Hello, Hivers! How is your day? I have been busy working on my jobs these days. Yes, jobs. Apart from my main job, I have part-time jobs, most of which involve software development, including the Hive Multisig project. I just finished working on a new feature today, although I still need to do more testing.

I thought of giving myself a break and climbing a nearby mountain with a beautiful view. Besides, I don't want to miss the very good weather on a weekend because it does not always happen in Taipei.

Teapot Mountain

Some information about the Teapot Mountain. It is located near Jiufen in the Ruifang District of New Taipei City, Taiwan. The mountain, along with nearby Jiufen, gained prominence due to the discovery of gold in the late 19th century. Jiufen, once a prosperous gold mining town, is often associated with Teapot Mountain as both are integral parts of the region's history. The mountain is named after a distinctive rock formation that resembles a teapot.

Getting to the Trailhead

Getting there takes an hour of driving. I initially planned to ride my motorcycle to the trailhead, but unfortunately, the engine won't start. I knew since yesterday that it's having a problem, and the technician told me that the computer has to be replaced, costing $200. It's expensive, and I don't have time to deal with it yet. So, I instead took a train that will take me halfway and rented a motorcycle from there because the train rail doesn't reach my destination. I rented it for just $10 for a whole day! Way cheaper than spending $200 😁

I could take a bus from the train station, but I like to drive by the coastal road to enjoy the fresh air and the view. I think we can all agree that driving by the coast is one of the best, isn't it? Well, except when the weather is not as good as today.

I took a stop at every interesting spot I passed by to breathe, enjoy the moment, and soak in the view. Here is one captivating waterfall where the stones are colored brown, likely due to the ores in this mountain.

Reaching the Peak

Just after half an hour of driving and a few minutes of walking from the parking lot, I finally reached the trailhead.

It's not surprising that the mountain trails around Taipei are paved with stairs, like this one. This is mainly because people here truly love hiking in the mountains.

I also walked through some gravel paths along the trail and came across some closed caves that used to be gold mines.

I have also met other hikers along the way like this couple. They are tourists traveling from the UK. Proof that Teapot Mountain is indeed a popular destination among tourists as it is just an hour away from Taipei.

As I continued ascending, I started to see a great panoramic view of the mountain and the ocean behind me.

I started the hike at 4:30 PM, and now, at the 100m mark, I can see the sun preparing to set. It makes me very excited to reach the top and witness the golden hour from there.

I just kept on climbing until I reached the last 480m mark, where the path became rocky. From here, I could already see the peak of Teapot Mountain, and at this point, I was sweaty despite the cold breeze coming from the ocean.

Teapot Mountain Peak

Finally! In just 30 minutes, I reached the top. It wasn't as hard as I was expecting, yet it did not disappoint me with the view around it.

The main peak is not where I am standing in the picture above, but rather the large stone just in front of it. Initially, it appeared as a single massive stone, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was a stack of huge stones.

Reaching there is challenging, involving climbing while gripping ropes and maintaining perfect balance. Once at the top, you have to navigate inside the stack of stones and eventually exit through a tiny hole.

I attempted to reach the summit, but to my surprise, just before emerging from the hole at the top, I encountered numerous hikers descending. They informed me that the summit was crowded with many people.

It wasn't frustrating, considering it's also for my own safety. I instead took my time to fly my drone and capture amazing photos from a different angle of the mountain.

Drone Shots