Snow Mountain (Xueshan) Revenge Climb

Backstory:

My first xueshan attempt on April 7-8, 2017 for 2d/1n was an epic fail. I was only given a chance to see East Peak. I was not allowed to go the main peak as there was still snow & I was just wearing my trail running shoes.

For 2018, I applied for a 3d/2n permit to ensure that I will have enough time to go to the main peak & catch the public transportation back to Yilan/Luodong. I will head straight to 369 cabin on day 1, summit assault on day 2 then will go down to cika hut and stay for a night. On day 3, I will descent to the ranger station and catch the bus to Yilan or Luodong.

October 19, 2018 I arrived late in Luodong bus station on my supposed day 1. I was in the verge of crying when the ticket personnel informed me that the bus bound to Yilan has left 10 minutes ago. The 2nd & last bus will not be until 12pm which is too late for me.

I sat on one of the benches & blamed myself for not checking out earlier from the hostel & not having a photo of the bus station so I could have shown it to the locals I asked where the hell was it.

I asked in different facebook groups  of their suggestion on how to get to Wuling Farm but the options they provided is not suitable for me. I ended up extending one more night in Anho hotel and exploring Wufengqi scenic area in Jiaoxi on that rainy day.
Fast forward to how I made it….
My taiwanese friend, Mr. James Lee, called Shei-pa National Park & convinced the park ranger to allow me push thru with my climb even though it will a day shorter. They agreed as long as I will not stay at 369 cabin & grab one of the bed slots since it is technically DAY 2 on my permit wherein I should just be staying in Cika hut.
October 20, 2018 I arrived in Luodong bus station at 06:20, purchased my ticket for 310NTD and travelled for 3 hours.
My game plan is to hitchhike on the first vehicle that will pass by so I won’t need to walk for 3hours to reach the ranger station and how lucky I am that I was able to. The couple’s plan is to drop me at the camping ground because that is their destination but I let them speak with James & plead to take me until the ranger station and so they did.

Time stamp: 1010  kilometer zero
I immediately started my hike after the park ranger signed my permit. I saw two female hikers on my way up to cika hut. I had to excused myself & overtake them as I want to reach cika hut as fast as I can.

Time stamp: 1050 cika hut
I went inside the hut & looked for my assigned bed. I saw a hiker & asked him how many hours will it take for me to reach the main peak. He looked at his cheatsheet & told me that it will be 800minutes (one way from cika hut). He discouraged me to do it as I dont have enough time & it is unsafe to do it alone.  He said that perhaps I can go to East Peak since it will be 500minutes (roundtrip). The two female hikers arrived & told me the same thing. They said, maybe next time. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Time stamp: 1140
After convincing myself to just check out the East Peak, I took out my Amihan crosswind vest, packed 1 energy gel, skittles, 500ml of water, headlight and I was off to go.

traffic jam on the trail

I opted not to rest but continue to head straight to the crying slope

Time stamp: 1245
I arrived in East Peak after a combination of brisk walking, running and overtaking other hikers on the trail.

 They look like hikers & I don’t

One of the hikers asked me if I dont feel cold because I was just wearing a shirt & running shorts. He said that he lives in Canada & yet he cannot stand the cool breeze. I never felt cold until he said it. Maybe because my mind is focused on one thing only.
I asked them how long did it take for them to reach the main peak. One hiker said that it was 3-4hours from East Peak. I ended up hearing the same opinion- NO to summit assault because I am alone, it will be colder and I might get lost once it is dark.

I contemplated. Started calculating the time. If I can reach the summit by 15:00 then I’m good. The only sign that I should stop this craziness is if it will rain. I don’t like the combination of rain & wind.

Time stamp: 1253
After 8 minutes of staying in East Peak, I wore my pink rainjacket & bid goodbye to the hikers. They wished me luck on my summit attempt.

I ran whenever I can & will pause for a minute or two to appreciate the view. I reached 369 cabin/saliujiu hut after 25 minutes.

 10°C as of 13:18

I had to be cautious when I entered the Black Forest because one blogger said that a lot of hikers tend to get lost in it. I kept on checking the reflectorized markers on the trees.

