Remembering an unfulfilled promise between mountains and seas: Gazing after the Taroko earthquake

#4月好去处2025 On an April morning, I stood on the beach in downtown Hualien, and the shadows of Taroko Mountain in the distance were still majestic. However, this time I was unable to walk into the heart of the canyon as usual, because a sudden earthquake caused many roads in Taroko National Park to collapse and trails to be closed. The entire scenic area was also temporarily closed and entered a long wait for maintenance and safety preparations. We had originally planned to visit the Shakadang Trail, and then explore Yanzikou, Jiuqu Cave and Changchun Temple along the Central Cross-Island Highway. However, the mountain roads were blocked and rocks were falling frequently, so everything remained just imagination. I could only gaze at the archway at the entrance of Taroko from afar, as if greeting an old sleeping friend. Although I couldn’t enter the park, standing at the foot of the mountain, I could still feel the power of nature—not just its magnificence and beauty, but also its fragility and unpredictability. This forest has experienced earthquakes, wind disasters and human road-building thousands of times. Now, what it needs is time to rest and repair. I think this may also be a call from nature: we don’t always have to step in personally to understand its profound meaning, but we should learn to be respectful and wait during this inaccessible time. The journey to Hualien continues, but Taroko is like a page of a book that has been temporarily closed. When calm days return, when the mountain roads are reopened and the trails are repaired, I hope to walk into the depths of the canyon again and pick up the unfulfilled appointment between the mountains and the sea today.