Winter wander land

Soon I found myself walking on a path built in the middle of a huge cliff. Deep valleys and forest canopies were below my feet; rock formations in various shapes on which some huge trees stood erect were right before my eyes. The views were just fantastic.

I walked steadily and tried to give myself more time to enjoy the scenery. The path then led me into a forest of some special pine trees. With thick and bent trunks and branches and small leaves, Podocarpus macrophyllus, aka the Buddhist pine or the Chinese yew tree, is native to the mountainous areas of China and Japan.

It is an evergreen conifer that typically grows as a narrow, conical tree. Because of the beautiful shapes it can assume, the tree is often used to decorate gardens and create bonsai displays. Because of its commercial value, the trees were heavily poached from the wild in the 1980s and became endangered.

On Shengtang Mountain, the core area of the Dayaoshan National Nature Reserve, however, the trees have flourished because of strict conservation.

Taking the route to the right leads hikers into a wood of Buddhist pines. Already about 1,700 or 1,800 meters above sea level, I could feel clouds drifting in the wood and listen to the whistling of the wind in the pines. It was so serene that I truly forgot the hustle and bustle of daily life for some moments.

Continuing to climb, I walked out the wood and into the mixed forest of short bamboos and another species of towering pine trees.

Around noon, I finally arrived at the first lookout platform atop the mountain. From this vantage point, I marveled at the sight of an immense pine tree, its branches and canopy unfurling like a fan in front of my eyes. Beyond the tree, a sea of clouds appeared to hover, with a handful of peaks seemingly floating above this ethereal expanse.

The sky was painted a brilliant blue, and the gentle sunshine enveloped me in warmth. As I surveyed my surroundings, I discovered more pine trees and peaks, creating a truly flawless panoramic view.

Up the trail, there is another lookout platform and then, a side road down to the hotel. After the fork, the path reaches a pavilion atop the mountain. I savored each precious moment, basking in the warm sunshine and feasting my eyes on the breathtaking vistas, a well-deserved reward for managing the arduous ascent.

After a quick lunch in the hotel courtyard, I started descending along the left route. It was quick but steep and truly tough on my knees.

I finished the 11-kilometer circuit at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Although exhausting, the hike was truly rewarding.