Who else is in?
Who else is in?[/quote]
How about some details? Or are you now Omnitaciturn? 
The brain’s gummed up from overwork, so the words can barely trickle out now.
But the basic details will be on the lines of: Meet either at Xindian MRT station at 8:30 (if we have to take the bus) or somewhere at or around Wulai at about 9:00 o’clock (if we have enough vehicles of one kind or another to transport ourselves). We’ll aim to be on our way up the Neidong Stream by 10 o’clock. Whether we go the whole way up and walk back along the logging road will depend on how everyone finds the going. If the group consensus so dictates, we can go upstream for an hour or two, enjoy messing around and swimming in the best waterfall pools and other spots, and then turn around and head back.
The going is not by any means demanding, so anyone who’s not used to river-tracing should be able to manage it easily enough. And non-swimmers have nothing to fear – I’ve taken many such xiaojies up there in the past, and none ever found it unduly daunting.
More details will follow as we get a better idea of how many and who will be coming.
Doctor has ordered me to rest my knee for the next 3 weeks, so no hikes for me for now… 
Had an exam (Western medicine this time). I told him I had seen a Chinese Medicine doctor - he rolled his eyes, and I took this as a good sign! I had X-rays too: no damage to the ligament, bone or cartilege, no escaped joint fluids, so that’s a relief. Nothing serious, and my joints look in great condition. My pain is in the tendon and muscle, which will heal, though it’ll take a little time. It has gradually improved over the last several days, a good sign.
Interesting: the Chinese Medicine doctor and the Western Medicine doctor came to the same conclusion about my knee.
I got to see my own bones! Not something you see every day!
I am so, so, sooooo looking forward to trying out my new river tracing shoes…at the end of July!!
Hi,
I’d VERY interested in this hike, but unfortunately saturday is no good for me.
Hi,
I’d VERY interested in this hike, but unfortunately saturday is no good for me.
Chris, I hope you will soon get better.
I’d like to join. Should I carry a walking stick this time?
[quote=“Chris”]Doctor has ordered me to rest my knee for the next 3 weeks, so no hikes for me for now…
[/quote]
Do you mean just this Saturday is no good for you, or Saturdays in general are no good for you?
I’m sure that anyone who comes on this river-trace will love it so much they’ll be eager to do it again and again, and that we’ll go up there at least once more during this summer (typhoons permitting).
We’ll look forward to having you along another day, travel gal.
I don’t think one of those sticks would be much use. I think it’d more likely be a bit of an encumbrance.
See you on Saturday, jen!
How hard would this one be for someone who is just. um. entirely unfit?
And about how long does the whole trip last?
Can dogs come?
[quote=“lupillus”]How hard would this one be for someone who is just. um. entirely unfit?
And about how long does the whole trip last?
Can dogs come?[/quote]
I’m sure we’ll be making lots of stops, taking plenty of rests, and doing the whole thing at a pretty gentle pace, so it shouldn’t call for too much in the way of fitness.
It’s hard to say how long we’ll spend up there. If people get worn out or the weather turns rainy, we can head back earlier, perhaps in early to mid afternoon; if everyone’s so minded and the weather permits, we might stay there until the late afternoon.
I think it would be rather difficult to take a dog. There are some places where you need to use both hands to hoist yourself up and over rocks, and where it wouldn’t be possible for a dog to get up by itself. If it were a small dog and you had some means of carrying it on your back in a sling, then I guess it would be manageable.
The brain’s gummed up from overwork, so the words can barely trickle out now.
But the basic details will be on the lines of: Meet either at Xindian MRT station at 8:30 (if we have to take the bus) or somewhere at or around Wulai at about 9:00 o’clock (if we have enough vehicles of one kind or another to transport ourselves). We’ll aim to be on our way up the Neidong Stream by 10 o’clock. Whether we go the whole way up and walk back along the logging road will depend on how everyone finds the going. If the group consensus so dictates, we can go upstream for an hour or two, enjoy messing around and swimming in the best waterfall pools and other spots, and then turn around and head back.
The going is not by any means demanding, so anyone who’s not used to river-tracing should be able to manage it easily enough. And non-swimmers have nothing to fear – I’ve taken many such xiaojies up there in the past, and none ever found it unduly daunting.
More details will follow as we get a better idea of how many and who will be coming.[/quote]
How nice/big are the pools? Are these the ones you sometimes enjoy with the company of monkeys?
Jen, I agree that a stick is of limited use on a river trace. If you have one that fits in your bag you may consider bringing it.
Chris, sorry to hear you have to be out for a few weeks but glad you are seeing a competent doctor. Can you pm me the doctor’s name and such? I should pass it on to Taiwanese Brian.
