2021年12月18日 鳶嘴山を別ルートで再訪 Second visit to Mt. Yuanzui-shan via a ridge of a "fat peak" and an "ugly peak"

鳶嘴山を含む山並み Peaks of Mt. Yuanzui-shan range (馬那邦山から  2021/9)

台湾中部の東勢から入る大雪山林道は、その奥に大雪山森林遊樂區がある林業時代の道である。今は観光目的で使用されている。以前に歩いた雪山西稜縦走の出発点でもあり、その途中には多くの登山者が訪れる山々が続いている。その中でも特に有名なのは鳶嘴山である。鳶のくちばしの如くに尖った岩峰を持つこの山峰は、露出した岩を登るスリルと遮ることのない景観で、いつでも多くの登山者を引き付ける。

橫嶺山とその右沙蓮山 Mt. Hengling-shan and Mt. Shalian-shan on the rightt

鳶嘴山は、2015年に一度訪れたことがある。その時は、橫嶺山隧道近くの鳶嘴山から登り、稍來山へ縦走した。このルートは、人気ルートで鳶嘴山を登る登山者の多くが、稜線を縦走して稍來山へ歩いている。今回は、鳶嘴山の西に伸びる尾根上にある肥崠山(長壽山)から登り、稜線を追って鳶嘴山へ登頂、その後南西へ伸びる尾根上の橫嶺山と沙蓮山を登り下山した。橫嶺山は、その北側をいく旧林道を利用した歩道が続き、この山も多くの登山者が訪れる。天気に恵まれ、冬の台湾中部の山を満喫した。

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Mt. Yuanzui-shan (鳶嘴山) is a pretty famous peak in the Taizhong (台中) area. Its rocky peak draws a crowd of hikers for thrilling climb on its exposed rocky trail and a wonderful vista from it. On weekends that particular section of the rocky trail gets very congested as unexperienced hikers take a long time to pass through. I visied this mountain once several years ago. We started from a trail head by the south portal of Hengling-shan tunnel (橫嶺山隧道). Reaching the summit we continued on the ridge trail east to Mt. Shaolai-shan (稍來山), which happens to be one of mini 100 peaks of Taiwan (小百岳). Many visitors to Mt. Yuanzui-shan walk this way.

Starting from the north to walk crock-wise

On my second visit we started from Mt. Feidong-shan (肥崠山, meaning a fat peak, also called 長壽山) on a ridge extending west from Mt. Yuanzui-shan. The ridge has another named peak Mt. Choudong-shan (醜崠山, meaning an ugly peak) between the two peaks. What unique names they have got! Do they really deserve what they are called?  Well, read on the record below.

The location of hiking route

Upon reaching Mt. Yuanzui-shan, we were greeted by a crowd of hikers on and around its rocky summit. We continued our way to Mt. Hengling-shan (橫嶺山) by another ridge extending south from Mt. Yuanzui-shan. From the summit of Mt. Hengling-shan we headed west to Mt.Shalian-shan (沙蓮山) and then down to Hengling-shan trail running along the north side of the namesake mountain. We walked back along the trail to Henglingshan tunnel north portal to complete our hike before dusk.

All members at the summit of Mt. Yuanzui-shan

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Skyline of the destination peaks

We have a long distance to cover today. We left Taipei very early in the morning 4:00 a.m. At this time of a year, it was still very dark. We stopped by a convenient store at Dongshi (東勢) to buy some food for the day. Dawn twilight started illuminating the skyline of our destination peaks as we entered Daxueshan forestry road (大雪山林道). Though it is sill called a forestry road, it no longer serves its original purpose. The logging business ceased decades ago and the whole area has been transformed to be a forest recreation area (森林遊樂區). The road once bustling with large trucks loaded with logs is now a nice approach to the recreational park.

