Sports+Travel Singapore – July 22, 2019

FEATURE TAIWAN

steep slope. Perhaps it is because I am

feeling a little more accustomed today,

both to the intensity of the hike and

the breathlessness accompanying the

mounting altitude.

The very top of this slope marks the

entrance into the eerie Black Forest,

which carries a weighty, almost deafening

silence, save for our rhythmic footfall and

clicking trekking poles.

All around us are ramrod straight

Taiwanese fir that shoot up into the mist

above, some snapped in half about their

sodden trunks, roots unceremoniously

ripped clean out of the earth. The path,

no longer as singularly clear-cut as the

day before, is scattered with stone slabs,

boulders, and running water.

Two difficult hours in unveils the

Glacial Cirque, the site of the largest

glacial traces in Taiwan. It is a bowl-

shaped valley, a stunningly blanketed

vista of vivid, blooming pink and white

indian azaleas, only found in these

mountainous regions.

Where the beautiful meadow ends, the

final ascent to the summit of Xueshan’s

Main Peak rises. The path up is lost in the

murky, impenetrable fog; I cannot see

how far up it goes or exactly where the

peak is. Without a clear end, you just have

to keep going.

Again, it is a snaking trail but this time,

the most challenging of all: an impossibly

steep, monstrous collection of large rocks

and boulders that shift and crumble.

Struggling against the harshly biting gales

makes the last kilometre to the summit

feel a decade long. My hands are numb,

knuckles white, feet leaden and my ears

have lost their feeling.

Eventually, pushing past the bushes and

figuring out the unclear rocky path, we

emerge onto Main Peak. I cannot believe

I made it up a mountain, and not an easy

one too. My legs are shaky, my breathing

laboured but my heart is warm and full.

We are surrounded by a fast-moving

fog that the wind tousles and hurries

along, revealing an arresting landscape of

the vibrant flower-studded fields below

and blue skies melting into the soft shades

of craggy silhouettes afar.

The rewarding slab of grey stone

sits atop messily fashioned stone steps,

proudly declaring our conquest of

Xueshan, a peak of 3886 metres – a true

triumph for my maiden climb.

DAY THREE The day of our descent

from Xueshan, we leave before dawn

breaks. As the first huge, persistent drops

of rain become a full-blown downpour,

we are thankful to already be decked out

in rain pants and ponchos.

The gravel slackens into running mud

puddles we either sink into or avoid

by fighting through the tall grass. The

dripping wooden posts counting down

the remaining distance seem too few and

far between. My waterproof hat quickly

succumbs and running rainwater drips

into my eyes.

At long last, the rustling green overhead

opens before us to finally reveal the

trailhead where our Xueshan conquest

began two days ago, now drawing to a

very wet but contented close.

Day 1: 1530

Day 2: 0800

Day 1: 1600

Day 2: 0900

Day 2: 0745

Day 2: 1030