Yushan (玉山) 3952+, Taiwan – The Jade Mountain Descent
Our descent from Yushan was even more exciting as the temperature at Paiyun Lodge dropped to below zero degrees. It was our first time to experience snow!
Yushan/ Jade Mountain (3,952+)
Yushan National Park, Central Taiwan
Major Jumpoff: Paiyun Visitor Center, No. 151 Taiping Lane, Sinyi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan
LLA: 23°28′12″N 120°57′26.16″E , 3952+MASL
Days required / Hours to summit: 2 days / 8-12 hours
Specs: Major Climb
Part III (第三方,Dì sānfāng)
Yushan Descent
Hands are numb, body’s cold, feet planted tightly at the ground at each step going down. Darkness engulfed the whole scene that was once ethereal. Moreover, everything went pitch black and all I can see from that moment was the trail of light my lamp beams across the narrow ravine.
All I can hear was the menacing blow of wind along the rock face. In fact, it was rather frosty – the ice-cold chains guiding the path was my only companion. From afar, I could hear clattering rocks and stones tumbling down into the abyss, then after another set of howling winds, there was silence – it was deafening.
Arriving at the two hundred meter mark, I saw my companions still ascending and never losing hope, and they are still targeting to reach the summit no matter what happens. Mental exhaustion: their faces clearly shows it, but seeing a wide grin from them meant that they are still up for the challenge.
Agreeing to regroup at the start of the wind tunnel, I proceeded down and had a much needed rest with one of our friends who decided not to summit. She shared what little snack she had with me and even handed over a flask of hot water, it was beyond relief.
The mountains make you appreciate the littlest of the things that we take for granted. Half an hour passed, the four of us had regrouped and started the rather quick descent of Yushan.
Into the night light, the sky was blanketed in a canopy made of millions of stars, temperature dropped even more, as we traversed the zigzagging route down to Paiyun Lodge. It took an hour until we reached the Lodge and immediately refilled our bottles with hot water to warm us up a little bit.
Altitude Sickness
Our dinner was made up of noodles and whatever is left of our stocks and celebrated the successful ascent of the Jade mountain. Also our group made reservations for the early morning brunch that costs 150NTD that is also noodles (again!) before the descent the following morning.
Paiyun Lodge serves food at a particular times so that mountaineers can eat it while its hot. To add, go beyond that time and they won’t serve you any as it will be just a pile of cold and sloggy meal. By 09:00pm we decided to call it a night after a long day on our platform bunk beds.
Around 02:00 in the morning I was having a hard time falling asleep again due to the cold and headache. Then suddenly I heard faint whimpers followed by a barfing sound. “We need a medic, please” a voice from the upper bunk bed echoed across the small room. The lady we met earlier was worried upon seeing her friend suffering from symptoms of altitude sickness.
At higher elevations, oxygen levels tend to get lower and air pressure begins to lower. The body who is used to higher pressures from the lower elevations undergoes physical stress and this is why altitude sickness will be felt. It varies from individuals to another, one may experience it as early as 2500 meters while some may start experiencing mild discomforts at 4500 meters.
Yushan National Park – Altitude Mountain Sickness (Prevention-Symptoms-Treatment)
They went down to the ground floor as the manager of the lodge assisted them. Groups who are going to summit today are already preparing despite the rainy weather forecast at 06:00am.
Too Cold To Be True
Around 04:00 in the morning, I decided to just tinker with the camera and look at the photos I took from the previous day until sunrise. I took a peek outside, and the surrounding area was still enveloped in a dense fog.
Fifteen minutes later with everyone already up, the roof clattered after the cloudburst, it was raining. I even thanked Tony for giving us a heads up and if not for him, we might become one of the white walkers if we hiked today.
Realizing that we made a good decision yesterday of reaching the peak instead of getting drenched in cold rain at the peak, we spent the remaining hours around the lodge.
Brunch was ready and it was just a plain casserole of noodles with some vegetables, it was bland but just enough to fill and warm us up for the descent that day.
Halfway with our meal one of the Taiwanese hiker from outside yelled: “Xue, xue, xue!”, we looked outside and droplets of ice were falling from above. To our surprise, it was snowing, the lodge thermometer read -1°C, and minutes later, the whole area was covered in a thin film of ice.
