Due to heavy rainfall, a landslide occurred on the South Cross-Island Highway the day before yesterday. By the morning of the 19th, the road had been cleared, and hikers stranded in the mountains quickly made their way down. The seven students from Fu Jen University’s Outdoor Camping Club who were unable to descend the previous day had only one can of mixed congee for breakfast yesterday. The students laughed and said they planned to eat five boxed lunches to make up for it once they got down the mountain.
Yesterday, some hikers also reported seeing a row of tents by Lake Kanas, suspected to be used for profit by an organized group. In response, the Taitung Forest Management Office stated that camping is prohibited within 50 meters of Lake Kanas. They plan to install additional signs soon, advise the removal of the tents, and beginning September 21st, will step up enforcement — not only removing the structures but also imposing fines under the Forest Act.
The South Cross-Island Highway was affected by heavy rain, and a large amount of falling rocks at the 178.5 km mark caused the road to be blocked. Forty-seven hikers who descended the day before learned they could only stay overnight at the Yangguang Forest Recreation Area. Yesterday morning, once the road was reopened, the hikers began descending one after another.
Seven students from Fu Jen University’s Outdoor Camping Club went to explore Lake Kanas. The day before yesterday, they were stranded in the mountains and spent the night at the forest recreation area. Yesterday morning, their food ran out, and they could only share one can of mixed congee to stave off hunger. Although they were extremely hungry, they were overjoyed to learn that the mountain road had reopened and they could finally head down. They cheerfully said they’d eat five boxed lunches to fill up once they got down.
Many hikers continued to head up the mountain yesterday. The public commented that the road closure on the South Cross-Island Highway was due to a minor landslide and would not significantly affect traffic, so they stuck to their original plans and set off for Lake Kanas.