Originally planned to wake up at 3 AM, but ended up oversleeping and finally departing from the Shangdongpu parking lot at 4:10. At the Tataka Service Station, the barcode machine of the park entry system caused a delay, and I reached the Yushan trailhead at 4:59.
The main Yushan trail is much less interesting compared to the main Snow Mountain trail. The scenery includes Nanhuan Three Stars, Yushan South Peak to Nanyushan (from which you can see as far as Tainan), Linzhi Mountain, and Lulin Mountain. After the Qianfeng fork, Yushan West and the main peak appear. The 2.5-hour hike to Paiyun Lodge offers just these views.
I reached Paiyun Lodge at 7:32, submitted the park entry permit, and continued toward the main peak. This 2.4 km section involves a 553-meter elevation gain, which I kept reminding myself is like climbing Qixing Mountain. I reached the main peak of Yushan at 8:33. The view from the main peak is truly beautiful, especially with the good weather this morning, allowing a clear view of the Snow Mountain main peak, which I visited just last week. Unfortunately, there were too many people, so I only stayed for ten minutes before leaving.
I left the main peak at 8:45 and quickly descended, reaching Paiyun Lodge by 9:18. I wondered if I could reach the trailhead before 11:00. Maintaining a steady pace, I descended quickly, covering the last 8.5 km in 1 hour and 35 minutes, arriving at the Yushan trailhead at 10:53.
However, the journey wasn't over yet. I still had to walk another 3 km to get back to the parking lot. I finally reached my car at 11:29 and treated myself to an iced latte.
The entire trip was 27.81 km, taking 7 hours, 17 minutes, and 23 seconds, with an elevation gain of 1,729 meters. I can't even remember if this was my fourth or fifth time climbing Yushan.
After returning to Taipei and editing the video, I confirmed that this was my fifth ascent to Yushan main peak. The previous four were as follows:
- 2005: First ascent of Yushan main peak
- June 21, 2019: Consecutive two-day ascents of Taiwan's highest and second-highest peaks
- December 19, 2020: Yushan main, east, and west peaks
- December 23, 2022: Unsuccessful consecutive two-day ascents of Taiwan's highest and second-highest peaks
*Filming Date:*
June 22, 2023
*Equipment:*
DJI OSMO Pocket 3
DJI Mavic Air 2
*Editing Equipment:*
Apple Mac Mini (M1, 2020) | Apple M1 chip | 16GB RAM
Adobe Premiere Pro CC
Adobe After Effects CC