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Updated Thursday, March 12, 2009 11:56 am TWN, By Richard Saunders, Special to The China Post

Hiking Yushan once more

It was a cloudy, misty Thursday when we left Tatachia (塔塔加) and followed a long line of other hikers along the main trail to Paiyun Mountain Hut (排雲山莊), and on the next day (under the clearest of blue skies) to the main summit of Yushan. It was a surprisingly wonderful experience standing on the craggy summit once more, looking out over the even craggier Yushan East Peak, and beaming down at a few slower members of our group, still hauling themselves up the chains that point the route up through the jagged rock face below.

My eye was especially drawn, however, southwards to the route we'd be taking later that day, to the Yuan Feng Peak and Yushan South Peak, uncharted territory for the majority of hikers that haul themselves up to Taiwan's gloriously magnificent rooftop.

An hour later we were back at the junction a kilometer or so below the summit, and for the first time, instead of tramping back down to Paiyun Mountain Hut for the long march back to the road, we turned left, up a path signposted to Yuan Feng (Round Peak 圓峰).

The trail out towards Yushan South Peak is good, and we made quick time striking up the vast scree slope below the summit ridge. Looking back, the summit path is clearly visible opposite, zigzagging up through the massive slope of loose rocks, while further up, climbers below the summit stood out against the rock face as tiny, brightly colored dots. Savoring the last magnificent view of Yushan main peak from this new angle a little (and catching our breath at the same time: it's a stiff climb up here with a full backpack) we disappear over the shoulder of the ridge, and a whole new panorama opens up ahead.

Dominating the view is Yushan South Peak in front, its northern crags looking impressively severe (even though the map assures us the hike to the summit is less than two hours from our present vantage point). The trail now leaves behind the exciting, but unstable scree slope and dives into thick scrub, which clothes these relatively sheltered slopes.

The tiny wooden hut in which we are this evening to spend our dark night of the soul nestles amongst the greenery in a sheltered-looking hollow below, looking deceptively idyllic. In twenty minutes we're there, greeted by a howling wind blowing up the side of the mountain and funneled through the hollow in which the hut lies.

There's just time to make it to the summit and back still before sunset, but the ninety-minute hike to Yushan South Peak suddenly seems less like a good idea in the face of this gale. Instead (make a mental note to return and explore further these less well-trodden trails on Yushan one day) we seek out the most sheltered place we can find, and enjoy the spectacular surroundings, alone.

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	The mountain hut at Yuan Feng nestles in a hollow below the impressive crags of Yushan South Peak. (By Richard Saunders, Special to The China Post) More Photos (3)


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