A Great Day (hike) and a Tough Night

A Great Day (hike) and a Tough Night

By Peter

Wild Flowers Along the Trail

Last weekend I snuck off on a half-day hike/trail run while Ashley, Perrin, and Carly were off on a bicycle ride to a local temple.  I get such pleasure from hiking, both with family and friends, and, as was the case on this hike, alone.   As my time was limited, I kept the hike very local and accessed the trail via the MRT (subway) and a 10-minute taxi-ride.  The trail is popular because it runs along a stream and passes by a small temple that is literally built into a cliff.  The stream cascades gently next to the temple enhancing the view (and the slipperiness of the steps!).  Apparently, after a heavy rain, the stream transforms into a gushing waterfall and turns the usually tranquil temple environment into a scene of wild movement and energy: like the small brooks around Norwich during Irene!

銀河洞 "Silver Stream Cave" Temple

After passing by the small temple, the main trail takes the hiker quickly to a series of tea plantations that reside on the outskirts of Taipei.  The trail is, in typical Taiwan fashion, paved with steps most of the way but a small offshoot from the main trail promised a wilder, less manicured hike.  I promptly took the smaller trail to see where it would take me and, as is often the case when I take the “one less traveled by,” was rewarded with a fantastic hiking experience full of views and interesting jungle scenes.  I quickly lost track of time and neglected to stop for a rest until I was more than an hour out and standing on a small peak called “Number 16 Peak.”  It was only at this time that I realized that in my haste to get onto the trail, I had neglected to actually bring the water bottle that I had filled for the hike.  I made a mental note to share a laugh with Perrin and Carly after the hike since, as they will confirm, I am a fanatic about being hydrated.   Whenever one of them complains about pretty much anything, I ask them if they have had enough water. 

Another two hours and 8 miles later, I finally descended through the tea plantations in Muzha where I was able to purchase a couple bottles of water and hail a taxi to take me back to the MRT and finally home.  I was pleased, and somewhat amazed, that I seemed to suffer no negative impact from going too long without water and made a mental note not to be such a stickler with the kids about their daily intake of water in the future.

Fast forward to that evening...

The headache began around 10pm and by 10:30pm I was in bed and in agony.  The shakes began around an hour later, which commenced an internal debate between the adults of the family on whether or not to go to the hospital.  Given my condition, it was really a one-sided debate and it struck us later how frightening it is to be sick and vulnerable in a different country with a different language.  Our Chinese has improved considerably since we arrived seven weeks ago, but we would still be pretty much illiterate in a Taiwanese hospital.  A small sampling of the questions we asked ourselves included: What hospital should we go to?  Should we call the doctor on call at White River Family Practice?  When do we wake up the kids so that they can come to the hospital with us?  It’s now 1:00am, should we wake up the neighbor?  Again, Ashley was asking these questions, I was pretty much useless and both embarrassed and frightened by my condition.

We ended up calling a doctor in the US affiliated with the medical evacuation insurance we purchased prior to our departure.  They felt I should go to the hospital and recommended two hospitals in Taipei – advice that we ignored but appreciated nonetheless. Instead I crawled back into bed and waited it out, hopeful that I was just suffering from dehydration and not something like Meningitis or Dengue Fever.

Thankfully, after a few hours, my condition improved a bit and by morning I was exhausted but feeling semi-human again. 

The take-away?  Being a fanatic about hydration might not be a bad thing after all!

View From the Temple
 (still waiting for enlightenment!)