We take an express train to Fengyuan 豐原 Saturday afternoon where we rent a scooter for the one hour drive to Guguan 谷關 at the west end of Highway 8, the former central cross-island highway. After a dinner in Gugan and a soak at Yuchen resort 御群露天溫泉會館 we return to Baqi campsite 谷關八起露營區 just above the town. We leave camp early in the morning when the temperature is still 7 or 8 degrees C with light day packs. We trace 11.5 km up the Dajia River 大甲溪 at low river levels from Guguan 谷關 to Maling Hot Springs 馬陵野溪溫泉 in bracing winter temperatures under clear skies.
