First off I would like to warn everyone that the road from Xinyi to Yushan is blocked off from 6:30pm-6:30am for rock fall control. We had to drive around Alishan which added 4 hours of driving to our trip.
首先我要提醒大家，由於石頭掉落，從信義到玉山的道路從早上六點半到六點半被封鎖。我們不得不在阿里山周圍另外駕車四個小時。

That being said, let me tell you about our one day hike of the tallest mountain in Taiwan and East Asia (okay, East Asia is debatable, but it sounds better).
I know that I am not the first person to have climbed Jade Mountain in a day, but it seems like no one has blogged about it in English in a while. The last blog I found about hiking it in one day is from 2012, so I would like to give everyone some more recent info about the hike. I will also walk you through our experience with help with meticulous time notes compiled by my climbing partner.
說到這裡，讓我告訴你我們有一天在台灣和東亞最高的山上徒步旅行。好吧，東亞的領域是有爭議的，但聽起來不錯。
我知道我不是第一個單攻爬上玉山的人，但是沒有什麽人會用英語寫這樣的博客。我發現的最後一個單攻博客是從2012年，所以我想給大家最新信息。我也會通過我的攀登合作夥伴編寫的細緻筆記，幫助您了解我們的經驗。

Applying for permits 申請許可證:
This is perhaps the most difficult part of hiking Jade Mountain. In Taiwan, mountain and park permits are required to limit fatalities and help with rescue on the mountain. Originally we planned to do a two day hike and stay at Paiyun Lodge, but we realized we didn’t have time to wait; my climbing partner is going to get a Master’s degree in America at the beginning of next year, and Jade Mountain is closed for normal hikers from January to March. Also, I wanted to take as few days off from work as possible, so we opted for the one day hike, which is easier to get approved for if you meet the qualifications.
這也許這是爬玉山最難的部分。本來我們打算做兩天的爬行，在排雲山莊過夜，但是我們意識到我們沒有時間等待。我的攀岩夥伴將在明年初在美國開始讀研究所，1月至3月期間，玉山將關閉山。另外，我想盡可能地少休息幾天，所以我們選擇了一天的徒步旅行，如果你符合條件，那麼這個旅行更容易獲得批准。

The mountain permit  and park entry permit can both be applied for online. Some special requirements for the day hike though are that you must have experience climbing mountains above 3000 meters in the past 5 years. All you have to do is upload a picture of yourself on top of a mountain above 3000 meters and tell them which mountain it was. Also, you must give the park personal information such as name, age, and ID or passport number.
入山證和入園證都可以在線上申請。單攻特別要求過去5年3000米以上的爬山經驗。所有你需要做的就是傳一張你自己在3000米以上的山頂照片，告訴他們是哪一座山。此外，您必須提供個人信息，姓名，年齡，身份證或護照號碼。

As with Paiyun Lodge, the day hike also requires a lottery process, but there are a lot less people who apply for it, so getting a spot is easier. We originally planned for Dec. 19th, but later the Jade Mountain Park service called us and told us that spots had opened up on the 18th, so we switched.
跟排雲山莊一樣，白天的徒步旅行也需要抽排，但是申請的人少得多，所以得到一個位子比較容易。我們原本計劃在十九號，但後來玉山公園的服務員給我們打電話，告訴我們十八號也可，所以我們換了。

Preparation 準備:
I had brought some my climbing gear from America, such as hiking boots, wool socks, hat, fleece pants, and gloves. I didn’t have any polyester long underwear, which I regretted later. My main food for the trip was 6 chocolate Costco muffins, which was too much. I only ate 2 ½. I also brought 3000 cc of water, although this may have been excessive as well because I’m sure you can fill up water at Paiyun lodge. 
我帶了一些從美國來的登山裝備，如登山靴，羊毛襪，帽子，羊毛褲和手套。我沒有任何聚酯長內衣，因此後來我感到後悔。我此行的主要食物是6個巧克力Costco碼分，太多了。我只吃了2½。我也帶了3000 CC的水，雖然這也可能是過度的，因為我相信你可以在排雲山莊加滿水。

