Day 11 - A Hard Day!

The sound of rain woke me during the night.  That was a worry as the forecast for today was supposed to be the only day this week where the weather would be sunny and dry.

Last night's B&B

Breakfast was scrambled eggs, some pineapple pieces and a banana.  After looking at the weather I decided to be an optimist and hope the weather would improve.

Views from the B&B terrace 

I've 1200m and 19km to reach the summit of Wuling Pass.  The satnav displayed the elevation as I slowly made my way upwards.  My thighs were burning and… Yes there were several rest stops.  Some cars would beep as they passed and others would have their windows down and give me a thumbs up or a fist pump.

However not all the locals were friendly.  I think one considered me breakfast whilst circled overhead.

Halfway through my ascent I stopped for a photo.  It looks a long way down!

Before leaving the B&B this morning I put on my long sleeved merino base layer.  My outer layer was the cheap synthetic KMart Hi Viz short sleeved vest.  The wind picked up and I entered the clouds.  It became very damp.  I wasn't cold because I was peddling hard and burning calories.

That changed when I reached the summit.  There was nothing to see! 

A good number of Taiwanese hikers around.  All dressed in their thermals and wanting to ask me questions or congratulate me on reach the summit.  Very nice but I started to get very cold.

Proof I made it

It's a 95km ride down through Taroko Gorge to the east coast.  I couldn't go fast.  The road was wet and covered in leaves in numerous places.  Quite slippery.  The heavy trailer on the back kept pushing me.  My speed was 15-25kmh.

The gorge is geographically unstable and prone to numerous landslides.   Not my lucky day!  I desperately wanted to get below 2000m, where I hoped it would be warmer.  Coasting downhill meant no exercise and therefore little heat.  

However there had been a landslide which was being cleared.  One way traffic meant we were stopped for 30 minutes.  I realised I was starting to show the symptoms of hyperthermia.  The KMart top was replaced with my light-weight fleece and a light rain jacket.  But my core was still very cold and I was shivering and yawning.  I commenced a series of old army warming up exercises whilst waiting for the road to open.  A very kind Taiwanese couple gave me a cup of hot tea from their thermos. 

Road works

Once clear of the road works I needed to maintain focus and not give in to the temptation to go faster.  Ay 800m above sea level I broke through the base of the cloud and started to warm.  It was from this point onwards I took photos.  There was nothing to see whilst in the clouds.

 

Eastern entrance to Taroko National Park.

That's another one off the bucket list!