I’m Eva Shih, aka stone, from Taiwan. I’d like to share the most important mountain hiking event of my life with you, the Hehuanshan North Peak.
That day I drove down the island through my favorite route, highway numbered Tai-9 (the longest highway in Taiwan), connected Tai-8 in Hualien (through the famous canyon Taroko) , and stayed one night in an resort elevated 2374m. I didn’t realize I got mild Acute Mountain Sickness that night, and the next morning I went on as scheduled to the Hehuanshan North Peak trail.
I am a good hiker that’s for sure, but not under the circumstance of mild AMS. That day I became a glue-like moving thing and that’s kind of funny, as I approached the peak (elevated 3422m), I sometimes swung and swirled while walking, if you could imagine what I mean. (LOL) But I was in a high mood, I’d like to sing and actually smiled all the way, and laughed at my slow moves as if I was a drunk person.
At the peak I took some pictures, then lay down on bamboo bushes to take a nap. I noticed a guy before falling into short break, and found him still there when I came back to daylight. He said he was camping at a place near by the peak called little creek camping site, I said wow! Can I go with you and take a look? He said sure, no problem.
Along the way to the camping site, I was still like a drunk one as he remembered afterwards, and he said a woman who swinging walking and sensitive to the fragrance of pine trees at the same time is very interesting.
When we arrived the camping site, I said hurray! I could take a nap again! Then passed out like a log on bamboo bushes at once, and slept about 40 minutes, under the warm midday winter sun. When I came back to myself, the guy offered me some hot water and warm chatting, and then he took my backpack and walked me to the famous North Peak Cypress to prevent me from getting lost.
That’s how I met the love of my life. 