Trail head at 19.5K of the forestry road

Iron gate

We see off the last fruit farm terraces beside the winding road to enter the mountain. Our car reaches the trail head at 19.5K (elevation approx. 1320 meters) of the forestry road shortly before 7:00. There are a couple of cars parked by a nearby large water tank, which should belong to hikers. They came so early! We set off at 7:11 and follow a dirt road, which soon finds an iron gate to prevent cars from going in. Pedestrians can pass by its side. The wide road comes to an opening of shortcut path after a twenty or so minutes of gradual ascent between tall man-planted cedar trees.

Short-cut path

A wide and flat space

A decaying truck in bamboo forest

A resting spot in bamboos, another abandoned truck

As we climb along the path a large flat area appears where it may be suitable for camping. It looks that someone indeed stayed over nights here in the past. The trail is really good. We pass by a resting spot with bench and enter a wide area of a beautiful bamboo forest. A abandoned truck is decaying by the trail. We come to another rest area at 8:10. Another discarded truck is parked by. It will never leave this forest. We have a break.

A junction before the summit

Summit of Mt. Feidong-shan

A gentle ascent in bamboos ends in about 5 minutes and a forest of tall and large cedar trees takes over. At 9:40 we come to a junction with a sign saying that both paths lead to the summit. We take a steep and short route to go up. In a matter of 7 minutes we reach the summit of Mt. Feidong-shan (elev. 1860m) encircled by tall trees. There are benches made of bamboos like the benches at resting places along the trail. This peak is also called Changshou-shan, longevity mountain, which sounds better. I cannot figure out how longevity relates to obesity. This peak is rather round and gentle as we find on our way up here. This may be a reason called "fat".

Going down among broad leaf trees

Husband & wife trees

The trail goes down a little from the summit and proceeds in a broad leaf tree forest. A ten-minute walk brings us to a pair of very tall trees called Fuqishu (夫妻樹), husband & wife trees. The trail goes down for a while and climbs back. A rather steep trail passes by a pent-up observation rest spot with bamboo-made benches. A pointing peak of Mt. Yuanzui-shan stands still far and high with Mt. Shaolai-shan at its behind. No long after the trail gets flat we find the summit of Mt. Choudong-shan (elev. 1989m). Thin trees surround the summit and yield no view. Honestly I cannot figure out either how this peak has gotten such a disgraceful name as this. This is another ordinary peak, just like thousands of peaks in Taiwan.

a rest place

The pointing peak of Mt. Yuanzui-shan

Summit of Mt. Choudong-shan

A view towards Mt. Xiaoxue=shan

At the summit of "2010 Peak"

The trail down from the summit gets steep. After a short while it climbs again on a steep slope. We pass by a cliff on our left. That spot without trees yields a view towards north. A radar station is identifiable on the top of Mt. Xiaoxue-shan (小雪山)  in a far distance over a deep valley. Massive peaks lie in row before Mt. Xiaoxue-shan. At 10:10 we reach a small summit with a name plate of "2010 Peak". The steeply descending ridge gets narrow and rocky, which characterizes Mt. Yuanzui-shan and suggets that its summit is not far.

Hazy Mt. Yuanzui-shan

The ridge gets wider again and rises to another peak, which we reach at 10:50 and have a break. A hazy peak of Mt. Yuanzui-shan is high up front just across a gap in between. Reaching the bottom of the gap in a few minutes we begin our final ascent to Mt. Yuanzui-shan. The higher we go up, the steeper the trail gets. Rhododendron trees are more noticeable as we approach the summit. If you come here in April, you would be welcomed by thousands of pinkish flowers of rhododendrons. Stepping on a bouncy earth of decaying plant leaves we go up the final stretch to the top. We get out onto a shiny summit (elev. 2180m) at 11:38. We soon realize that this summit is full of hikers all around. They should have come from the trail head of the south portal.

