In Taiwan, the relatively easy to get to Hehuanshan East Peak Trail is a popular spot for mountain photography, and this time we will capture the morning light from the east peak – the sunrise is always fascinating, with warm colors of light gradually illuminating the valley, and patches of sword bamboo woodland turning green, like a prairie! The spectacular view of the mountain makes the summit not the only goal anymore.

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Hehuanshan Lookout

At 4:00am and close to 5:00am, there were already a lot of hikers gathered at the lookout, and the parking lot at the back was hard to find a parking space…. I was lucky to squeeze into a very small parking space (for almost 10 minutes, a friend and a passerby helped to guide me), I should arrive earlier next time!

The sun was about to peek out around 5 o’clock, and a group of mountaineers were walking towards the trail entrance behind the Pine and Snow Building, and I was looking forward to the coming sunrise.

Hehuanshan East Peak Trail

The whole section of the Hohhuan Mountain East Peak Trail is generally oriented towards the west, so there is almost no obstruction to the view when facing east! No matter where you are on the trail, it’s a great place to watch the sunrise. I was worried that I’d have to climb to the top to see the sunrise, but I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to see it, so I guess I was wrong.

I’m glad I was able to see and photograph the sunrise, because I don’t have much luck with sunrises, and when I saw the thick clouds in the sky and wanted to say I couldn’t see it, a gap opened up just above the ridge ~ it wasn’t a waste of getting up at 3:00 am.

Warm colors of light brighten up the Kenshukuri forest.

About 15 minutes later, the sun went into the clouds and the light gradually changed from orange to golden yellow. If there were no clouds blocking the view, I think I would have a chance to see the golden prairie!

As soon as the sun went into the clouds, all the mountaineers started to move at the same time. It seems that the goal of all of them is to see the sunrise and climb up to the top of the mountain! Of course, I was no exception, but I spent more time photographing this magnificent mountain.

The advantage of the sun hiding in the clouds is that it breaks up the sunlight and creates the so-called “Jesus Light”, which is a phenomenon that can only be seen in the morning or in the evening. I found a small open space next to the trail to take a picture with this view, and it felt like the light was prepared just for me!

It is not the uphill climb that makes it difficult to get ahead, but the view behind me. I would walk a few steps and then look back to see if there was a better angle to take a picture. The yellow-clad mountaineer in the photo is sitting directly on a stake to admire the view, and I don’t know if it is for the sake of resting, or for the sake of resting to admire the view ~ no matter what, it’s all wonderful.

A couple with a similar rhythm as me, they also walked around taking photos along the way, while I let them blend into my images, adding more story to the photos! (When we take photos of strangers, we make sure we don’t get a clear picture of the face)

For a short while, the sun finally shone on the hillside in front of me, and the Jianzhu forest looked like a prairie, sometimes dim, sometimes bright, I stopped and waited for the light to hit me, pressing the shutter wildly ~ how to take pictures here is really good, the composition is not too hard to think about it, you can be very satisfied.

The cloud system on the right side was unusually thick, constantly rushing along with the gusty winds, and interestingly enough, I thought I was going to head to the left side of the trail, but I kept getting stuck in the valley on the right.

Ski Lift Remains

In the early days, Hohhuan Mountain was the mecca of skiing in Taiwan, and the cable car facilities were naturally built for this purpose. With the convenience of leaving the country and the warming, the former grandeur is no longer there, and the cable car facilities here have become a relic, especially conspicuous amidst the whole green bamboo forest.

Golden-winged White-browed is a specialty of the high mountains – every time it flies to the place where there are mountain friends to beg for food, and I saw the Wine Red Vermilion on that day, but it was not so friendly, and I didn’t have a telephoto lens with me, so I missed the chance.

In addition to the spectacular mountain scenery, I also love the stories of the mountain lovers in this picture, the interaction between people and the mountain, and the interaction between people are all worth to be recorded.

This must be the Tamayama cypress! The higher you climb, the more you can see. It’s very nice to see plants that look like landscaping.

Many of the leaves of the sword bamboo are covered with morning dewdrops, but it’s a pity that there is no good light, otherwise they would shine like stars.

Mountain Top

It was foggy before I went to the top, but the visibility was okay, but the wind was very strong and cold. It was the end of September, and the temperature was about 4 degrees in the morning, so it was good that I brought a down jacket with me.

Before climbing to the top, you’ll pass through a path made up of cypresses from Mt. Tamayama… It’s a real eye-opener when you walk out, and one of the surprises is that there are a lot of people… I was surprised to see how crowded it was… I had to wait in line for a long time to take a picture.

On the other side of the peak, there was a small hill, the sunlight suddenly came, my friends immediately grabbed their cell phones to take photos, while I found a shelter with my friends, put down my heavy backpack and started to eat biscuits to replenish my heat, it doesn’t matter if I was cold, but the headache caused by the wind would be uncomfortable.

The only flower I saw that day, Google said it was the yellow garden, every year in May, there will be azaleas in the vicinity of Hohuanshan Mountain ~ next time I should find the time to come and shoot.

After resting enough, I was ready to go downhill! At this point in time, there were still a lot of mountaineers just coming up, after all, it was just dawn, the weather was getting worse as we descended, and the light disappeared once again, but this kind of hazy mountain scenery is also very nice.

The Dongfeng Trail is a very easy climb, except for the high altitude, which makes it easier to catch your breath, and the trail facilities are very sound.

The clouds are finally crossing the trail and I am about to cross them.

Finally, the sun came out at the end of the day – the Jianzhu Prairie (or the Golden Prairie if it’s a little earlier).

Thanks to my friends who went with me on that day ~ the day before, I was actually just camping in Qingjing, but my friend suggested me to come to climb the mountain in the early morning, I was a little bit hesitant at first, but I still agreed (I agreed because I had enough clothes ~), after climbing, I went back to the parking lot to tow the car, and my car was broken down on the way to Wuling…. It was an unforgettable trip!