Went back for round 2 of Huang Di Dian, determined not to get lost this time. I was met by Carly, a new arrival in Taiwan who teaches for International Schools. Man has she got a cushy gig; I had to pick my eyes up from off the ground when she told me how much her monthly rent costs. Hess: the McDonald's of English cram schools indeed.
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| Walk past that bridge, turn left, and you're on your way to Huang Di Dian. |
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| In the distance you can see people washing away the heat of a summer day. Seeing them made me curse my lack of a swimsuit. |
This time around I make sure of the route before getting on, so we don't have to abandon ship half-way in. We have to wait for the second bus to hell (the 666), but the wait isn't long at all. Once in the small town of Shiding, finding the trail entrance is so embarrassingly easy that I wonder how I screwed up last time. Oh, that's right. Because the bus driver dropped us off in the completely wrong area. We get off from the bus stop, walk thirty yards, turn left and keep going until we see a plaza where people are sitting, drinking iced tea. Turning right and walking along the river, marveling at the limpid blue waters, we continue until we see signs bidding us turn left. Past the parking lot, and we're climbing up the usual flight of ugly concrete stairs.
Most blogs online complain that the stairs persist for about an hour, but they must be scrawny bitches because I'm pretty sure our feet hit dirt trail after forty minutes or so, if that. Besides, now that I think about it, what's wrong with stairs, besides being aesthetically wanting? If you think they're tiring, you've never gone up a trail that switchbacks twenty times. And if you think they're tedious, well you may be right, but that alone isn't enough to dampen my spirit.
Anyway the dirt trail proves more interesting. At parts it narrows to little more than a foot path, climbing steeply over minor hills and winding around randomly planted boulders, the discarded playthings of giants. We hit our first chain ladder and after that the chains and ropes become more numerous. I remark to Carly that I don't do well with heights, but strangely enough I'm not bothered by it on this hike. I can look down while I'm climbing up the rope without experiencing any weakness in the knees. I regularly climb at the very tip of the ridges, exposed to heights that would normally set my gums itching. Perhaps all the climbing around in Taiwan has cured me of my fear? Or perhaps I'm that much more intent on seeking out higher places, to face my fear and to win this life-long staring contest. Now, I just have to get down to Green Island and conquer my fear of the great, wide ocean. As much as I label myself a badass, my two worst fears are pretty limiting when it comes to seeking adventure.
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| All the ropes and ladders here were like the other places I'd been, only...more so. |
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| Had some beautiful views on the ridge, as well as some heavenly breezes. |
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| From the other blogs I've read, it seems that those ropes weren't always there, and the top of the rock was not always chiseled flat. I can understand the need, but damn me if I don't wish I'd climbed this trail ten years past. |
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| Carly, my hiking companion |
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| I was shocked by how much this guy's body actually looked like a leaf, complete with brown spots and thin veins. |
Our hike ends up taking us from West Peak to East Peak, and the sun is shining gloriously throughout the whole day. Breezes blow often, and we pause, grateful for these mini-respites from the heat. On the way over to East Peak, I chat with a young hiker, and the kid tells me that there's a wall further on that reaches the haloed 90 degree angle...or close enough not to matter. I laugh at what can only be youthful hyperbole.
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| Not quite 90 degrees. |
I could tell you more about Huang Di Dian, but honestly it was a lot like other hikes I've been on, just bigger. Brian and I found this hike after searching online under "tough hikes in Taipei," and if this is the best you have to throw at me I am not impressed. If you're reading this Brian, the hike we did getting lost trying to find Huang Di Dian was harder than Huang Di Dian itself. Definitely more vertical, with the exclusion of the rope climbs. There's one last trail that's supposed to be challenging, Wu Liao Jian, so I guess I should keep my mouth shut until I tackle that one. If I find it lacking though, at least in hardship factor, I guess I'll have to find a nice mountain to climb...
A real mountain:
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| Yushan, Jade Mountain. |
A last note: I'm not 'over' hiking in Taiwan, there are plenty of intimate trails and nice little jaunts to keep someone busy for a lifetime. But the hiking here just really pales in comparison to that back home. One redeeming quality here is the ease of getting around, even compared with the relatively short drives back home. But even with this ease of transportation I find myself longing for the sharp scent of pine, the bracing wind, and the close friends with whom to share such pleasures.
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| Waiting for that next Reunion of Heroes |
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