David on Formosa

Wuliao Jian (五尞尖) in Sanxia (三峽) has been on my list of hikes to do for quite a while now. Beautiful weather made today the day I finally did it.

The hike goes along a spectacular ridge and it is not for the faint hearted. There are many sections that need to be climbed with the aid of ropes.

Here is a closer view of the ridge. Hikers are lined up here to use the ropes to descend down the other side of the ridge.

It is currently the peak of the Tung flower (桐花) season. In many places the trail was littered with a lovely carpet of Tung flowers.

This is the magnificent view of Sanxia and beyond from the summit of Wuliao Jian Shan (五尞尖山). The white patches amongst the green the Tung flower blossoms.

The summit is 639 metres above sea level. It was empty when we arrived, but it soon filled up with people. One observation was that most of the hikers were older, in their fifties or sixties. Getting up here is pretty physically demanding so you have to admire them for their fitness and determination.

If you plan on doing this hike be prepared. You need a good fitness level and to be able to confidently climb up and down some fairly steep rock faces with the aid of ropes. Wear good boots and carry plenty of water. Gloves would also be useful for holding the ropes. Don’t do the hike if the weather is wet.

*Neil Wade and Stu Dawson also have blog posts on this hike with great photos and description. More photos in the Wuliao Jian set at flickr.