<h1>Visit the former residence of the Varimi Trail, which is now a wildlife paradise</h1>
The jute station at 8K is no longer stationed by the Japanese police. Jute is a transliteration of the Bunun word guma, which means "ploughed land". In 1944, the station was evacuated, and today jute has become a paradise for wild animals such as ferns, mountain qiang, and wild rats.
Photography: Mu Yi
A long time ago, I heard that the "Valami Trail" in the Yuli Mountains of Hualien is rich in ecology, with many butterflies, plants, and Taiwanese black bears! Even when I went with my friends, I went to the mouth of the trail, but because of my lazy nature, I did not enter the mountain after all. This winter, I finally have the opportunity to fulfill my wish. (For a synopsis, see: Let's Go!) "Turn around and meet the bear", go to the Valami Trail to find the black bear! )
The Bunun language for "Varami" is: "Come together, do something together." It turned out to be a group of people, to complete it. Valami needs to apply to the national park to enter the mountain, and the leader of the team will take the name of the team as: "Turn and meet the bear", so he carries a twenty-kilogram heavy load, and the group is full of expectations, and goes up the mountain to find the bear together!
Svenhau's Snake. (Photo: Mu Yi)
Today's wildlife park
The jute station at 8K is no longer stationed by the Japanese police. Jute (Koma) is a transliteration of the Bunun word guma, which means "ploughed land". Evacuated in 1944, jute is now a paradise for wild animals such as ferns, mountain qiangs, and wild rats.
Sharp-eyed companion, found a beautiful svenhock snake in the grass! Elegant gesture, let us shoot to forget ourselves. The little snake is also very gentle for us to shoot, thanks to the little snake's company, let us have the first surprise of this trip. Sven Hao's swimming snake is endemic to Taiwan, and the number is small, and we are really lucky to meet here.
Yellow-throated Sable, Photography (Mu Yi)
5 star mountain house
After walking for eight hours, I finally arrived at the legendary Wallami Mountain House in the evening. I heard from my partner that before I arrived, there was a cute yellow-throated mink to report! Maybe our pan-fried steak tasted so tempting that even the mountain friends of the other teams were envious. But remember to pack up the kitchen waste and garbage and take it down the mountain to avoid attracting more visitors to the mountain at night.
It is said that this place was originally the residence of Valami, about 30 kilometers away from Yuri, and was an important relay station in the eastern section of the Baguan Ancient Road, with a height of 1060m, which was set up in 1920 as a rest and accommodation place at that time, and attached functions such as bartender and guest room. In 2002, the jade pipe office was rebuilt as a solar mountain house, with perfect water equipment, toilets, tables and chairs, and the mountain house has two floors and comfortable sleeping mats. Then our steak meal is not too much to say as a dining meal for a five-star camp!
Photography (Mu Yi)
Turn to meet the bear
In the early morning, in the birdsong and the warm sunshine, the teammates slowly woke up. After using up the shell corn soup and steak, it is inevitable to take a group photo and get ready to go down the mountain. Because there is still 13.6 kilometers to go!
There are many green oak fruits along the way, and it is also a favorite place for black bears to eat. But unlike my teammates, I am full of expectations for meeting a black bear, because I am slow on my feet and always backward, and I really don't want to face the huge black bear alone! At present, the number of black bears in Taiwan is about 200-600, which sounds like a lot at first glance, but Huang Meixiu, a scholar who studies black bears, said that the number of safe populations should at least reach 2,000, so Taiwan's black bears are still an endangered species.
Photography (Mu Yi) Qing Gang Oak.
Although I fell behind all the way, God also gave me a consolation prize. Because the ranger in front of me was talking to two foreign friends, explaining the traces of black bear scratches, and finally I met bear claws! And friends say that this trace is still very fresh, maybe the black bear has just left! (I thought it was dangerous...) ）
Photography (Muyi) Bear Claw.
Breathlessly walking for seven hours, the last five hundred meters, the pace was even heavier, and it was so touching when I finally saw the invisible finish line! My teammates lined up to cheer (it should be cheering to catch the 6:30 train), and even the taxi brother was waiting for me. Hop on the yellow taxi and thank goodness I'm back on earth!