A husband and wife surnamed Hsu from Zhubei City, Hsinchu County, went hiking on Mount Kalisan in Nanzhuang Township, Miaoli last month on the 27th. They had planned to make a day trip but got lost on unfamiliar trails and were stranded in the mountains for three days. One of their mobile phones was lost, the other was nearly out of battery, and they survived on mountain spring water and boiled wild plants. Yesterday, they were found by ground search and rescue personnel. Due to the husband suffering a sprained ankle, they requested an air rescue helicopter to airlift them down the mountain for medical treatment. Both are in good condition.
The couple attempted the “Kalisan to Kalisan Mountain traverse” for the first time. At dawn on the 27th, they entered via the Kalisan Mountain trailhead in Nanzhuang, Miaoli, expecting to complete the hike within a day. However, unfamiliar with the routes, they lost their way at a fork and were trapped in the mountains for several days. The Miaoli County Fire Bureau received the report and deployed a large number of personnel while requesting an air rescue helicopter operation. Around 1 p.m. yesterday, ground search and rescue teams located the pair and immediately called for the airborne support helicopter, which then airlifted both individuals down the mountain to receive medical care.
The husband, surnamed Hsu, said they had originally planned to return the same day and only brought one day’s worth of instant noodles and dry rations. But after being stranded in the mountains for four days, they survived by drinking mountain spring water and cooking wild plants. Most of the dry food was given to his wife, and they just managed to eat the last pack yesterday morning before being rescued. He expressed deep gratitude to everyone involved.