Hike June 25: the first wet and wild event of the summer

Events Northern Taiwan Events
#1

Okay, it is just too damn hot to bother with long hikes, even if they are to rewarding locations. Cause those locations ain’t going anywhere. So let’s start exploring rivers and waterfalls and enjoying long afternoons lazy about swimming holes.

So this Sunday, I propose we head out to Full Moon Park, not to trapse to the old trees, or even the Yu Nei Waterfalls, but to hit a much shorter path (4 km or so) up to the Sister Waterfall. I don’t have all the info as it is a Taipei Day Trips book hike and I lent my copy to a coworker. I’ll get it back tomorrow. Anyway, sounds like we hike past a series of falls and get a chance to scramble up the stream a bit to a few remote spots with places to swim. Can I garantee these will be spectacular spots with deep pools surrounded by lush jungle where troops of macaques leap from vine to vine ovehead? No, but they sound good.

I want everyone to have river tracing shoes. From the book’s description we won’t need them much, but we shoud have them as we may want to explore upstream a bit. I certainly want to. If you can’t find a shoe big enough, find one wide enough and cut out the toes and wear socks when you have them on. People in Wulai often just wear socks when they river trace so you should be fine.

The place is not in Full Moon Park but just outside it. I suggest we Taipei people take the MRT to Yongning (not Yingge) Station and then, if we have enough Taoyuan people with cars coming, meet in Sanxia again. Otherwise, we proceed straight on to the area. I estimate it will cost around NT500. It was NT180 to Sanxia and the sign said Full Moon Park was 18km further. Taxis cost NT15 a kilometer so we are looking at another NT300 or so. With 3 or 4 people a taxi this is very cheap.

The hike according to Taipei Day Trips is 4km there and 4 back. So, short and simple with the chance of some river tracing as well. Sounds funtastic as Arnold would say.

Who’s in?

#2

Hi MM,

what time on sunday? we are going to be up late watching the soccer game saturday night. I am not sure if we have time to get river tracing shoes, probably they would have to special order them for ratlung anyways.

#3

[quote=“ratbrain”]Hi MM,

what time on sunday? we are going to be up late watching the soccer game saturday night. I am not sure if we have time to get river tracing shoes, probably they would have to special order them for ratlung anyways.[/quote]

I just heard that I am going diving on Sunday. Too bad, I would have enjoyed that hike. I could try my diving boots though, they are not the felt kind, but would work until I get better ones in my size.

#4

I should be able to make it. About 70% sure at this point. I also need to get some of those river tracing shoes. Thanks for setting this up, MM, and for making it on a Sunday. :discodance:

#5

I’d like to join a hike at some point and I probably have the most unique reason why!
Before we get onto that… I was wondering what gear I’d need to start… are you like Indiana Jones style adventurers or less serious?

My reason for joining… as well as wanting to go out for fitness etc, I want to get over a phobia I have. Ever since I was 7 years old after an accident where I fell into a bees nest, I have been terrified of bees and wasps :blush: . The accident was pretty bad, I went into anaphalectic shock (sp?)… that scene from Pulp Fiction where J Travolta injects the heart? I’ve had that in real life.
Anyway… my phobia has stopped me from enjoying “The Great Outdoors” for too long, which ironically I really love…so it’s about time I got my arse in gear.

Cheers!

#6

Are there a lot of steep climbs? Or is it relatively flat? I seem to have hurt my leg from the last hike - it’s a pain starting at the knee and going up into the middle of my thigh - could be a tendon. It’s improving as each day passes, but I don’t want to aggravate it with too strenuous a hike. I WILL be bringing my hiking poles if I go!

#7

I just thought I’d post this information that MJB shared in another thread. It’s about a store that sells camping and hiking equipment. They have a store near Taipei Main, another in Zhonghe, and other stores in cities farther south of Taipei.

[quote=“MJB”]Everything you need…And them some, can be found here:

www.metroasis.com.tw

They’ve opened a new store in Taipei on Zhongshan N.Road Sec 1. The address for the new store is on the website. If you like river trekking, then check out their 299NT low top felt bottom booties…They stick to slippery rocks like glue and they have good size runs.[/quote]

I plan on heading over to the Zhonghe store to take a look at their shoe selection. Hopefully I can get something in my size, or close to it.

#8

I am not sure exactly which falls you are planning on hiking to, but there are some excellent falls I hiked to a few months back that are near FMP. Actually, if you follow the trail I describe you will end up in FMP (though there is a lot of steep-ish climbing involved).

If this is where you had planned, then the route is:
Coming from Sanxia on rt 114, about 3km before FMP the road forks, take the left fork (the right fork goes to FMP). After another kilometre, you come to a T junction and a shop on the corner, turn right at the shop and immediate left and follow the road up for about 2-3km. It is fairly steep a a couple of good switchbacks. Keep following the road until you see the many trail flags on the right, with the trail obvious from the road. If you get there after 10am, there may be quite a few cars and scooters parked here.

The hike is then a very pleasant 3-4 km until you cross a small river and the trails splits left (up) and right - take right - the waterfall is about 50m. The waterfall is most refreshing in the summer, and sends plenty of spray out to cool the surrounding area.

Now, the good news is there is a regular-ish bus service from Sanxia that goes all the way to the aforementioned t junction & shop. I took the bus from the Sanxia bus terminal as I wasn’t sure the route number, but if you do know the route number, it makes a few stops in Sanxia before reaching route 114 :
ShanShia三峽總站 - XionKong(熊空)
6:15/ 8:20/ 11:00/ 15:00/ 17:30
You don’t want to be in a hurry though, as the driver had a good chat to his girlfriends at each village on the way up

It is very difficult/impossible trying to find a taxi to take you down - you want to confirm the bus times and be there early.

