A while back I wrote about going on what I called Tiny Adventures. In the last couple of years, I’ve reduced the frequency of these excursions, opting instead to turn them into proper hikes; although I would hesitate to call them real adventures, hence the title. Several of these hikes, including the one to Gaotai Shan a few months ago, have been worth writing about, but I didn’t have enough to say to make an individual post about each one. Instead I’ve decided to collect them here in one big post.

Youlou Shan (油羅山)
If you’re driving around in the mountains south of Hisnchu City, chances are you will discover the semi-disused stretch of road marked on the street signs as Luoshan forest road. Despite the rough asphalt, it’s a very nice road that winds its way slowly up the mountain. In good weather you get some magnificent views along the way, and when the mist comes rolling in, the whole mountain takes on a sort of Tolkienesque quality. After a couple of kilometers you come to a sort of impromptu parking lot/ camping place in front a locked gate; the road continues but vehicle access is blocked. The trail to the Youluo Shan peaks starts right next to the gate. The trail itself is perhaps not the most exciting one I’ve ever hiked, but wandering through the pine forest, especially on a clear day when the sunlight comes filtering in through the trees, is really enjoyable. What’s really nice is that the relatively high altitude means that it never gets too hot, even in the summer. As an added bonus, the trail comes down onto the Luoshan forest road a couple of kilometers from the parking lot, which makes a nice loop; of course, from the road you get a lot of good views which you can’t get from the trail.

Follow the trail into the forest
As the trail climbs higher you enter the pine forest
Sometimes you turn a corner and you get the sun shining down on you

I love the way the light filters in between the trees

I just like this moss covered tree by the side of the path
At the peak

On the backside of the mountain the trees grow in this strange way.
My guess is that a landslide long ago tilted them, forcing them to change growing direction.

A couple of views from Loushan forest road on the way back to the trail head

Tiger Mountain (虎山)
In the past I’ve gone river tracing in the Taian area. However, if instead of following the river, you cross over to the north bank, and start heading upwards, you will find yourself on the trail leading to the peak of Tiger Mountain. It’s a fun trail to hike because there’s quite a lot of variation: some sections are steep, some are flat; sometimes you’re under the forest canopy and sometimes you’re out in the open; some stretches are easy going but sometimes the terrain gets more difficult and you’re forced to crawl under fallen trees or clamber over broken rock. There are also a couple of really good viewpoints along the way, which of course doesn’t hurt. I don’t have many photos from Tiger Mountain, but I did film much of the hike with my 360 camera and managed to put together a pretty decent video:

The Long Way to Lidongshan (李崠山)
In my post about Tiny Adventures I talked about hiking up to Lidongshan Old Fort. That time I started from a place rather high on the mountain, since my main interest was exploring the fort. A couple of months ago my friend Lukas took me to another trail that starts much lower down in the valley (unfortunately not marked on Google Maps but I recorded my track) but also goes to Lidongshan fort, all be it via a different route. At 14 kilometers and 1200 meters of height difference, this is by far the longest hike I’ve ever done. It was a challenge but I made it and I’m proud of myself for keeping up with Lukas who is a much stronger hiker than I am. The trail itself is…not bad, but the thing that makes this hike worth it, is the feeling of accomplishment that you get from completing it.

Starting to hike

I still love it when the sunlight comes filtering in through the forest
The trail is getting steeper

We found a few of really cool trees
This random chair was just standing out in the forest for no reason
When there’s a gap in the trees the view is amazing

I brought my drone so I got some cool shots of the fortess from above

On the way down we came across the stump of a giant tree
This view is really cool
The last hundred meters or so goes through this gorgeous bamboo forest

Beidelamen (北得拉曼)
I had heard about Beidelamn from several friends, so when a colleague posted in the group chat about hiking it, I immediately decided to join. This was the second time that I went hiking with my colleagues so it was less of a novelty than last time, but quite pleasant none the less. The most interesting aspect of the Beidelamen trail is that one branch of it passes by a giant tree (there are supposed to be two more but we missed them somehow) which is an awe inspiring sight. What’s even more amazing is that the tree has been quite badly burned – I guess from a lightning strike – but is still alive; at least partially. This is definitely worth the hike.

Starting to hike
Making good progress.
Lynn taking the lead
Jordan taking a photo of the view
That view is worth a photo

Some parts of the trail require a bit of scrambling

Part way to the top you reach this amazing cliff

A minor peak along the way
Jim and Wayne
I can’t get enough of this perspective
Funky looking mushrooms

More action shots

The stones marking the peak
Dramatic clouds!

Got a couple of drone shots from the peak

Heading downwards towards the treess
I got to be in an action shot as well
This random Buddhist(?) amulet
On the way down we got some mist rolling in
Whoa, that’s a big tree

Several of the photos from Beidelaman, especially group photos or pictures of me, were taken by my colleagues. Credit to Gordon Tsai, Jim lung and Jordan Chien. Thank you guys!