Qilai South Peak & Nanhua Mountain

It was our first time catching a bus at Taipei Bus Station. To avoid any mishaps that might make us late, we left early and chose the most reliable way to get there: the MRT.

Nana finally had an appetite and bought breakfast at the MOS Burger in the station.

The day before, we suddenly noticed that Kuo-Kuang bus tickets to Puli were almost sold out, so we immediately grabbed the last two seats on the 7:30 bus. We never expected so many people to be heading to Puli right after a long weekend. Not a single seat was left as the bus headed straight for its destination.

Puli Bus Station is very basic. Although it's a transfer hub, the building is tiny, yet it handles buses to and from Sun Moon Lake, Qingjing Farm and Taichung, so it was extremely busy. The weather was great, and very hot.

Nana found a dumpling shop nearby and decided to have lunch there, while Bobo went for the easiest option: the KFC next door. The second floor wasn't crowded, and as he ate, Bobo curiously watched the hillside in the distance, where quite a few people were paragliding.

After lunch, we made a final supply run at a convenience store, mainly for tonight's dinner, since there didn't seem to be anywhere to eat in Lushan Village. Then we nervously went back to the station to queue, worried that if we missed this bus we'd have to wait another two and a half hours. In the end, only five people, including us, got on the minibus, so we could even put our big backpacks in the back.

Before reaching Lushan Village, the minibus made a loop through Lushan Hot Springs and picked up some passengers there. There are a few hot spring hotels in Lushan Hot Springs, but the area looked to be in decline, with no sign of life. Maybe the weather was still too nice and it wasn't hot spring season yet.

After getting off the bus, we planned to follow the map to the homestay. A dog by the road barked furiously, but since it was tied up, Bobo managed to stay calm in front of Nana. Then a scooter approached us. It was the homestay owner. Since we looked exactly like out-of-towners looking for our lodging, he showed us a shortcut through other residents' front yards. On the shortcut we ran into another dog. Still shaken by the fierce one earlier, Nana hesitated, while Bobo bravely walked on. Just then a little girl came toward us, and Nana asked her, "Does that dog bite?" The girl glanced back and told Nana, "It just barks and barks. It doesn't bite."

After checking in at Puwalun Malan Homestay, we zoned out while waiting for dinner time and decided to wander around outside. On the ground floor we met a few hikers who had just come back from the Nenggao–Andongjun traverse. Since Bobo and some other friends were planning to hike the same route the following week, he asked them about the trail conditions.

We wandered around outside the homestay, but there wasn't really much to see. What we did notice was lots of Eupatorium along the road. It smelled just like cleaning detergent. Not exactly stinky, but the strong, pungent smell was really unpleasant.

After dinner we went to bed early. Around eleven, Bobo got up to use the bathroom and saw some new arrivals: two women who were also heading to Qilai South Peak and Nanhua Mountain the next day. We call them the Redhead Team. At four in the morning we heard more commotion. It turned out another hiker was setting off.

We got up at five and quickly packed. Bobo also downed the canned coffee he'd bought the day before, and then we rode in the owner's car to Malan Breakfast Shop. On our way downstairs we ran into the Redhead Team, who had arrived at eleven the night before. They had driven themselves. When we set off, they also drove their car to the breakfast shop, and the owner then directed them up a small alley to park. We finished breakfast first and looked around the nearby elementary school and community hall. Once the Redhead Team finished their breakfast, we all took the owner's shuttle to the trailhead together.

The drive to the trailhead took about half an hour. The owner agreed on a pickup time for our way down and then headed back. No one was at the service station at the trailhead.

We chatted with the Redhead Team at the trailhead. Bobo asked first whether they were also heading to Qilai South Peak and Nanhua Mountain. They answered, then immediately asked us back, "Did you pay extra for the ride from the homestay to the breakfast shop?" We had indeed been wondering why they drove themselves to the breakfast shop. Didn't that just mean having to find a parking spot? The four of us looked at each other, puzzled, and laughed.

After getting our gear in order, we set off on the high traverse at the start of the Qilai–Nanhua route. When researching the route's difficulty beforehand, we figured that since Tianchi Lodge is resupplied by motorcycle, the trail couldn't be too hard. And indeed, the trail turned out to be well maintained and smooth. The opening high traverse is the hardest section on the first day before Tianchi Lodge, so Nana diligently counted the distance markers, expecting the top of the traverse at the eighteenth one.

At Yunhai Maintenance Station, we met four or five hikers getting ready to head down. The sun was up by then and it got hot whenever it hit us, so we rested in the shade around the station, and Bobo took the chance to refill a small bottle of water.

After leaving Yunhai Maintenance Station, the views beyond the trail looked more and more like the deep mountains, and Nana took more and more photos.

After passing the old charcoal kiln ruins, it was almost noon. We started looking for a flat spot for lunch, and in the end just rehydrated freeze-dried rice right by the trail and took a long lunch break.