Also, because Jade Mountain had snowed the week before we left, we rented some crampons, not because we needed them but because we feared the park service would reject our climb if we didn’t have them (we ended up not needing them).
另外，因為我們離開前一個星期玉山下了雪，所以我們租了一些冰爪，不是因為我們需要它，而是因為我們擔心如果我們沒有它們（我們后來不需要它們），公園服務會拒絕我們的攀登。


The Adventure 冒險:

Day 0: Dec. 17th, 2017
12:40 Met at Nangang Station and departed 南港車站集合，出發
15:05 Exited off the Mingjian Interchange 從名間交流道下來

​All photos credit to Stephanie Huffman and Candace Chen
Though the form for which the island is named is readily apparent from angles further north and south, from Toucheng pier due west, Turtle Island looks more slug-like than terrapin-shaped. A small and curving rock covered in green, the island – like all points on the horizon – grows larger and more distinctive as our boat draws closer. There are about sixty people on the Blue Whale, all wearing bright orange life jackets and hoping to catch a glimpse of the dolphins sometimes spotted frolicking around the island. The boat takes its time along the island’s southern end, a steep hill dotted with carved outcroppings.
所有的照片都歸功於Stephanie Huffman和Candace Chen
儘管從南面和南面的角度，西面的頭城碼頭，這個島嶼的名稱是顯而易見的，但是龜山島看起來比鱉魚更像是瓜牛的樣子。 隨著我們的船靠近，一個綠色的小彎曲的岩石，像島上所有的點 - 越來越大，更加鮮明。 “藍鯨”上有六十人左右，都穿著明亮的橙色救生衣，希望能看到有時在島上嬉鬧的海豚。 船沿著島的南端，一個陡峭的小山，點綴著雕刻的露頭。
 
“Are those lookout points?”, asks Stephanie. I point to the long, faded green barrel of a cannon just sticking out of one of the outcropping. “Among other things,” I answer. As with many of Taiwan’s outer islands, military utility took precedence over tourism for many years.
Stephanie問道：“那些瞭望點？ 我指著長長的，褪色的大砲剛剛露出的一個大砲。 “還有其他用處，”我回答。 和台灣的許多外島一樣，軍事用途多年來一直以旅遊業為主。

​The smell of sulfur, a gentle rotten egg fragrance fills the air as the Blue Whale approaches the underwater thermal springs bubbling from beneath the waves by the Turtle’s head. Steam rising from the water makes it seem like the beast is smoking some great underwater hooka. As our boat rounds the Turtle’s head, the gentle green curves of the island’s Taiwan-facing side give way to the rocky cliffs of its seaward side, which in parts look almost as if the process of collapsing into the sea are ongoing.
當藍鯨靠近烏的龜頭部下方的海浪冒出的水下溫泉時，硫磺的味道瀰漫著一股溫和的臭雞蛋香味。從水中冒出的蒸汽使得它看起來像野獸正在吸取一些偉大的水下鉤子。當我們的船繞著海龜的頭時，島的台灣邊柔和的綠色曲線讓位於海邊的岩石峭壁，這部分看起來好像正在進入海洋的過程。
 
