Winter Ascent Of Mount Syue

So, this is most of the group near the visitor center of Shei-Pa National Park. Teacher Chen's family is on my left, our guide 'Bear' is in the orange, and Teacher Chen's friend Michael is on my right. These flowering trees were next to the Cijawan Creek which is famous for Taiwan salmon. There is a salmon eco center nearby. From here we drove a few kilometers to our trailhead and a short hike 2 km hike to the first mountain lodge.

This the morning from our first lodge. The day started off nicely, but the clouds rolled in and as we climbed higher the trail became enshrouded in mist and clouds. At least it didn't rain, but not a very good day for views.

The Crying Slope was steep but by this time we had already hiked a kilometer and switched-backed several hundred meters so it didn't seem too bad to me. The trail was cloudy by this time so this trail marker is a better picture than I could have taken.
After the 'crying slope' there's a short detour to the summit of the East Peak of Syue Mountain (elevation 3201 meters or 10,501 feet). As you can see the views are not very good.
After the East Peak of Syue Mountain is up and down along the ridge line to the next lodge. By this time we've hiked about 2 kilometers and climbed about 1000 meters from the first lodge. We still have about 3 kilometers to go, but at least the trail is going up and down along the ridge line. The clouds obscure our views, but they really give the mountains a mystical feeling.
This is teacher Chen's son excited by the first sighting of snow on the trail. I'm excited too.
Another trail marker talking about alpine bamboo. It's quite a resilient plant. From a distance the bamboo looks like grass, but when you can see a cross section of the plant and soil you realize it's really like a very thick blanket on the mountains.
This is the second lodge. From here we will make our ascent to Syue Mountain and then come back to the lodge to sleep before heading down on day four. This way we can leave some gear behind and make a lighter ascent.
A view from the lodge that I sketched below. We got to the second lodge at 2 PM so we had lots of time to play cards and goof off until bedtime.

The sunset at the second lodge with the moon rising. The clouds are starting to lift and the forecast is promising for our ascent tomorrow.
It's about 5 degrees Celsius (41 F) so the down coat I'm wearing feels very nice. The humidity makes the temperatures feels much colder than the temps I'm used to in Colorado.
This is the sunrise from the second lodge on 'summit day'. It was -3 degrees Celsius this morning so we were all anxious to eat breakfast and get on the trail to the summit. I was glad to see clear skies over head and couldn't wait for the sun to clear the horizon and shine down on us. What a beautiful appreciation for the sun one has in a situation like this.

The trail is getting snowy and icy as we traverse the forest toward the bowl of Syue Mountain. This is where we put on our crampons.
Getting groovy before our push to the summit. I borrowed the afro from some hikers we met on the trail. The summit is directly over me head. We hiked up a trail that traverses the bowl on my right and then came down from the saddle above my left hand.
Here is the entire group. Teacher Chen's daughter and wife did not make the summit but stayed behind to enjoy the sunshine and make snowmen.
The final push to the summit.

Our guide blazing a trail down to the saddle and down to the bowl.
This is good view of the trail we took up to the summit.
Michael, teacher Chen, and his son coming down from the summit. The mountain is steeper than it looks and the exposure makes it quite exciting. You certainly have to stay focused on what you're doing.
I may not show it...but I'm loving it. It's been awhile since I've done a winter ascent in the mountains. The crampons feel great. I'm 'jumping' down the mountain like a goat. The teachers tell me I was born to climb mountains.

Frosty The Snowman was made from the frost on the railing at lodge #2. This was the morning of the fourth day and we had a long 7 kilometer hike back down to the car.
This is the view we missed on our way up. The second lodge is on the clear slope in the distance in the center of the picture. Syue Mountain is the large peak on the left side of the picture.
Another view we missed on the way up.
We're talking about doing that ridge line in the future. No trails...just blazing it. That's the way I like it.