3 Easy Peaks at Hehuan 合歡山 in Taiwan, Hello Again William! "All the Small Things” Blink 182 Cover.

In this video, JC and I tackle Hehuan East Peak, Jian Shan, and Shrmen Shan located in the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan. First, I show a bit of prep that goes into a hike or a long run. I will normally coat my feet with sports cream and add "Mole Skin" to avoid blisters before wearing compression socks. After checking conditions, I go through a checklist on a Excel File spreadsheet of hiking items that I need to bring (not shown). These particular Hehuan peaks are so clearly marked and touristy that I didn't expect to run into too many problems. For example, I didn't see the need for a headlamp, as there is virtually no chance of being stranded on a peak past dark without being rescued. There are lots of people who could assist in the event of an injury (knock on wood!). Nevertheless, I brought enough food and water, some minor first aid items, an extra battery bank for my phone, tissues, etc.

The drive was well under three hours from Changhua. We got lucky and found the last space in the Hehuan Visitor's Center parking lot near the trailhead that is by Songxue Lodge. Having the car as a resupply station was great. We only had to bring enough food and water for the first hike up East Peak, which we completed in two hours and twenty minutes. The short ascent, rising a mere 300 meters in a distance of a kilometer makes it among the shortest "Baiyue" (the list of 100 "must-do" mountain hikes in Taiwan over 3000 m).

Speaking of East Peak (3421 m), one of the reasons to do this hike between April and June is for the beautiful rhododendron blooms! It is absolutely stunning and with 360-degree views of alpine terrain in Taiwan that compare to the Alps! However, even on a Monday, there were loads of hikers coming in on tour buses and vans. It is somewhat of a blessing in disguise though, as being slowed down is not necessarily a bad thing. Although listed as an easy climb, I found myself having to take several breaks in that altitude. I had even taken Diamox, and really did feel the effects. Granted, I was operating on two hours sleep too!

We found a side area to rest because there were a lot of people at the summit. After getting the usual picture with the marker, we milled around the adjacent viewing spots, before heading down. A lot of this hike is on stairs. They are well-maintained, but you still have to watch your footing, as the wooden box-steps filled with stone are sometimes not level. They can also be full with water at rainy times or missing the odd board. Note: from the trail, you can see the remnants of a ski-lift. (The Songxue Lodge was a former residence of President Chiang Kai-Shek).

After heading back to the lodge, we took the stairs to check out the trailhead to the Qilai Mountain Ridge. That ridge is a three-day, two-night trip in itself and requires a permit. I'd be happy with Xiao (small) Qilai, which can be completed in under two hours, giving time for other short peaks in the area. If anyone knows if you need a permit for that one, please tell us in the comments. It was unclear when reading the signage.

We took a service road back to the Vistor's Center/Hostel (?), and H2 Cafe parking lot across the street from the Songxue Lodge. After a quick resupply, we headed for Jianshan. This is a short rock scramble (45 min.) to the shortest accessible high peak in all of Taiwan! There is one, perhaps twenty-foot section requiring ropes. I would not recommend this for the physically-challenged. Luckily, my shoulder impingement did not seem to give me problems at this point. We went up and over this peak with the backside being mostly stairs and on to Mt. Shrmen.

While Jianshan is the most-accessible, Mt. Shrmen (3237 m) is the EASIEST Baiyue in Taiwan. It is less steep and not that long; also 45-minutes to an hour, round trip. On this one, we saw a small child and even a cute little dog...The owner was carrying it, but assured me that the animal could climb it. Again, the views are absolutely spectacular, even in the partially cloudy weather we had.

Well, that's three more down and well, you could spend a lifetime climbing mountains in Taiwan. In fact, we seem to be doing that! Please "like" and subscribe for more adventures in Taiwan with the occasional gear review and "campfire" style song cover!