2021年3月29日 樟之細路 三灣 - 明德水庫 Raknus Selu Trail

Old camphor tree in front of Dahe police station

樟之細路歩きも、これで第6段目、全体の半分以上を歩いてきた。今回は、三灣からさらに南へ明德水庫までをカバーした。天気もだいぶ暑くなり、日陰のない舗装路歩きはつらくなってきている。今回は、幸い雲がそこそこ厚い時もあり、まだよかったが。樟之細路歩きは、ここで一息いれ陽気が涼しくなる晩秋まで一時停止することに決めた。5回目までは日本語で記述してきたが、今回は英語で記述して、樟之細路の体験をシェアします。

Do you know that Taiwan once was the biggest exporter of camphor, supplying almost 70% of the world production at one time, before chemically synthesized material took over it about a century ago? Camphor was a very important material in the past for many applications, like medical, chemical,  military and consumer uses. The early movie industry would not have existed if there had been no camphor as it was an important ingredient of celluloid, a base material of photographic and movie films. A lot of patients would have suffered much more too, because camphor was used for many kinds of medicine. 

Hike from north to southwest

Our past track in six times

There had been countless primordial camphor laurel trees over hills and mountains of Taiwan. The camphor industry exploited them and produced tons of camphor. Camphor laurels grew mostly in the territories of indigenous tribes, which brought conflicts between the indigenous people and camphor seekers. The governments of the time, both under the Chin dynasty and the Japanese regime alike, recognized the importance of the camphor industry because it contributed greatly to their revenue.  Like gold rush, a flock of han people entered woods for camphor production, but many of them were decapitated by indigenous tribes of the place. The governments set up a state monopoly agent for camphor and at the same time brought out policies to solve the conflicts. The industry eventually received official protection while the indigenous people were pushed out.

Members at Zhifu old trail

The name of the trail, Raknus Selu, represents the culture and history of the area where this trail passes. Raknus is a word of the indigenous people of the northern Taiwan meaning camphor, which grew in countless numbers in their original territories. Selu is a word of Hakka people, meaning a narrow trail. They occupy a major part of the local population in the area where the trail goes through. The trail is not a single pathway, but is an aggregation of paved roads, dirt roads and paths. Some of them are "historical" trails like Danlan old trails (淡蘭古道), while some of them are ordinary motor ways (though with very little traffic) and work paths in orchards or the like. If you go along 220 kilometers of the entire trail, you encounter tranquil rural environments and appreciate the culture and history at each passing place.

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#5806 bus leaving us at Yuanlin bus stop

This trip is in fact the sixth section of our long Raknus Selu trek from Longtan (龍潭) of Taoyuan city (桃園市) to Dongshi (東勢) of Taizhong city (台中市). We walked a section from Shitoushan (獅頭山) to Wubao cihu Zen temple (五寶慈湖禪寺) where the Laochongui trail (老銃櫃步道) ends a few days ago.  We take the #5806 bus from Zhuan train station (竹南火車站) where we arrived by the #103 Ziqiang express train (103次自強號) from Taipei. Approximately 50 minutes of the bus ride takes ten of us to Yuanlin bus stop (員林巴士站) , which is the nearest bus stop to the Zen temple. 

100K post of Route 3

Almost empty Route 3, the Zen temple behind on the hill

At 9:10 we take off on National Route 3 (台三線) for our last spot of Raknus Selu trail. The Route 3 is one of the north-south cross island motorways, which goes closer to the hills of the western Taiwan. The government takes this route for a local tourism promotion dubbed as "Romantic Route 3". The Raknus Selu trail is supported by the Hakka committee (客家委員會), a government agency, as a part of promotional activities. We pass by a 100 kilometer marker of the Route 3, which is counted from Taipei and at 9:30 come to the tall gate of the Zen temple. The designated trail continues south from here.

Route 3 near the junction to Dahe community

Memorial stone

We keep on the Route 3 for another couple of kilometers, passing by kapok trees with full of orange color flowers and flower beds of tiny purple flowers, which proves spring is already here. At 9:46 we come to the street end of Dahe village (大河社區). The Route 3 bypasses the community. We take left and enter a quiet street of the community. We soon see a police station on our right. A tall and big camphor tree stands by the gate of the station. A board by the tree says that the village used to be one of bustling centers of camphor industry. All camphor trees but this one in this region have long been cut out. This old tree survived because it grows in the yard of the police station, At a corner of the same yard stands a stone monument commemorating a large casualty of more than a hundred village people in a catastrophic earthquake of 1935.

members crossing Route 3

Small Taoist shrine

As we go down along the street a closed primary school of the village occupies a large space on our right. There are no loner enough children to keep a school open here. At the bottom of descending street we cross the Route 3 and enter a narrow paved road on the opposite side. Tangerines are a major crop of this area and tangerine orchards are all around with white flowers just in full bloom. We consume tangerines but seldom see their flowers unless you are out in farming regions. The winding road goes up and down along the hills. We comes to a Taoist shrine at 10:18 and have a short break under its roof.

Desolate dirt road with a marker ribbon

Fallen tree trunks obstruct passage

Going between bamboos

The trail takes a left road down by the shrine. We follow ever more desolate road and no longer see orchards and firm fields but bamboos and woods on both sides. We are coming into mountains. Marker ribbons of the Raknus Selu shows that we are on the right track. There are many diversions along the way so you need to consult your map and make sure your direction. We come across fallen tree trunks and bamboos, which makes you feel that you are far away from inhabitants. Following such dirt pathway and passing a highest point of approximately 160 meters in elevation, we finally come down into a large tangerine orchard a little after 11:00.  Mt. Sanjian shan (三尖山) is recognizable in a distance over short tangerine trees. A work path goes down between tangerine trees to the road at the bottom of hillside.

