Hiking Essentials

Important lesson learnt from my XueShan hike is to always stay dry and stay warm.

Clothing
-Insulation layer: Synthetic material shirt
-Thermal shell: Fleece Jacket/ Soft shell Jacket
-Waterproof layer: Waterproof jacket/pants (preferably goretex)
-Hiking boots (waterproofed not only on the outside but also on the inside)
-Waterproof gaiters to prevent water from seeping into the shoes
-Sockliners to prevent blisters from long distance walking
-Hiking socks
-Sun cap/Beanie
-Lingerie and everyday wear


Equipments
-Hiking backpack (>40 litres for 3- 4 days) with rain cover and waterproofed on the inside with trashbag!
-Hiking stick(s) (I have reliable and affordable sources ;))
-Headlamp (preferably 3 LED)
-Quickdry towels
-Sleeping bag (<10 degrees Celsius)
-Waterproof bag for documents and electronic items
-Sewing kit/ Glue for sealing holes

Please let me know if there are any additional items to include!

Scaling North Asia's 2nd Tallest Mountain

It was just a another random trip which my colleague Audrey suggested. A 9 day trip Taiwan and I thought sure why not?? Audrey warned me that this was not going to be one of those night markets, bubble tea kind of trip. She told me that we're to prepare to climb Xue Shan (雪山, translated: Snow Mountain). 2 things went through my mind, the first is that it's a martial arts backdrop while the second is that it's not gonna be as tough as my training at Mt Biang, Brunei during my time in the army. I was half right

XueShan stands in TaiChung, Taiwan and is part of a mountain range including the tallest mountain in North Asia, YuShan (玉山, translated: Jade Mountain). It stands at 3886 meters while YuShan 3952 meters. Audrey, an avid traveller and excellent reviewer on tripadvisor suggested hiking up XueShan instead of YuShan as many say the scenery is nicer comparably. And so we set our travel date in May, 2 months ahead for our preparations and training

Audrey, her boyfriend Isaac and I stayed in Taipei for the first 3 days preparing our food supplies and camping equipments. We were pleasantly surprised there are  plenty of outdoor supplies shops along Taipei Main Station. One essential item is the butane canister and igniter, oh and also a good pair of gloves. Kang Loong, another colleague of mine flew in right after his exams just in time for the adventure ;) At the train station, we repacked and redistributed our stuffs before depositing our luggage at the luggage transfer office to send it over to Taichung which was our rest point after our 3 days hike.

To get there, we bought our bus tickets a day in advance heading to Yi-Lan through Kamalan Bus,cost around NT$60! Our original intention was to travel downwards by train to TaiChung and transit to XueShan which is a much faster way but the mountain roads were blocked by landslides beginning of the year. On the other hand car rental is exorbitant and cost around NT$20,000 with a driver for a 1 way trip! From Yi-lan there are only 2  国光 （KuoKuang or KingBus as in its English name) bus schedules there, one at 0600hrs and the other at 1230hrs. The bus journey from Taipei -- Yi-Lan is around 1.5hrs while the ride from Yi-Lan -- Wu Ling farm (武陵农场) is around 3hrs, take bus 1751 heading towards 梨山.

Look out for this landmark after alighting at the bus station, the bus to KuoKuang is this non-prominent bus stop near it. We packed our hot lunch from Family Mart to take up the bus. Made friends with this Taiwanese guy, extremely helpful and this was also his first time going to Wu Ling farm. Luckily for his on-bus entertainment, made the winding road easy on the guts.

Upon getting off the bus we scurried to check in our resort. Spent a day there exploring Wu Ling's beautiful surroundings and also got to see the rare formosan landlocked salmon at the conservatory.

The next day we set off after lunch from Wu Ling farm up to register at the local police station out registration papers done way before the trip. It is necessary to do so before proceeding to the trail head as they will not allow you to pass. It is also highly recommended you have some kind of transportation up there as the roads are narrow and steep which can be quite dangerous since many campers drive along this road. The journey up to the trailhead can take a toll on your body even before you start as it is 5km of walking. We were lucky to hitch a hike from a friendly driver who was just passing through the area as he has not been there before! 