Author at the summit

Westward vista from the rock section

Mt. Choudong-shan

The steep rock section

We leave the summit after about twenty minutes of stay. There are several hikers of a casual looking on the bare rock on our right and taking pictures. This ridge is going down to a lower point and rises to form the peak of Mt. Hengling-shan in a distance, which now stands against a hazy sky. As we go further down, we can see more peaks like Mt. Shalian-shan next to Mt. Hengling-shan. Mt. Choudong-shan lays its massive body in a close distance. It takes your concentration when you go down  bare and exposed rock sections like this. Luckily there are a few hikers coming up to pass us so we don't have to wait for long. At 12:44 all of us complete the most precipitous and rocky stretch and go down a litter further to a pavilion named Eryesongting (二葉松亭), under which we have a lunch break. 

Eryesongting pavilion

Junction to the trail head left and to Mt. Hengling-shan

Junction of Hengling-shan trail

We resume our hike at 13:20 after a half hour lunch break. The trail continues down and passes a junction at 13:38 where a left trail goes down to the trail head. It goes flat further for a while and splits again a trail left down to the south portal of Henglingshan tunnel. After hitting the lowest point the trail starts climbing a steep slope. Passing the highest point where stone benches are formed of natural rocks and wood planks, the trail goes down to a junction (elev. 1860m) where a trail from Henglingshan trail meets.

climbing almost to the summit

Mt. Hengling-shan summit

Our final climb to the summit passes stone steps and steep dirt paths with a lot of tree roots showing on the surface. This is a part of an official route maintained by the forestry bureau and in good shape. We reach the summit (elev. 2160m) at 14:40. Our original plan was to go on the ridge all the way to a trail head of Zhongkeng (中坑) as well as visiting Mt. Dichui-shan (笛吹山) en route. Considering the time of sunset just two hours and a half away and that a few members have no headlight, we decide to leave the ridge at Mt. Shalian-shan and down to the Henglingshan trail, which would take about two hours only and we can get the trail head before dark.

A junction to Mt.Baileng-shan left

Summit of Mt. Shalian-shan

Steep descent, note wood handrails

As soon as we leave the summit at 15:10, new direction signs of Mt. Baileng-shan (白冷山) show up. We take the right one to continue on the main ridge, which leads us to the summit of Mt. Shalian-shan (elev. 1939m) in fifteen minutes. The summit is just a mound of dirt in a rhododendron forest. Descending for a couple of minutes we hit a junction. We take a right trail and leave the main ridge. Our trail gets very steep where tree brunches are fixed as safety handrails. Usually ropes are used for such a purpose. I don't know whether they ran out of ropes or deliberately made that way.

Stone base of a hut once stood here

Henglingshan old trail

Junction to Mt. Hengling-shan

The precipitous trail in a forest of tall cedar trees passes by stone piled short walls. A board next to it explains that this is remains of a work hut of loggers long time ago. The beautiful cedars all around suggests it too. The trail turns flat and soon meets the Henglingshan old trail at 15:58. The old trail was once a "muma" (木馬) road, which was a transportation method of laying logs as rails to carry freshly cut-out logs on a kind of sleds. The trail is wide and devoid of steep sections. It is very easy to walk on.

Looking back for Mt. Hengling-shan

The trail by Daxueshan road

Golden light beam of the setting sun is coming through trees. Mt. Hengling-shan is already very high up when we look back. We walk a little more than two kilometer and come out to the trail head by the north poral at 16:43, a half hour before the sunset. Our car comes to pick us up in a short while. By the time we stop by Dongshi town for dinner at 17:50, it is pretty dark. Our way back met no traffic congestion and we got back to Taipei shortly before 21:00.

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We hiked for nine hours and a half including breaks. The distance was 11 kilometers with a total ascent of 1210 meters and descent 773 meters, which calculates the route physical index 34. The weather was pretty nice, in fact very warm on the summit of Mt. Yuanzui-shan. We had a great time. It was lucky that our way down from Mt. Yuanzui-shan was very smooth without any congestion of too many hikers coming up. It is a kind of pain in the neck for such a popular rout if you get caught.