From this angle, Turtle Island is far more foreboding. Over the boat’s loudspeaker, the guide explains in Mandarin that the seaward side of the volcanic island takes the brunt of the area’s regular typhoons, and that some of the more rugged cliffs were formed by earthquakes. Past the cliffs the landscape becomes more gentle, and with a bit of squinting I can almost see the long, sloping neck of the turtle connecting head to shell, all covered in green. Although I’m told there are hiking trails along the spine, no hikers are currently present.
從這個角度來看，龜山島更是不祥的預兆。在船上的揚聲器上，導遊用中文解釋說，火山島的海面受到該地區正常颱風的衝擊，一些較為崎嶇的懸崖是由地震形成的。過去的懸崖，景色變得更溫柔，有一點瞇眼，我幾乎可以看到連接頭部和殼體的烏龜的長長的，傾斜的脖子，全部被綠色覆蓋。儘管我被告知有沿著脊椎的徒步旅行路線，但目前沒有人爬山。
​
Though technically open to tourists as a maritime ecological park since 2000, tourism to the island is fairly restricted. Our friend Candice had applied for our landing permit nearly a month in advance, but of the other travelers on our boat only one couple from Taipei had done the same. It was a far smaller group that were permitted to disembark from the Whale at the boat dock that sits just to one side of the Turtle’s tail. Only when our names are checked against those on a list by a Coast Guard official are we allowed to cross the floating bridge connecting pier to island. The Blue Whale will head further out in search of dolphins while our small group would explore the area around the Turtle’s tail.
自2000年以來，雖然在技術上作為海上生態公園，也向遊客開放，但到島上旅遊受到相當多的限制。我們的朋友Candice已經提前一個月申請了我們的登陸許可證，但是其他船上的旅客，只有一對來自台北的夫婦也這樣做了。這是一個小得多的小組，被允許從坐在鯨魚尾巴一側的船塢的鯨魚下船。只有當我們的名字與海岸警衛隊官員的名單進行核對時，才允許我們穿越連接碼頭的浮橋。”藍鯨”會進一步尋找海豚，而我們的小組將探索烏龜尾巴周圍的區域。

​Our guide, Mr. Guo, brings us first to the island’s ranger station staffed by an older gentleman and lady. The woman is cheerful, and runs a small, well-stocked gift shop. The man’s semi-military attire suggests that he’s an official of some sort. He sits behind a long desk, empty except for six round, smooth stones arranged in the shape of a turtle.
“Can you guess what these are?” The man says, adding before anyone can reply: “That’s right! Turtle Eggs!”
我們的導遊郭先生把我們帶到了一位老先生和女士的護送站。這個女人很開朗，並且經營著一個小型的，儲備豐富的禮品店。這名男子的軍裝顯示他是某種官員。他坐在一張長桌子後面，除了六個圓形的光滑的石頭，排列成一個烏龜的形狀。
“你能猜到這是什麼嗎？”男人說，在沒有人回答之前補充說：“沒錯！龜蛋！“
 
I pick one up. The man’s claim is patently false. I wonder if he is just testing me to see if I, as a foreigner, am aware of the dual meaning of the term Turtle Egg in Mandarin. In China the term can be used as a pejorative.
“They’re stones,” I say.
“Ha ha ha ha!” The man’s voice booms through the room.” Of course you’re right…but they are laid out in the shape of a turtle!”
我挑一個。這名男子的說法顯然是虛假的。我不知道他是否只是在考驗我，看看我作為一個外國人是否意識到了中文的龜卵的雙重含義。在中國這個詞可以用作貶義詞。
“他們是石頭，”我說。
“哈哈哈哈！”男人的聲音在房間裡嗡嗡作響，“當然你是對的，但是它們是以烏龜的形狀擺放的！
 
 
He has the bearing of a man who knows well the lay of the land (and had much time for rock collecting). I ask him if there are any guest houses on Turtle Island, or if perhaps camping is allowed. He laughs again, even louder this time, as if willingly spending the night on this godforsaken rock was something people would pay for.
他擁有一個熟悉土地的人（並且有很多時間可以收集岩石）。我問他在龜山島有沒有民俗，或者是否允許露營。他又笑了起來，這次更大聲了，好像自願在這個被人遺忘的岩石上度過夜晚是人們付出的代價。
 
