Hiking in a Typhoon

I have gone on some hikes during some pretty bad weather. I’ve hiked in the rain. I’ve hiked in the snow. I’ve hiked in the mud. Hiking during a typhoon just seemed like the natural progression of things. Turned out to be better than I would have thought.

My friend Grace invited me to join her on a hike with a group of people she found on meetup.com. I am always up for a little adventure. As the date grew nearer, though, the weather was starting to look a bit rough. A typhoon was blowing in to blanket Taiwan with some rain. Being rained on is not my idea of fun, but as long as everyone else was going, I was not about to back out.

I met Grace at Jingmei MRT station. We found the hike leader and a few others waiting. The weather had scared off the rest. The hike leader explained the plan to us. We would be hiking up Xianjiyan and then we might head around Hsih Hsin University depending on how everyone felt. Once we felt comfortable that no one else was coming, we set off down the road.

The weather was not as bad as feared. The wind whipped about, but there was not much rain. A fine mist was ever present though. The clouds came and passed, threatening, but never quite bursting over us. They would part, though, to let a hazy light through for a clear view. It was the winds that made it feel like a storm. No gentle breeze, these storm winds buffeted against us like they wanted to send us reeling down the mountain.

Stone face.

It all left me feeling charged though. I was ready to run over the ridges. However, I was asked not to play Eye of the Tiger as we ascended  the stone steps. We reached stops along the way to peer out through the dripping foliage at the hazy cityscape. Pretty soon one of the girls had to turn back. Heels are not the best shoes for hiking.

Flower in the wind.

The first significant stops was at a small rest area. In better weather people could sit under the shade and look over the city. While I took in the misty view with the rest, my attention became fixed on some pretty flowers. I became determined to get a good picture of them. Of course, taking a good picture with only a cell phone camera can be hard. It reaches near impossible when the wind is whipping your target back and forth. Needless to say the best shot I got was still a touch blurry.

Continuing on we reached the grand scenic view for the trip. The Taiwanese are fans of situating temples on the tops of mountains. The idea seems to work out quite well. We were able to get out of the sprinkling rain and look out over the city from under the deck awning. It was an excellent view. At the same time I could admire how people would come to the temple for worship. The invigorating walk up the mountain served to emphasize that one was a step away from civilization and a step closer to heaven.

The temple provided a nice rest stop and bathroom break. We could look out over the city as we  rested. I was feeling to charged to sit still for long. The breeze meant I was not getting too hot or sweaty so my energy was still good. After a group picture we headed on.

Group photo courtesy of Marcus Windmark.

My eye was keen to spot anything of interest. A few butterflies braved the wind. The leaves of a papaya tree fluttered wildly as the wind picked up while bamboo acted like a wall against the small gale. I took time to look at the rocks we passed by, including one carved to look like a face. On any hike through the mountains I am always keenly searching for signs of wildlife, large and small. They were not much favoring us that day though.

Papaya. A bit of wind.

What goes up soon goes down. We hiked back down the hillside and into a more urban jungle. It was here that we had the option to keep going or turned back. I was not about to turn back, and it seemed like no one else was ready to quit yet either. We walked across the college campus to hit the next trail. I was in some desperate need of water, having already downed what I had brought with me. Unfortunately the campus water dispenser only had hot water. Not the thing you want to cool you down.

Back up the mountainside we traveled. The trail snaked up along a ridgeline behind the school. It was then that I made an interesting discovery. They had razor wire strung behind the girls dorms. The Taiwanese do not take well to peeping Toms it seems.

We finally reached the end of our hike, back down in the streets. Grace and I walked over to the bus stop to head back towards our side of the city. Relaxing on the bus and taking the pressure off of my feet gave me some time to reflect on the day. The light on and off rain combined with the wind gave the hike a unique feel. It also made it clear that I should always keep my poncho stuffed in my adventure bag (even though it never rained enough that I needed it). I agreed with Grace that we should see about joining the group for more hikes in the future. For the time being though, I wanted to lay down and eat. Hiking in a typhoon does take a bit out of you.

  

Taipei 101 in the distance. A bit overcast, but not to bad.