JUNE 28, 1994 |
YU SHAN (JADE MOUNTAIN) 13,114
FT. ELEV. HIGHPOINT OF TAIWAN |
DAVE JURASEVICH |
My wife En Lee, daughter Rachel and I traveled to
Taiwan during the latter part of June this year to attend the wedding of her
younger brother in Taipei. Having some free time during the visit, two of my
brother-in-laws and I decided to climb Jade Mountain, the highpoint of Taiwan
and northeast Asia. Besides bagging a highpoint it was our plan to escape the
oppressive heat, humidity and pollution of Taipei for a few days and breathe
the clean mountain air of this sub-tropical island. The climb of Jade Mountain
is a 5,500 foot elevation gain, 16.5 mile round trip on a mostly well
maintained trail, except for a few spots near the summit. The proximity of this
mountain to the ocean (Pacific on the east, Taiwan Strait on the west) and the
island's geographical location make unstable weather a frequent occurrence all
year round. Besides the weather, Jade Mountain offers other objective hazards
unfamiliar to us DPS'ers. Topping the list are poisonous critters such as
cobras, bamboo vipers and the locally dreaded "hundred paces snake", with wild
boars and impenetrable bamboo thickets rounding out the slate. In the old days
there was no trail to the summit, so climbers had to seriously face these
dangers; today the trail takes much of the adventure out of the
climb. Arriving at the trailhead after a 6 hour car ride from Taipei, we
spent the night at a hostel (8,500 ft. dcv.) in Yu Shan National Park in the
village of Tong Pu. This small village boasts the main visitor center for the
national park and offers a fine view of the steep, forested canyons and craggy
peaks of the area. Next morning at 4:40 AM, Frank and Arthur Lin and I left
everyone sleeping at the hostel and started out for the peak under starry
skies. Following a paved logging road, in 50 minutes (2 miles, 500 feet up then
down) we arrived at TaTaKa saddle, the actual trailhead for Jade Mtn. From here
the trail climbs steadily, hugging cliffs, cutting through bamboo thickets and
finally traversing beautiful forests of hemlock spruce until it reaches the
P'ai-yun mountain hut at 11,600 feet elevation. The hut offers overnight
accommodations for hikers (water, a kitchen for cooking food you pack in,
restrooms, bunk beds with plenty of blankets) planning on overnighting here
before carrying on to the summit. Reaching the hut
at 9:30 AM, we spent 1/2 hour
resting and eating a snack before continuing on to the peak. The summit, 1500
feet above and 1.5 miles beyond the hut, was reached at 11:00 AM. This was an
especially rewarding ascent for Frank and Arthur who,. attempting the peak 29
years ago with their father, were beaten back by a snow storm. Within minutes
clouds blowing in from the Pacific quickly engulfed the peak, limiting views in
all directions. After a 1 1/2 hour rest, we left the summit, arriving back at
the mountain hut at 1:30 PM. Frank wasn't feeling well, so he decided to spend
the night at the hut. Arthur felt it was his duty to stay with his brother, so
I alone hiked the 7 miles back to Tong Pu, arriving at 4 PM. Frank and Arthur
arrived at Tong Pu well rested the next morning at 10 AM. En Lee and Rachel
did a hike of their own while we were busy climbing the mountain. En Lee
carried Rachel (1 1/2 years old) to TaTaKa saddle for the morning's exercise,
en route stopping to watch a pair of wild Formosan rock monkeys in a large
hemlock tree. A special thanks to Dr. Dustin Wu for taking three days off
work at China Airlines and driving us to the mountains. We all availed
ourselves of Dr. Wa's medical expertise during the trip, either for a good
herbal remedy, ginseng or a quick acupuncture session! |
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