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| By Leo R. Maliksi /Taiwan news, Staff Writer |
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| The sun's rays had begun to shoot up from the horizon and by around 5:45 had revealed the presence of another group on North Peak. Like us, they had arrived and were surely looking back at us. I have always been drawn by heights---the challenge of reaching a place that towers above the flat vistas of my everyday life. I have many friends who have the same devotion to a weekend climb, an early morning activity that entails focusing on each step along a steep path until the summit is reached and rewards with a feeling that we had accomplished something beyond us.
Our six-man expedition left our Taipei apartment at 2:30 pm on a cool November afternoon. We drove to Alishan, did some sightseeing and spent the night in a hostel. After an early breakfast the next day, we drove on to the Tatachia Visitors¡¦Center and parked our van. We had acquired our mountain passes. But the guide, that according to regulations we had to hire, didn't show up. We started our 8.5 kilometer hike to the Paiyun Hostel at 9:30 am. Mountains and valleys spread before our eyes, heightening the mood of excitement in our small group. That mood sharpened our gaze at the vegetation around us. Along the up and down path, we saw trees that reminded us of Peak 95. But after around two hours, the panorama shifted to light green meadows, conifers and pines that told us we were headed for a peak 3,952 meters high. An hour more and everything was huge thickets of firs and other conifers. The scenery changed when we entered the ¡§white forest.¡¨Leafless tree trunks weathered white by the sun and cold stood out in staggered formation along a steep slope of meadow grass and low evergreens. Jimby, our twenty-three year old companion, had unexpectedly fallen behind. He could not catch up with the slow but constant pace set by Stan, an experienced hiker and biker. Brian decided to walk with Jimby, whose very frequent rest stops showed he had altitude sickness. Both had fallen almost 500 meters behind the rest of us when Brian told him, "I think we should go back to the visitor's center." He shouted and signaled for us to stop and ran to tell us he was going back with Jimby. ¡§We're just thirty minutes to Paiyun Hostel,¡¨said Stan. But Brian knew that Jimby's labored breathing meant Main Peak was out of the question, and it was unthinkable for us to let him make the return trek alone. Stan, Eddie, James and I went on. It was close to 3:00 pm when we reached Paiyun. There must have been close to a hundred people in the two-floor hostel, the last stop before the final ascent. Clouds had started to descend and covered the whole area by 5:00 pm. We were in bed before 9:00 pm and awoke at 4:00 am. It was still dark. The clouds outside had risen and covered parts of the night sky. I went out, looked up and saw a shooting star race across a sea of twinkling lights. I must have been standing there for ten minutes contemplating this marvelous scene when I heard the guide of one of the other groups call for us to move. With almost a hundred flashlights lighting the way, we started the two-hour hike to Main Peak. It was intensely cold but the lively conversation among us dispelled any feeling of loneliness. I drank from my water bottle and some drops fell on my windbreaker. In a few seconds, the droplets had frozen, stuck on my jacket. As our guide told us, the path rose steeper as we approached the peak. Everyone was silently focused on the rigorous climb. At around 5:30 am, we reached the first iron bar that connected an eighty-meter chain with other bars that led to Main Peak. In single-line formation, we held on to this handrail as we hiked along the stony slope. In about ten minutes, we were on top. All around us, the darkness was slowly turning into light. Our guide had announced that we would wait for the break of dawn to watch the sun cover the mountain peaks with its rays. Our group had recovered the joyful mood drowned by the rigors of the final ascent. The sun's rays had begun to shoot up from the horizon and by around 5:45 had revealed the presence of another group on North Peak. Like us, they had arrived and were surely looking back at us. The return trek to Paiyun Hostel took only 50 minutes. After a brief rest, we started our six-hour hike back to the Tatachia Visitors¡¦ Center, where Brian and Jimby had decided to wait for us. When Brian had volunteered to accompany Jimby back, we had told him he did not have to drive the van back to Taipei. It was impossible to honor that commitment. We were simply worn out. We all fell into a deep sleep in the van while good old Brian drove all the way to Taipei. I have an album of photos taken at Main Peak. I especially cherish one that Stan took of Eddie, James and me. We were above the clouds and the sun was behind us. We were one of the few thousands to stand on the highest point of Jade Mountain. |
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