Date: 2019/11/17
Number of participants: 14 people
Sunday, November 2019, Students from the College of Environmental Studies, including international and local students, participated in the activity organised by the Graduate Student Society (GSS), Chinan Orienteering Activity, held around and in Chinan National Forest Reserve.
After meeting at Liyu Lake, the students set off to the first destination, the “trail head” for the hike to Rainbow waterfall (彩虹瀑布). After a round of introductions, the group hiked along the valley and to the waterfall in perfect weather. In fact, it was so sunny and hot that the river and waterfall were a welcome rest place where people dangled their feet in the cold water and did some photography.
Next on the program was lunch at the Chinan National Forest Reserve. This had been prepared by the lovely people from the Chinan Education Division and was waiting for the students in the form of lunch boxes on the second floor balcony of the visitor center. Overseeing the lake and surrounding mountains during lunch was an added bonus.
After lunch, the group was ready to receive the basic training on how to navigate in open country – the orienteering that this activity was all about. The instructors explained how to read and use a map and compass correctly. Then, everyone had a chance to practice navigating routes within a grid of distinct positions in the classroom. It took a few turns for some people and gave plenty of reason to laugh. When the instructors determined that everyone was ready for the main activity, the students were paired up and every group received a map, a compass, and a punch card.
The task consisted of finding 14 distinct locations, so-called checkpoints, around the whole Chinan National Forest Reserve area in the given order. The time limit was about 1 hour. All teams dispersed and reconvened after they had completed the task.
The first team required about 40 minutes. However, one of the punched checkpoints was incorrect. The last team came in just under the time limit of 1 hour. Everyone rested for a while, during which some people explored the historic exhibits and museum room.
The final program point was in the cinema room, where the group watched a 20-minute documentary about the logging history of Hualien, learning about the extensive cable car and narrow-track train routes that used to extend far into the mountains. Real footage from the days of operation provided vivid images of the hard and dangerous work. A team from National Dong Hwa University had conducted an expedition several years ago, in which they tracked down the old rail lines and stations. They went as far as the final logging station, Halun, with was some 40 km into the mountains at an elevation of 2000 m.
After the documentary, everyone gathered for a final group photo and then the group returned home.