[quote=“Incubus”]Could you guys check for me if this trail is ridable on a mountain bike? I’ve ridden the nearby Jiajiuliao trail which runs parallel with the Nanshi River on the opposite bank from the main road. The 2-kilometer trail is about 90% ridable. If the Honghegu trail is even 50% ridable, I’d be willing to ride my mountain bike there to try it out.
Good luck with the weather.[/quote]
Much of the Honghegu trail itself is rideable, but some of it (mainly stairs, footbridges, gully crossings and a section of the path that goes up a creek bed) is not. However, we’ll be spending much of our time at the river itself, where there is no rideable trail.
[quote=“urodacus”]Any idea on start times on Saturday? 9 or 10 am is good for us, and will get the ball rolling for discussion…
Looks like light rain all day Saturday. I won’t be interested if there is heavy rain, or the river gets seriously up.
And we need to get some idea of numbers so we can look at transport options.
Me: two people.
(add to the list)[/quote]
I think we should stick to a 9:00 am rendezvous at Xindian MRT station - unless anyone wants to put forward a persuasive argument for earlier or later.
Light rain shouldn’t be a problem at all, but if we have a big downpour or two in the next few days, the water might be fairly high. It was near its lowest level when I swam there today, so a bit of steady rain between now and Saturday should make it quite perfect. I go up there very often, so I’ll be able to keep an eye on it and report its condition closer to Saturday.
We can give it another day or two for more people to express interest before we start pushing for firm commitment and come up with a list of those who definitely intend to come. Then we can finalize the transport details.
So far, the list of possible participants includes:
Me
Chris (+ Kitty?)
kate.lin
Wanger114
Urodacus + wife
CanadianBryson
MM (if he still can’t leave for Tibet by then)
Cands + flatmate seem to have dropped the interest they’d expressed in the other hiking thread, and we haven’t heard from cropgirl whether or not she would like to be in on this hike.
Anyone else? Roll up, roll up, everyone’s welcome!
[quote=“Chris”][quote=“Incubus”]Could you guys check for me if this trail is ridable on a mountain bike? I’ve ridden the nearby Jiajiuliao trail which runs parallel with the Nanshi River on the opposite bank from the main road. The 2-kilometer trail is about 90% ridable. If the Honghegu trail is even 50% ridable, I’d be willing to ride my mountain bike there to try it out.
Good luck with the weather.[/quote]
Much of the Honghegu trail itself is rideable, but some of it (mainly stairs, footbridges, gully crossings and a section of the path that goes up a creek bed) is not. However, we’ll be spending much of our time at the river itself, where there is no rideable trail.[/quote]
Thanks, Chris. About how long is the ridable part of the Honghegu trail? If it’s even one kilometer, it’ll give me 3 kilometers of offroad riding if I connect to the Jiajiuliao trail. And that would be considered long by Taipei’s standards.
[quote=“Incubus”][quote=“Chris”][quote=“Incubus”]Could you guys check for me if this trail is ridable on a mountain bike? I’ve ridden the nearby Jiajiuliao trail which runs parallel with the Nanshi River on the opposite bank from the main road. The 2-kilometer trail is about 90% ridable. If the Honghegu trail is even 50% ridable, I’d be willing to ride my mountain bike there to try it out.
Good luck with the weather.[/quote]
Much of the Honghegu trail itself is rideable, but some of it (mainly stairs, footbridges, gully crossings and a section of the path that goes up a creek bed) is not. However, we’ll be spending much of our time at the river itself, where there is no rideable trail.[/quote]
Thanks, Chris. About how long is the ridable part of the Honghegu trail? If it’s even one kilometer, it’ll give me 3 kilometers of offroad riding if I connect to the Jiajiuliao trail. And that would be considered long by Taipei’s standards.
Sorry, Omni. Don’t mean to hijack this thread.[/quote]
No problem at all.
I’m sure there’s at least a kilometre that’s rideable. The trail starts with a short flight of concrete steps, and then there’s a few hundred metres of path before a longish ascent up wood-framed steps. After that, the earth trail would be ridable much of the way, quite easily so in parts. But if you did it at the weekend, especially on a Sunday, you’d be likely to encounter quite a lot of hikers, and you wouldn’t be able to ride past them on the narrower parts of the trail.
Thanks for the helpful info. I’ll ride it one of these days and will report back.
Have a good hike on Saturday. If you do hike into Wulai on the Jiajiuliao trail, keep a lookout for heavenly bodies lounging in the pools of the upscale hotspring hotels across the creek.
Well, the weather has been far more benign than forecast. It was lovely up at Red River Valley this morning - better than when the sun was blazing down earlier this week. If it stays like this, conditions will be quite perfect for hiking.