There were no other hikers doing the summit assault in that afternoon. They were all on their way back to 369 cabin. Some of them asked me if I am alone and I said yes. Others were curious if I brought hand gloves or pants with me and I answered no because my initial plan was just until East Peak.

1.1 kilometers away from the summit

It was already foggy on my last ascent but it did not stop me. I can never call it a revenge climb if I will not reach the main peak.

Time stamp : 1514

This is the 2nd time for the year that I felt fulfilled with my extra curricular activities. I was teary eyed when I finally saw that famous rock. I DID IT!

WOOHOOOO!!!

 placed my phone on top of the rock

Time stamp: 1519

Time for descent.

last 2 photos taken before my phone retired for the day

I was in a hurry on my way down. It was kinda difficult to see what was in front of me because of the fog. I was a bit worried that it might rain then I will die.(just an exaggeration)

Time stamp: 1824

It was already dark when I got back in Cika hut. The two local female hikers congratulated me for being stubborn. They invited me to join them in the morning for sunrise viewing in East Peak. I passed because they will start hiking at 2AM. They said that I can ride with them on their way back to Yilan if I can wait until they return by 10am from East Peak. I gladly agreed because I have nothing to do the next day.

I went to the pantry after changing clothes. I was shy to bring out my food because all other hikers are eating real HOT food while my provisions were bought from 7-11. I ate one banana & had a bite on the my ham&cheese sandwich.

I was not able to sleep comfortably. I keep on waking up because my back was aching. Yeah, sign of aging.

October 21, 2018: I went outside Cika hut to watch some tv series while waiting for the female hikers. My food for breakfast was a small pack of mini cookies, leftover sandwich & banana. I was not able to eat the banana because a group of wild monkeys appeared in front of the hut.

The hikers were back in Cika hut before 0800 so we started our descent to the trailhead after they are done packing.

back to kilometer zero

We handed over the extra copy of our permit to the park ranger and left the station after taking a group photo. The park ranger congratulated me for completing the hike in one day. Another proud moment to be a Filipina!

girl power- with Pei Ching (l) & Wen (r)

REALIZATION

~ It was a blessing in disguise that I did not start my hike on the 19th because it was raining. The weather was bearable all throughout from Oct 20 to 21.

~ Dayhike is possible as long as you have your own transportation. The entire course can be completed in 8 hours from ranger station to main peak & vice versa.

~ 2019 Goal: Yushan (Jade Mountain)

 

Snow Mountain (Xueshan) DIY Solo Hike

will I see other hikers on my ascent?

 

no queue on the trail ; no photobombers 

opted not to wear my raincoat

 

 

Day 1: foggy & rainy afternoon

I did not think twice to do a DIY hike to snow mountain in Taiwan after reading the outrageous rate for joining an organized climb. Local outfitters rate was ranging from 8000-900NTD while a Filipino organizer is offering it for 13,000PHP which does not include your accommodation in Taipei.

on my own

 

Day 2: better weather

There is NO fee for applying a mountain and park entry permit. I completed everything online. I did not pay for an entrance fee at Wuling Farm and I’m not sure if it’s because I was the only passenger in the bus and the person from the toll gate did not see me. Lucky me! I saved 160NTD. It is also free to use the cabins in the mountain.

Day 2: hikers on their ascent from Cika cabin

I chose a 2d/1n climb and had a reservation at 369 cabin/saliujiu hut. It took me 6hours to walk from Wuling Farm bus station to Saliujiu hut. At one point, I wanted to backout because it was raining and the walk from the bus station to the ranger station was almost 90% uphill on a concrete road.  I was the last one to arrive at Saliujiu hut. Seems like all of them have their private vehicle and arrived early. They could not believe that I was alone & that my little daypack has a sleeping bag in it. I initially planned to hike the Main Peak on day 2. However, hikers advised me not to as there is still snow in the peak & it may not be safe for me. I was just wearing my trail running shoes while all of them were on their boots & crampons so I started my descent as early as 0620 and reached the bus station after 3hours and 45minutes. I survived this adventure with a piece of bread, little tomatoes, walnut with sugar coating, 500ml of water and 2 snickers for my lunch/dinner on day 1 and breakfast on day 2

back to the Ranger Station

The only disadvantage for a DIY hike is you are pressed with time. You cannot start until 1030am as there are only 2 bus schedule to pass by Wuling Farm from Yilan. The 1st bus leaves at 0730 and the last trip is at 1240. On your way back, you need to be at Wuling Farm bus station before 1410 to catch the last bus back to Yilan.

