2021年8月21日 桶後越嶺古道 - 小礁溪山O型縱走 Tonghou yueling historic trail and Mt. Xiaojiaoxi-shan - A nice old trail along the river and struggling through dense vegetation of the mountain trail

桶後越嶺古道 Tonghou yueling historic trail

小礁溪山 Mt. Xiaojiaoxi-shan (2020/7)

台北と宜蘭を結ぶ古道は、淡蘭古道が有名だ。特にここ二、三年新北市などの政府による整備工事や宣伝で広く知られるようになってきている。淡蘭古道よりさらに南で山を越えていく道が、桶後越嶺古道だ。烏來老街付近で南勢溪へと流れ込む主要支流である桶後溪にそって高度を上げ、新北市と宜蘭県の県境稜線である烘爐地山と小礁溪山との鞍部で峠越えをする道である。

小礁溪山山頂 Summit of Mt. Xiaojiaxi-shan

南勢溪の流域は、その昔タイヤル(泰雅)族のテリトリーであった。しかし桶後溪流域には、今は孝義、その昔は阿玉と呼ばれた烏來から近い集落があったが、その奥には存在しなかった。桶後溪古道は、その歴史上この流域に広く多く存在した樟脳採取精製場所である腦寮の関係者(当時の台灣製腦會社)が主に使用し、その後国民政府時代は林業の運搬用として使用された。今は、林業もなく林務局が管理する歩道としてハイカーに開放されている。日本時代の登山では、当時の台湾山岳会重鎮沼井鐵太郎が、昭和四（1929）年10月に歩いた記録 (台灣山岳第五號「綠山行」)がある。当時は、千数百人が腦寮関係でこの谷で仕事や暮らしをしていたという。沼井等一行は、腦寮の人たちが通う道をたどり、烏來から峠を越えて宜蘭へと歩いている。

高速道路から見る小礁溪山 Mt. Xiaojiaoxi-shan viewed from the highway

現今の桶後越嶺古道は、桶後林道の終点から起算し峠までの6.8Kmとされている。昨年開放された桶後林道は、その後封鎖され今年9月から車両通行量を制限する方法でまた開放される予定だ。我々は、孝義から林道終点までの十数キロを歩くのは避け、峠の反対側宜蘭側から入った。少し登って峠を越え、桶後越嶺古道を小礁溪山登山口へ下り、昨年7月にくだってきた道を今度は登って小礁溪山を登頂した。下山は、別の道を桶後越嶺古道6.5K付近の登山口へ下り、また峠を越して出発点へ戻った。昨年5月にボランティア活動で大礁溪山や小礁溪山の稜線を含めた登山道がきれいにされたが、一年後の今回は自然に戻り、特に山頂近くはすっかり草木に道を塞がれていた。桶後林道が閉鎖されたことで、ほとんど登山者が入っていないこともその理由の一つだろう。鎌を持って行き、多くの棘の植物やカヤが塞ぐ道を切り開いて進んだ。

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A round trip from Yilan side

Tonghou yueling trail (桶後越嶺古道, this is the official English naming) is one of the historic trails connecting Taipei and Yilan (宜蘭). Danlan historic trail system (淡蘭古道) is also one of the old trails for the same purpose and passing over the mountains at northern points. In terms of the distance to travel between Taipei and Yilan Tonghou yueling trail is the shortest but highest for its crossing point of the mountains. It goes from Wulai (烏來) along Tonghouxi (桶後溪) river and over a pass (elevation 730 metes) between Mt. Hongludi-shan (烘爐地山) and Mt. Xiaojiaoxi-shan (小礁溪山). It then descends all the way to Lanyang plain (蘭陽平野) of Yilan.

The location of our hiking route

Tonghouxi River is a major branch stream emptying to Nanshixi River (南勢溪) by the town of Wulai. The valley of Nanshixi river was once a territory of Atayal indigenous people. While Tonghouxi river belongs to the drainage area of Nanshixi river, there was no indigenous village except one, Agyaq (阿玉), the present day Xiaoyi (孝義) which is very close to Wulai. The trail should have been traveled by local indigenous people for hunting or so, however the major users of the trail were workers for camphor camps during the Japanese regime and logging thereafter. A record of hiking in the late 1920s refers that there were a thousand and several hundreds people working at camphor camps then. They traveled the trails for carrying their products as well as necessary materials. Hikers of the time followed these trails  to climb peaks standing by the river. Under the KMT regime forestry business was expanded and two thirds of the old trail east of Xiaoyi was upgraded for logging transportation (Tonghou Forestry Road 桶後林道). Now all business activities have long gone and the last third of the trail up to the pass (6.8Kilometers) remains as a hiking route maintained by the forestry bureau of the Taiwan government.

