Japanese era "twa-ker-hum" 大嵙崁 (dà ke kàn) is today's DaSi 大溪 (dà xī). We take a Taoyuan mini bus 桃園客運 (táoyuán kèyùn) from Dasi 大溪 to Shangbaling 上巴陵. (shàng bā líng) Dasi 大溪 is the eastern access point to the northern cross island highway, or National seven. The trip takes just over two hours.
Arriving early in ShangBaling, we apply for mountain permits for tomorrow's walk at the police station. There are two large snakes in a steel cage on the Atayal-style pavillion in front of the station.
We take a walk down to Kala village 卡拉部落 (kǎlā bùluò) waiting for the rest of our group - Berkmans, Whitefords, Hanleys and O'Briens.
After breakfast at the park entrance, our whole group walks up through the park and about 2km in on the trail up to the weather station clearing on the Taoyuan-Taipei county line. This is the highest point of the trail at about 1700m.
The 巴福越嶺古道 (bāfú yuèlǐng gǔdào) "Fu(shan) Ba(ling) pass old trail" was opened up by the Atayal 泰雅族 (tàiyǎ zú) Dakekan clan 大嵙崁群 (dà ke kàn qún) two to three hundred years ago to facilitate exchange and intermarriage between the Atayal 泰雅族 (tàiyǎ zú) clans in the Fushan 福山 (fúshān) and Baling 巴陵 ( bā líng) areas. The path was formerly known as the "Old Marriage road" 姻親路古道 (yīnqīn lù gǔdào) or 警察道路 (jǐngchá dàolù). In 1913, Balong 巴壟 (bā lǒng), today's Baling 巴陵 (bā líng) was seized by the occupying Japanese to connect Taoyuan and Taipei communities, to build a road to extract camphor trees and also to control the local Atayals. In the early years of KMT rule, the path was built as a mountain police road 警察道路 (jǐngchá dàolù) and was called "The Lala Mtn Jiaoban Mtn Pass Path" 拉拉山角板山越嶺道 (lā lā shān jiǎo bǎn shānyuè lǐng dào). Signs of the Japanese-built stations can still be found at Biyasang 比亞桑 (bǐ yǎ sāng), Lalashan 拉拉山 (lā lā shān), Kwaishan 檜山 (guìshān) and Zhakong 扎孔 (zhā kǒng).
The path starts in the LaLa Shan old tree area 拉拉山神木區 (lā lā shān shénmù qū), passes through the Chatienshan Nature Reserve 插天山自然保留區 (chā tiānshān zìrán bǎoliú qū) and the Takuanshan Forest Reserve 達觀山自然保護區 (dáguān shān zìrán bǎohù qū).
last photos with Nikon e5700