Also, will Kitty be going? If not I’d like to get the water filter off you tomorrow. Note to everyone else. Since we will be in water the whole time we do not need to carry so much drinking water as usual; we can fill up regularly using the water filter. Bring 1-1.5 litres.
[quote=“Omniloquacious”]I’m sure we’ll be making lots of stops, taking plenty of rests, and doing the whole thing at a pretty gentle pace, so it shouldn’t call for too much in the way of fitness.
It’s hard to say how long we’ll spend up there. If people get worn out or the weather turns rainy, we can head back earlier, perhaps in early to mid afternoon; if everyone’s so minded and the weather permits, we might stay there until the late afternoon.
I think it would be rather difficult to take a dog. There are some places where you need to use both hands to hoist yourself up and over rocks, and where it wouldn’t be possible for a dog to get up by itself. If it were a small dog and you had some means of carrying it on your back in a sling, then I guess it would be manageable.[/quote]
Cool. Should I get some magical shoes? What else ought I bring?
About how many of these real steeeeep places are there?
There are several that are about the same size as the one at Jingtong/Pingxi, though not so deep. Their surroundings, however, are as lovely as can be.
Yes, I have often encountered monkeys up there, though they stay up in the treetops and never dare to come too close.
Not actually in water all that much. A lot of the going is along bits of trail or over rocks at the side of the stream. There’s a lot of criss-crossing of the stream, but not so much need for wading up through it.
[quote=“lupillus”]Cool. Should I get some magical shoes? What else ought I bring?
About how many of these real steeeeep places are there?[/quote]
You’ll certainly need to bring felt-bottomed non-slip shoes (防滑鞋), which are available in any outdoor or fishing store. The cheaper ones that are sold in the fishing stores cost just NT$250~300.
Other than that, you just need to bring drinkies and something to eat for lunch.
There aren’t any reeeeally steep places that call for expert climbing skills. And in the few places where it is a bit steepish (nothing higher than three or so metres), there are already ropes in place.
They must have changed the path then, because I distinctly remember one part where you had to climb up and out around a sticking-out buttress where you had to cross one foot inside the other over a 20 foot overhanging drop and swing your foot up to chest-height to get on a hold that was out of sight around the corner, jam your hand into a crack, close your eyes and pray that you wouldn’t fall. That always got the juices flowing.
Mucha Man, Kitty’s leg injury (the one she sustained on the last hike) is healing very fast. I don’t know if she’s coming along on this one, but I’ll talk to her this evening and let you know. Whatever the case, I’ll make sure you get the water filter.
They must have changed the path then, because I distinctly remember one part where you had to climb up and out around a sticking-out buttress where you had to cross one foot inside the other over a 20 foot overhanging drop and swing your foot up to chest-height to get on a hold that was out of sight around the corner, jam your hand into a crack, close your eyes and pray that you wouldn’t fall. That always got the juices flowing.[/quote]
I guess you mean the place where you reach the top of the big boulder-strewn incline (what a magnificent place that is!) and a little before you come to the gorgeous pool with a waterfall and a cave at the back. That would certainly be very hairy indeed without ropes, but there have been stout ropes set up there since many years ago, and now it’s quite a doddle to get up, as long as it’s not made too slippery by rain.
Sandman, just how old are ye?
Arrrrrrrr. Gerroff my lawn, ye damned whippersnapper.
We always promised ourselves we’d set up a rope there but never got around to it. I think there might have been a piece of old co-axial cable there the first time we went, but it was gone after that. And yes, it was indeed hairy. That co-ax doesn’t make a very confidence-inspiring safety line.
Oh!
I just got a very bad news.
One of my friends plan to do NeiDongXi river tracing last weekend.
They go to the starting point and wear no-slip shoes. Then they are intervened by park official. He said that it’s prohibited to do river tracing here.
This a very typical behavior of Taiwanese bureacrat.
They don’t want take any responsibility so they prohibit any activities deemed to be “dangerous”.
It seem that the only option is to start river-tracing at upstream(end of logging road)and do the opposite direction.
[quote=“trail_hacker”]Oh!
I just got a very bad news.
One of my friends plan to do NeiDongXi river tracing last weekend.
They go to the starting point and wear no-slip shoes. Then they are intervened by park official. He said that it’s prohibited to do river tracing here.
This a very typical behavior of Taiwanese bureacrat.
They don’t want take any responsibility so they prohibit any activities deemed to be “dangerous”.
It seem that the only option is to start river-tracing at upstream(end of logging road)and do the opposite direction.[/quote]
That’s nonsense! Just tell him to show you the written rule that says you can’t walk upstream. If he persists, demand your money back for getting in. Or just smile politely and walk up the path a bit, then do your thing. Or tell Mr. Jobsworth to mind his fucking business and clean out those absolutely stinking public bathrooms. :fume:
I’ now have a good mind to go up there this weekend just to annoy that guy.