EXPEDITION LOG #89: 2018-09-08
“... WE WOKE BEFORE THE BREAK OF DAY …”
That day we woke before the break of day in preparation of our journey to the summit of Manabang Mountain in Dahu Township, in the province of Miaoli in Taiwan. We warmed a couple of savory glutinous rice dumplings (粽子/Zòngzi) for our breakfast and ate them hastily - something which my fellow adventurer would regret halfway into our climb. Our guide arrived to meet us shortly after five-thirty in order to lead us to where our climb would begin.
“... OUR LINE OF SIGHT REACHED FAR ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE …”
Everything was wet as we started our journey through the thick jungles covering the mountains slopes. My compatriots first steps filled their shoes with mud, causing discomfort for the rest of their climb. Luckily I was was wearing my traditional Taiwanese blue and white slippers so the wetness of the mountain was no problem for me. Water condensing at the top of the mountain flowed down its steep sides at several points providing us with small rivers to cross. We encountered several signs, warning us of dangers that might be encountered on the trail such as poisonous animals and the potential for falling. The sound of cicadas and tropical birds penetrated the dense humidity of Manabang’s jungle but otherwise we were alone. The climb up the mountain went quickly, with only one and a half or perhaps two hours passing before we reached the peak. From the summit of Manabang our line of sight reached far across the landscape, only broken by the neighboring mountains. The sun illuminated everything except for that which was cast with shadow under the clouds which moved through the valleys and rolled over the rocky ridges at elevations lower than where we stood. We spent an hour or more there, witnessing the sublime landscape in front of us, simultaneously still and also changing.
“... THE MOUNTAIN TEEMED WITH ABUNDANT LIFE …”
At last when we began our decent of Manabang, the clouds enveloped the mountain causing the jungle’s open spaces to gain an air of mystery and eeriness. Wetness surrounded and clung to all surfaces causing the descent to be more a process of slipping than stepping. The trees rustled, the birds called and there were strange movements through the jungle undergrowth. Animals hid from our approaching footsteps but it was clear that the mountain teemed with abundant life; perhaps there could have even been some undiscovered species in this dense habitat. We broke through the bottom of the cloud layer as we reached the end of our hike down the mountain and the sun broke through the leaves of the giant ferns and the banana trees. We came out of the wildness and returned to the rural township of Dahu, leaving Manabang behind us for the moment.
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