#9

That’s the one. Is it very crowded on weekends? Do any of the falls have swimming holes, or are there spots along the river to swim?

#10

[quote=“scomargo”]I just thought I’d post this information that MJB shared in another thread. It’s about a store that sells camping and hiking equipment. They have a store near Taipei Main, another in Zhonghe, and other stores in cities farther south of Taipei.

[quote=“MJB”]Everything you need…And them some, can be found here:

www.metroasis.com.tw

They’ve opened a new store in Taipei on Zhongshan N.Road Sec 1. The address for the new store is on the website. If you like river trekking, then check out their 299NT low top felt bottom booties…They stick to slippery rocks like glue and they have good size runs.[/quote]

I plan on heading over to the Zhonghe store to take a look at their shoe selection. Hopefully I can get something in my size, or close to it.[/quote]

Their size 29 felt bottom bootie fits my size 13 feet like a glove. They really are great. The full bootie (diving style) is 499NT and will do the job just as well.

#11

thanks scormargo and MJB, we will check out that store as well. I think I will not be going on this hike since I have no transport.

#12

I was there on a Sunday from 9ish until about 2pm. It was a popular little hike and there were about 30 people camped at the base of the falls (in the piccie) who I think were in the Karaoke Kings Klub. Actually, I just made that last bit up, but they were singing their hearts out.

If you were actually in the water at the base of the waterfall, you would not hear the singing, but neither would you be too far away from groups of people.

From there, there is a sharp ascent to the top of the waterfall - several rock pools to chill in. That is as far as I went as I had a full pack and I had no intention of going all the way to FMP - the terrain was challenging for that sort of weight.

My suspicison is that you would have plenty of options for finding a fairly seculded swimming place, particularly if you are prepared for some river tracing.

Sorry I could not be more helpful - let me know what you discover.

#13

Chris/Mucha_Man: Didn’t one of you find a store that sells large Taiwanese-style felt-bottomed river boots, maybe near the Songshan Airport? I might have the location wrong.

Comment on boots: My experience here is that the standard rubber-bottomed kayaking or diving boots are not very good. It all depends on the rocks you’re climbing around on. On the worst, but still common river rocks here, those boots were even less useful than regular sports shoes due to the thinner soles. My next purchase will be a pair of felt-bottomed shoes. Rumor has it that they stick like nothing else to all kinds of wet slimy rocks.

#14

The shop near Zhongshan High School MRT station claimed to have larger sizes but when Chris checjed it out they didn’t. However, I can confirm that the Metro Oasis at the train station has size 29s. I tried on a pair and they were about 1.5 inches too long in the toe. I am a size 10 so they should fit you bigger-footed guys. They were the standard flet bottomed shoes and I can also confirm that they are fantastic. I have tried both the Canadian kayak shoes (bad) and the felt soled (exceptional grip).

To get to MetroOasis exit the Main Station MRT at exit 2. Turn right and walk to Zhongshan North Road. Cross and turn left. The store is there.

I would recommend that anyone who goes to buy shoes also picks up a waterproof bag. The sell them right below the shoes. These bags are great as you can stuff all your belongings in them, put it in your regular knapsack and immerse yourself in the water without worrying about your things. They were under a thousand.

The store also sells the maps that I use for many of our hikes.

ac, thanks for the tips. I will let you know how it is. BTW, did you go past the fall at all? There is supposed to be another upstream.

#15

[quote=“MJB”][quote=“scomargo”]I just thought I’d post this information that MJB shared in another thread. It’s about a store that sells camping and hiking equipment. They have a store near Taipei Main, another in Zhonghe, and other stores in cities farther south of Taipei.

[quote=“MJB”]Everything you need…And them some, can be found here:

www.metroasis.com.tw

They’ve opened a new store in Taipei on Zhongshan N.Road Sec 1. The address for the new store is on the website. If you like river trekking, then check out their 299NT low top felt bottom booties…They stick to slippery rocks like glue and they have good size runs.[/quote]

I plan on heading over to the Zhonghe store to take a look at their shoe selection. Hopefully I can get something in my size, or close to it.[/quote]

Their size 29 felt bottom bootie fits my size 13 feet like a glove. They really are great. The full bootie (diving style) is 499NT and will do the job just as well.[/quote]

I’ll check out their new branch tomorrow - it’s not far from where I work.

No. 21 Zhongshan N. Rd. Sec. 1 (north of Civic Blvd. on the east side of Zhongshan, according to their map, which is NOT oriented with north at the top).

#16

Ironman and I will be in. How many will be in this hike?Wait for the exact time and location.

Good day!

#17

Great minds think alike. I just went to the Metro Oasis store in Zhonghe last night, and bought myself some size 29 felt-bottom shoes and a waterproof bag. Size 29 shoes seems to be the largest that they have, and it fit my size 13 feet perfectly (as MJB said they would). Prices were only $320 for a pair, and they look like they are very good shoes. The waterproof bag just looks like a great thing to have for all sorts of (wet and wild) situations.

The Zhongshan N. Rd. location of Metro Oasis looks like it’s the most convenient location for people in Taipei, so I’d recommend going there. Although the store in Zhonghe is larger according to the website, there is no MRT stop anywhere near there, so you’d have to drive or take a bus.

Now that I got these shoes, I’m eager to do some river tracing to test them out.

By the way, it looks like I’m definitely in for Sunday. Looking forward to seeing everybody again.

#18

I’ll have to say ‘perhaps’ but probably not for this one. Sorry folks!

#19

Limey, you baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaastard.

#20

I’ve been to this place many years ago…It’s a very popular spot and will be packed on a hot summer Sunday such as this one.