Presure, presure. Let me speak to the better half! Ratbrain,if we go, it is my turn to pick you up!
I’ll confirm this evening. Sorry to be so vague - busy here at the mo!
Nah, everyone will be taking the new tunnel to Ilan. 
If we arrive and it looks like there are too many people I have a back up plan.
Would be happy to see you again. Limey
ahhh would love to go but it’s my b-day weekend and I think for the most part I will be hungover and in bed till after 12. I am curious about the footware, is this just for river tracing ?? Do they have any other uses ?
Okay, this is a summer fun hike so I don’t want to get up to early to do it. Let’s meet in Sanxia at the same place as last time at 10:30. There is a chance of morning showers anyway so let’s avoid that.
People taking the MRT should meet by 10:15 - at the latest - at Yongning MRT.
If the trail looks too crowded (ie, we see too many cars at the trailhead) we will head to Full Moon Park and up past the last easily accessible waterfall to another that you must river trace a bit to get too. This supposedly has a nice pool in it according to the Taipei Day Trips books and I believe Belgium Pie has been there as well.
So, I repeat, be ready to leave Yongning MRT station at 10:15 (which means you should be there by 10 or just past). We will meet the Taoyuan people at 10:30 in the same place as last week (the traffic circle before the late Belgium Kitchen).
Sorry people, have to let you down on this one. Have a great day. MM please could you post a decent photo or two of me from the last hike.
Only have indecent ones.
I will. I’ve been busy and will be busy again tomorrow. But I will get them up. Promise. Excuse me now while I kiss the sky.
And there I was; nearly twenty years a Hendrix fan and I thought he sang " 'scuse me while I kiss dis guy"
I’m off to bed, you’ve had enough of my wit for one evening!
nighty night.
See you guy at 10:30am tomorrow.
I won’t be going - my knee is still recovering from last week’s hike when I injured it somehow (still don’t know how). I need to rest my knee - doctor’s orders.
Kitty will be going with you guys.
By the way, I picked up a pair of river tracing shoes that fit my big Western feet. Got them at MetrOasis. Kitty and I went there and bumped into seeker4 and the seekerette. Great store, not far from Ting San Iou and the other outdoor shops in Zhongshan. Looking forward to using the shoes!
I was hoping to squeeze in this hike before my upcoming trip next week. Just won’t fit. Too much still to do. Hope you enjoy the hike. See you about 10 hikes from now.
I can’t seem to stop talking about how good those river tracing shoes are. Not only did I find a pair big enough for my feet (a small miracle on its own), but the shoes work fantastically well on slippery rocks. I was almost thinking about getting a pair of felt gloves so that my hands could get the same traction that my feet were enjoying.
Overall, a super fun hike. Mucha_Man did a great job with navigating us to the section of river that was ideally suited for river tracing. I’d say that I had more fun river tracing than just about any outdoor sport that I’ve done while in Taiwan.
Thanks to MM for organizing the activity, and thanks to Kitty for helping us to find our way back to Taipei.
How was the going along the creek? Did you find any good swimming spots? Were there hordes of Sunday jaunters jamming the roads to the creek? Were there lots of other people up the creek? Did you get caught in an afternoon downpour?
I’m looking forward to reading all the details and seeing the pictures.
[quote=“scomargo”]I can’t seem to stop talking about how good those river tracing shoes are. Not only did I find a pair big enough for my feet (a small miracle on its own), but the shoes work fantastically well on slippery rocks. I was almost thinking about getting a pair of felt gloves so that my hands could get the same traction that my feet were enjoying.
[/quote]
You need the river tracing hat as well. Feet, hands and head. Unstoppable.
Looking forward to the next event?
Would you guys like to go tracing up the Neidong Stream (內洞溪) at Wawagu (娃娃谷) out past Wulai this Saturday?
Sounds good to me. I was going to suggest our favorite Wulai swimming hole but this sounds just as good.
