Tso Tseng Trail, a scenic trail that is no further than 4km away from Errantry Lodge, is located to the at the foot of the mountain on the east side of Mt. Sabado, belong to Chilai mountain range, an offshoot of the grand Central Mountain Range. Looking out from the windows of Errantry, the imposing mountain range stretches across your vision, as if embracing the community warmly into its arms.
A revisit to Tso Tseng Trail, as a good friend Jen Fong Lan (he often bring students along to observe and document the species of Hualien butterflies, http://blog.yam.com/lanjenfong), a teacher from Tzu Chi Middle School, needs to hike the mountain. Two day ago we learnt that Teacher Lan is on a mission again, and apply to join his company with haste. After all, I’ve lived in Hualien for two years, although many times I walked this trail alone, never did I appreciate its true beauty. This time with an expert as our guide, the venture is sure to be a compelling trip.
The best time to hike would definitely be dawn. The freshness of morning air, issaturated with phytoncid released by the plants, hence a leisure walk in the morning on a mountain trail is a consensus of all the mountain lovers.
The trail is considered as an easy trail, with a wide pathway and gentle slopes. I’ve been here several times, and it is unlike the suburban mountains in northern Taiwan, occupied with heavy traffic of hikers. There are lookouts and pavilions, with a great view over the entire Hualien City. To the north you can see Chishing Tan and Hualien airport; tp the south locates the Hualien-Taitung Rift Valley, definitely an excellent observation site to understand Hualien’s geological locations. Since Hualien neighbors the Pacific Ocean, it would be easy to witness the sun ascends from the horizon. During the hike, the golden light sprinkles onto the trail, the birds in the mountains begin to sing, formosan macaques leaping across the air, and while all this is happening, watching Teacher Lan and his students dedicated to the calculation of flying butterflies, it is really mesmerizing.
The total length of the trail is 3.95km. A leisure walk would take 3 hours roundtrip. We, however, leave the team midway, as these butterfly experts have missions at hand, which may lead them to spend 3 hours per kilometer, therefore Theresa and I who are exercising for health can only appreciate their work from afar…
A revisit to Tso Tseng Trail, as a good friend Jen Fong Lan (he often bring students along to observe and document the species of Hualien butterflies, http://blog.yam.com/lanjenfong), a teacher from Tzu Chi Middle School, needs to hike the mountain. Two day ago we learnt that Teacher Lan is on a mission again, and apply to join his company with haste. After all, I’ve lived in Hualien for two years, although many times I walked this trail alone, never did I appreciate its true beauty. This time with an expert as our guide, the venture is sure to be a compelling trip.
The best time to hike would definitely be dawn. The freshness of morning air, issaturated with phytoncid released by the plants, hence a leisure walk in the morning on a mountain trail is a consensus of all the mountain lovers.
The trail is considered as an easy trail, with a wide pathway and gentle slopes. I’ve been here several times, and it is unlike the suburban mountains in northern Taiwan, occupied with heavy traffic of hikers. There are lookouts and pavilions, with a great view over the entire Hualien City. To the north you can see Chishing Tan and Hualien airport; tp the south locates the Hualien-Taitung Rift Valley, definitely an excellent observation site to understand Hualien’s geological locations. Since Hualien neighbors the Pacific Ocean, it would be easy to witness the sun ascends from the horizon. During the hike, the golden light sprinkles onto the trail, the birds in the mountains begin to sing, formosan macaques leaping across the air, and while all this is happening, watching Teacher Lan and his students dedicated to the calculation of flying butterflies, it is really mesmerizing.
The total length of the trail is 3.95km. A leisure walk would take 3 hours roundtrip. We, however, leave the team midway, as these butterfly experts have missions at hand, which may lead them to spend 3 hours per kilometer, therefore Theresa and I who are exercising for health can only appreciate their work from afar…
Guo-fu Bridge, 2km away from Errantry Lodge. Tso Tseng hides within the Central Mountain Range.
From Guo-fu Bridge towards Errantry’s location: Tzu Chi Campus
From Guo-fu Bridge towards Errantry’s location: Tzu Chi Campus
A vast grassland where you can spend the entire afternoon on.
The trail entrance is 3.6km from Errantry. The trail is originally a mining path of Taiwan Cement Corp. (T.C.C.), deserted in 1995 after mining activities ceased. This is a cement building remained at the mining site.
A troop of formosan macaques are playing in the bushes, but they are a little shy today, only one shows itself.
A winding path into seclusion.
A distant view of the Pacific Ocean.
A distant view of the Hualien-Taitung Rift Valley.
The Pacific Ocean from a different angle.
Errantry’s location: Tzu Chi Campus
Errantry’s location: Tzu Chi Campus
Hualien City De Hsing Sports Stadium. Directly to the north of it are Tzu Chi Hospital and Jing Si Hall.
No comments:
Post a Comment