2021年12月31日 指南宮 - 貓空圓山 - 二格山 - 大崎嶺古道 年末の貓空深坑歩き A year-end hike over Maokong and Shenkeng

貓空のマスコット背後に貓空圓山 , Maokong mascots with a backdrop of Maokongyuan-shan

本来前回の南庄山行が今年最後の山旅のつもりでいたが、大晦日は天気が持ちそうだ。そこで、この年末登山を行った。太陽こそ顔を出さず、風も冷たかったが、曇天の下で歩き終えた。何度も訪れている貓空や深坑だが、この場所を選んだのはまだ歩いていない歩道や、一度歩いているがその上部の草刈りが行われた大崎嶺古道に足を踏み入れるのも面白い、と思ったからだ。数年を経て再び歩くと、また思いがけない発見もある。また大したことがないと、記憶していたが、実はそれ以上であったところもある。

当山行のコースは、木柵の政治大学キャンパスから出発だ。今はバスやロープウェイもある指南宮に昔ながらの参道を登り、いったん下って大坑に下る。谷あいをまた指南路三段へと登り返す台北親山步道の健康步道を行き、さらに貓空圓山を経て二格山の主稜線に上がる。中華電信中繼塔の脇から主稜線を登り、南邦寮山をへて二格山を登頂。猴山岳へと延びる尾根を進み阿柔洋山を越え、天南宮へ降りる。その後阿柔洋產道を少し下り、大崎嶺古道を経て深坑へと歩いた。

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Start from Muzha and end at Shenkeng 

Maokong (貓空) of Taipei is a popular destination of tourists as well as hikers. It has a substantial net work of public transportation: Maokong gondola, a few lines of bus service (small-sized buses, though) and even sharing taxies. Teashops and restaurants provide nice resting spots. On a fine clear day, you can have a nice vista over the urban Taipei and beyond. Neighboring Shenkeng (深坑) is, on the other hand, not for tourists except the historical town (老街). Its trails are mostly for hikers. There are not many teashops or eat-out shops once you leave the tourists infested historical streets. 

Shenkeng historical street

Both of them are in easy reach from the metropolitan Taipei, When I started regular hiking a decade ago, I often visited their trails and covered almost all known trails there. One day I saw a picture of Huxue trail (壺穴, dimple holes of a stream rock bed) of Maokong, which made me wonder where it could be. It turned out that it lies in the valley of Dakeng (大坑). I passed by it on a bus, but never got there. It stayed on my mind. The recent hike to Maokong reminded me of this trail. Another fact that Lantian-dui (藍天隊) volunteer hikers cleared Daqiling old trail (大崎嶺古道) a year ago was also on my mind. This trail was once called Weiliao old trail (尾寮古道) when I made a trip to it nine years ago and renamed to the current one. Thus a hike plan came out to cover the two routes.

At the summit of Mt. Maokongyuan-shan

An official announcement showed that Chazhan center trail (茶展中心步道) and connecting Huxue trail would be open again on December 30 after a renovation work. When we reached the trail head, it was still under work so that we had but to take Jiankang trail (健康步道) instead that goes parallel to them. So Huxue trail remains on my agenda list even after this hike. We started from the cmpus of Zhengzhi University of Muzha (木柵政治大學) and climbed a pilgrimage trail to Zhinangong temple (指南宮), and then walked down to the bottom of valley to connect Jiangang trail. Upon reaching back again Zhinan road (指南路), we continue our ascent to Mt. Maokongyuan-shan (貓空圓山) and get on to the main ridge of Mt. Erge-shan (二格山, or 石尖山). Passing over the peak and down to Mt. Arouyang-shan (阿柔洋山), then we walked down along Daqiling trail to Shenkeng.

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Main gate of Zhengzhi university

We meet at 8:00 in front of the university main gate (elevation 44 meters). Fifteen of us go through the campus and get to the gate of pilgrimage trail. A long stone step trail commences here. There should be very few people nowadays to take this trail for worship at the temple. There are other means of transportation to it like Maokong Gondola, a bus service and you can drive your own car or ride a motorcycle to up there. So this trail is now probably only travelled by hikers like us.