Now we need confirmation of who is definitely coming, and what, if any, transport you have.
Thus far, we have:
I will certainly go, and can take either a car or a scooter.
Urodacus and wife are coming unless it teems with rain, and they have a scooter.
I believe that kate.lin is firmly in, and can ride her own scooter.
I’ve just got back from a swim at Red River Valley, and it was absolutely gorgeous up there again today. There wasn’t a drop of rain, the sun shone intermittently, and the temperature was near perfect.
I’m hoping to soon get confirmations from everyone who intends to join the hike, so that we can fix the transport arrangements. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume you’re not coming.
[quote=“Omniloquacious”]I’ve just got back from a swim at Red River Valley, and it was absolutely gorgeous up there again today. There wasn’t a drop of rain, the sun shone intermittently, and the temperature was near perfect.
I’m hoping to soon get confirmations from everyone who intends to join the hike, so that we can fix the transport arrangements. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume you’re not coming.[/quote]
I’ve always wanted to find these pools, and might come but am waiting for confirmation from 2 friends who are scared of the rain.
If I’m there, I’ll be with car. I’ll try to confirm tonight either way, and will PM you with my phone.
So far, we have me, Kate and MM who are definitely in, while Wanger is 85% and will let me know for sure this evening.
Urodacus, what’s the current likelihood that you and the wife will be coming? As you have your own transport, it’ll be okay if you leave it until tomorrow morning to make and convey your final decision.
[quote=“Typhun”][quote=“Omniloquacious”]I’ve just got back from a swim at Red River Valley, and it was absolutely gorgeous up there again today. There wasn’t a drop of rain, the sun shone intermittently, and the temperature was near perfect.
I’m hoping to soon get confirmations from everyone who intends to join the hike, so that we can fix the transport arrangements. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume you’re not coming.[/quote]
I’ve always wanted to find these pools, and might come but am waiting for confirmation from 2 friends who are scared of the rain.
If I’m there, I’ll be with car. I’ll try to confirm tonight either way, and will PM you with my phone.[/quote]
Hi, Typhun.
I hope your friends won’t be put off by any fear of the rain and that we’ll see you there tomorrow.
Okay, this site keeps throwing me out and I can’t stay logged on long enough to even check my instant messages. This had better work. I have to bail on this hike, but really do want to get out and see more of Taiwan. Please keep me informed of other hikes… this weekend has just turned into a mess and I really wish I could go hiking.
Sorry, O, but I am going to have to cancel. I just got word that some places in Chengdu are starting to issue permits again and I had better be on this first thing tomorrow and book my plane ticket if it looks as promising as it is. I want to get out of here on Monday morning so no time to dilly dally in the rain, even at one of my favorite spots on the island.
Have fun tomorrow. After reading the free-association thread I am heartily sorry I can’t meet kate tomorrow. Another time, madam wit.
I’m sorry you can’t join us, MM, but glad to hear why.
Although we’ve had a bit of rain overnight, and it was raining quite steadily when I got up this morning, the sky looks to be brightening and we just might be lucky with the weather.
Since MM can’t come, I’ll take my car. So if it’s still raining and you decide to leave your scooter at home, Urodacus, there’ll be seats available for you and the wife.
Kate, if you decide not to ride your scooter, there’ll also be a seat for you.
And Wanger, if you still want to come (please let me know one way or the other before 8 o’clock) and you don’t have your own transport, we might also be able to squeeze you into my little Swift - as long as three of you four are on the diminutive side.
If Typhun comes, with or without his two rainphobic friends, he’ll have his own car, so he’s taken care of and perhaps will have another seat available there. What’s your current status, Typhun?
For those arriving by MRT, I’ll be waiting at the back of the station. When you come through the ticket barrier at the only exit, turn left (toward Bitan) and you’ll see me across the road. I have a grey Suzuki Swift, and I’ll probably be standing beside it looking out for you. I doubt there will be too many other foreigners doing likewise, so it should be easy enough to spot me.
And for those coming by scooter or car, I suggest you drive round to the back of the station rather than trying to stop in front of it on the main road (the Taipei-Ilan 北宜路), as the buses and taxis all stop there and there’s seldom any space for other vehicles.
See you all at 9 o’clock sharp, and let’s hope for the weather gods to smile kindly upon us!
I’m glad you enjoyed it. I had a really good time, too. We were lucky there was so little rain, and the temperature was very comfortable. Seeing those monkeys and the blue magpies at the end was a special bonus.
You three were excellent hiking companions, and I look forward to seeing you on other hikes and river-tracing outings in the future.