“No camping, no guest house.” He tells me. “Even I don’t sleep here.”    
Turtle Island wasn’t always uninhabited. Settlers began arriving in 1853, and by the early 1970s the small, flat plain on the part of the island facing Taiwan boasted a village with houses, a school, a fresh water spring, and even a temple. But in 1977, the villagers – then numbering around 700 – were relocated to the town of Toucheng in Yilan. The official story, according to both Guo (and the surprisingly well-translated English language displays in what’s left of the town itself) is that after a particularly bad typhoon which cut the village off from resupply for almost two weeks, the villagers agreed that life on the island had become unsustainable and moved willingly to the mainland as part of a deal negotiated with the government. Immediately thereafter Turtle Island was declared a restricted military zone, and of course it’s equally likely that the villagers’ relocation was not entirely as enthusiastically agreed-upon as our guide or the display suggests.
As it turned out, the island’s new inhabitants would come to wish that one particular Turtle Island resident had not joined the villagers’ exodus.
 “沒有露營，沒有民俗。”他告訴我。 “即使我不在這裡睡覺。”
龜山島並不總是無人居住。定居者於1853年開始抵達，到70年代初，面向台灣的島嶼上的一片平坦的小平原吹起了一座有房屋，有學校，淡水泉，甚至還有一座寺廟的村莊。但是在1977年，當時的村民大約700人，搬到了宜蘭頭城鎮。據郭（以及在鎮上留下的驚人翻譯的英文）顯示，官方的故事是，在一個特別糟糕的颱風將村莊補給了近兩週的時間之後，村民們同意，作為與政府談判的一部分，這個島上已經變得不可持續，願意向大陸轉移。此後，龜山島立即被宣佈為受限制的軍事區，當然，我們的指導或展示所表明的那樣，村民搬遷的可能性也不盡如人意。
事實證明，島上的新居民會希望一個特定的海龜島居民沒有加入村民的外流。

​Guo takes us to a temple, a small one by Taiwanese standards, but one that’s clearly been maintained to weather the elements. “Can you guess whose temple this is?” he asks.
“Matsu,” I answer. It seems a sensible guess. A temple built on a small island by people whose livelihoods depend on the sea would naturally offer prayers to the Goddess of the Sea. But I am simultaneously right and wrong.
郭先生將我們帶到了一個按照台灣標準來看的小寺廟，但是一個明顯被保留下來的寺廟可以抵禦這個因素。 “你能猜出這是哪個廟嗎？”他問。
“媽祖，”我回答。這似乎是一個明智的猜測。一個建在小島上的人們依靠海上生活的人自然會向海洋女神祈禱。但我同時對與錯。
 
Guo tells the tale of how the villagers, evicted from their island home, brought their goddess with them to their new village. Shortly thereafter, the military moved in. But in the months that followed, the new residents complained that a general malaise seemed to have crept into life on the island.
“After the villagers left, the weather was rougher than normal, and the soldiers now living on the island described feeling uneasy,” Guo tells us. “It was decided that having an empty temple was upsetting the very spirit of the island itself. The military brought a statue of Guanyin from Taiwan along with some priests, who re-consecrated the temple to the Goddess of Compassion and Mercy.”
According to Guo, things got better shortly after.
郭先生講述了被趕出島上的村民如何把他們的女神帶到新的村莊的故事。不久之後，軍方進來了。但是在接下來的幾個月裡，新居民抱怨說，島上似乎有一種全身不適的感覺。
“村民們離開後，天氣比平時更加粗糙，現在住在島上的士兵感到不安，”郭先生告訴我們。 “這是決定有一個空的寺廟是令人不安的島嶼本身的精神。軍方帶來台灣觀音像和一些祭司，把寺院重新奉獻給慈悲仁慈。
據郭先生介紹，事情不久後就好轉了。
 
 
Beneath the main statue in the Guanyin temple, there is also a lucky money tiger, where visitors exchange old coins for new while wishing for good fortune. Though the tiger is a simulacrum, Green Island’s other wildlife is not. The island is best-known for what lives in the waters surrounding it, from a species of crab that feeds on the sulfur coming from the underwater hot springs to a number of larger aquatic animals such as dolphins and killer whales.
在觀音廟的主雕像下面還有一隻幸運的金錢老虎，遊客在交換舊金幣的同時也希望得到好運。雖然老虎是一個模擬，但綠島的其他野生動物卻不是。這個小島以生活在周圍水域中的一種生物而聞名於世。這個小島由一種以水下溫泉產生的硫磺為原料的螃蟹，到一些大型的水生動物，如海豚和虎鯨。

