Taipei Train Station
Explorations of Taoshan (桃山) conveniently starts from Wuling Farms (武陵農場) high in the Lanyang river (蘭陽溪) watershed which drains the valley separating the Central Mountains (中央山脈) from the Syue Mountains (雪山山脈) headed by Lishan (梨山) and flowing into the Lanyang Plain (蘭陽平原) the largest plain in northeastern Taiwan, home to the largest cabbage patch on the island, and focus of the rapidly developing Ilan (宜蘭) metropolis. About 25 trains per day run from Taipei (台北) to Ilan. From Ilan drive or take a bus (Kingbus 國光客運) up the Lanyang river valley toward Lishan to Wuling Farms on the Highway 7 (台七).
The well maintained two story cabin and park office at the trail head is staffed by two park workers working on networked computers. At an altitude of 2140 meters, the trail head starts on a board walk just in front of their office windows. Posted signs are clearly strict about requiring a permit to enter the park. The rangers are not willing to let us walk in to look at the trail without a permit. We ask them about access to Taoshan and they reply that they don't know about Taoshan because it is outside the park.
Though today they live outside the area, the entire park area was originally inhabited by the Atayal (泰雅) and Saisiat(賽夏), the Atayal settling into areas up to 2000 meters. Shei-Pa National Park (雪霸國家公園) includes 51 peaks reaching over 3,000 meters. Mt. Syue, 1t 3,886 meters is Taiwan's second highest peak. The fractured south face inspired the Atayal to name the mountain Sekoan, meaning "broken cliffs" (岩壁的裂溝). Han Chinese settlers transliterated the sound to 雪翁山 and then simply 雪山. In Saisiat (賽夏族) legend, Dabajian mountain (大霸尖山) is their original homeland.
Driving up to Lishan (梨山) at the top of highway 7 in the afternoon provides a view contrasting to Wuling Farms as a result of agricultural exploitation of the area's mountainsides.
We split into two groups, one going to the Taoshan waterfall with the children and a smaller group attempting Taoshan.
Bruce, Charge, Kit, Philip, Wennie and Zhenzhu attempt Taoshan (3325m)
Bruce and Philip hike up the trail from Ssuyuan (思源啞口) toward Nanhu mountain (南湖大山) in the morning to get a sense of the trail condition to plan a walk over towards Tianshiang (天祥) in Taroko National Park (太魯閣國家公園) in the Fall.
The first few kilometers of the path are wide open and not steep since the path follows what was once Forest Road 710. The path is punctuated by patches of artemisia, plantain, nettles, elderberry and mint.
