Jialuo Hu 加羅湖 is a mountain lake found high in the mountains of northern Taiwan. Only 70km southwest of Yilan, the trail head is a three hour drive from Taipei. The hike to the lake takes about another three hours, making this an awesome weekend away from Taipei’s bright lights.
This was the second time we hiked up to the beautiful lake, so I’ll keep this post short, and get right to the newest pictures:
A dream catcher-like spider web reflects the morning sun on Jialuo Hu Lake, near Yilan, Taiwan.
Jialuo Hu 加羅湖 lake, high atop one of Taiwan's beautiful mountains.
Jialuo Hu 加羅湖 lake, high atop one of Taiwan's beautiful mountains.
The morning sun at Jialuo Hu 加羅湖, near Yilan, Taiwan.
A dragon fly emerges from it larval state and spreads its wings. It's waiting for the sun to dry it off for its first flight.
A crescent moon sets behind trees at Jialuo Hu 加羅湖 Lake, near Yilan, Taiwan.
Dusk settles in above Jialuo Hu 加羅湖 Lake in Taiwan.
We did make a side trip to one of the several other lakes fund near Jialuo Hu. I’m calling this one”The Secret Lake” just because I forget its Chinese name, and it’s even hard to find on Google Earth, yet alone walking through the brush.
The trail to The Secret Lake was rugged, to say the least. We weren’t even sure we were on a trail at the beginning! We followed some sparse hiking flags on a scramble of a hike to the top of what looked like a dry waterfall. There, we found a few ropes leading down a very steep and slippery river bed to the lake. There were times we though of turning back, but as usual, we were happy when we finally found the hidden secret.
I’m sorry to say that none of the pictures I took do this lake justice. It was one of the most unique places I’ve ever been on Earth. It was silent. Absolutely… Dead… Silent. No traffic sounds… no airplane sounds… no water sounds… no animal or bird sounds… no wind sounds… Dead silent. The only experience I can compare it to is being alone in the dark in a professional recording studio… To find such a place out in nature was truly an indescribable experience.
Reflections on The Secret Lake near Jialuo Hu 加羅湖, Taiwan.
The dry creek bed that lead (straight down) to The Secret Lake near Jialuo Hu, Taiwan.
Stu points his camera through the lush greeness of the ferns, moss, and debris at The Secret Lake near Jialuo Hu, Taiwan.
If the photos above have you interested, you can go here to read more about Jialuo Hu.
Also have a look at Stu’s site, Hiking Taiwan.
Cheers,
-Neil
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that dragonfly shot is absolutely amazing, like something that should be used on a promo for Life or Planet Earth…
the shot of the Secret Lake reminds me of the scene in Return of the Jedi where Luke has to lift the x-wing from the swamp.
Thank you. We kept commenting that it felt like something out of Lord of the Rings. We definitely had the feeling that it was going to swallow us up or something!
Looks a lot better than the last time we were there. I like the picture of the secret lake, will have to make a 3 day trip up there for some more exploring sometime
It really is a great hike. We could find the secret lake and the other big one on a two day hike, no problem.
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Your photos on Flickr sent me running. I know I already said it on your photostream, but I’d just like to reiterate how much I enjoyed this series. Stunning work.
Have you ever thought about leading a nature hike for photographers in Taiwan? If you ever decide to hold a workshop, I’d definitely sign up. In fact, I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
Thanks so much Carrie. Actually, there has been talk amongst us about several different different types of outdoor companies. Give us a bit more time and we’ll let you know!
Wow! This is absolutely stunning! I love your shots! They’re all beautiful! My personal favorite is the first photo, the one with the spider web. It looks really good. Keep posting photos like this one. :)
good eye on the spider web photo. It’s a great shot.
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