"Treemendous!"

Alishan

It's not the tallest mountain in Taiwan, but at 8,736 feet, it's definitely worth visiting.

 And for those who are willing to navigate the ever twisting up hill roads, the reward is a significant drop in temperature! Not a bad thing when the average temperature and humidity currently leaves the air feeling like a hundred degrees.

Plus, I might add, the views are pretty awesome!

The view from our lunch table.

Afternoon clouds rolling in.

Life down in the valley.

A  rock slide on a neighboring peak.

Waiting for the sunrise.

While the views,  like many other places in Taiwan, are breathtaking, it was what was growing on the mountain that I found inspiring.

Trees!

Lots of trees.

Lots of big trees!

Lots of big, old trees!

This tree's age dates back to the lifetime of Isaiah!

After two lightning strikes took out the previous sacred tree, this tree received the most votes to take its place of "honor".  I had to chuckle because the placement of the structures behind this tree don't give off an aura of sacredness!

When the original tree fell, the second generation grew off the right side. The third generation sprouted from the top.

The peace I felt while hiking among these giants is hard to express. A poet I am not. 

The late afternoon sun, softened by the low clouds created the perfect atmosphere for this pond. 

During our hikes through these majestic forests, I had a reoccurring desire to buy some wood, nails, and rope. A tree house would make a great retirement home!