In the afternoon, Nenggao Main Peak finally came into view, and the scenery got even more beautiful. Bobo asked Nana, "Are you starting to understand why I didn't feel much about the scenery on the shuttle ride?"

Soon after spotting Nenggao Main Peak, we also noticed a red building on the mountain opposite: Tianchi Lodge. Even though we could see it, there was still a fair way to go.

Next we came to a small waterfall before Nenggao Falls. At first Bobo thought it was Nenggao Falls itself and kept mocking how little water it had, saying it was no better than Juansi Falls, a tiny waterfall on Yangmingshan. Later he realized Nenggao Falls was still further ahead, with two or three people splashing around beneath it. Not long after Nenggao Falls, we reached Tianchi Lodge.

Of all the groups starting that day, we were the first to reach Tianchi Lodge. Some hikers who had arrived the day before were already there, and others who had gone out hiking were trickling back. We arrived just in time to check in, and a rather listless caretaker explained the lodge rules to us.

After stowing our gear, we wandered around inside and outside the lodge, zoning out. Before the trip, Nana had wanted to bring a book, and luckily she didn't, because the lodge has some casual reading on hand. Nana earnestly picked out a book, but with no lights it was far too dark and the print was tiny, so there was no way to read it. In the end she didn't read a single page and had Bobo put it back.

The caretaker said the lodge's connection had been down for the past few days, so there was no internet. If we needed a signal, we'd have to walk about a kilometer toward the Guangbei Babiao Monument. So Bobo took his phone, walked a kilometer, checked in with our emergency contact to say we were safe, and came back to the lodge for dinner.

At dinner, the cook explained the meal rules to everyone, reminded us that each person got one piece of tamagoyaki, and stressed, "Today's dinner is a little better than yesterday's." Bobo whispered to Nana, "I bet tomorrow he'll also say today's dinner is a little better than yesterday's." Nana had signed up for the lodge's meals, while Bobo brought his own: two small packs of Muji instant noodles, whey protein powder with almond powder, and the trail snacks left over from the day. Side by side, Bobo's dinner looked pitiful.

Dinner happened to coincide with sunset, so we ate while snapping photos of Nenggao Main Peak and the western sky.

After dinner, we started sorting out the gear each of us would need the next day. Three couples shared our room: besides us, there were the Redhead Team and the Stylish Team. Bobo asked the other two teams when they were leaving. They planned to get up at 2:30 and set off at 3:30 to watch the sunrise on Qilai South Peak. After some back and forth, Bobo and Nana decided to also get up at 2:30, but leave a bit later, at 3:45.

After seven in the evening, it was completely dark. We went up to the second-floor terrace to stargaze, and the sky was full of stars. It was the first time in Nana's life that she had seen the Milky Way.

Half asleep, we got up at 2:30, and Nana got ready for the lodge breakfast. As before, the cook introduced the menu: toast with all kinds of toppings, including pork cutlet, onions and more. He made a point of saying the tomatoes were a topping, not fruit, so everyone should take just a slice or two. In comparison, Bobo's breakfast was pitiful again: lei cha oatmeal from Muji and a cup of coffee. After eating, Bobo carried all the food and water, while Nana only took her chest pack.

While putting on our shoes outside the lodge, we saw a team of three heading toward the Guangbei Babiao Monument, looking a bit unsure of the route. Bobo called out to them and asked where they were going. One of them said Nanhua Mountain and showed Bobo their map, which looked like Google Maps. Bobo pulled out the offline map he uses and explained where the trail and Nanhua Mountain were: that direction led to the Guangbei Babiao Monument, while Nanhua Mountain is usually reached the other way, toward Tianchi Pond. Only then did the three of them turn onto the trail toward Tianchi Pond.

We followed shortly after and ran into them again at the junction. The trail was a zigzag of dirt steps, and Bobo walked slowly in case Nana wasn't feeling well. We met the team of three again along the way. Nana was worried about them and advised them to use an offline map, not Google Maps.

It was pitch dark the whole way, but with headlamps the trail was flat and easy, and we could even see city lights to the east. We didn't feel the need to catch up with the groups ahead and kept walking slowly. As we walked, the sky gradually grew light.

About two hundred meters before Qilai South Peak, Nana suddenly cheered toward the east, "So beautiful!" We stopped right there and watched the sun slowly rise from behind the distant mountains. Afterward, Nana was so moved that she cried. Then we slowly climbed up to Qilai South Peak.

At the triangulation point, lots of people were still taking photos, and the Redhead Team had set up a phone on a selfie stick beside it, carefully documenting the moment. Bobo wandered around near the triangulation point, then took a photo with Nana. As the Stylish Team was heading down, Nana thought they were at just the right distance, so she called out to them and took their photo. They happily took one of us in return and then headed down. At the time, none of us thought about how we'd swap photos later. We then slowly made our way down Qilai South Peak toward Nanhua Mountain.