A view over Lanyang plain and Guisan-dao island

We made a hiking to Mt. Dajiaxi-shan (大礁溪山) and Mt. Xiaojiaoxishan in July last year. We did it from the end of Tonghou forestry road (e.g. the head of Tonghou yueling trail). The forestry road was later closed and no car could reach the 0K trail head. If you want to access the trail head from Wulai, you have to walk 13 kilometers or so of the forestry road on foot. So we approached from Yilan, which enabled us to reach by car a point which is a couple of kilometers away from the other end of the Tonghou yueling trail. We passed over the highest point of the trail and go down along the Tonghouxi river. The valley near its top is rather barren, devoid of any trees but Chinese silver grasses. Once we got down to the narrow valley a lush forest of broad leaf trees welcomed us. We took a route of Mt. Xiaojiaoxi-shan from its trail head located at around 0.8K point of the Tonghou yueling trail. The trail we had come down from the peak last year was claimed back by wilderness and its track became very flimsy. As we approached the summit thorny vegetation blocked the trail so that we had to bring out handy sickles to cut out our passage. The way down on another trail was not easy either. It was also blocked by nasty vegetation for the first half down. We finally came out at about 6.5K point of the Tonghou yueling trail and back to the place where our cars were parked.

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The sun just rising over the city skyline

At the starting point

Thirteen of us left Taipei at 5:30 by sharing three cars and saw the sun rising over the skyline of the city from an elevated stretch of the express road near Nangang (南港). As we entered the Highway #5, many cars were going but no congestion. We got off the highway at 6:15 and made a stopover at a convenient store. The final approach took us another 35 minutes. We parked our cars at a junction (elev. 610m) where the other road leads to  Shanlin Qiji camping ground (杉林奇蹟露營區).  If you ride a motor cycle or drive a four-wheel-drive car, you may be able to go up further. The whole Lanyang plain spreads over to the coast line under a clear sky and Guishan-dao island (龜山島) floats over a tranquil water.

Mt. Hongludi-shan is far on the right

A little before 7:30 we step out our first step forwards the head of Tonghou yueling trail. The road is wide enough for a car to pass and its surface is not that rough. It seems that local farmers are using this road for carrying goods by car. It goes up zigzag. Mt. Hongludi-shan shows its peak far on our right. As we advance, the road gets weedy. At 7:47 we come to the highest point (elev. 727m) where a big signboard indicates the trail head. The board is quite new and explains the trail and its natural surroundings. The milepost next to the board shows 6.8K.

6.8K trail head

Crossing a stream

The trail goes down on a gradual incline. In five minutes we come out of woods into an open grass field with very few trees. Winter north-east monsoon blows through this depressed field suppressing any trees to grow tall. A stream cuts off our trail. We follow the stream bed for a minute or two to find another trail starts on the other bank. As we go along a gentle incline on the hillside covered with Chines silver grasses, the stream goes steeply down in the valley on our right. A little after 8:00 the trail on the hillside comes to an abrupt end. It then dips a steep decent into woods. The sound of water stream becomes lauder.

Trail going along the hillside

Going a steep way down

A peak is visible beyond the valley

We keep climbing down the trail and see  a mountain range beyond the V shaped valley. The visible peak must be Mt. Niaozujiani-shan(鳥嘴尖山) which stands above the right bank of the river. At 8:24 we pass by 5.5K milepost. The incline gets less steep by now and the stream flows just by our trail. The valley gets a little wider. We have our first break on the stream bank at 8:30. The morning sun ray seeps through woods to place bright spots upon rushing water. This is really a nice place for rest.

Coming down to the river side

A rest by the stream

The trail goes very close by the stream

Into a cedar forest

We resume our walk at 8:40. The trail is now in much gentle grade. We pass a section just by the water, cross a sub stream to enter man-made Japanese cedar forest. This is a legacy of the past logging business. While our trail goes rather flat, the steams goes steeply down. By 8:53 we are much higher than the valley floor and the skyline of the mountain range is clearly visible on the opposite side. Our trail gets steep again. By the time we pass 4.5K at 8:57, we are not so far from the river. In several minutes we see a sign post showing this is almost a halfway point of the trail. An broken suspension bridges with no step planks hangs over the stream near the sign post.

The stream is far below in the valley

Almost a halfway point of the trail

Crossing a wooden bridge

The Tonghouxi river is now much wider and powerful. We walk over wooden bridges, one of which proves very slippery. Crossing a branch creek we come out to a very broad open valley. The sky is wide and blue. In several minutes of walk the valley wall comes close again and we come to a point of detour. A sign post shows we have covered 4.6K from the trail head. The detour was made after the devastating damage to the trail  caused by the typhoon Molak of 2015. The flood washed away a long section of the original trail. The trail was then closed for repair which took three years. The trail was open again for public only last year.

A wide section of the valley

Steel bridge and stair case

A detour path

The detour starts with a three-story high stair case of steel by a water fall. It then connects to a new trail going up for some minutes to the highest point and then down to meet the original trail. The whole detour takes us 10 minutes to pass, which would be a matter of a couple of minutes if there were no detour, After seeing a sign post showing1.7K to the trail head, we pass another detour, which is luckily shorter than the last. Soon after the 1K milepost shows up, we come to our first destination, the head of Mt. Xiaojiaoxi-shan trail (elev. 452m) at 10:00. This is 0.8K point of the Tonghou yueling trail. We have a break before our long way up.

