Checked the weather radar this morning and found that the only window for an outdoor activity this weekend was right now!, so I packed quickly for a light hike and walked down to the SYS MRT station. This is a one-way hike in the outskirts of Taipei between 2 subway stops (ShiPai and Xin Beitou).
Although it was not raining yet, it had been- so the humidity was over 90%. The temp was also near 90 so for hiking in the jungle it meant that it may as well have been raining. Visiting the 190 degree hot springs at the end of the hike was not a great way to cool down.
Trail signage continues to improve (yet I still took 2 wrong turns and ending up making it a 7 mile hike). Three attractions on this hike, a small peak with a nice view, the Lover’s Temple and a unique hot springs pool that has been over-commercialized since the Japanese were here last century. 
Enjoy the pics – a long way from worrying about bears and hypothermia last Saturday.
In Beitou I was accosted by a group of college students on a scavenger hunt and one of their items was to find a foreigner and ask 3 questions. I complied and was given a small gift. About 20 minutes later another group of students started chasing me, but unbeknownst to me (could not think of a less pretentious word) the 1st group was shadowing me to protect their lead. They ran interference and escorted me out of the park so that their competition could not check me off their list – a scene much enjoyed by the other park-goers.
Thanks, Dan.