​One animal endemic (some say epidemic) to turtle island are snakes, and signs warning visitors to be wary of venomous snakes greet us at various points along our journey. As we walk through the remains of the now-abandoned fishing village, Guo tells us his own version of a not-uncommon tale among the Taiwanese of Japanese snake-breeding experiments designed to create particularly venomous vipers, presumably to be used in battlefield situations. Having heard the story before, I already know where it’s going.
一個動物流行（有人說流行）龜山島是蛇，並警告遊客警惕蛇毒蛇在我們的旅程中的各個點上迎接我們。在我們走過現在被遺棄的漁村的遺跡時，郭先生向我們講述了他自己的一個日本蛇飼養實驗中的一個非常罕見的故事，這個實驗的目的是為了製造特別有毒的毒蛇，大概是在戰場上使用的。之前聽過這個故事，我已經知道他要講什麽。
 
“Of course, when the Japanese lost the war, they released all the snakes, which is why there are so many snakes on Turtle Island today,” Guo tells the group. Whether by nature or nurture, the snake population is clearly a concern to the people in charge of maintaining guest safety. In addition to the general Beware of Snakes signs posted throughout, part of a multilingual exhibit of text and photographs covering the history, geography and ecology of Turtle Island is specifically devoted to snakes, going into detail on their size, color patterns, aggressiveness and venom level. The display is sobering, and I find myself hoping that the ranger station has a well stocked anti-venom bar somewhere by the gift shop.       
 “當然，當日本人輸掉戰爭時，他們釋放了所有的蛇，這就是今天龜山島上有這麼多蛇的原因。無論是自然還是培育，蛇的種群顯然都是維護客人安全的人們關心的問題。除了一般“小心蛇”標誌外，部分多語種文字和照片展示了龜山島的歷史，地理和生態，專門針對蛇，詳細介紹了它們的大小，顏色模式，侵略性和毒液水平。展示令人清醒，我發現自己希望護林員站在禮品店的某個地方有一個儲備豐富的防毒酒吧。

​We continue through the village, a lonely collection of a few crumbling stone houses and a newer barracks building built for the military, all built on the side of a brackish lake. I try to imagine children playing in the rock-paved streets and people living in the houses, now being used to store massive rolls of green mesh webbing used to gather stones to create the walls and levees that keep the high tides from inundating the island’s low-lying spots. Even with my imaginary life, the place still feels forlorn.  
我們繼續穿過這個村子，孤零零地收集幾座搖搖欲墜的石頭房屋和一個為軍隊建造的更新的軍營建築，全部建在半鹹水湖的一側。我試圖想像孩子們在岩石鋪就的街道和住在房子裡的人們玩耍，現在被用來儲存大量的綠色網狀織物，用來收集石頭，以創造牆壁和堤壩，防止高潮淹沒島上的低 - 點。即使在我想像的生活中，這個地方仍然感到孤獨。
 
Lack of time and hiking permits does not allow our small group to hike up the Turtle’s back, but Guo has a different kind of exploration planned for us. A short hike leads us to a tunnel entrance, next to which a few abandoned military-type buildings stand, broken doors revealing electronic equipment likely state of the art in the 1970s, including a stereo system, microphone and tape deck likely used to both facilitate communication throughout the island and keep up troop morale.  Another sign warns us to keep only to the main tunnel, and again to beware of snakes.  
缺少時間和爬山許可證不允許我們的小組加入龜背，但郭先生有一個不同的探索計劃。短暫的徒步旅行將我們帶到了一個隧道入口處，在那裡，幾座廢棄的軍用建築物立於其中，上世紀70年代破門而出的電子設備可能是最先進的，包括立體聲系統，麥克風和磁帶機，溝通整個島嶼，並保持軍隊士氣。另一個標誌警告我們能走在主隧道，並再次提防蛇。

