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| 楓樹湖の木蘭花 Magnolia flowers of Fengshuhu |
台北陽明山連山の西端に位置する面天山や向天山は、MRTの車窓からでも見える、市街地に近い山である。その山は、向天池を抱える。ちょうど火山の火口に位置するような感じだ。この池は好天が続くと干上がり水はない。この池の名を冠した山が向天山から連なる尾根上にある。
かなり以前に訪れたきりだ。樹木に囲まれ展望はない、ちょっとした丘という印象であった。
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| 南側から出発、Start from the south |
台北近くの山は、訪れる登山者が多い。そうしたなか、新しく道も開かれている。向天池山の北西の山すそより、直接当山に登る道が開かれた。この道は、その登山口のすぐ近くにある天元宮から向天池山と向天山との鞍部へと登る山仔頂古道とほぼ平行に、尾根を登ってくる。過半は、地元住民が設置している水管の保守用の道を利用している。尾根上をストレートに直登するので、部分的にはかなり勾配がきつい。
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| 楓樹湖、背後は二子山 At Fengshuhu with Mt. Erzi-shan behind |
今年の台北の旧暦正月は、雨が連日のように降った。その雨が止まり、少し回復した隙間に今回の山行を行った。向天池山登頂後、向天山と面天山を越え、面天古道と廃棄された水管路を経由して淡水の楓樹湖へ下った。楓樹湖は、二子山と向天池山から北へ伸びる尾根の間の谷間に開けた、比較的勾配の少ない場所だ。湖という文字があるが、日本語での「みずうみ」ではなく、台湾語で平らな場所を示している。台湾のほかの場所にも多く、湖の名前を持つ地名があるが、水のある湖ではない。もちろん、本当の湖もあるが。天気が良ければ、北側に海岸線が望める。春には木蘭花が多くの場所で咲き、たくさんの遊楽客を引き付ける。
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Located at the west most point of Yangmingshan mountain range (陽明山山列) Mt. Xiangtianchi-shan (向天池山) stands as one of the three adjacent peaks including slightly higher Mt. Miantian-shan (面天山) and Mt. Xiantian-shan (向天山). It is very close to the streets of Taipei and can be easily identified from the town of Beitou (北投) and its vicinity. I visited this peak a long time ago via Shanzaiding trail (山仔頂古道). I recently discovered on a map a new trail running parallel to it and directly reaching the summit of Mt. Xiangtianchi-shan. A little study revealed that hikers themselves had lately made it through. It aroused my curiosity as I was considering to make a visit to nearby Fengshuhu (楓樹湖).
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| The location of our hike relative to surrounding towns and mountains |
Fengshuhu is a gradually inclined slope spreading in a valley between Mt. Xiangtianchi-shan and Mt. Erzi-shan (二子山) and known for its flower gardens, particularly for magnolia flowers (木蘭花). These flowers come in full bloom in February through March. There are also many cherry trees, mostly of Formosa cherry (台灣山櫻), planted all around the place, which also bloom in February. They attract a crowd of visitors in this season. A few friends and I
visited Fengshuhu several years ago to appreciate the flowers in spring. So my plan of this hike came into being: Climbing Mt. Xiangtianchi-shan via the new trail and going down to Fengshufu to enjoy flowers.
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| Formosa cherry trees by a vegetable field of Fengshuhu |
Northern Taiwan was very wet during the lunar new year days. It rained almost every day throughout the nine days of holiday (Jan. 30 through Feb. 6) except last two days, on one of which we made this hike. Long rain saturated the surface soil of the trail and made it very slippery. The new trail goes very straight on the steep slope and made it worse. The trails we took for descent were not so steep and yet your foot slips if not careful. After a hard time we finally made it to Fengshuhu welcomed by beautiful flowers, which was well worth coming through the nasty trails. So this hike was of wet trails and flowers!
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The trail head of the new route is located at the northwest foothill of Mt. Xiangtianchi-shan. A little lane named Nanshipu No. 32 (南勢埔32巷) leads to it. There happens to be a bus stop of that name serviced by F103 line. F stands for "Free" of charge. This bus service is one of many similar transportation services sponsored by New Taipei City government (新北市) for rural communities. This particular line goes on the same route of commercial buses like No. 875 line through the densely populated area of Danshui (淡水) and branches off to serve small communities on the hillsides, which commercial buses do not reach. Nanshipu is just one of such communities. This bus service is in fact a big help for hikers like us though it is primarily intended to serve the local population,
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| Danshui bus terminus is next to the MRT station |
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| Alight from F103 bus |
F103 buses depart from Danshui bus terminus next to the MRT station. Our bus leaves at 7:50 and we met at the gate of it before that. We have seven people today. The bus leaves on time almost full of passengers. It goes through main streets of Danshui and passes under the light railway system. It then climbs along Beixin road (北新路) to the foothill. Just before Tianyuangong temple (天元宮) the bus turns right to go up a hill. We reach our bus stop (elevation 253 meters) at 8:17. It is rather desolate under a overcast gray sky. The road is wet but thankfully no rain.
