Warnings and rumors circulated for months: dead bodies have been found in rock crevices hundreds of meters below Stegosaurus Ridge’s (劍龍稜) spiky backbone; dozens have lost their nerve on the trickiest, ropeless, exposed section; some even say that the ridge is cursed by evil spirits.
With all the mystique surrounding it, the hike up New Taipei City’s Stegosaurus Ridge had to be done. And one thing was for sure: this hike is an endeavor not to be taken lightly. But with level 3 lockdown hopefully easing up in the foreseeable future, more than a few have probably put on some weight and are thinking about how to take it off.
Stegosaurus Ridge is a great option to accomplish this in a half a day in northern Taiwan, which begins at “Nanya Peculiar Rock” (南雅奇石), and you almost certainly make it out alive, a couple of kilos lighter, with your metabolism in high gear.
Photo: Greg McCann
CONQUERING THE BEAST
To conquer this beast of a climb, one needs first a pair of gloves for handling ropes for going up and down the trail’s stony ridgeline, which actually does in several sections resemble the upright “armor plates” of a stegosaurus. False summits abound, and frequent rests are required for all but the super-fit.
But those rest stops afford one stupendous views of the Pacific Ocean — including one of Keelung Islet — that are probably unparalleled. And the next thing one needs is for the rest stops: water, and lots of it. Two liters would be the absolute minimum amount to bring, and maybe three to be safe, with one preferably heavy on electrolytes.
Photo: Greg McCann
Up and up we go, which is almost always the case when hiking in Asia where the lowlands have been converted for human use. And if the views out to sea are jaw-dropping, the geography of what you are hiking over is equally as striking.
It is as if one is hiking over an actual petrified stegosaurus, a gigantic dinosaur that got stuck in the quicksand 65 million years ago, and gave up and died. And what an enormous animal it is as the hiker will crest ridge upon ridge with seemingly no end in sight, as if one is trekking back into the ancient past itself.
At 555 meters the weary traveler will find a most welcome rest stop, a flat area with plenty of places to sprawl out and rest one’s legs. But you’re not finished yet as you’ve got 149 meters more to climb, as the ridge peaks out at 714 meters. That might not sound gargantuan, but keep in mind that you will begin at sea level.
Photo: Greg McCann
THE FINAL STRETCH
The hiker will find himself with a couple of final obstacles, including a delicate maneuver over an exposed section of sheer rock without a rope to hold on to. This goes on for about 15 meters, and it’s probably best not to look down. Over-exertion could be setting in at this point for those of us hiding away in our rooms too long, but you’re still not done, with several more rope-assisted climbs and scrambles over and around rugged peaks and walls of stone.
The main mountain section ends with a steep drop down a natural chute, where two thick ropes lower you to safety. It seems like it’s over and that the going should be easy. But you’re not off the mountain yet.
Photo: Greg McCann
There is some spelunking to do at Teapot Mountain (茶壺山). Earthquakes have caused former entrances to this small cave to shift and collapse, but you still need to go through it. It’s down into the dark you go, like a final portal that brings one back to modern times and our creature comforts.
Once you find your way through there and drop down to level ground, it’s a fairly long slog by steps and road to Cyuanji Temple (?勸濟堂), where buses and taxis, as well as restaurants, await.
If you still have some juice left in you, a walk of another 200 meters will take you to Kukutsu POW Camp Memorial, which commemorates a site where the Japanese held American, British and other POWs in appalling conditions during World War II.
Photo: Greg McCann
My hiking mojo was blown and this recent trek, and I didn’t make it to the memorial. Next time.
Photo: Greg McCann
Photo: Greg McCann
Photo: Greg McCann
Photo: Greg McCann
The canonical shot of an East Asian city is a night skyline studded with towering apartment and office buildings, bright with neon and plastic signage, a landscape of energy and modernity. Another classic image is the same city seen from above, in which identical apartment towers march across the city, spilling out over nearby geography, like stylized soldiers colonizing new territory in a board game. Densely populated dynamic conurbations of money, technological innovation and convenience, it is hard to see the cities of East Asia as what they truly are: necropolises. Why is this? The East Asian development model, with
June 16 to June 22 The following flyer appeared on the streets of Hsinchu on June 12, 1895: “Taipei has already fallen to the Japanese barbarians, who have brought great misery to our land and people. We heard that the Japanese occupiers will tax our gardens, our houses, our bodies, and even our chickens, dogs, cows and pigs. They wear their hair wild, carve their teeth, tattoo their foreheads, wear strange clothes and speak a strange language. How can we be ruled by such people?” Posted by civilian militia leader Wu Tang-hsing (吳湯興), it was a call to arms to retake
This is a deeply unsettling period in Taiwan. Uncertainties are everywhere while everyone waits for a small army of other shoes to drop on nearly every front. During challenging times, interesting political changes can happen, yet all three major political parties are beset with scandals, strife and self-inflicted wounds. As the ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is held accountable for not only the challenges to the party, but also the nation. Taiwan is geopolitically and economically under threat. Domestically, the administration is under siege by the opposition-controlled legislature and growing discontent with what opponents characterize as arrogant, autocratic
When Lisa, 20, laces into her ultra-high heels for her shift at a strip club in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, she knows that aside from dancing, she will have to comfort traumatized soldiers. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion, exhausted troops are the main clientele of the Flash Dancers club in the center of the northeastern city, just 20 kilometers from Russian forces. For some customers, it provides an “escape” from the war, said Valerya Zavatska — a 25-year-old law graduate who runs the club with her mother, an ex-dancer. But many are not there just for the show. They “want to talk about what hurts,” she
RSS