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Climbing Yushan Mountain

When I proposed visiting Yi Yun in Taiwan she suggested we walk up on the highest peak in the country. We applied for a few permits and were surprisingly approved for an ascend on the 13th of December. As far as I could see it wasn't a technical climb so despite the fact that Yi Yun had never done a proper hike in the mountains before we figured we'd be alright as long as we brought warm clothes. On the first day we walked up to the Paiyun lodge at 3400m. The next morning at 3am we went out to hike the last bit up to the top of the Yushan Main Peak at 3952m but ended up approaching the last climb way before sunrise. It was too cold to stand still up there, so to keep warm we walked down for half an hour before turning around and climbing the mountain once more, this time making it all the way up.

December 11th, 2016

We passed an aboriginal market on the way up to the top where I had a sausage.

The wall of the lodge where we stayed the first night

We found a very large Cypress tree in Alishan

Evening sunlight streaming through the trees

The sky at dusk in the Alishan mountains

The view out over the neighboring valley by the Paiyun lodge

Walking over to the Yushan West peak a short walk from the lodge

A small Japanese shinto near the top of the Yushan West Peak from the occupation

The hillside is disappearing the afternoon clouds drifting in from the valley

The last light of the day creeps under the clouds

Looking back over our path in the dawn light

Early morning the next day a brief pause in the clouds flowing over the top makes it possible to appreciate the sunrise

White trail leading down in to the clouds

The view out over the ridge from the top

Blurred photo through my frosted lens of ice covering a plant near the top of Yushan Mountain.

Full moon on the freeway driving back north the same day

Yi Yun's dad is making me delicious breakfast

Back in Taipei I observed this innovative bike improvement doubling the capacity of the vehicle

Close up of the fantastic bike invention

Eating bubble tea pizza. The main and most important objective of the Taiwan leg of the trip.

Bubble tea pizza. The main reason I went to Taiwan in the first place