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| 縦走路から三角崙山を望む Mt. Sanjiaolun-shan viewed from the ridge trail |
しばらく宜蘭の山を訪れていなかった。宜蘭の山は、雪山山脈尾稜の三角崙山までの北端部分を除くと、一般交通機関ではなかなかアクセスが難しいことがある。もちろんカーシェアなどの方法でのアクセスや、山岳送迎サービスなどを使えば可能だが、それなりの事前準備が必要だ。今回訪れた場所は、一般交通機関で十アクセスでき、それもそれほど時間がかからないことが、ポイントだ。当地は、過去に訪れている
鴻子山や
湖底嶺の近くであるが、未踏であった場所だ。日本人写真家が抹茶山と呼んだことで、注目を浴びた小百岳
三角崙山は、10年前夏の時期に訪れて暑いので苦労したことがある。今回は再訪となる。
後湖子山は、以前訪れようとしたことがあったが、実現しなかった。今回の山行を決めた大きな理由は藍天隊に最近の山道整備だ。実際に登頂すると、10時以前に着いてしまい、そのままだと昼前には下山となってしまう。それではせっかく宜蘭まで来たのにもったいない。そこで、急遽三角崙山まで縦走することにした。この間の山道は、巴唐古道分岐まで去年夏に整備されていたので、それほど心配なく決めた。同行メンバーも登山経験者でそちらも問題なかった。最終的には、数キロ、3～4時間多くなったが、天気がよく、展望もできて結果的によい縦走となった。
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Located on the opposite side of the island across mountains in between, Yilan (宜蘭) seems remote to reach from Taipei. It was so indeed until the Xueshan tunnel (雪山隧道) was completed in 2006, when there were only winding Beiyi Highway (北宜公路) over mountains or a highway and a railway following the coast line, any of which took two or three hours to reach there. The tunnel dramatically reduced the travel time to less than an hour. The tunnel has since brought large benefits to the residents there as well as hikers like us as the mountains around Yilan have become within the range of day hike. I first visited a mountain there Mt. Hongzishan (鴻仔山) twelve years ago. Since then I have been to mountains of Yilan many times but not in the past couple of years.
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| trek from the north to the south |
I planed this hike as I came to know that the volunteer group Lantiandui (藍天隊) made a good maintenance work on the trails to Mt. Houhuzi-shan (後湖子山) very recently. This encouraged me to go there while I once considered a hike there a few years ago but did not go. Any new mountain draws my curiosity but if its trails are in deep vegetation, it would be out of my hiking destination list. It would take too much time only to go through vegetation. So newly maintained trails give us a chance to visit where it was once very hard to do so due to poor trails in the past.
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| Yilan is located on the north east side of the island |
When we put our feet on the summit of Houhuzi-shan on the day, it was even before 10:00. It would be before noon to finish our hike if we follow our original plan. It would be a kind of waste of time and money if we go back home so early on a such nice day. So I suggested to change our course and to walk over to
Mt. Sanjiaolun-shan (三角崙山). I was of knowledge that the trail to it was maintained by Lantiandui last summer and it would be quite passable. Our members were all experienced hikers so the new plan should work out and it did. We walked a few more kilometers and three or so more hours to complete the hike than the original plan, which ended up with a nice memory of a sunny winter day hike.
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| At the summit of Houhuzi-shan |
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| At the summit of Sanjialun-shan |
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| F723 bus at Guanshenggong |
Our stating point of this hiking was Guansheng-gong Taoist shine (關聖宮) along Beiyi highway. There are bus services to the point, F723 a community bus, run by the local government, but only three round trips a day. So we cannot but miss the morning service, which leaves Pingling Junior High School stop (坪林國中站) at 8:10. In order to catch the bus, we took an early coach of Metropolitan Transportation Corp. (大都會客運) 9028D service that left Dapingling terminus (大坪林總站) at 7:00. Our bus took only a half hour to get to Pingling Junior High School stop. The F923 came along around 8:10 and seven of us got on board. Our small bus raced through the winding road and brought us to the destination only in 25 minutes!
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| Crossing the stream |
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| Going on the bank of stream |
The shrine looks a little deserted and devoid of any person around maybe because it is under renovation. It stands by a creek. We left at 8:43 and crossed the stream over a stone bridge. Our trail goes on the stream's left bank. This part of the trail is called Sidu historical trail (四堵古道). It is well traveled and easy to follow. We crossed a tributary in ten minutes and came to a junction for our peak at 9:08.
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| Climbing the well-kept patrol trail |
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| Second transmission tower |
The trail is pretty wide and good. This is in fact one of patrol trails of Taiwan Power Company (台電公司) for maintenance work of their electric transmission towers. The company keep them in good shape. We came up to an electric tower in about 10 minutes where we had a short break. The trail kept going up and brought us to the second tower at 9:30. From the corner of its base platform I saw a peak with no trees at its top in a far distance. It could be Mt. Sanjiaolun-shan, which I did not image to get their at that time.
