The mercury in Taipei is expected to climb to 35 degrees Celsius this weekend. If you’re looking for a way to cool off, Taiwan Adventure Outings (TAO) is organizing a hike to Cloud Heart Waterfall (雲心瀑布) in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District (三峽) tomorrow morning.
TAO was founded earlier this year by American expats Ryan Hevern and Dustin Craft as a public Facebook group to bring people together through hikes and other outdoor activities.
Hevern, who worked as a tour guide in the jungles of Borneo, tells the Taipei Times that he needed a “nature fix” when he moved to Taipei.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Adventure Outings
“We want to give people the option of leaving the grind of Taipei and immersing themselves into nature, adventure and exploration.”
Hevern and Craft started with hiking the relatively tame Elephant Mountain (象山), but according to Hevern, their excursions “kept getting bigger and more adventurous.”
Soon, they were bringing groups of people paragliding, river tracing and scaling 3,000m peaks all over Taiwan. Exploring the wilderness became a way to meet new people as well. Almost every trip sees a handful of newcomers along with those who have hiked with them before.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Adventure Outings
“We constantly get to meet new people from all over the world, while trekking through some of the most beautiful scenery,” Hevern says.
A couple of their favorite waterfall hikes include the Sandiaoling Waterfall Hiking Trail (三貂嶺瀑布群) for its three large waterfalls which make it great for swimming and Silver Stream Cave (銀河洞越嶺步道) because of its stunning views — an old temple rests right behind the waterfall, in the middle of a cave and partially hidden by shrubbery.
Though he says that “Taiwan still has a lot of untapped potential when it comes to adventure,” Hevern is also glad to see that the community of hikers and adventure seekers is growing — through the help of blogs, social media and word of mouth. Moreover, travelers are choosing to visit Taiwan because of the outdoor activities offered here.
Put simply, there are more people venturing outdoors, and to Hevern, this means “more opportunity to spread ecological awareness and responsible travel practices.”
Although jumping off cliffs and swimming under waterfalls is certainly alluring enough to draw people, Hevern warns of precautions that attendees should take. Most of it is obvious, he says, such as doing some research beforehand to see what you’re getting yourself into and to gauge your skill level.
As a general rule, it’s always good to bring more water than you need, and also food and snacks, sunblock and comfortable walking shoes.
The group will meet at Dingpu MRT station, exit 2 at 9am tomorrow. For more information about TAO and for beautiful pictures of cliffs and waterfalls, check out their Instagram and Twitter (handles for both are @TAOTaiwan).
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