were making our way up north. We passed Changhua and Taichung, then Hsinchu and we stopped in Taoyuan for dinner. It was also the birthday of one of the kids in our group so we had cake and relaxed. After awhile we got back in the bus and headed back to Taipei. By this point I was starting to worry about getting my apartment arrangements situated. When the bus dropped us off I said goodbye to Ya Chu and all my new friends then quickly caught a taxi and went to meet Sam at my old apartment. Ivan the roommate who is taking over my room met us there. I took a quick shower. Ivan gave me the deposit for the apartment and I gave him the keys. I went over to McDonalds to fulfill a craving I had for a cheeseburger.

Sam helped me take all my stuff to the street and I caught a taxi. The taxi took me to Banqiao in my new temporary apartment. Jess, my new roommate, wasn't there yet, so I carried my three bags up 4 flights of stairs to the landing of my new place. A half hour later Jess showed up and brought me into the room. I got ready for bed and collapsed at about 11pm, after a long, long day. The next morning I went into school and got back to work.

Yushan Part One

Rising 12,966 feet (3,952 meters) above sea level is Taiwan's highest peak: Yushan Mountain (Wikipedia). This was my goal for June 21st. Coincidentally this date is remarkable because it is the summer solstice and it is the one year anniversary of my arrival in Taiwan. I arrived just after sunrise on the 21st of June in 2009 and if everything went according to plan I would be on top of Yushan at sunrise this year.

Before I started the journey to Yushan I had to take care of some things back home. My apartment contract finished on June 19th, the same day that the hiking tour left Taipei. In the morning before the hike I packed up all my possessions and put them in a few bags that I left with Sam. After cleaning my apartment out Sam and I went to Shida to meet Ya Chu for lunch. We ate at Grandma Nitti's before we met up at the tour bus. Another apartment was available near my work in Banqiao, so I arranged it so that I could move in there after the hike.

Yushan is in the center of Taiwan. It is a long ways from Taipei. The nearest road is about 13 kilometers from the summit. On the first day of the three day tour our destination was a hostel near the trailhead for the summit. To get there we had to take a long, windy road up into the heart of Taiwan's mountains.

The road is still in poor shape from the last years Typhoon Morakot. The roads were built into extremely steep cliffs of a river basin. The drive along the mountain road lasted for several hours. Everywhere there were tell-tale signs of the destruction wreaked by previous typhoons. Cliff faces were naked of vegetation. Boulders were strewn across the river valleys. There were remnants of old roads and tunnels that had been abandoned after massive rock slides. Frequently we passed heavy duty construction machinery. Trucks full of rocks, tractors and cranes slowly plyed their way along the lonely roads. Often there were cliff faces covered with concrete to add some stability to the fragile walls of the mountains. Some of the mountains were so big that the structures to hold them up looked only like matchsticks.

We plied our way along the road higher and higher. Often there would be warning signs as the road up ahead was overflowing with the debris from a landslide. Construction crews were cleaning it up and the road would narrow to one lane. On one side of the road was the near vertical face of the mountain, on the other side there would be a steep drop of thousands of feet. It was a tense journey as we vied with intermittent construction traffic on the road up the mountain.

As we got higher and higher the temperature got cooler. We eventually became parallel to the clouds and later we could look down into the clouds and see the occasional mountain top in the sea of clouds. As the last light of dusk evaporated we reached the Tataka hostel where we'd lodge up for the night.

The accommodations here were dorm like. There were about 20 people in our group and we shared bunk beds in the hostel. In other wings of the hostel there were other groups that were also climbing the mountain. We were the only group that had any foreigners. Most of our group were Americans and Canadians. There was also a French family and a Norwegian family along with a Swiss, a Brit and a couple of Taiwanese. I played cards with Ya Chu and Josh for awhile before everyone went to bed.