Coming down onto the original trail

0.8K point, the head of Xiaojiaoxi-shan trail

Very steep weed covered trail

We set off on the Xiaojiaoxi-shan trail at 10:16. The trail soon gets very steep. Unlike the Tonghou yueling trail, very few hikers take this route. The trail is covered with thick weeds and its track is almost invisible. When we came down on this trail last year, it was in much better shape because Lantiandui (藍天隊) volunteer hikers had cleared the trail only a couple month before. The closure of the Tonghou forestry road very likely prevented hikers coming this route, which expertized the process of wilderness claiming back.

Constant climbing

Having a short break

The climb is just hard. There is no breeze which we felt on our way down along the stream. The hillside of the mountain is almost all covered with cedar trees. There were crisscrossing forestry roads for logging but they have all long abandoned. Our trail goes almost in a straight line to gain height. It crosses the abandoned roads in thick grasses several times. A member who did not hike for a long time shows her fatigue. I place her just behind me in the troop. We have a rest at 11:00. We have so far gained 260m in altitude.

Crossing an abandoned logging road

A precipitous trail continues

Finally reaching a level section

The unbroken uphill continue for another forty minutes. We finally comes to a point where it connects a flat abandoned road at 11:55 and walk for a few more minutes to get to a small open space (elev. 961m) for rest. We have a half hour break for lunch. The last section to the summit starts with a rather gradual grade along the mountain side. We come cross new small land slides along the way, indicating very few hikers pass recently. A thirty-minute walk on the moderate grade bring us a bottom of another steep section. It does not last so long as the last and we come up to its top at 13:16. 

Going along a weed covered abandoned logging road

A final stretch of the trail before the summit

The summit of Mt. Xiaojiaoxi-shan

The last stretch of the trail is of rather gentle incline but with tons of obstructing vegetation.  We meet a fallen tree with a lot of accompanying vegetation and nasty thorny plants blocking our way. We take out our small sickles and cut them out as we slowly advance. At 13:50 we finally make to the summit (elev. 1147m) to find the whole area is covered with thick weeds, which was free of grasses just a year ago. The wilderness is surely mighty and quick to gain back its original state.

Take left at this junction

The same location as above last year

Cutting out our way

After taking a short rest we start our way down., There are three trails to reach the summit of Mt. Xiajiaoxi-shan, one is what we just have come up, the second one is from Mt. Dajiaoxi-shan and the third is one down to Tonghou yueling trail at 6.5K point. We take the third one. It is also almost choked with dense vegetation, The track is hardly visible. We cut obstructing weeds and shurb branches as we go down. Marker ribbons are not so many yet still helpful enough for us to identify the direction. They are mostly old so we add our own markers as we go. We struggle for about twenty minutes and our trail gets a little clearer, though vegetation is still thick but not tall. We have a break (elev. 951m) at 15:15 after an hour of slow descent. 

Trail turns better

One of small ups on our way down

The peak of Mt. Xiaojiaoxi-shan is already far up there

Coming steeply down to a small creek

The trail on this side of Mt. Xiaojiaoxi-shan goes on a moderately downward sub-ridge. The trail gets clearer as we go down. We place back the sickles in our backpacks as they are no longer necessary. We had no view at the summit. We now can identify the summit beyond trees when we look back. Our descent gets faster. There are some ups as we go but they are all very short. We come to a short steep section down to a small creek around 15:50 and to a junction at 16:10. My GPS map shows a trail diverging to the right, a shorter route to our final destination. I look for the trail but no clear one to follow. We keep on the left trail down to a steam. The last section of this trail is to go along the stream. We have a final rest by the stream at 16:30.

Going down along the stream

Walking in shallow water

The trail is actually a stream bed. We climb onto the right bank to pass by a deep pool and down again to the stream. The track goes a little far away from the stream for a short while and back again to the stream. The last one hundred meters or so is really walking in the shallow water. Your feet would surely get wet if you do not wear a pair of wellington boots. At 17:00 we are back on the Tonghou yueling trail again. This is in fact where we crossed the stream this morning. Everybody is happy about completing a difficult route. The rest is very easy. We go up to the trail head, highest point, and down to where our cars are parked. The sky sill holds and we can see the Lanyang plain in an evening light. We are back to the starting point at 17:30. Changing clothes and boots we get on our way back home by 18:00.

Looking back the peak we have climbed in a distance

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An abandoned suspension bridge over Tonghouxi river

To tell the truth, I was a little worried about afternoon shower because it would increase water in the stream. Unlike the recent weather pattern, it did not rain at all. Though the route itself was tough due to overgrown vegetation, it was within the scope of my anticipation. It was lucky that markers were still intact and enough to guide us. One year has brought a big change. It requires a navigation skill to go through the present route of Mt. Xiaojiaoxi-shan. It would become more difficult as years go by unless another clearing of the track is made. Tonghou yueling trail is an easy and nice route for any hikers. It is recommended.

We spent approximately 10 hours including breaks, covering 13.8 kilometers with a total ascent of 960 meters. The route physical index is 32. However low the figure is, you have to take into consideration the factor of bad trails if you want to try. You would surely need a good handy sickle or a big mountain knife.