July 16th- We woke up in our cabins today and began our trek to Giant Tree. The walk back from the observatory was pretty mild with lots of scenic views. There were birds surrounding the trail and we got to see many during the hike. We passed by giant rock, which showed another piece of the destruction left by the 921 earthquake. The rock looked like it had been sheared off and moved face down a few feet below. It’s quite amazing to see the strength of natural disasters.
We finished our rock at Giant Tree that seemed like a common tourist spot in Xitou. The tree showed a lot of wear. It was explained to me that the huge crack splitting the center of the trunk was due to a lighting strike. Although the tree itself was dead, there were still living branches that seemed to be acting like ivy as it wrapped around some of the trunk. It was pretty cool to see.
Later in the day, we went to the classroom to present the proposal for our research project. My group consists of Hoong-Yee, Em, Brooke , and I. We decided to focus our research in Xitou and relate soil and vegetation in various areas of the park. I’m exited to get into the park tomorrow and start taking some samples. This project doesn’t really fall into things I have learned previously but relates to what our lectures have been about this month.
Last thing we did today was watch a movie. It talked about the fauna and flora in the higher mountain areas of Taiwan. A lot of the plants and birds we have seen. It was a really well produced movie and I could see why it cost 2 mill. NT to make.
No comments:
Post a Comment