Mt.Fuji Solo Hike

The Land of the Rising Sun was never in my bucketlist until I got interested in Mt. Fuji. I headed straight to Kawaguchiko from Narita airport and did not bother to wander around on my first day as I flew from Manila right after my shift from work.

let’s get it on…

read & you will not get lost

Purchasing the bus ticket to station 5 & the registration process was hassle-free.The trail markers are very visible that it is kinda impossible not to be on the right track. However, this is the only hike that I was not able to chitchat a lot while on the trail as most of the hikers were unable to speak English.

is it dejavu? 70% of the trail looks the same

I paid 500Yen through an agency online to secure a slot at Mt. Fuji Hostel which is located in the original 8th station for freaking 9,500Yen which includes dinner, a pre-packed breakfast and a refugee style accommodation.

on my way to the original 8th station 

Phone alarm usage is prohibited at Fuji-san hotel so you have to tell one of the staff to wake you up on your desired time. At 0200,a man’s voice called out my name. That’s my queue for the summit assault.

sunrise at around 0400

we are above the clouds

almost silhouette

The hike is relatively easy and is definitely doable for a dayhike. However, the sea of clouds and sunrise are amazing that spending a night in one of the cabins is definitely worth it.

at Mt.Fuji’s summit

a perfect morning weather

on my way back to the 5th station

5th station – original 8th station: 4.5hrs

summit assault: 1.5hrs

summit- 5th station: 2hours

DIY Island Tour: Bantayan, Cebu

FIRST STOP: Bantayan Island Nature Park & Resort

It was my travel buddy’s first time to drive a motorbike. After his 15 minutes of driving lesson, we were off to the resort. It was not a smooth ride. The road was rough and muddy. We even asked the locals countless times to locate the resort.

For an entrance fee of 150 pesos per head, we were able to take a dip into their cave pool, passed by on their mini zoo, 15 minutes of fish spa and unlimited use of their infinity pool.

cave pool with brackish water

mini zoo with some animals

micro massage with very fine vibrations

 

infinity pool (half-Olympic sized pool as per the resort’s guide)

SECOND STOP: Obo-ob Mangrove Garden

The garden is being managed by the barangay officials. They are in the process of adding more bamboo bridges, however, they do not have enough budget to fund it.

entrance fee is only 20pesos/head

bamboo bridge + mangrove trees on both sides

 

 

Bantayan Island, Cebu

Day 1

After all the mishaps, we finally reached Sta Fe.

the gloomy weather did not stop me from still appreciating the view

our so-called “water test”

a local fisherman while waiting for his daughter

As we did not have a solid itinerary, Ren (my travel buddy for this trip) decided to hire a motorbike so we can wander in the island by ourselves.

our road trip to Bantayan Island Nature Park and Resort

simply amazing

borrowed from a local teenager (photo credit:Renan B)

Day 2

We failed to locate the passenger boat bound to a nearby island where we were told that a hidden waterfalls can be found so we spent the rest of the morning walking in the seashore.

the sun will shine….false hope!

sandbar + jumpshot

We visited one of the resorts on the other side of the port just for the purpose of comparing it with where we were staying.

view from Beach Placid while sitting on one of their beach chairs

Silanguin Cove

**based on my actual expenses from July 13-14, 2013**

# of participants: 4

GRAND TOTAL: 1442php

view from the nipa hut

FARE to:

mantrade-8

cubao-23

olongapo-207

subic town-50

olongapo-12

ayala-250

p.tamo-8

dorm-8

=566php

 

FOOD

chowking-184

andoks-55

7-11-91

=330php

 

SHARED EXPENSES

boat (bulungan-silanguin)-150 (600/4)

boat (silanguin-bulungan-125 (500/4)

food/water/alcohol-271 (1084/4)

=546php

**we did not rent a private boat but opted to do it the local way. Ian spoke with the fishermen who were on their way to Silanguin Cove to let us ride their boat and we paid a very minimal fee. On our way back to Subic fish port, we rode another fishermen’s boat that has a load of 60 sacks of charcoal.**