Gate of Zhinangong pilgrimage trail

Stone lanterns stand in pair

Showa (昭和) of the date is filled with cement

This trail has a long history. Zhinagong was established about a hundred forty years ago as a Taoist temple. It later built a Buddhist temple and a Confucius shrine as well so it serves three different religions. Many pair of stone lanterns stand by the trail, some of which were donated by believers many decades ago. The back of lantern pillar shows the date of its erection. However those ones placed during the Japanese reign got their date filled out with cement and illegible. It was done under a policy of Kuomingtang government to erase the legacy of the Japanese regime.

Front garden of the main Taoist hall

A view from the main hall terrace

In front of the main hall

The trail passes by houses, some of them still inhabited and some of them abandoned. About twenty-minute climb brings us to a junction. We take a right flat one to come beneath a large front slope garden and sub shrines of the Taoist main hall (純陽寶殿, Chunyang baodian). There are two step ways on either side of the garden slope. We go up from the right one and step on the front terrace of hall at 8:40. The terrace affords a wide view over the town of Muzha (木柵). Today's hazy sky prevents views beyond Muzha.

Gondola station

A view from the observation deck under the station

Dachengdian trail

After a rest in the hall we are off at 8:55 and climb steps by another large hall (凌霄寶殿) to the gondola station. A viewing deck under the station (elevation 270 meters) offers a nice view. Maokong station stands on a hill across the valley and Mt. Sanxuangong-shan (三玄宮山) rises its behind, which we visited early this month. We follow the paved road (指南路三段157巷) for a while to come to the head of Dachengdian trail (大成殿步道). The trail goes down to Zhinan road below. It means that we will lose the height that we have since gained.

Walking on Zhinan road for the next trail

Chazhan center trail is still under renovation work

We come down to the low end of the Dachengdian trail (elev. 154m) at 9:43. We could have come all the way along Zhinan road from the campus. The reason for this detour is to avoid as much walking on motor roads as we can. We then proceed on Zhinan road, which is not with much traffic. A ten-minute walk brings us to a junction where we take right for the head of Chazhan center trail. Plum trees beside the road are full of while flowers. A pair of large cat mascots are placed by the junction. They represent "cat = mao 貓" of Maokong.

Jiankang trail head

"Huxue" demple on the stream bed

We go down a little and find that the trail is still under repair. A worker by the trail tells us that it is still not passable. We have but to take another trail to go up to Zhinan road. Going further down Jiankang (meaning healthy) trail opens its opening with a bridge over a small creek. The trail is paved with granite stones and soon goes up. A small stream bed by the trail has dimples on its rock surface. The scale must be much smaller than ones of Huxue, trail nonetheless we see same dimples. As we go up a statute of Chieng Kai Shek (蔣介石) still stands behind baby trees at a nursery. There are few statues of him to be found nowadays.

A rare Chieng Kai Shek statute

Going up on a staircase of Jiankang trail

The trail gains height on a long stretch of staircases and stone steps. A junction appears at 9:51 but the trail to Chazhan center is blocked. We keep on the Jiankang trail and and come to an open resting square with a hut in five minutes where we have a break. This location is exposed and blowing wind feels chilly.

Jiankang-ting square

Last stretch of Jiankang trail, Mt. Maokongyuan-shan left and communication tower far behind

Head of trail to Maokong-shan

The rest of the trail is pretty flat and comes to its end at 10:07 to connect Zhinan road section 3. We take left and go along the paved road. In ten minutes a narrow road goes up on the right hillside. This leads to Mt. Maokongyuan-shan. The pavement soon ends and a steep dirt trail takes over. A black dog is fiercely barking at us and his master tells him to stop barking. The trail is clear of grasses. Allied volunteer hikes (聯合艦隊) made clearing work recently. A few friends and I once came down along this trail a few years ago. It was very seldom travelled at that time and we had a hard time to navigate. 