Hiking

The next morning we woke up early. After packing up our gear and eating breakfast we made our way up to the trailhead. At the trailhead there was a small police station and a visitor's center. We watched a video in English that described the trail and gave basic safety advice. The official at the visitor center checked our passports then we began our hike. The trail was 8.5km and had a net gain of 900 meters in altitude. The trail was in good shape, but it was long and taxing. We officially started the trail around 8:30 am. For several hours we hiked along the slope of the mountains.

The scenery here is startlingly different than anywhere else in Taiwan. There are lush green forests. Abundantly filled with pine trees, the alpine landscape reminded me of hikes I have done in California and Oregon. The air was clean and fresh. As we went around each bend of the sinewy mountains we could take in the vista of mountains rolling into the distance. As the valleys thinned out there were clouds over the coastal plains. It was mostly a clear day and while the temperature was cool, the sun burned cruelly on any exposed skin.

We ate lunch at a shelter built about 5 kilometers up the trail. Our guides had some burners and boiled some water and made us some tea. We ate lunch box style rice with sausage and some vegetables. After a spell we packed up and got back on the trail. Higher and higher we went up the mountain. The trail snaked through forests and up steep switchbacks. Finally after several hours of patient and exhausting hiking we got to Paiyun cabin on the slopes of Yushan.

I was exhausted as I made the final steps up the stairs to the Paiyun. I headed straight for our designated dorm and dropped my pack off at the foot of my bunk bed. My head was splitting with a headache from the gain in altitude and all my limbs were sore. I felt every ounce in my pack.

Inside my backpack I carried a down coat, a bag with some snacks, warm clothes, rain gear, toiletries and a small backpack. It wasn't very much stuff but carrying along the trail was taxing enough.

We had dinner early at 5:00 pm. The plan was for us to get to bed early and wake up at 1:30 am to have breakfast and start the hike before sunrise. Every one was pretty subdued and exhausted from the day's hike. I think we were all in bed by 9 pm. Most of the evening I was wracked by my headache, so I kept mostly to myself and took more and more Tylenol until the pain went away.

New blog and preparations.

Okay, I am back to blogging. My life is getting hectic. A lot will be going down in the next few weeks and I am getting prepared. Today is Dragon Boat Festival Day in Taiwan and its a national holiday here. I don't have to work so I have some time to get this blog ready and practice using my new netbook.

In the next few weeks I've got a lot of ground to cover. On Saturday I move out of my apartment. Then I will join a hiking group and climb up Yushan or Jade Mountain, the highest mountain in Taiwan. After I get back from that trip I'm going to move into Caleb's old apartment near my school.

Then at the end of June I'm going back to America to see my family. This should be a nice break before the big trip into Southeast Asia in mid-July. When I get back from America I will stay in Taiwan a week then fly to Singapore. From Singapore I will travel through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and finally China before a I take a boat back to Taiwan. This is just the first blog post on this epic journey.

Preparations
I bought a big red backpack in Taipei. It holds 65 liters. This should be more than enough to carry everything I need on my trip. Its actually a little bit too big and I hope its not too full when I set off for Singapore. I spent a Saturday afternoon looking for the right backpack. I must have visited 20 different shops around Taipei before settling on this one. I made some modifications to it. There are lots of loose straps that hang about on the back. This annoys me and looks sloppy when I see it on other backpackers. I bought some velcro and devised a little strap so that I can roll up all the straps and hold them in place with the velco. I also found some highly reflective yellow tape, the kind that bicyclists use at night, to put on my bag for safety. It is sometimes harrowing when walking on dark roads without a sidewalk at night.

I'm still trying to decide how many clothes I will carry. The next few weeks will be a kind of test run because I will essentially be living out of my backpack after Saturday. The few items that I have in my apartment are being put in boxes and they will be stored at Miguel's until I return, approximately in November.

It is a bit sad leaving Taipei now. I have made some good friends here in the last year. I hope that things are the same when I get back. Everything will certainly change. I hope that the next few months give me more perspective.