“This is one of the tunnels built throughout the island for military defense purposes,” Guo tells us. The tunnel is long enough so that midway through, the only light comes from fluorescent tubes stuttering at even intervals; secondary tunnels branch off here and there, but, technically off limits to tourists in any event, unlit. Reaching the end of our tunnel, I realize that we are now inside one of the outcroppings that Stephanie had pointed out from the deck of the Whale. The 120mm naval gun makes clear the fact that observation is only one of the lookout’s purposes.      
“這是為了軍事防禦而在全島建造的隧道之一，”郭先生告訴我們。隧道足夠長，以至於在中途，唯一的光線來自熒光燈管，每隔一段時間，二級隧道在這里和那里分支，但是，技術上禁止遊客在任何情況下，熄燈。走到隧道的盡頭，我意識到我們現在正在斯蒂芬妮從鯨魚甲板上指出的露頭之一。 120毫米的海軍炮明確表明，觀察只是其中一個目的。
 
Guo shows some of the features of the area, from the swiveling gun turret to the shape of the ceiling, designed to dissipate the gun’s deafening boom. I try to imagine being among the conscripts assigned to man the lonely outcropping day in, day out, staring out over a patch of ocean that, in the eighties and nineties at least, seemed an unlikely spot for conflict. Our guide looks at his watch and tells us we’ll need to hurry if we’re to catch the boat back. We return through the tunnel and village, past the ranger station (now closed), and to the dock where the Blue Whaleawaits to return us to Taiwan, leaving Turtle Island uninhabited once more save for a few officials, an unknown number of snakes and whatever ghosts choose to remain behind beneath the watchful eye of the Goddess of Compassion, Mercy and Kindness.
郭先生顯示了該地區的一些特點，從旋轉砲塔到天花板的形狀，旨在消除槍聲震耳欲聾的繁榮。我試圖想像成為那些被派去孤軍奮戰的義務兵的日子，他們盯著一片海洋，至少在八十年代和九十年代，似乎不太可能發生衝突。我們的導遊看著他的手錶，告訴我們，如果我們要趕回船的話，我們需要快點。我們穿過隧道和村莊，經過巡邏車站（現已關閉），到“藍鯨”等待將我們送回台灣的碼頭，離開龜山島再次無人居住，還有一些官員，數不清的蛇，幽靈選擇留在慈悲善良女神的監視之下。
 
Our exploration focused mainly on culture and history, but Taiwan based author Richard Saunders writes lovingly about his 2010 Turtle Island Hiking trip at Taiwan Off The Beaten Track.  
Interested in visiting Turtle Island?  MyTaiwanTour will do its best to hook you up. (No promises though – permits need to be obtained in advance, and slots often fill up quick.)
我們的探索主要集中在文化和歷史上，但是台灣作家理查德·桑德斯（Richard Saunders）深情地寫下了他在台灣“Off The Beaten Track.  ”的2010年龜島徒步旅行。
有興趣參觀龜島嗎？ MyTaiwanTour將竭盡全力來吸引你。 （沒有任何承諾 - 許可證需要提前獲得，而且插槽通常會很快填滿。）

​(Guanyin, Snakes & History’s Ghosts: An Afternoon on Turtle Island 觀音，蛇和歷史：龜山島的一個下午之旅) originally ran at the MyTaiwanTour Journal.  All photos and text posted in the above blog were taken from https://www.mytaiwantour.com/blog/. Follow this link for more stories like this one!
 
Visiting Taiwan? Let MyTaiwanTour help curate your experience. Find them online at https://www.mytaiwantour.com/  

​（Guanyin, Snakes & History’s Ghosts: An Afternoon on Turtle Island 觀音，蛇和歷史：龜山島的一個下午之旅）最初跑在MyTaiwanTour學報。 https://www.mytaiwantour.com/blog/. 點擊此鏈接獲得更多這樣的故事！
 
拜訪台灣？ 讓MyTaiwanTour幫助策劃你的經驗。 通過 https://www.mytaiwantour.com/  

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