Both a blessing and a challenge, we geared up for the Yushan descent and donned our raincoats. Eventually, the trail might get even more slippery if thick ice deposits accumulated along the way.
Consequently, it was winter wonderland from up there, we then descended with our first snowfall above our heads. Albeit the fun experience, I also came to realize that we are slowly bidding goodbye to an awesome adventure.
Biodiverse
The time it took for us to go up to Paiyun Lodge was cut-off in half as we arrived swiftly at the Tataka Saddle during our Yushan descent where shuttle vans are already waiting. Descending down was faster, we arrived two hours later at the Tatajia Saddle.
Our group had a good time taking photos, everything was just too foreign. Piquing our curiosity were the flora and fauna along the way were all too new.
Please do correct me if we identified the wrong ones. Some of them we’ve seen so far including those at the tree line before the summit are:
Flora
- Yushan Cane – Yushania niitakayamensis, an evergreen, spreading, and thorn less specie of bamboo.
- Single-Seed Juniper – Juniperus monosperma, an evergreen coniferous shrub or small tree growing to 2–7 m tall, usually multi-stemmed, and with a dense, rounded crown.
- Taiwan Hemlocks – Tsuga chinensis, is a coniferous tree species native to China, Taiwan, Tibet and Vietnam.
- Taiwan Spruce – Picea morrisonicola, the only species of spruce in Taiwan. It grows at altitudes of about 2,000–2,500 m (6,600–8,200 ft) in the Central Mountain Range in ravines and mountain slopes
- Umbrella Plant – Schefflera Arboricolum, protected by CCTV cameras around the park, this plant specie is important since it provides food for the Atlas Moth Larvaes (Attacus atlas formosanus) an endemic specie of moth in Taiwan that is endangered and with adults living only for a few days.
Fauna
- Formosan Serow – Capricornis swinhoei, the Taiwan Serow is a small bovid endemic to the main island of Taiwan. We saw this little fellow just upon arrival at the Tataka Saddle, and leaped off upon hearing the faint rumble of our van’s engine.
- Spotted Nutcracker – Nucifraga Caryocatactes, a passerine bird which we saw among the branches of Tataka Highway as we heard a faint thumping sound at a nearby tree.
- Vinaceous Rosefinch – (Carpodacus vinaceus), saw this little red bird along the recreational area of Tataka.
- Taiwan Yuhina – (Yuhina brunneiceps) saw this chocolate brown crested little bird, with black linings underneath its beak along the branches of a pink flowering tree along Tataka area.
- White-Whiskered Laughing Thrush – (Garrulax morrisonianus), the most common one that we saw during the hike. To add, this medium sized bird with distinctive white lines along its face, and blue and yellow plumage along its wings.
- Collared Bush Robin – (Tarsiger johnstoniae) or commonly called as the Johnstone’s Robin. This small specie of the family Muscicapidae has a distinct white streaked supercilium and a red and yellowish breast.
Mementos from Yushan
Hiking Yushan can be completed over two days in a relaxed pacing. Although single-day hikes are allowed if performed within the cut-off times set by the park authorities.
What made this a memorable hike is that this gave us one of the many firsts experiences that had great differences from hiking in the Philippines. From the permit processing, the trail signs and structures, the accommodation, and fees to be paid, a lot can be learned from this National Park that is vital to the current setting in our country.
Later on, aboard the shuttle van bound for Tataka Visitor Center, Yushan seemed a thought too distant to contemplate. But later on, it sinked in that we just had our feet planted on its very summit. My mind wondered again about what unfolds on the next chapter after this awesome alpine experience. I dozed off a little on that cold and rainy afternoon as the service vehicle passed swiftly through the willowy forest. ‘Til next time, Jade Mountain!
Xièxiè (谢谢)!
Things to Remember When in Paiyun Lodge – The Yushan Experience
Yushan (玉山) 3952+, Taiwan – The Jade Mountain Ascent
Yushan (玉山) 3952+, Taiwan – The Jade Mountain Descent
Yushan (玉山) 3952+, Taiwan – Tatajia and Alishan Scenic Areas
The Jade Mountain Experience – Dongpu Lodge
Yushan DIY Travel Guide 2018 | Itinerary, Budget, and Tips
Updated March 05, 2018