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| First junction to take right, note white notices |
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| The mountain is in cloud |
After a few minutes of preparation we set off. Passing a couple of houses the road turns a dirt road and we take right at a junction. Three notices of land auction sale conducted by the government are placed by the road. The road soon ends at a tea plantation with a worksite hut. The mountain above the plantation is in cloud. Our trail starts by the hut. As we go up a view towards north opens up, showing a hazy coast line. In near front we can identify the tower of Tianyuangong temple. The trail leaves the planation and gets into woods.
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| Tower of Tianyuangong is visible between trees, coast line far behind |
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| Two poles of wishes |
At a junction (elev. 367m) where two stone poles stand side by side with their surfaces engraved such words like world peace, prosperity to the nation. The location and such words make me wonder how these poles were erected. We take the right trail and continue climbing. Two water pipes go along the trail. Passing an abandoned small tea plantation we get into an untouched forest. There is a little undergrowth on the forest floor, which is good for not wetting our pants as we pass. The grade gets steeper and the trail gets slippery. A past few days of rain saturated the surface soil and made it very slippery.
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| Water pipes go along the trail |
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| Steep climb continues |
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| Passing a slippery stretch |
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| Junction of big rock |
At 9:10 we come to a junction where a traversing trail alongside of the hill crosses. There are few points of nasty climb on slippery grades with nothing nearby to hold onto. In another half hour a big chunk of rock (elev. 620m) suddenly shows up in front where a traversing trail branches off to the left. Water pipes go on to that direction, so there must be a stream of water for the pipes to catch water. The trail so far up here is in fact a maintenance path of the water pipes.
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| Steep climb continues |
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| A low stone wall alongside the trail |
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| A short flat stretch |
A few more minutes of climb finds a low man-made stone wall going along the trail. This must have been of some use in the past but I cannot figure out for what. At 9:45 the steep trail finally gives in for a flat place but does not last long. The grade gets moderate as we proceed in denser undergrowth. At 10:12 the summit (elev. 881m) shows up. An open circle without weeds finds a marker stone in its center. This marker is new as there was no such stone on my last visit. We suddenly feel cold wind blowing through woods.
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| The summit of Mt. Xiangtianchi-shan |
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| Rescue call marker #10 |
We leave for Mt. Miantian-shan after a short stay on the summit. A short decent leads to a junction with Shanzaiding trail. A marker plate of rescue call is attached a tree next to the junction, which did not exist on my last visit. This indicates that more and more hikers visit in the past few years so that the local authority had to cope with any incident on the mountain. We keep on the ridge trail, climbing back a steep slope in woods and out onto a grass field among thick mist. We swim through the sea of tall grasses and hop on to the stone paved official trail at 10:40. A marker pole of Mt. Xiangtian-shan (elev. 949m) stands just nearby.
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| Ducking through tall grasses |
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| At Xiangtian-shan |
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| Solid stone steps are welcome today |
The solid stone steps feel good after the long struggle with the slippery trail, though we usually despise stepped trails. Thick mist envelops Mt. Miantian-shan which in fact stands just in front. The trail goes down and up again to reach the summit (elev. 977m) at 10:54. A thermometer attached to a direction sign pole shows mere six degree. The temperature at a Taipei flat place is about 15 or so during the recent cold spell, so this figure makes sense. A crowd of hikers are at the observation deck on the other side of the summit. They look like a group of school students.
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| The summit of Miantian-shan in thick fog |
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| A group is by the observation deck |
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| This little opening in bamboos discourages to get in |
Our original plan is to follow a ridge route down. As soon as we see its small opening in dense arrow bamboos (箭竹), I decide to give up this time. We would get soaked wet if we proceed in such vegetation. Besides the temperature is so low that it is not wise to get wet. We keep on the official trail down, passing the crowd of students who go down slowly. The trail reaches the bottom at 11:18 to join a trail coming down from Miantianping (面天坪).
