Huangdidian

Today we hiked Huangdidian, one of the more challenging hikes in the Taipei area. It's a continuation of the Bijiashan Ridge system, but it starts on the other side of the river that passes through the town of Shiding.

The reason it's so challenging is that the ridge is exposed in various places, with drops on either side that, if you fell down them, you would die. But the likelihood of this happening is lower these days after the county government installed safety barriers.

Huangdidian means "The Emperor's Hall".

It was just me and Robert today.

Here's the trailhead, just outside of Shiding:


This trail starts out with a "Stairway to Heaven" which goes almost all the way up to the start of the ridge trail. On the way up we saw a female golden orb-weaver (Nephila pilipes):


These spiders are quite common on the trails, and including their legs the females can reach the size of a human hand. The males are tiny, and can sometimes be seen on the webs. They are not poisonous, but they can give you a painful bite if you let them.

Soon we came across this Taiwan Common Toad (Bufo bankorensis):


Along the way, there are several spots where ropes or ladders are needed for climbing. Here are some hikers we encountered:


Some more wildlife we encountered: Neolucanus swinhoei, a kind of stag beetle that's native to Taiwan.


We were on one peak looking at what lay in store in the next:


Robert taking a quick break on his way up!


Part of the exposed ridge:


Robert on the ridge.


Finally we come to the section with no safety barriers. Yes, you can fall to your death here if you're not careful!


As we were hiking down a trail leading through the jungle, we came across a cave:


Then, before long, we saw signs of civilization, like this temple built into the cliff face:


Then a shrine to the God of Wealth:


And finally we get to the road. There we saw another temple. (Temples and shrines dot the landscape here in Taiwan - mostly Taoist or Buddhist, or a mix of the two.) The roof was impressively colorful:


And then a walk of about 40 minutes back to Shiding, where we had an excellent dinner of Hongshao Tofu, half a chicken, and stir-fried beet leaves, washed down with Taiwan Beer. It really hit the spot!

Bijiashan Ridge

Yesterday we hiked the Bijiashan Ridge from Ergeshan to the town of Shiding. The hike covers varied terrain through forest and rocky outcrops, and takes about 6 hours to complete. We've taken this trail before, but starting in Shiding. Once we came across a troop of monkeys in the woods up there!

It was four men this time: Robert, Scott, Bobb and me. We took a cab up the hill to Caonan. The cab was not in the best condition and was straining to get up the mountain road with us four big Westerners in it. Once there, we hiked up the trail to the place where the guy sells mung bean soup. The ridge trail starts right next to his place of business.

Ordinarily, on clear days, this trail affords spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and of the city. But today was a hazy, misty day and we couldn't see jack anything. And going through the woods cut down the light even more, and my camera is crap in low-light conditions. I only took a handful of pictures this time.

In this direction the trail was slightly more difficult because of the numerous steep climbs down that follow gentle ascents. Coming the other way, it's easy to climb the steep areas with both hands and feet; going down is a different matter. But it wasn't overly difficult - there were ropes and branches to hang on to.

At one point we came to a rest spot, and I took out the sling Robert brought me from Tibet. It's made of yak hair. We picked up some rocks and tried it out, whirling it and releasing the rocks into the woods. Wow, I didn't know slings could be so deadly. They can propel rocks at high speeds and can do quite a bit of damage!

The variety of vegetation up there was amazing - Lauracea, Machilus, Gordonia, crape myrtles, cedars, screw pines, and dozens of trees and shrubs we couldn't identify. Another walk around Daan Park is in order! (They have signs there, telling you the names of trees!) As for animals, we saw no monkeys, but we did see a snake. A baby one.

At one point, about halfway along the trail, it threatened to rain. It sprinkled for about a minute, and I had my emergency poncho out at the ready. Then the rain subsided. Thankfully.

Finally we came to the end of the ridge, where the trail branches. It was starting to get dark, and we debated which way to go. I wanted to go left, because we were familiar with it and part of the hike is in the open, so it would be easier to see. But I was out-voted: we went right because the sign said it would take 20 mintues to get to the bottom. That trail was clear, but steep, muddy, and slippery, and, we would later find out, was crawling with leeches. In the end it took 45 minutes to get to the bottom. Never trust the time estimation on a hand-written sign!

After slogging and slipping our way down, we crossed a stream, and soon the trail became level. Then we were greeted by a wonderful sight: the road! Just as it was getting too dark to see! (And dammit, I had left my flashlight at home...) We were also greeted by the presence of wild ginger (Hedychium coronarium) alongside the path, which gives off a wonderful fragrance.

We walked to the nearby town of Shiding, and stopped in a local store to get some drinks. Robert and I each had a beer. Then it started to rain. The sky gods had spared us for the entire length of the hike, heeping us dry and with enough light to see until we reached town! As we sat under a shelter, we discovered the leeches! Scott and I both had five on our ankles, suking blood through our socks. Robert later found 20 on him!

Then we took Bus No. 666 back to Taipei.

Pictures to come.