That’s got some pretty good parts further up. A pretty hairy “reach around” round a big knob that puts you out on about 30 feet of exposure with your centre of gravity waay too far out for comfort. Fun. But you have to go early enough so you don’t get stuck with the “entrance fee,” which I refuse to pay on principle. Pay to get into Wulai and pay AGAIN to get “into” the river? Not bloody likely!
[quote=“Omniloquacious”]How was the going along the creek? Did you find any good swimming spots? Were there hordes of Sunday jaunters jamming the roads to the creek? Were there lots of other people up the creek? Did you get caught in an afternoon downpour?
I’m looking forward to reading all the details and seeing the pictures.[/quote]
There are crowds all the way up the 114 to Full Moon Park. Let them bathe in my waste I say. The park was not crowded at all. Of course there were many people about but far less than I expected and far fewer than a similiar park in Canada would have on a summer weekend.
Once we cross the tributary just past the last waterfall you can reach by trail and headed up the main stream we were alone in a gorgeous narrow river valley with a good, but not dangerous flow of water. Within a minute we could no longer even see the pavilion at the end of the trail.
There is no trail at all (well, a rough, halting one in places) so we traced up with the help of our wonderful felt-bottomed booties. It took maybe 30-40 minutes to reach the Wonderful Sounding Falls. Lovely spot. The falls are about 6 metres and have a natural flat pavement at the top for resting. There’s a small pool at the top but you’d hae to be careful not to get swept over.
There was one nice pool, a little smaller than the one in Pinglin, but about as deep (6-7 feet maybe) between the start and the falls. Neither pool is enough to justify the two hours it takes to get to FM Park on a summer’s day from taipei without a car. However, if you are in the area it is worth while to head upstream a few minutes to the pools and falls and escape the crowds. We saw no one the whole time we were in the river (we did see and pass dangerously cose to two snakes curled up on ledges, but that’s another story).
We didn’t swim that day though as it is surprisingly cool in the valley. FMP is a little higher in elevation and unless it is a very bright sunny day, I wouldn’t want to get into the water.
We were fortunate to make it back to the pavilion just as the rain started coming down. Within a few minutes the river was swollen and muddy.
Oh, we didn’t go to the original spot I had mentioned which is just before Full Moon Park. Instead we went into the park itself and followed the path up the Full Moon Falls (across the bridge) and then up to the end to the falls just above Full Moon Falls. In all we saw 6 waterfalls that day. Sorry not pics. My camera was in my dry bag the whole time.
One thing of note is that we experimented with climbing slings and webbing. These proved very helpful. I interlaced several shorter slings to get a 2 metre long piece that was easily wrapped around my waist. When we came to a difficult climb or crossing, I went first and then tossed back the sling to help the others. The sling is easily to grip than a rope, and as I said, is easily taken on and off my waist for use. It can also be easily secured around someone else’s waist or arm. It can also be used to help lower people down if there is an anchor point above.
I will likely buy some longer (2 metres or so) slings and encourage others to get one or two also.
That’s got some pretty good parts further up. A pretty hairy “reach around” round a big knob that puts you out on about 30 feet of exposure with your centre of gravity waay too far out for comfort. Fun. But you have to go early enough so you don’t get stuck with the “entrance fee,” which I refuse to pay on principle. Pay to get into Wulai and pay AGAIN to get “into” the river? Not bloody likely![/quote]
You don’t pay to get into Wulai anymore only Neidong.
That’s got some pretty good parts further up. A pretty hairy “reach around” round a big knob that puts you out on about 30 feet of exposure with your centre of gravity waay too far out for comfort. Fun. But you have to go early enough so you don’t get stuck with the “entrance fee,” which I refuse to pay on principle. Pay to get into Wulai and pay AGAIN to get “into” the river? Not bloody likely![/quote]
You don’t pay to get into Wulai anymore only Neidong.[/quote]
Really? I haven’t been up there this year yet. You mean they no longer take money off you after you cross the bridge outside Wulai to go up the hill past the cable car station?