A Walk in the Park

Most mornings Taylor and I get up at six and start our forced march in Taipei. There are lots of parks, so we usually have a goal to walk toward.  One day, we decided to combine taking the MRT (subway) with our morning hike.  The goal:  Elephant Mountain.

We hopped on the MRT at Xinye Anhe Station which is a few blocks from our apartment.

We took the red line to Xiangshan. We emerged from the MRT station.

We came out of this station.

 And here we were, in a charming park at the base of Sishoushan Community Forest.

Regular morning exercisers were already at it.

 We were also a stone's throw from Taipei 101.

We walked through the park and found the trails up into the forest.

Looking at at the extensive trail system, I was reminded of Forest Park in Portland, OR.

We found what we thought was the trail to Elephant Mountain, and we started hiking.  We passed a lovely temple built into the side of the mountain.

Elephant Mountain is only 600 feet high, but it's a killer.  The Taiwanese don't believe in the switchback system.  This walk is what Margit and I call the "buns of steel" walk.

The walk was pretty much like this all the way up. There were very few flat areas for resting.

The day, of course, was hot and humid and the walk was pretty strenuous.  However, the view from the top was amazing.

So, we made it to the top of Elephant Mountain, saw the sights, and went home to shower, shave and shine.  Another walk in the park for Jamar and Taylor.