A hiking trip with more than 260 people to the nearby Guanyin Mountain was held on November 1 to celebrate the upcoming 59th anniversary of Tamkang University. The tour co-organized by TKU Faculty and Staff Welfare Association and Scouts Group of Tamkang University was joined by a wide range of TKU staffs, their family members, members of TKU scouts group and community members.

“There used to be a tradition that TKU freshmen will climb up the Ke-nan Hill at the beginning of a school year and take a tour to Guanyin Mountain before graduation,” said Huang Wen-chi, Director of Tamkang Rover Scouts Club. The long-kept tradition, however, did not carry on since a decade ago, Huang said. “Hopefully, with the holding of such mountain-climbing event, we can bring back the old tradition.” He added that during the hiking, one can see an overview of the TKU campus, Taipei Harbor, Guandu Bridge and the whole Taipei city, which is a spectacular experience.

There were occasional showers during the whole hiking trip; however, it did not affect the great atmosphere of the tour. Chen Hui-chuan, a student counselor of the Extracurricular Activities Guidance Section said that the whole mountain was covered in mist which resembles a painting and just like a heaven on earth! “It is really a unique experience,” Chen said. She added that hiking was really a great sport suitable for both the young and the old. Another participant of the tour, Shu I-ping, said that she deeply enjoyed the view she saw during the trip. “I enjoyed the beautiful scenery en route, and having refreshment after hiking,” she said.

A lottery draw was also held after the hiking tour concluded, featuring with more than 50 prizes, the biggest one, a Giant bicycle. It was won by Shih I-ming, father of Dr. Shih, Sheng-pao, a professor in the Information Management Department. Dr. Shih said it was a great and healthy experience to join the group hiking during weekends. “And it is even better to win a bicycle,” he added. ( ~Yeh Yun-kai )