On the way down, layer upon layer of blue mountains stretched into the distance, looking just like a watercolor on a postcard. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Bobo would have gone on thinking the scenery on postcards was painted.

By the time we reached Tianchi Pond, the sun was fully up and it was very hot in direct sunlight. We took out our small folding umbrellas for shade, sat by the pond, had some trail snacks, and got ready to head to Nanhua Mountain.

The trail to Nanhua Mountain was much easier than the one to Qilai South Peak. Grassland stretched out on both sides, and farther off, toward Hualien and Taitung, layers of blue-white mountains rose one after another. Holding our umbrellas, we slowly made our way toward Nanhua Mountain. Close to the summit we ran into the Stylish Team again, and Nana happily swapped photos with them right there on the trail. Nana kept feeling embarrassed, because she had made them look tiny in her photo, while they had taken a great one of us.

Before the trip, we had watched two videos online about the south ridge of Nanhua Mountain, which said the scenery was amazing, but that the silver grass got tall in the second half and the trail became faint. So Bobo decided to check the conditions at Nanhua Mountain before committing. Since it was still early and the weather looked good, we chose to carry on. Other hikers glanced our way but didn't follow, and we turned out to be the only group that day to take this route to the Guangbei Babiao Monument.

The descent along the south ridge was fairly steep, with the ridgeline ahead running straight to Nenggao Main Peak. To the west was grassland dotted with a few large boulders, and in the distance, the layered mountains of Hualien and Taitung. To the east were cliffs and valleys, with Tianchi Lodge right below the cliffs, though we couldn't see it from there. Bobo told Nana it would have been a real shame to miss this ridge, and he was glad we came.

In the second half, the grass got taller, the trail fainter and the slope steeper. Along the way we heard what sounded like pigs grunting and worried for a moment that we'd run into wild boar. Further on, we discovered it was a few monkeys in the trees. No idea why Sun Wukong was impersonating Zhu Bajie. The going got tougher and tougher, and we had to part the silver grass just to see the trail on the ground. We kept burrowing on and on, and finally spotted the Guangbei Babiao Monument in the distance, but we still had to keep pushing through. After quite a while longer, we finally rejoined the main trail and reached the Guangbei Babiao Monument. All we can say is… there's a reason nobody takes such a beautiful route.

The Guangbei Babiao stone monument collapsed in the last big earthquake, and the spot is now surrounded by silver grass as tall as a person, with some solar panels beside it. We rested a while and decided to walk back to Tianchi Lodge before having lunch.

The trail back to Tianchi Lodge was fairly flat and easy, and although it was hot, we were in the shade most of the time. Close to the lodge, we saw a lodge staff member scrolling on his phone, which reminded us there was no signal at the lodge. So we took care of some work right there and checked in with our emergency contact.

Back at Tianchi Lodge, we had a quick meal of freeze-dried rice, then brought out a castella cake and the little candles we had secretly carried up, and lit them outside the lodge to celebrate Nana's birthday. Under the blazing sun, it took finding just the right angle to capture the candles' tiny flames in a photo.

We then zoned out all the way until dinner. A new caretaker was on duty today. He introduced the lodge and routes to newly arrived hikers, and advised against taking the south ridge of Nanhua Mountain down to the Guangbei Babiao Monument. Then the cook made his entrance again to introduce dinner, and to our surprise, he didn't say "dinner is a little better than yesterday's" this time. After dinner we went out to the terrace to see the Milky Way once more. Nana took a few photos with her phone, and Bobo got lucky and spotted a shooting star in the southern sky.

After getting up we puttered around and somehow didn't leave until 6:30. The way back was a gentle downhill, so the walking felt light and easy.

After passing the big landslide, we met two manual motorcycles heading up. We genuinely admired the riders' nerve, and it also showed that the Qilai–Nanhua trail really is an entry-level route.

We took a long break at Yunhai Maintenance Station, zoning out. Before leaving, we called the homestay owner to say we expected to catch the shuttle back to Lushan Village at two in the afternoon.

As we neared the trailhead, Nana started counting the distance markers again, saying it motivated her to reach the finish. We had lunch and snacks at the trailhead and took a breather. The owner showed up early, at 1:30, so we took the shuttle back to Lushan. Chatting with him on the ride, he said he'd forgotten we were coming down today, and the day before had even asked the Redhead Team why he hadn't seen us. We also heard the Redhead Team was exhausted on the way down and not in great shape. We hope everything went well for them.

We reached Puli Bus Station quite a bit later than expected, and lots of passengers were queuing for buses to Taichung HSR Station. We had planned to take the Kuo-Kuang bus back to Taipei, but since that ride takes longer, Nana suggested taking a bus to the HSR station instead and then the high-speed rail back to Taipei.