The advent of summer has brought a series of youth camps from national parks throughout Taiwan. Yangmingshan National Park will be holding its 13th Youth Camp in July 2024 over three sessions (July 10-12, July 17-19, July 24-26). A total of 90 campers will be accepted. The camp lasts for 3 days and 2 nights, during which the campers reside in the Yangmingshuwu guest house and participate in activities such as hikes, learning camping skills, and stargazing.

This year’s Youth Camp focused on climbing Qixing Mountain, learning to use offline maps, visiting the place where Ponlai rice was originally cultivated, walking through quiet mountain paths, and tree-climbing with ropes. The concept of “leave no trace” was also integrated into the activities. The activities mainly took place outdoors, and were designed to be simultaneously fun and educational. They were led by professional volunteers.

Yangmingshuwu served as the base of operations for campers, at which they learned about the history of Yangmingshan National Park, the unique characteristics of volcanic terrain, and protected wildlife such as civet cats. Many guided hikes were planned for the camp, such as walks along the Ziming Creek Trail, the Miaopu Trailhead, Menghuan Pond, and Lengmiao Trail.

During the climb up Qixing Mountain, campers were instructed on how to use offline maps on their phones to ensure they did not get lost. Offline maps are one of the most important tools for mountain climbers, as they allow climbers to confirm their location and route even without an Internet connection. The Menghuan Pond quiet path is approximately 1.5km long, and features the unadulterated sights and sounds of nature. Menghuan Pond is listed as a Wetland of Importance, and it served as an admirable outdoor classroom that was relaxing and perfect for observing the natural world.

The activities also included a visit to the Zhuzihu Ponlai Rice Foundation Nursery Story House, where campers learned about the origins and history of Ponlai rice. The camp also included nighttime activities such as wildlife observations and learning about summer constellations. Campers also participated in removing Louisiana crawfish, an invasive species, from Yangmingshuwu, thereby learning about the importance of ecological conservation.

The tree-climbing activity could be considered the highlight of the Youth Camp, where campers made their way up trees of over 10 meters in height using complex yet fully safe rope rigs. This allowed them to admire the view from an entirely different perspective. With the professional instructors’ explanations and demonstrations, the campers were able to climb up the trees by learning to adjust their balance and center of gravity. Even though some participants were scared of heights, they were still able to accomplish the climb by applying what they learned, thus giving them a chance to enjoy the sun and breeze atop the trees.