Day 4
We barely slept the previous night with temperatures dipping below double digits. The cabin had fluffy down sleeping bags, but as any high altitude hiker will attest, the temperature drop up high is bone numbing. We had to be up by 0130H though, to catch the sunrise at the first of our two summit bids.
The hike up the first summit, Qilaishan (South Peak), was dark and cold. We took it easy, as rushing up to 11,000 feet above sea level was likely to make many of us (especially me) sick. After a few hours, we reached the Qilaishan summit marker and waited for sunrise. And what a glorious sunrise it was.
At this point, a few members of our team have had enough, and so we divided ourselves into two: one group to continue on the second summit, Nanhuashan (a not insignificant 10,699 feet above sea level), and another to head down to Tianchi Cabin.
After successfully trekking to Nanhuashan, it was time to head down. This day was the longest day as we would trek all the way down to the trailhead. The weather turned blistering hot below 2,600 MASL. It was a mental game from then onwards.
Day 5
Many of us slept in, including me, but our Trail Adventours International leads brought a few to other places around Taipei. I declined, as by this point, I’ve bagged seven separate high points. I opted to go around museums instead, and get my cultural dose.
Some of us flew back to Manila first thing the next morning, ending a productive, double ten-thousander adventure!
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The Nenggao Historical Trail hike has a difficulty rating of about 7/9, and the length of the trail as well as the altitude gain are what makes the hike challenging. It is highly recommended for hikers to have comfortably completed several multi-day hikes prior to attempting this trek. A 30-40L bag is sufficient, as Trail Adventours provides the food and accommodation to ensure an enjoyable experience. Visa application assistance is provided by the Trail Adventours team.
Get in touch with Trail Adventours International (www.trailadventours.com) and book a private trip for your first high altitude summits with them at the Nenggao Historical Trail!
Note: Trail Adventours International does not actively promote The Nenggao Historical Trail (NHT) as it is an optional hike if the Yushan (Jade Mountain) hike is cancelled due to permit issues. The Taiwanese government limits the number of hikers on Yushan through a lottery system; our team lucked out, and so we ended up doing the NHT.
* Transparency disclaimer: Trail Adventours International has generously partly sponsored my hike, but this fact has not affected my judgment on the experience as a whole.
For more, check out my Instagram account @jsncruz
License – CC: Attribution, non-commercial.