Passing tangerine orchard, Mr. Sanjianshan far behind

Confirming the direction by a marker ribbon

The wide but desolate dirt road seems to be suitable only for transportation of crops. We take a right turn by the bridge and go up a long way. This road seems to have recently been widened even through still unpaved. A large construction machine is left by the road. The road keeps ascending. Without shade of trees it feels pretty hot going up. Taking a short rest on the way at 11:30 or so, we continue ascent on the road, which soon turn into more rugged condition. The road width becomes narrower and such obstacles like tree branches are on the road surface. It is no longer suitable for motor vehicles to pass. At 11:46 we reach the highest point of about 275 meters in altitude which is just on the west side of Mt. Sanjian shan.

A widened road, a heavy machine by the road side

Fallen tree branches obstruct passage

Covered with thick fallen bamboo leaves

The trail beyond the highest point descends much steeper and curvy, on which only motorcycles are passable. Some sections are covered with thick fallen leaves of bamboo. It descends more than 100 meters in height and merges with Zhihu old trail (紙湖古道).  Zhihu old trail once was a single important path of the local people to carry out their paper products to Touwu (頭屋). The paper industry sprungin the time of Japanese regime and paper made by the people of Zhihu were carried to such places as Zhunan for further processing. As the local paper industry later shrunk and the motorway #126 was built, the old trail was left to unused and decay. Nine years ago the abandoned trail was renovated for a recreational purpose.

Going on Zhihu old trail

Looking over Shitan river from the old trail

Having a lunch rest under the roof

Sticky rice bridge, Route 3 high behind

The old trail goes high along the deep gorge wall, some sections of which seems to have been cut out of the rock. It passes by the trail head to Mt. Sanjian shan and goes over a small stream with a wooden bridge. We come to a pavilion by the trail at 12:32 and have a lunch break under the roof. After a half hour rest, we resume our walk and soon come to the end of the trail at 13:11, where an old "sticky rice" bridge is still in use.  The name "sticky rice" is derived because the glue to combine bricks contains sticky rice as one ingredient. Quite a few sticky rice bridges remain in the rural Taiwan, some of which are designated as local heritage structures while some of them are in sad shape.

Baishou tunnel

Original Route 3

Passing the bridge, we get onto Route 3 again and pass through Baishou tunnel (百壽隧道), which shortens the original road going around the hillside. The original Route 3 is a narrow one-lane road, which reminds me of my young days. When I made a trip from Taipei to Taizhong by motor cycle forty some years ago, the Route 3 was just that width and unpaved dirt road. By the time I got to Taizhong, my face was black with dirt. When I checked in an inn in Taizhong, the front desk requested me to pay in advance on seeing my dirty appearance. It is now a joyful memory of the day. 

Mt. Sanjian shan shows its pointing peak

Looking down the gorge

We go further on Route 3, passing 109K post, then turn right to #126 road. The road goes high on the left side of Shitan river (獅潭川), opposite to the Zhihu trail we have just passed. As we go along #126 road,  Mt. Sanjian shan becomes a very impressive triangle peak  It changes shape to show three peaks as we go away from it. Traffic is very little and very occasionally a car or a motor cycle passes us. We take a rest at a platform by the road with a few benches at 14:16. It is now rather hot and timely breeze is welcome.

Tasting wild berries for fun

Taking a left Miao #16 road

Water side trail (but no water)

At 14:30 we come to a junction and take a left road of Miao #16, which is goes on the south side of Mingde dam (明德水庫).  A 20-minute walk brings us to the side of water, but we only see the dried bottom of the dam. While we have enough water supply in the northern Taiwan, the draught in the mid and southern Taiwan is really severe this year. We take a water side walk to a Taoist shrine and have a rest at 14:57.  In the far end of the dam many damp trucks and large excavator machines at work in raising dust. They are taking bottom sediment out from the dam, which reduces water storage.

Very little water left, sediment removing work in progress

At the suspension bridge

We resume our walk on Miao #16 for sometime and enter a path to Rixindao island (日新島). The trail ends at a suspension bridge connecting to the island. We pay a fee at the gate and walk over the bridge. The water level under us is rally low in the dam. The island is a garden with nice paths and a pond. We rest by the pond at 16:02. We get ice cream at a kiosk and enjoy a nice time on the island. Our journey today is close to the end. We go over another suspension bride and down to a bus stop (Mingde 明德站) on the route 13 beneath the dam. We wait for a #5801 bus, which comes at 17:05.  We switch to #1823 bus of Kuo-Kuang motor transportation (國光客運) at Toufen bus terminus (頭份轉運站) and head back home.

Very low level of water in the dam

Peacocks on the island

Tangerine flowers

The total distance we covered is 22.5 kilometers with a total ascent of 674 meters and descent 680 meters, spending seven and a half hours, which measures up to 27 of the route physical index. This kind of hiking is different from ones to mountain peaks. A large part of the hike is to walk on paved roads. Luckily the selected roads of the Raknus Selu trail are with very little traffic and you get little annoyance from passing cars. We have covered more than a half of the entire trail in the past six times. It can be very warm to walk on such roads during the hot seasons. We halt our trek on the Raknus Selu trail for several months and resume to complete the remaining section later this year.