In the Yushan National Park, Mt. Jade Main Peak, 3952m high, is the highest summit in Taiwan. A drawing is required for getting the permission to climb Jade Mountain. Thanks for Zong-Jin's help, Zong-Jin, Shelby (my brother) and I joined the trip with a climbing club three weeks before the depature with permissions, while some people might wait for half a year.
At 8:30AM on July 12th, we started climbing from Tataka (2300m high). Climbing 8.5km, we reached Paiyun Lodge (3402m high) at 15:30PM. I was exhausted. Who told me that it's an easy public hiking trail? Shelby, I won't forget it! :P
At 8:30AM on July 12th, we started climbing from Tataka (2300m high). Climbing 8.5km, we reached Paiyun Lodge (3402m high) at 15:30PM. I was exhausted. Who told me that it's an easy public hiking trail? Shelby, I won't forget it! :P
Because it was fully occupied in Paiyun Lodge, we climbed another 30 minutes to camp illegally next to the trail. With the small rocks on the back and the weird slope, I didn't sleep at all. Well, actually it's not a big deal. When we went to "bed", it was 20:00PM already, and we need to wake up at 2:00AM next day anyway. When I saw the stars spreading in the sky in the early morning, I couldn't care less.
There are 2.4km between Paiyun Lodge and the main peak. The last 300m is the most steep part. However since there were lots people climbed in the morning, the speed was relatively slow. At 17:00AM, we reached the summit! The view at the peak is amazing with the color changes of the sunrise and the sea of clouds, although the guide said that it could be even much better! While the sky shifted from dark to bright, standing on the top of the world (ok, I know it's only the top of Taiwan...:P), I thought of Simba in the Disney's movie The Lion King. I am the king (queen) of the world! :)
It's easy to climb up, but hard to climb down. In the early morning, we just followed the person in front in the dark. While climbing down in the day time, I couldn't believe that I climbed all the way up. It's beautiful and fun!
After another 2.4km, we were back to Paiyun Lodge and had the second breakfast. Foods in the mountain tests even fresher and better. Taking 3.5 hours down, we finished the 8.5km which took us 7 hours up. Why did we walk so fast? It's because delicious watermelons are waiting! :POn the way back to the civilization, my muscles started aching all over. Saying goodbye to the lovely natural, I was thinking when I could visit other beautiful mountains in Taiwan.
More photots are available here.
