Welcome to Taipei Hikers!

[Richard Saunders]

Hi all,

         First of all welcome to the new arrivals who've joined the group recently (we're up to 292 members now!). This is just a note to say hi, to explain the main points of the group, and to say that I hope that I see more of you in the new year!! A few have already written - thanks and sorry I haven't had time to write to you individually.

 

Taipei Hikers is open to everyone - all ages, Western and Taiwanese, expats, visitors, locals etc. The only requirement is that you love walking and exploring new places. Almost all the day hikes are free of charge - you only have to pay your transport charges (we usually go by bus or train) and bring lunch. In addition to day hikes, we organise scooter weekend trips down south (hiring scooters and riding around the mountains for two days, exploring and making short walks to waterfalls, caves, peaks etc), river tracing (or canyoning: walking up streams through gorges, in summer), occasional weekend camping trips and high mountain climbs. Because the permit system for accessing the high mountains in Taiwan is an absolute pain in the neck, we don't do these so often, so if you're interested in climbing Snow Mountain or Yushan (Taiwan's highest mountain - just reopened!), you'd be better trying Taiwan Adventures ( www.taiwan-adventures.com) or 523 Mountaineering Club (on Facebook).

 

DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF HIKES

 

It's important to note that most of the hikes we do as a group are of a more strenuous nature - places where having a few friends along is safer than going alone. Unfortunately it's quite impossible to give a clear indicator of what 'strenuous' is, as in the description it tends to sound rather dangerous, while most new attendees find it a lot easier and more fun in reality, and hardcore hikers will have no problem at all - the hikes we do are for the average walker, not for supermen or women! Basically trails we follow may involve steep, rough slopes, sometimes overgrown, short rocky scrambles up fixed ropes, crossing small streams without bridges etc. Different people react quite differently to the same conditions on their first time, although most are fine, and have a great day. The key is confidence. The trails we follow aren't dangerous, but some trickier places demand common sense and care.

 

   Please note that you attend any hike, river trace or other trip in our schedule at your own risk, and neither I nor anyone else in the group can be held liable for any accident. We've never had a serious accident in the eleven-plus years that this group has been running, but if you're unsure of your ability or confidence to deal with the rough terrain here, it's essential to try a few easier trails first (NOT the stepped routes on Yangmingshan - those wide freeway trails are NOT representative of trail conditions in Taiwan and will be no more useful than being a marathon runner - the conditions are quite different even if all those steps will give you strong calves!).

 

BUY MY BOOKS!!

 

Nearly all our trips are free (you just pay for your train or bus ticket etc), and the group is run voluntarily, but I do also have to make a living! I've written three books which describe over a hundred walks in the Taipei area (plus a fourth, just out, which describes Taiwan's culturally and scenically magnificently outlying islands). Please consider buying one (or more!) of these books as a means of supporting my work. There is of course no requirement that people on my hikes buy any of my books, but I'm always very grateful to hear from hikers who have one or more, and even happier when I hear they've done hikes from them. As a group we've done less than half of the hundred walks described in the books, and there are plenty of others (especially easier ones or day trips) left to discover. The books are:

 

Taipei Escapes I (covers the north coast and the area east of Taipei City)

Taipei Escapes II (covers Taipei City area and the area south and west of Taipei City)

Yangmingshan: the Guide (complete guidebook to the entire National Park, the vast majority of which is unknown territory to expats and locals alike)

The Islands of Taiwan (a guide to all of Taiwan's accessible outlying islands)

 

 

SIGNING UP FOR A HIKE

 

Hikes are mostly held on the weekends (and very occasionally during the week), and are announced the week before the event. If you'd like to come please write to my private email address (NOT this Google Group address) at Richa...@yahoo.com to let me know to expect you. Please be sure to arrive ON TIME or early, and allow longer than expected to get there - on some trips we have to catch a specific bus or train and won't be able to wait for late arrivals. There's no official limit on numbers, because we usually don't get crowds coming, the number of hikers on the average trip is is 6-10, although we wouldn't usually accept more than 15.

   Longer trips such as weekends need a lot more organising, and are advertised a month or so in advance. These fill up, so once you're sure you want to come you must let me know. On some of these trips I ask a small organising fee (a couple of hundred NT dollars) for the work, phone calls, research). All other trips, as I said earlier, are free.

   All trips are - of course - subject to the weather being OK. We normally go unless it's pouring with rain, but occasionally it's necessary to cancel at short notice, so please if you're coming on a trip please check your email the night before, or if in doubt phone my cell: 0921 252 144).

 

EQUIPMENT

 

 

You don't need anything special. Good footwear (solid sneakers or walking shoes are fine), sun/rain protection, plenty of water (2 litres or more per person in the summer), energy food, long pants in case of overgrown trails, mozzi repellent, plastic bags in case it rains (for your camera), small towel and change of clothes (in summer especially, for after the hike), loose change or an EasyCard for transport.

 

   The only things you might consider buying especially are river tracing booties (available at hiking shops around Taipei, eg on Zhongshan North Road near the main station)  for NT$400 or so, if you want to join us on one of the several river traces left this year, and a local scooter driver's licence, which is essential to hire a scooter in several cities now (we'll be doing several scooter trips in the next few months, I hope).

 

Phew! That covers most of the points, I hope!

 

FINALLY, UPCOMING TRIPS:

 

Sunday, August 11th: River Tracing to Yuemeikang Waterfall (spaces still available)

 

Sunday August 18th: River trace/hike (place to be confirmed)

 

August 25-26: River trace to Erzi Hot Springs (Hualien) and rafting the Hsiuguluan River (FULL)

 

August 29 - September 1: Matsu Archipelago tour (4/5 islands) (FULL)

 

 

In the works (more info later):

 

Camping trip to Mount Beichaitian (one of the highest peaks, at 1,700 meters, reachable in a day from Taipei), the Yunei Old Trees and Yunei Waterfall group

 

Scooter weekend trip to the central mountains in Chiayi County: Fengshan, Laiyi, and Caoling)

 

 

 

 

Cheers for now, and hope to see you on a trail soon!

 

Richard (0921 252 144)