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| Junction for Houhuzi-shan (right) |
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| Houhuzi-shan ahead on the left |
Just below the tower base lies a junction. The patrol trail goes down on the left and our trail is one on the right. It is narrower and not so good as the patrol trail we have come along but the track is pretty clear as it has been lately maintained by Lantiandui group. The grade is moderate and we reached the summit of Houhuzi-shan (elevation 700meters) at 9:52. The small summit is surrounded by trees and gives out no view.
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| Houhuzi-shan summit |
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| Steep descent from Houhuzi-shan |
It was much earlier than my expectation. If we follow our original plan, we would get to Jiaoxi (礁溪) town before noon. I suggested to change our plan to advance on the ridge trail all the way to Sanjiaolun-shan. All members agreed and we left the summit at 10:00. The trail goes steeply down for a few minutes and get to the side of shuiya (水鴨, ducks) pond. It was presumably a pond but now it is a dry flat piece of land surrounded by trees. Without water, of course no ducks🤣 We then followed our ridge trail further. As we progressed the ridge tuned to 90 degree right. Now we could see the flat Langyang plane (蘭陽平原) and then Hongzi-shan through trees on our left.
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| Ducks pond with no water nor ducks |
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| Flan land is visible through trees |
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| A short rest at a grass cleared spot |
The contour of the ridge is slowly going up with some ups and downs. When we got onto a hump around 11:20 the surrounding trees became sparse and the visibility got better. Now we could clearly see the distinctive shape of Hongzi-shan and even
Guishan-dao island (龜山島) in the ocean.
Mt. Yingziling (鶯子嶺) and its adjacent peaks are also visible in the north. We then went down and up again to another hump which is also a nice vantage point. We had a lunch upon it. Though under the sun, it felt good with nice breeze. The winter sun is much friendlier.
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| Keep on the ridge trail |
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| A little grassy but clear track |
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| Coming out to an open ridge |
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| Mt. Hongzi-shan and Guishandao island floating on the ocean |
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| A panorama from the lunch spot |
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| Zhuzilun-shan summit |
By now Sanjiaolun-shan, our destination, stands much closer and shows its grass covered terrain (top photo of this article). Ten minutes of walk from our lunch place has brought us to the summit of Mt. Zhuzilun-shan (竹仔崙山. elev. 890m). This peak is also surrounded by trees with no view. The trail plunges for about 80 meters or so in height to meet Batang historical trail (巴唐古道). This trail is kept in shape by an governmental authority and provided with good signage. The trail condition turned obviously better.
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| Sanjialun-shan is now close |
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| Junction with Batang trail |
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| Advancing Batang trail |
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| Junction for Sanjiaolun-shan summit |
Passing over several sizable ups and downs of Batang trail a junction for the summit of Sanjiaolun-shan showed up at 13:12. We headed for the summit and reached it in about 10 minutes. The summit (elve. 1029m) is a good vantage point. The ridge over which we have come is just across there. The Beiyi highway at the bottom of the valley that we passed by bus this morning is also visible. Even
Mt. Wufen-shan (五分山) of Pingxi (平溪) is discernable through haze.
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| Climbing steep section |
Sanjiaolun-shan is known as a "powder tea mountain" (抹茶山) because it is coved with green grasses and looks as if covered by tea powder. It is also one of the "small" hundred peaks of Taiwan (小百岳). No wonder this peak is flocked with hikers unlike the two peaks we have been over just a while ago. We met many hikers from the moment we came to the junction below the summit until the end of our hike.
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| Sanjiaolun-shan summit |
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| Northward panorama from the summit |
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| Southward view |
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| Looking back at Sanjiaolun-shan |
We went down to Holly Mother Hut (聖母山莊) at the mountain foot. There were many hikers around hut and on the adjacent Sengmufeng (聖母峰) high platform. We had a good rest there and started a long 5.6 kilometers descent at 14:30. Our bus from the trail head to the Jiaoxi coach terminus (礁溪轉運站) would leave at 16:00 so we had only an hour and a half. The trail is good so I judge we should make it. It turned out so, though it was a little rush. The first 1.6 kilometers of the way down is a mountain trail and the rest 4 kilometers is a wide forest road.
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| Shengmu hut behind the direction sign |
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| Statutes in the hut front yard |
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| Many hikers around |
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| A long descent starts |
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| Mountain trail head at 15:05 |
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| Passing by the church at 15:35 |
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| Wufengqi parking at last |
We reached a bus stop of Wufengqi (五峰旗) Scenic Area parking by 16:00. Our bus came in a short while. The bus brought us to Jiaoxi coach terminus at 16:19. I then transferred to a Kamalan (噶瑪蘭) coach and back to Taipei by 17:20. We usually have a congestion for the Taipei direction at Xueshan tunnel on weekends. My bus slowed when passing through it, but luckily not so bad this time.
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| Kamalan bus gate at the coach terminus |
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It turned out to be a nice hike on a sunny winter day. The sky was hazy in the morning but clearer in the afternoon. Most of hikers take the same route for and back to Sanjiaolun-shan like what I did on my first visit. This route that we took offers an enjoyable alternative. We walked approximately 13 kilometers, seven and a quarter hours, total ascent 800 meters. The route physical index would be 24.
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| Author at Sanjiaolun-shan in 2015 |
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| Author now |
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