Going up on the clean trail

Weed free summit of Mt. Maokongyuan-shan

The tower is pretty big and high

The trail goes up pretty steep, diverging a trail to the left soon and keeps ascending. As soon as it gets flat we see the summit of Mt, Makongyuan-shan at 10:47. It is clear of weeds unlike our last visit five years ago. There are another trail going to the north peak of Mt. Maokongyuan-shan from the summit while we take the trail linking to the mail ridge by the telecom communication tower. After hitting a bottom in between we go up to the side of the tower at 11:13. We follow a wide trail on the ridge and get to a tudigong (土地公) shrine to have a lunch break.

Waking down to Tedigong, Erge-shan ahead in distance

Tudigong shrine

Mt. Nanbangliao-shan summit

Muddy spot of the trail

We resume our hike at 12:00 for Mt. Erge-shan. It goes up a steep slope and meets a trail coming up from the left. It goes further up to Mt. Nanbangliao-shan (南邦寮山, elve. 592m), which is a small hump with a stone marker. This ridge trail is very often travelled so it is wide and good. Some spots easily get muddy after rain, though. Climbing on stone steps we get on a paved path to reach the summit of Mt. Erge-shan (elev. 673m) at 12:48. This is the highest point of today's hike. A big observation deck stands on its top and its triangulation marker is hidden behind a concrete wall next to the deck. 

Long step path to the summit

Stone marker of Mt. Erge-shan

East word view from the summit deck

Going down along moss-covered staircase

The deck offers a good vantage point, but an overcast sky blurs peaks of Wulai (烏來) beyond the water of Feicui reservoir (翡翠水庫) today. On the opposite side the 101 building reveals its top over the skyline of Mt. Nangang-shan (南港山). We leave the wind-swept deck after 10 minutes of break to go down. Each step of the stone trail is pretty high from the junction on the ridge. We come down to a junction to Mt. Bijia-shan (筆架山) at 13:16. We keep our way north on the ridge to Mt. Houshanyue (猴山岳). Passing a rather rocky section of the trail with a steep ups and downs and crossing the paved Arouyang road (阿柔洋產道), we go up a short uphill to get to the unimpressive summit of Mt. Arouyang-shan (elev. 487m) . A short descent leads us to Tiannangong temple (天南宮) to have a rest at 13:58.

Down to the junction to Mt. Bijia-shan

Passing a rocky section

Coming down to Tiannagong temple

Walking down the upper section of the old trail

There are two old trails leaving near the temple. We instead take on the paved Arouyang road for a while to get to Daqiling old trail. A 15-minute walk brings us to the upper section of old trail at 14:22 which Lantiandui group cleared late last year The trail goes parallel to the Arouyang road and comes out on to a round corner of the paved road. It leaves the paved road again and makes a short cut to the lower section of the old trail at 14:32, which has been maintained by the authority. 

The lower section of the old trail

Walking down on steps

A new map erected by the New Taipei municipality stands by the trail head shows the total length is 2.1 kilometers. The trail is wide and clean as it is supported by the government with a fund. It goes moderately down for about 10 minutes and dips down with a long stone-step path. The trail comes out of a forest around 15:00 to an open farm filed to find a town of Shengkeng just below in the valley. The trail ends in another 5 minutes and connects to the Arouyang road again. We cross the busy Wenshan road (文山路) and enter the town at 15:18. The historical streets are full of tourists where we end our hike. 

The old trail is about to come to its end

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Crossing a bride with national flags to enter the town of Shenkeng

It was an enjoyable hike despite occasional chilly wind and an overcast sky throughout the day. The year 2021 was a year of epidemic to Taiwan. Though it had a wonderful record of preventing mass infection, we faced a period of quarantine during which our hiking activities were curtailed. A few of my original plans were affected by it. I hope that a new year will bring a better time.

We walked 14 kilometers with a total ascent of 843 meters and descent 854 meters. We spent seven hours fifteen minutes inclusive of breaks. The route physical index was 26, a moderate hiking. Talking about the physical indexes, I brought this concept of numerical physical demand for each hiking route this year. The accumulated date since the introduction indicates that the number under 20 is easy and medium under 30. If it goes over 30 it gets strenuous and very easy if it is of one digit. Of course this does not reflect the technical difficulties like steep rocky sections with ropes etc. Nonetheless this affords means of indicating hikers how much physical toll a particular course requires.