Batongguan hiking 八通關
For a country with a population density of over 600 people per sq km it seems implausible that you can hike 100kms over 7 days and only meet a few dozen. But that is the hidden secret of the Yushan national park and the Japanese era central cross island walk trail.
I was very fortunate to join Richard at Barking Deer Adventures on this restricted hiking trip. Five of us started from Dongpu 東浦¦ at 1200m, climbed to the Batongguan meadows at 2900m, took a side trip to the peak of Yushan (Taiwan’s highest at 3952m), trekked for two days around 3000m before descending over 3 day to the eastern entrance of the Yushan national park near Yuli 玉里 at 400m. What a truly incredible hike. For its remoteness, variety of landscape, difficulty, and historical significance.
Though we were in view of the summit of Yushan for more than four days of the hike, we only saw the top on the occasion we were 10m from it. A cold front brought low clouds over much of the area above 3000m for these four days. Ah, such are the uncertainties of mountain hiking. We did have plenty of ice, rain and cold wind for our Yushan climb.
The trail follows the old Japanese central cross island route. This was a well constructed and gently contoured trail maintained by the Japanese from around 1920 until 1944. There were many old police stations along the route, these were established to contain and subdue the original aboriginal tribes in the mountains.
The geology of the trail is also very interesting. Most of it is in siltstone shales. This is very soft rock and prone to sliding. Consequently, while most of the terrain is very steep, there are few vast sheer drops and plenty of landslides. Of the original trail, more than half of the middle section has slipped away or been spilled over with rockfalls. The last 15km of the trail are through harder mica schist. That provides more precipitous river views.
We stayed in trail huts each night. These are fantastic resources and a huge credit to the national park service. Some were quite rudimentary but generally they are well designed, well built and well maintained.
As with any mountain trekking in Taiwan there were a number of suspension bridges. Here an old rusty wire and wood bridge was left next to a very new one. Thankfully there were none of this vintage we needed to cross. Though only a few years earlier there were still plenty along this trail.
Covering such a large range of altitude meant we saw very different plants, insects and animals along the way.
The alpine meadows above 3000m
Cool misty damp forest
Short scrub in the mountain rain shadows.
Enormous trees
And typical Taiwan forest too.
Overall the Batongguan trail is an incredible hike. As we regularly said while walking, “It will be strange when the hike is over and we have to return to Taiwan”
Update: Fellow hiker Robert has an excellent daily account with some of the practicalities for the hike and lots more photos in a series of blog entries at Pashan
If you need a good hiking map of the area try Books from Taiwan.
That marker with Sino-Japanese on two sides appears to be a grave marker for those who died in a battle of Japanese vs. Aborigines, Taisho 8 (1919).
Reply
Stephen reply on April 13th, 2008:
Thanks Joel,
There were perhaps a dozen or so of these grave markers along the path. And over a dozen old police station sites. The whole trail oozed a sense of that colonial period. There were also a lot of old Japanese bottles along the path.
Stephen
Reply
What a fantastic hike!!!
It looks exhausting.
Great pictures, great adventure. When do you have time to work?
Reply
Stephen reply on April 13th, 2008:
Hi Gary,
Work! That was the hardest 7 days work I’ve done in years.
Now my day job is just dreaming about doing some more fantastic Taiwan mountain hiking.
Stephen
Reply
Hello, It is valuable & wonderful time for the whole trip. I am sure that you will keep joining to view all the mountains around Taiwan. Wish joyfulness & happiness always with you & family. Lovely Sharing.
Let’s go together one day.
Cindy Chih
Reply
Stephen reply on April 13th, 2008:
Hi Cindy,
I am sure I will be doing more mountain hiking in Taiwan. There is the top 100 peak list in Taiwan. Hopefully you can join me in my quest to bag a few more.
Stephen
Reply
Brought back plenty of memories from the hikes we did last month. In case Mike reads this blog you had better clarify whether you slept on tatami mats
Reply
Stephen reply on April 15th, 2008:
Tatami? Luxury!
Each hut actually contains firm rubber mats on the bunks. Along with a thin bed roll we each carried sleeping was very comfortable.
Reply
[...] Shan Ding Lu hikes the awesome Batongguan Trail across Taiwan. [...]
Wow, what a great hike. Amazing scenery.
Reply
Stephen reply on April 16th, 2008:
Thanks Craig,
Yes a wonderful hike. I can highly recommend Richard if you are interested in such a hike.
Reply
It’s truly an incredible and fantastic hike. I can’t believe you did it. You really did it !!! What a wonderful experience and pictures. I specially like the answer you replied to Gary –” Work ! That was the hardest 7 days work I’ve done in years.”
Reply
Looks like a blast! Great pics!
Reply
[...] the recent Batongguan hike I took many photos of the fungi we passed. Though not catalogue quality shots, this sample [...]
[...] lovely lady was taken on the Batongguan trail. Check out her pair of hearts. (Abisara burnii etymander – [...]
Wow, that hut looks really nice! When I hiked this with my family about a decade ago, we missed the main lodge in the dark and ended up pitching our tent inside a ramshackle hut surrounded by garbage, with rancid butter on the floor, no water or lighting, and an unknown furry animal busy stealing rice in the rafters all night. The trail was also full of “bite-people-cat” that my brother kept falling into … Those new facilities look really cushy and clean! I’d love to do it again.
Reply
Stephen reply on December 16th, 2008:
A decade ago the trail hike would have been quite something. Certainly not as popular as it is today. The national park service have done a supurb job with upgrades to huts and bridges. The “bite-people-cat” plants are all still there. Ouch.
It is a fantastic trail and one I too would be keen to do again one day.
Reply