I've hiked mountains and trails across the world: Huashan and Hengshan in China, Mt. Qixing in Taiwan, and Ricketts Glen, Pine Creek Gorge, the Appalachian Mountains, the Grand Canyon, and the Petrified Forest in the United States to name a few. It took me some time, however, before I decided to conquer Mt. Taiwu, Kinmen's greatest mountain.
In September, I walked the road up Taiwu from Shanwai, but I wanted to find a more adventurous trail. "A mountain of that size and beauty must have more to offer," I thought! I don't consider it hiking when the way is completely paved. A true hike requires mystery and an element of danger. By no means do I consider myself an outdoorsman, but something about spending a day in the woods in the peace and quiet of nature motivates me. For me, the reward of great hike is not a photo op or a nice view-it's the silence of being away from the world, alone with only one's thoughts and the occasional rustling leaf.
My inspiration for hiking comes from my father. As a child, he forced my brother and me to go to Pennypack Park, a local park in Philadelphia with some hiking trails. Oh, did I hate it! After some time, I refused to go. The thought of the walking on the same trail week after week bored me. As I grew older, I found myself going on hikes in different areas of my city and in other states. Despite my supposed hatred for hiking, I continued to do it-at some point in my life-I cannot remember when-I began to love hiking.
All hiking comes with an element of danger. On one of my hikes last March, I ended up lost and stranded in the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky for over 12 hours. The hike did not originally have any danger, but with snow-covered trails, poor signage, and a setting sun, danger found us. The temperature dropped quickly to -14°C, and we found ourselves building fires. Everyone got off of the mountain, but some people required medical treatment. After that experience, I have tried to find other mountains that will test my strength and perseverance. Taiwu looked like a formidable opponent.
After weeks of inquiries and research, I found myself hiking a "hidden" trail up Taiwu with Fulbrighters Catherine Purdy and Karissa Moy and our coordinator Jimmy Chen. On a Sunday morning, we began our trek from Caicuo to find an old military fortress on the top of Taiwu. We had heard from others about this trail and how hikers had to hold on to ropes and climb rocks in order to complete it. This hidden trail quickly lived up to its reputation-we had to hold on to ropes to avoid falling into bushes, trees, and even off of the mountain. The ropes gave us stability down steep rocky declines, and they led us into a rock formation. Our group had to decide whether to go over the rocks or under them. I tested the "over" route without success, so we went under-the correct way.
The entire time that we moved down the mountain we wondered how and when the trail would start going up. Once we reached the bottom on the mountain, we quickly found out that the hard part was still ahead of us-scaling the rocks without any ropes all the way up to the fortress. The way up the mountain did not seem treacherous, but one false step would lead to disaster and a long fall down to the bottom. Careful footwork and teamwork led us to the top in a matter of minutes. The three of us cheered when we reached the top because it had taken us until 13:00 to get there.
The end of this hike had everything-the perfect photo op, a spectacular view of the island, and the silence that accompanies being at one of the highest points on Kinmen. Taiwu has more trails for me to explore, and I plan to hike as many as I can before I leave Kinmen in June. Each time will offer me a new challenge and a new perspective on the island and on life.
I'll see you in the mountains.

『本專刊由<金門日報>編輯部與學術交流基金會(傅爾布萊特交換計畫/Fulbright Taiwan)共同策畫製作』