Jade Mountain

Mt.Jade or Mt. Morrison (3952m)

Yushan is situated in the Yushan National Park and soars 3,952 meters (12,962 feet). It has 11 peaks, of which the highest are the Main Peak and the North Peak, 3,858 meters (12,654 feet) above sea level.

The North Peak is the site of the highest building in Taiwan, the Central Weather Station. Taiwan has more than 100 peaks above 3,000 meters (9,842 feet), and for the island's most enthusiastic mountain climbers it is considered vital to conquer them all.

Jade Mountain is steep and rocky, and rocklails and crumbling cliff faces are often encountered by climbers. Layers of rock that are visible in places attest to the collision of tectonic plates that created the Central Mountain Range.

The wide open expanse of rock face allows strong winds to arise suddenly. Climbers on Jade Mountain are aided in dealing with the high winds and steep slopes by some 100 meters (328 feet) of chains.

The average yearly temperature at altitudes above 3,500 meters (11.483 feet) is 5 degrees Celsius; above 2,500 meters (8,202 feet) it is 10 degrees C. Annual rainfall is 3,000 to 4,700 mm (117-183 inches), with the rainy season lasting from May to August. The best time to climb the mountain is during the dry season, which lasts from October through December. From January to March, deep snows on the upper reaches of the mountain make climbing without experience and the proper equipment difficult and dangerous at times.

The mountain's height means that it offers a variety of climates that range from subtropical at the lowest levels through a warm and humid belt and then a cold and dainp belt, and finally to acold high altitude, with corresponding changes in trees from wide-leafed deciduous trees to needle-leafed alpine trees. At altitudes above 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) the year has four distinct seasons, with accompanying changes in plant life.

Among the 34 species of mammals that live within the environs of Yushan National Park are the Taiwan black bear, wild boar, water deer, long-haired mountain goat, flying squirrel. and monkey. There are 151 species of birds, all of the forest species present in Taiwan, and 228 types of butterflies. Newts and small noctunial frogs, as well as several kinds of snakes, can also be seen on the mountain.

The first stop on the ascent of Jade Mountain is usually at Tatachia on the Jade Mountain Scenic Highway (the part of the New Central Cross-Island Highway thatpasses through the park). The Tatachia Visitors' Center is amultipurpose facility offering displays and dining as well as a 20-minute multimedia presentation, four times a day on weekdays and six on weekends, on the national park. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m every day. Climbers ascending the mountain's west face usually spend the night at Paiyun hostel, a 9-kilometer climb from Tatachia. The walk from Tatachia to Paiyun Hostel takes about five hours and is arduous, but not dangerous. It passes through what is known as the "white forest," a grove of trees left standing after a forest fire, now weathered white. Paiyun Hostel sleeps approximately 100 people in group rooms, but far more than that are often squeezed in during crowded holiday periods.

As it is customary in Taiwan to view the sunrise from the peaks of mountains, climbers generally get up at about 3 a.m. and start the final climb, with flashlights, to the Summit. The slopes on this part of the climb are much steeper than those on the walk up from Tatachia, and the final ascent takes around two hours. Winds are particularly strong at a certain spot near file peak (itis aptly named "Wind Mouth") and a chain fence here keeps climbers from being blown off the mountain which has actually happened in the past.

After watching sunrise on the peak, almost certainly with crowds of other people, climbers can either retrace the route down to Paiyun Hostel and Tatachia, or they can continue down the other side of the mountain to the hot-spring town of Tungpu. This route involves a walk of about 10 hours along the Patung-kuan Trail, built in 1875 during the Ching dynasty. Leaving the. peak climbers follow a branch of the Patung-kuan Trail that leads 6.5 Km (3.9 miles) down the est face of the montain to were it joins the main trail.

This trail leads all the way down to Tungpu, and takes climbers through spectacular scenes that include several watterfalls, one of wich cascades down the mountain in seven steps and is known as Seven Threads Waterfall.

Nearer to Tungpu is Dragon Cloud Waterfall, which drops 50 meters (164 feet) over a stone cliff, runs under a wooden bridge, and then drops another 70 meters (230 feet). The narrow path crosses some very steep slopes, so walking it dem and scaution. The final portion of the trail is carved into the vertical face of Father and Son Precipice, after which it crosses the Chenyulan River and leads into the town of Tungpu.

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