Huang Jianhui (pictured, photo provided by Huang Jianhui), who has suffered from diabetes for many years, spent three and a half years successfully conquering Taiwan’s 100 Peaks. He endured extreme challenges such as temperatures as low as minus 14 degrees Celsius, a broken rib, and even nearly running out of food when a wild Formosan sambar deer stole his supplies. No matter how steep the mountain slope, Huang had to regularly take out a syringe to inject insulin — earning him widespread recognition in Taiwan’s mountaineering community as “the man who hikes with a syringe.”
Huang Jianhui, head of the personnel office at Yizhu Junior High School, is a diabetic whose frail health often left him catching colds frequently. Four years ago, upon learning that his condition had worsened and that he would need lifelong insulin injections, he decided to hike to build up his physical strength and improve his health. After gaining experience on smaller peaks, he began tackling the 100 Peaks, all of which are over 3,000 meters above sea level.
Every weekend, Huang packs his gear and joins various hiking groups, taking on both major and minor peaks without exception. Huang said that hikers are most afraid of getting lost due to unclear trails, so the focus of his website is to present the appearance of mountain paths or forks and provide directional guidance. Though some have joked that his photos aren’t very nice, many hikers have successfully reached summits without GPS thanks to his posts. It has now become a well-known information hub for peak bagging in Taiwan.
Many netizens have advised him to stop climbing, fearing he might one day need to be rescued by helicopter and waste national resources. In response, Huang proudly stated that he has climbed over 200 peaks of all sizes with his syringe and has never encountered such an incident. On the contrary, because of his thorough preparation, he has even helped resolve emergencies for other hikers.
On July 16, Huang finally completed all 100 Peaks. Moving forward, he plans to hike all the smaller peaks and mid-altitude mountains in Taiwan, and is also planning a trip to Everest’s EBC Base Camp. Huang, who is in his fifties, insists on keeping on climbing.