At the ranger station, we were asked to watch a safety video before proceeding which was quite amusing. Took our first group shot before proceeding up the slope. First stop was 七卡 Chika Hut and it's around a 2-3 hrs leisure walk up with steps. The hut was split into 2 living quarters each accomodating 80 people plus the canteen and washrooms. We reached the hut pretty early at 1700hrs and had plenty of time to rest. Met a group of 80 students and teachers on their field trip, very friendly people, invited us to share their food. It was also embarrassing that we had to get their help to start our fire

The first night for Audrey was terrible as she was down with food poisoning and had no appetite for dinner, fortunately Isaac was there by her side the whole night. <3

The next morning was filled with low spirits as Audrey wasn't in her best of health and there were contemplation to give up the hike altogether leaving Kang Loong and I to continue on our own. The next checkpoint was 三六九 hut (369 hut) and it was a longer route compared to the one yesterday. This was going to be a 4-5 hour hike and with the rain clouds looming in it looked set to be a harsh journey..

Audrey had difficulty carrying on the pace and had to stop to rest at every band, to the point we stopped by a corner and made hot tea for her in the rain!

The saving grace eventually was Audrey's miraculous recovery after the break, she picked herself up and paced herself slowly till she was able to keep up with her average pace. It was an encouraging moment knowing that Audrey's getting better and that we could all achieve our common goal. At the same time I could hear our pace increasing with my Runkeeper app blaring out from the speakers of my iphone every kilometre.

The terrain opened up gradually as we moved higher till we could see the ridge line!

I read about the 'Crying slope' on Barking Deer's website and it seemed the toughest part of the hike. It was a slow 30 minutes climb up this obstacle but we managed to do so. Along the way we could see the mountain flowers emerging by the sides of the slopes, beautiful sight which lifted our spirits.

Further up, we reached the east peak of XueShan, the Audrey and Kang Loong were tired out and didn't want to take another slope up. I didn't want to miss the chance and managed to take a few snap shot of my mini victory @ 3201km :)

Not long after, we reached our second checkpoint 369 hut, it is smaller in size compared to Chika hut.

We made a blasphemous mistake right from the start. Our items were not waterproofed on the inside and many of our belongings were wet from the unrelenting rain! My sleeping bag was soaked entirely and there was no way for it to dry before nightfall, it didn't hit me as a problem until the other hikers warned me about the low temperatures at night. Suddenly it hit me that I could really die in my sleep..

Even in the day I was freezing to my toes as my clothes were all wet and the poncho didn't help too. It was then the second miracle appeared! Kang Loong out of no where handed me a fresh sleeping bag (with down!) for myself and him! Apparently he managed to get one with the help of one of the local hikers and the ranger who had spares in the store. 

Our itinerary the next morning, very early morning, was not quite what we expected. All of us were tired and the rain yesterday blew away our expectations of a summer hike. The night before, we decided that if it rains the next morning, we'll sleep in and abandon our trip to go back to the trail head.

We woke up at 0200hrs and were elated to see the skies filled with stars, complete clear of rain clouds! After breakfast we set off with a group of seasoned hikers and photographers at 0330 hrs. We camped by a ridge line overlooking a set of mountains to await the sunrise.

The wait was worth it and the first break of light was at 0430, could see streams of clouds pouring out between crevices of mountains and we were standing right above them.

We set off next into the Black Forest, which was around an hour hike through a rocky, forested terrain.

The sun rays emitting through the forest illuminated the whole forest and was a beautiful sight, lifted everyone's spirit too. We knew we were one step closer to the peak :)

What beheld us after the black forest was breathtaking, the terrain opened up immediately to a valley of flowers and bright clear skies. The weather was on our side, but not for long.

The locals mentioned that this cherry blossom only grows from April to May and only above altitudes of  3800 metres, this year also happens to the most abundant in 7 years. 

The distance markers by the side of the trails gave us more confidence as we pushed on, the increasing numbers were a motivation and strengthened our spirits. A few more steps and finally...

To celebrate our achievement, I ignited a bunch of fireworks bought from Taipei :)) Took our pictures and scurried down to catch our rental car to Taichung, the descent is another interesting story which I'll share next time.

This trip will be one which all of us will remember for a very long time. It has also bonded me with my friends, changed my perception about holidays and sparked my passion into hiking! I look forward to conquering the next peak probably Mt Kinabalu, Mt Bromo, or even Everest Base camp!