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| A junction beneath Miantian-shan |
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| Going down along the stone paved trail |
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| Remains of Miantianping stone houses |
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| Passing a stream bed of the old trail |
We take left and go down a wide trail which soon splits into two. These two trails join again just before Erziping (二子坪). We take the left stone paved trail going along a creek on our right. In a few minutes we come to a remain of Miantianping stone houses (面天坪石屋遺址, elev. 735m). An explanation nearby shows that the stone houses used to be a home as well as buffalo barn in the 19th and early last century. We take Miantian old trail which starts just by the stone wall. The trail soon gets down onto a creek floor and follows through moss covered rocks, small and big. It then gets up onto the right bank and further up on to a plateau where a trail coming down from Mt. Erzi-shan meets.
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| Junction with trail coming from Mt. Erzi-shan |
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| Iris flowers by the trail |
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| Trail passes through nursery |
The gradually descending trail passes by wide fields of iris (鳶尾), some of which are in bloom. A farmer happens to be attending the field and we exchange some words. The trail then pass through tea trees, nursery of needle leaf trees and camellia flowers to Bailaka highway (百拉卡公路 elev. 672m). A friendly dog appears from nowhere and welcomes us. An eatery shop is just by the road. One of the members suggests to have a lunch at the shop. The time is a little past noon and we get into the shop. It offers fried rice and chicken soup which would worms up our chilled body. Apparently the shop did not expect to have guests on a day of such wet weather and it takes a lot of time to fill our order. Eventually after one hour of rest and eating, we get out of the shop only to find how cold it is outside.
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| Nursery of white camellia trees |
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| Coming out onto Bailaka road |
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| Lunch at an eatery shop |
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| Take a dirt trail again |
We follow the paved Bailaka road for a while and get onto a dirt trail again at 13:14. It mildly goes down for a while and gets steep to meet a trail in a few minutes. On my last visit we took the right while we take the left instead to reach Fengshufu. The left trail soon gets down to an abandoned water supply duct. It looks that this has been disused for a long time. There are tons of obstructions along the way including tree branches and fallen trunks. Some sections of the traversing path are very narrow with a steep cliff on our right side. In addition to that, it is wet all the way. Thankfully ropes are fixed at very precarious stretches.
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| Going along the abandoned water duct |
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| Steep descent |
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| Finally reaching Fengshuhu |
After twenty minutes of nervous traversing we come to a point of going down. This descent is by no means easier. Stone steps are placed at some points. They are all wet and steep. At 13:52 we come down to a stream of Gongsitianxi (公司田溪) at last and cross its moss-covered stream bed. A water duct follows from the stream and we walk along it to a stone walled house with an old and tall lagerstroemia subcostata tree (九芎樹). A paved path leads down to an observation deck. We are now at Fengshufu. A crowd of visitors are all around. Even a temporary food stand is set up by the deck. We go down a little further and have a break (elev. 373m) at 14:10.
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| Observation deck with a crowd of people aroud |
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A temporary shop
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| About a half of magnolia flowers are in full bloom |
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| Magnoloia trees are planted even in a vegetable garden |
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| Cherry trees are everywhere in the village |
Gardens of magnolia flowers are all around, half of them yet to bloom. Cherry blossoms and camellia flowers add beauty to Fegnshufu's spring. Finding so many visitors around, I decide not to go for our original route but to go directly down to Beixin road to catch a bus, by which we can avoid a huge crowd of people around Tianyuangong temple. To my happy surprise we find more flower gardens as we go down along the stepped trail and a paved road. Fengshufu is indeed a village of magnolia flowers!
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| Going down under cherry blossoms |
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| #875 bus has just come |
As we come down along, a bus stop of F103 stands by an intersection. It is named Fengshufu bus stop. A bus will not come for another half hour so we keep on the paved road further down. Cherry trees are in full bloom along the road. We reach Beixin road at 15:05 and soon see a bus stop of Guanguang Guoyuan (觀光果園, meaning tourism orchard, elev. 197m) a little further left on the road. In about ten minutes our #875 bus has come. On our way we see a lot of cars are parked near Tianyuangong temple. We encounter an almost choked road with an endless line of incoming cars to the temple. Our bus takes about 35 minutes to bring us back to Danshui MRT station.
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| An aged dog under a cherry tree |
It was cold and damp on the mountain. The weather did not turned out as good as I hoped. Nonetheless it did not rain, for which I should be thankful if I consider rain lasted so many days prior to our hike. When we came down to Fengshufu, we were out of miserable mist and had a good time to enjoy flowers. Spring brings a lot of flowers of many kinds to mountains. We can enjoy them from now on.
Our hike took six hours and a half inclusive of one-hour break for lunch. The distance was approximately 9.5 kilometers with a total ascent of 840 meters and descent 804 meters. The route physical index amounts to 22. The traversing trail along the abandoned water duct is not in good shape so I would not recommend for beginners to enter. The other sections of our route are OK, though the new route to Mt. Xiangtianchi-shan is demanding and slippery after rain.
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